Beauty: My Makeup Routine and Favorite Products

Besides questions about my hair (cut and style), most of the emails or comments I receive are about my makeup and favorite beauty products. I have been meaning to do this post for months, but I'm just now getting to it (I took these pictures back in February!!) So, today I am sharing my favorite makeup products and my everyday makeup routine.  I am always looking for the next best thing when it comes to beauty products, so I have tried a lot of different ones over the years. Most of the products I use on a day-to-day basis are favorites that I continue to come back to over and over. 

1. Primer: After my moisturizer and sunscreen, I always apply primer before my tinted moistruizer or foundation. For me, I have found that it does make a difference in how the rest of my makeup looks and how long it lasts. My two favorite primers are the NARS 'Pro-Prime Oil Free Pore Refining Primer and the Bare Minerals 'Prime Time' Foundation Primer. 

2. Tinted Moisturizer/Foundation: For a really natural look, or when I'm in a hurry, I have been loving the Bare Minerals 'Pure Brightening Serum Foundation.' The amount of coverage this serum provides is impressive considering it is so lightweight. On days when I want a little more coverage, I mix my absolute favorite Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer with a small amount of Revlon 'Colorstay' foundation. If you have not tried the Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer, it is an absolute must! This is hands-down the best tinted moisturizer! It provides great coverage, evens out your skin tone and looks totally natural. I cannot say enough about this product. The Revlon foundation by itself is a little too thick for me, so I like to mix it with my tinted moisturizer for the perfect medium coverage look. I just mix a little bit of each on my hand and then use a Beauty Blender (favorite tool ever!) to apply--I concentrate the most product on my problem areas and then apply the thinnest amount on the perimeter of my face and forehead.

3. Corrector/Concealer: I have used the Bobbi Brown corrector and concealer for years and they have always been my favorite for brightening under the eyes. I used to wear the Cle de Peau concealer over my Bobbi Brown corrector, but stopped using it for some reason. I recently tried it again and I love, love it! It's on the pricey side, but it literally lasts forever and provides the most beautiful coverage. Definitely worth the investment. Both these products do a really good job of brightening the eye area, but still look natural, as long as you have a light hand and don't use more than you need.

4. Bronzer/ Blush: I prefer a matte bronzer and my favorite is Bobbi Brown's Bronzing Powder in 'Golden Light.' It is a beautiful golden bronze color that doesn't look muddy or orange. I use this year round and apply it on the perimeter of my face, under my cheekbones and jawline and a little down my neck to make sure everything matches. I am a total blush girl and I have mentioned my all-time favorite blush before: Laura Mercier's 'Lotus Pink.' This blush is the perfect coral pink color and gives the most beautiful pop of color. I honestly can't say enough about this blush. I also love the color 'Lush Nectarine.' This is a slightly more peachy color and gives a really natural flush. I like to use this on days when I'm wearing less makeup for a more natural look.

5. Powder: I have slightly oily skin, so I set everything with the Makeup Forever 'Pro Finish Multi-Use Powder Foundation.' Even though this is technically a powder foundation, I like to use it very lightly to set my foundation. It can also be used on its own or over a tinted moisturizer as a powder foundation.

6. Eyeliner: For years I have used the Maybelline 'Line Express' pencil eyeliner. It's nothing special, but it's creamy and does the trick for a simple brown line above the lash line. I like the 'brownish black' color because it's a little softer than black, but still gives my eyes nice definition.

7. Eye Shadow: I rarely ever wear eyeshadow, but when I do, I stick to gold, bronze and brown colors. My go-to eyeshadow is the NARS Duo Palette in the color 'Alahambra.' This palette has two beautiful shimmery colors, one gold and one that is more of a peach color. They are both gorgeous and really make your eyes pop. I rotate between both colors and just use my pinky finger to apply a quick swipe on each eyelid. Super easy.

8. Mascara/Lashes: Long lashes are my favorite part of makeup. I love mascara and I have mastered my own technique when it comes to applying it. First off, curling your eyelashes is key. Straight lashes do nothing for your eyes, but curling them will make all the difference in opening them up and really making your eyes pop. I use the Shiseido curler and love it. Once I've curled my lashes, I first apply a coat of Lancome 'Hypnose' mascara--I have used this mascara for years and I will never wear anything else. It has the perfect consistency (not too wet, not too dry) and the brush is great for separating and really coating the lashes. I love it! Once that has dried a little bit, I apply a coat of Dior 'DiorShow Blackout' mascara to add some more length and to get my lashes really black. When I really want my lashes to look amazing (for pictures, going out, etc.) I will add some individual lashes as well. My favorite are the Ardell individual lashes--I like these because they look so much more natural than strip lashes and you can blend them in with your own lashes with a coat of mascara.

9. Eyebrows: I have naturally full brows, but I like to use the Anastasia Beverly Hills 'Perfect Brow Pencil' to fill in a few sparse spots. My brows are fairly dark and I use the "Blonde' shade which is the perfect color and looks totally natural. Just make sure to comb through your brows once you've filled them so they don't looked "penciled in." I also use these tweezers to pluck and keep my brows looking polished in between brow waxes. They are the best.

10. Lips: I swear by Aquaphor to keep my lips soft and moisturized. I never leave the house without this stuff and I will literally have four tubes in my makeup bag or purse at any given time. A lot of times I will just wear Aquaphor, but when I do wear lipstick, my most recent favorite is Lipstick Queen in the shade 'Saint Pinky Nude' (what I'm wearing in these pictures). It is a really subtle pink color that is basically the same as my natural lip color. Love it. My other favorites: MAC in 'Hot Gossip' (Really pretty light berry shade); MAC in 'Creme Cup' (a soft pink) and Chanel "Rouge Coco Hydrating Creme Lip Color" in No.20 'Rose Comete' (a beautiful rosy pink with some shimmer). 

Shop my favorite makeup products below: 

photos by JessaKae Photography