I’m a full-fledged grandma when it comes to most things. My bedtime, technology, and definitely adapting new makeup routines. I’m also very much the same person who proclaims, “Why haven’t I been doing this the whole time?!” after discovering something everyone already knew. So here are just a few of the makeup/beauty related things I should have been doing ages ago.
1. Sticking with a consistent skincare schedule.
Sure I’ve had a pretty standard skincare routine, but I’ve never been good at sticking with a regular schedule until this month. I would probably do it two to three times a week, but now I’m doing it daily and noticing a huge difference. Clean, happy skin doesn’t just happen with lackluster effort. My skin is loving this daily attention and I’m keeping myself accountable with a habit tracker in my planner.
2. Brows.
Now I have been doing my brows consistently for the last year or so, but before then it was literally chaos in my life without brows. They make a huge difference. Huge. If I don’t do any makeup at all, I still always touch up my brows. I’m still not a brow wizard and I probably should go get them waxed and actually shaped for the first time ever, but the basic act of just adding some color to them still gives me an Aladdin “whole new world” moment every time.
3. Contour.
I’m definitely still getting the hang of this one, but it’s been way easier than I thought to pat some contour to my cheeks and I’ve been obsessed with how it looks already. It’s been a super easy but noticeable change to my daily routine and I’ve been loving how it looks in vlogs lately.
4. Waterproof vs. Regular Mascara
For ages I thought it really made a difference to my lashes if I used waterproof mascara over regular mascara. It seriously doesn’t. It may for other lashes out in the world, but for me, any mascara will do as long as it volumizes, lengthens, and holds a curl. The mascara world has blown wide open for me.
What are some beauty things that you’re doing now that you should have been doing ages ago? Drop them in the comments!
We all have those products that we reach for without fail. Sure we occasionally dabble with new things, but we always come back to the lifers. These are mine. The tried and true products that have never let me down and despite wandering away from them in an effort to find the next best thing, they’re always waiting for me when I come back.
The Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Sprayis one of those products I can’t really describe, but I can tell when it’s missing from my makeup routine. I love how instantly refreshed I feel after the first mist and my makeup just looks better throughout the day. This is my favorite formula of UD’s setting sprays and I’ve probably used at least three containers worth so far with two more always sitting in backup.
Now I tend to be pretty fickle when it comes to mascara, but I just can’t get over how much I love Urban Decay’s Perversion Mascara. It’s the perfect mascara for my lashes. Serious volume, great length, and it holds a curl almost all day. No other mascaras have done it quite like this one.
Although my skincare routine rarely changes, I still don’t feel the same attachment to the rest of the products like I do The Body Shop’s Vitamin C Facial Cleansing Polish. It’s the most abrasive scrub my face allows me to use (it’s really not even that rough on the skin) without causing irritation on the cheeks. It smells amazing and is my go to cleanser of choice to remove makeup and get the day off my face. I think it’s safe to say I’ve used at least six of these containers.
If you haven’t tried It Cosmetic’s CC Cream by now you’re absolutely bonkers. I tend to reach for light-weight base products and this one is my all time favorite. I have it in two shades so I can mix and match throughout the year. It’s so easy to blend into the skin, build up if more coverage is needed, and it wears great throughout the day. I love the packaging because you can really squeeze the last drop out.
No all stars post is complete without briefly mentioning Stila’s One Step Correct. I’ve been yammering on about this stuff since I started this blog and for good reason. No primer compares to this in my book. Part moisturizer, part color corrector. The packaging is incredibly fun and I’m still not tired of it after close to 20 or so containers of this stuff. We’re besties for life.
Concealer is another one of those products that I don’t feel overly attached to sticking with just one product, but I find myself reaching for Urban Decay’s Naked Skin Concealer when I need my dark eye circles covered badly. It’s the only concealer I’ve repurchased twice and I trust it to get the job done. It smells a bit odd at first but I quickly got over that because it’s just that good.
MAC’s “Twig” Lipstick is my lipstick. If I ever become famous for something and people suddenly become interested in recreating my makeup looks, “Twig” is the lipstick I’ll be known for. It has a gorgeous satin finish on the lip that keeps the color in place while not being drying like a matte. It has just the right mix of brown and mauve tones to keep things interesting without being over the top. Literally me in a nutshell.
If I had to only wear one blush for the rest of my life it would probably be Urban Decay’s Afterglow Blush in “Video”. Honestly I hadn’t a clue I was such an Urban Decay fan until I started writing up this post. DANNNGGG. It’s the perfect flush of color on the skin while still being subtle and easy to wear all year round. Dusty rose at its best and I’m well on my way to hitting pan on this bad boy.
If you would have told me a brow powder would make its way into my lineup of lifers I wouldn’t have believed you. But I’m a convert through and through. It Cosmetic’s Brow Power Powder is so easy to use that I don’t know why I hadn’t tried it sooner. I love it so much more than pencils as it’s easier to slap my brows on in a rush. A few angled brushes full and I’m off to the races.
I’d love to hear what your lifer products are. What are the ones you just couldn’t live without?
My stash has reduced substantially since I first started this blog and it’s quite the feat to keep it that way. But if you’re like me and don’t need makeup spilling out of every nook and cranny in your home, I have a few tips to keep it under control.
First up, constantly remind yourself that you only have one face. Nothing keeps me from buying another blush more than the reminder that I only have one face to wear it on. Sure it gets difficult when there are new releases every other day, but at some point you don’t need more makeup than you can wear in your lifetime.
Set up your collection to have the essentials in each category so you won’t need to try and fill a void. Blush is a great example. Have a summery peach shade, an everyday shade, and a deeper mauve tone for colder months. Cover all of the basic categories and you won’t find yourself really missing anything from your stash.
You should also unsubscribe from all makeup related newsletters. If you don’t know there are new products coming out, you won’t feel the need to buy anything new. Ignorance is bliss when it comes to new makeup.
It’s also super helpful to have a donation bin close by to remove no-longer-loved makeup from your stash. I find it even more helpful to have the basket I use in a separate drawer so I can clearly define what’s in my stash and what’s leaving it. Since I am fortunate enough to get samples sent to me occasionally, I like to keep them in this same drawer until I’ve tested them out. That way if I’m not crazy about them, they stay down there and never get moved to my main collection.
Check expiration dates often. This is a great way to clean out your stash on a regular basis and keep it under control. There’s no use holding on to makeup that’s expired.
Buy new, smaller storage, and don’t let your makeup expand past it. When I did my great destash last year, I purchased newclear acrylic organizers and vowed that I couldn’t have more makeup than could fit in it. It’s helped so much at keeping my spending in check. Plus the smaller drawers get filled quicker and makes it look like I have a lot more makeup than I actually do.
If you’re still having trouble keeping your stash small after a destash, practice the one-in-one-out rule. If you have to have that new lipstick, then there’s probably one in your collection that you don’t love as much. Let the new one replace it and send the other off to a friend, family member, or donate it if it’s lightly used.
But honestly at the end of the day, I’m incredibly happy with my makeup collection and that makes it easy to keep it small. It has everything I need and I don’t find myself lusting after makeup anymore since I have all my bases covered with what I currently own. I’ve picked high quality pieces that I invested in. Sure it cost more money up front, but I’ve saved a lot more in the long run from not buying more.
How do you keep your stash from exploding in makeup goodness?
There’s no doubt that I’m officially hooked in to the traveler’s notebook world. So much so that I spend a good chuck of time every day poking around the Chic Sparrow and Foxy Fix websites seeing if anything new has popped up. Newsletters have been followed, Facebook groups joined. I’ve dived in deep and my wallet isn’t too keen on the whole relationship.
Although I have a number of Etsy orders open for even more supplies, I had to figure out something quick to keep my expanding collection of traveler’s notebook items. So here’s what I’ve come up with so far.
A trinket jar has done wonders at keeping all my magnetic bookmarks and plain paperclips in place. Plus it’s making a lovely addition to the top of my BRAND NEW DESK ALEX BUILT ME. I’m one lucky girl. I have a lot of small bits and bobs and keeping them in this jar just makes it a lot easier than having them flop all over the place and get caught in Gallifrey’s grasps to disappear to the great beyond.
I do find that the little jar is already full and it’s too small to hold my decorative paper clips. Yup. Decorative paperclips. If you would have asked me a month ago what I thought about them I would have said no way. But I’m a convert because I hadn’t the foggiest clue that there were more than just cardstock options. The paper ones still don’t make a lot of sense because they easily get damaged by using them, but yarn and fabric ones?! Game changers. These are the bulk of my current Etsy orders and I’m too dang excited.
I went a little scrapbook paper crazy at Michael’s the other day and needed a good place to store all the cut-to-size dashboard inserts. Oh, Hello Sticker Organizer to the rescue. It’s the perfect size for all my A6 sized papers and I even filled a few pages with my growing die cut sticker collection. This organizer solved a ton of my problems in one fell swoop. Plus they’re on sale. Win!
All my extra dashboard inserts, notebooks, the sticker organizer full of papers, and my larger paperclips get tucked away in an old PR sample box from Urban Decay on the tv stand in our bedroom. I’d love to find a more flashy way to organize everything, but for now tucked away is working perfectly.
I’d love to hear how you store all your supplies! Whether it’s sticker storage or a nice collection of traveler’s notebook goodies. What do you do with all of it?!
I’m no home decor genius, but I do know a thing about making my home look more together than it actually is. The internet is full of lies my friends and home styling is full of secrets.
See a gorgeous shelfie full of beautiful bins, books that have only been once, and perfume bottles full of expensive liquids? Those bins are either empty, or full of junk. Bins are a perfect way to add texture and break up a styling space, but more often than not are full of lies. I have a bin in our bedroom that’s sat empty for months, while another one is just full of squishies.
That super adorable chair is usually covered in a giant blanket to prevent cats from scratching it. My new office chair is gorgeous, but it only comes out to snap a picture and then it goes right back under a quilt. No way am I letting my claw-crazy cats get their hands on its fabric. Most of our furniture is safe if it’s leather, but anything fabric is destined for claw marks. Pets are the best, but not when it comes to keeping furniture looking its best.
Beds are only made when guests are coming over or a photo is being taken. At least in our household anyway. There are those amazing people who make their bed every day and I seriously envy you, but that just doesn’t happen here. I’m lucky if the blankets are even still left on the bed. Yet when there are relatives coming into town or we’re hosting a party, the place looks good and proper.
The house is only as tidy as the edges of a photo. Seriously. This one is a big one for all the Instagram ready houses you see online. You only see what the photographer wants you to see. I often have a basket of ready-to-fold-a-week-ago laundry just out of frame of most photos I take. Like the one for this post. So. Much. Laundry. So if your house feels constantly messy and you just don’t know how everyone else can keep up with it? Feel confident knowing that they don’t either.
