My Every Day Makeup Routine

Hello, lovelies! I thought I’d share with you my every day makeup routine! This is what I wear when I’m out-and-about. I like to keep it light and natural! I included an eyeshadow portion, but I don’t always wear eyeshadow. Sometimes, I skip that part. I’ll take you through step-by-step

1. Step 1 – Moisturize: First, I moisturize. I do consider this to be part of it because if I don’t, my makeup doesn’t sit right. Sometimes, I’ll use coconut oil (like I mentioned here). Other times, I use a regular moisturizer. For dry months, I really like Clinique’s classic moisturizer. However, if you’re prone to breakouts, I definitely don’t recommend it. If you have combo or oily skin, then I recommend this super hydrating water-based moisturizer or this dupe.
2. Step 2 – Prime: I like to let my moisturizer settle for about 10 minutes. Then, I go in with primer. I love, love, love Laura Mercier’s Radiance Primer. It really gives a dewy finish without you looking shiny or like you rubbed your face down with oil. It also keeps my makeup looking fresh for hours! I massage the Radiance primer all over my face and down my neck. Then, if it’s humid or my T-zone has been oily, I will go in with a NYX primer. This one is great at filling in pores! I will usually put this over any blemishes, right over my nose and little under my eyes/on my cheek bones, and in the center of my forehead to prevent creases.
3. Step 3 – Foundation: I’m not a fan of heavy, full coverage foundations. I love light foundations that off great coverage, but where you can’t tell they’re there! Urban Decay’s Naked Foundation is amazing. If you’re looking for a dupe of it, L’Oreal’s True Match foundation is basically the same thing. A little goes a long way! Recently, I’ve been using my fingers to apply my foundation. I find the warmth of my finger tips really help the foundation melt into my skin. I do love a good foundation sponge like this one from Real Techniques. Also, this brush from them is a great alternative for buffing foundation into the skin!
4. Step 4 – Concealer: I prefer my concealer to be a little more heavy duty. That’s mostly because I struggle with dark circles/eyelids and, when I get a blemish, I really want it to cover that suck up. I apply my concealer in a triangle under my eyes, a smidge down my nose, and over blemishes. I will use my finger tips (or beauty blender) to blend in my under-eyes first and then go back in and blend the rest of my face, usually leaving the blemishes for last for maximum coverage. This concealer is my absolute ride-or-die, best concealer I’ve ever had. It will cover absolutely everything with the tiniest amount. I also love Urban Decay’s Naked Concealer. I’ve heard this one is a dupe for it and it’s pretty good. I always try to get my concealer in a shade lighter than my foundation (which is not always possible because yo’ girl is pastey).
5. Step 5 – Eye Makeup: Sometimes, I skip this part if I’m not feeling it. Otherwise, I use a little bit of my concealer as a base for my eye makeup. I will then take a fluffy brush (like this one) and a light, neutral brown all over the lid. I will then go in with a medium brown and that same fluffy brush, and buff the medium brown eye shadow just into my crease. I’ll take it about halfway across my eye and into the outer corner and work the eye shadow until it looks seamless. I will then take a denser brush (like this one) and pack some dark brown eye shadow to the outer corner only. I will then take a fluffier angled brush (like this one or this one) and buff out the dark brown eye shadow, making sure it really stays concentrated to the outer corner. As a finishing touch, I will take a cream colored eye shadow and pack it into the inner corner of my eye and work it out towards the middle of my eyelid. I’ll let you in on a little secret 🙂 Makeup Revolution has phenomenal makeup palettes for a dime! They’re incredibly pigmented eye shadows. I’ve never had fall out with them or eye shadow creases. I really think they’re dupes for all of MAC’s eye shadow palettes. I have this one and this one. This one is what I used today. And I’m dying to get my hands on this one.
6. Step 6 – Mascara + Eyebrows: I usually just fluff up my lashes a little bit with a volumizing mascara. I love this one to really fan out my lashes. I think it has the most natural effect. Sometimes, I will wear eyeliner (even without eye makeup) if I feel like my eyes need some definition. I tend to stick to a brown eye liner (like this one). I always, always, always do my eyebrows. Typically, I will choose an eye shadow off of my palette and use an angled brush to fill them in. I try to match the roots of my hair to the color of my eyebrows so everything looks natural and cohesive.
7. Step 7 – Bronzer, Blush, + Highlight: Okay, final step, you guys! First thing I do is bronze my face (I like this palette). I will take a denser, smaller brush like this one, and carve out my cheek bones with bronzer. I will make two thick lines on each cheek. I try to make the angle of this line from the top of my ear to the corner of my mouth. HOWEVER, I do not drag the product all the way down to the corner of my mouth! I stop once I reach the outer corner of my eye. The goal is to sculpt your cheekbones, so stick to your hollows! I will also contour my nose (exactly like this photo, except way less dramatic). I will typically use a lighter bronzer for this and barely touch the brush to my nose. Then, I take an angled fluffy brush and blend in my cheeks. I will take a smaller fluffy brush and blend my nose. After that, I take a large fluffy brush and bronze the outer rim of my forehead and down my neck. Your goal here should be to blend to be sure there are no lines! I will then go in with a dusty rose blush (I love this palette or you can use one like this one) and use a stippling brush to apply to the apples of my cheeks and swipe up my cheek bone. I will then go in with a big fluffy brush again and buff it over my whole face to be sure everything looks seamless. For a final touch, I apply highlighter to the apples of my cheeks (predominantly), swipe up the cheek bone, a dab on my cupid’s bow and tip of my nose. This is the highlighter I’ve been using and I love how subtle it is!
8. Step 8 – Finishing Touches: Some days, I will swipe on something really moisturizing and light on my lips (like this one). Other days, I’ll wear a pinky nude lipstick. I love L’Oreal’s lipsticks! I think they’re great and long lasting. NYX also makes some great liquid lipsticks (like this one), but I usually avoid those because I love a more satin lip finish for the day-to-day.

Okay, guys, that was a lot! But that’s it! I hope it all made sense. I know it’s a ton of reading, but if you’re a skimmer, I included some links in there to some of my tried-and-true favorite makeup products! Overall, the goal for me is to not look too done up, just put together.