Happy Monday! I can't believe I am FINALLY writing this. Oover on
my Instagram I have been promising for months to create an IGTV series Makeup For Dummies. This series is going to break down every step, hopefully to the easiest of terms and explainations. I am going to talk to you as if you have never seen a piece of makeup in your life! The blog is going to house all of the links to products I use in that video. I am so excited and I hope you are too!
Let's Talk Skincare!
The condition of your skin is going to play a vital role in how makeup lays on your face, as I said in the video. Locking down a skincare routine for both day and night is essential. You will need a great face wash for day and night, a toner, serums for both and they will be different for each, (vitamin c, anti-aging, reapartive, etc.) eye cream for both, a moisturizer for each, an spf for the day, a makeup removing system for night, and something hydrating for your lips. Here is a list of what I use for both day and night. Keep in mind when you are putting your routine together what your skin type is. I am combination skin but leaning heavy towards dry. I use things that are very moisturizing. If you are oily, you would use something a bit different than I would. Use Ulta and Speohra to find reviews of everything. You will have to invest a bit in skincare but it is worth it!
Here is my daytime routine!

1.) First thing I do in the morning is wash my face. I ust the
Purity Made Simple Cleanser by Philosophy and I have been for about five years. I use this both day and night and it still lasts almost a year, which is how I justify the price point. I always wait to see what the Ulta 21 Days of Beauty event is going to be because it will sometimes make the list, making it half off. If not, I will wait for a 20% off everything coupon because it is considered prestige.
2.) Toner!
The Mario Badescu Rose Toner has been my go-to for day time toners for years. It is affordable and it smells amazing! Here are five reasons why you need a toner in your routine: they give your skin moisture before applying serums, they remove chlorine and other drying minerals found it tap water, they balance the pH in your skin, they can enhance the results from your skincare program, and finally they support your skin's natural protective barrier!
"A toner can contain active ingredients to help calm, control oil, stimulate blood circulation, destroy acne-causing bacteria, provide anti-oxidant benefits and more. Also, it is thought that moist skin is actually TEN TIMES more permeable than dry skin. So this means that leaving your skin damp with toner and applying your serum or moisturizer immediately after will allow the active ingredients in those products to penetrate deeper. This, in turn, gives you even better results for your skincare routine." -Renee Rouleau
3.) Serums, baby. When I got my very first facial, the esthetician told me the importance of vitamin C, especially for me. I was a kid who grew up in Las Vegas with a pool in my back yeard, Sure, parents slathered us in spf but it wasn't the highest and it wasn't often enough for our 110 degree summers. I have a lot of sun damage which resulted in a lot of freckles. Vitmain C not only repairs sun damage but it protects against further damage.
The Ole Henrikson Truth Serum is pricey but it is my absolute favorite one. I can see a visual difference when I use this serum from when I don't.
4.) De-puff your eyes! Back in December
Jen from The Rambling Redhead announced that Dr. Brandt was having a sale and she only buys their under eye cream,
Needles No More. Noww, she has three kids, a giant house, and is filming a tv show and looks beautiful every single day. Again, this is an investment but it works! The cream actually has caffeine in it and a orange tint to earse your blue circles and depuff the puff!
5.) Moisturize Moisturize Moisturize! I have used so many creams for day and night. There are some out there that are over $200 and even drug-store options are more than $20. I landed somewhere in the middle with
Olay Whips. I have tried a few varieties but I love the unscented one. No matter what you vhoose, make sure it has an SPF!!
Night-time Routine
1.) Take off that makeup! The first thing I do is use a reusable makeup removing towel. I have a few that are knock-offs to the
Makeup Eraser but heard nothing compares to the original! I then go in with a toner that also acts as a cleanser
from It Cosmetics and is only found at Sephora. I use the
Shiseido cotton for this because it is the best of the best! No residue or cotton strands are left behind! After that I go in with my Purity cleanser. That is my tripple cleanse and I know that the chances of any makeup being left behind are very slim!
2.) Second toner of the night is another
It Cosmetics that has a ton of anti-aging properties plus the promise of help with pores, which is a problem area of mine for sure.
3.) My night-time serum is expensive and intense but it has been helping me so much with texture.
The Sunday Riley Luna Sleep Oil has been a game changer to my routine. Again, you can research more affordabl options if anything is out of your budget but remember that skin care is an investment!
4.) My eye cream changes at night because of the caffeine content in my day time routine. I love the herbal
eye cream from Mario Badescu and is definitely more budget friendly.
5.) My night time moisturizer is one i go back to again and again when I have the money. I wait for the Spehora VIB sales and when they are exchanging gift cards for points. I never use my points for samples so I always have a plethora of them.
The Tatcha Water Cream is actual magic for dry skin. It absorbs into the skin like a dream and still leaves a softness when you wake up. It is insance sorcery!
Moving onto the base!
1.) Primer! I use the
Elf Poreless Puddy, an exact dupe for the very expensive Tatcha Silk Primer. It fills pores and leaves a tacky base, perfect for your foundation to adhere!
3.) Concealer. Keep in mind your tone. If you are staying true to your skin tone, you are concealing. If you go up a few shades, you are highlighting. If you go down a few shades, you are contouring. My favrite concealer is the
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind or the
Cover FX Power Play Concealer.
4.) Set it! You don't have to set your entire face and you don't have to use a pound of powder. Just be sure you are setting your neck so it doesn't transfer and anywhere else you notice it may disappear throughout the day or any lines it tends to gather in. My favorite powder of all time is the
Cover FX Perfect Setting Powder.
That is it! I know this was very long winded but now anytime I mention my routine for skincare this will be an excellent reference. Let me know what you thought of the video and if you have any other questions!