From time to time, readers ask me what lipstick I’m wearing or what foundation I use. I even get texts from friends asking about it. You guys are a demanding bunch of divas.
I actually wear a lot less makeup than I did in my 20’s. It’s probably a combination of feeling more confident in how I look, not giving a shit what people think and also being a lazy sloth in the morning not wanting to spend more than 5 minutes on it. I actually *gasp* only wear foundation to work once a week when I’m not meeting with clients and impressing them with my copywriting skills and sunshine smile.
So I thought I’d start a “My Favorites” series about my favorite things. <cue Julie Andrews> Let’s start with the beautification process of making me look so damn awesome.
1. St Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub
This has been in my shower since I was in high school. Yes, I’m being serious. This is my stand-by scrub and I only use it 1-2 times a week for my face and neck (and sometimes knees and elbows if they’re extra dry). It’s less than $4 too. Holla atchya girl!
2. R+F Microdermabrasion Paste
My dear friend and former roommate sent this to me as a sample telling me it would make my face feel like a baby’s bottom. (How’s that for a sales pitch?) Shit got real because it totally did! I use this two to three times a month in replacement of the St. Ive’s Apricot Scrub. It’s so damn good. BBS. Baby’s bottom soft. If I’m feeling feisty, I’ll put on R+F Redefine Night Renewing Serum afterwards and wake up like Princess fucking Aurora. Beauty sleep in a bottle, babes.
3. Josie Maran Argan Daily Moisturizer SPF 47
I was introduced to this 5 or so years ago by a sales associate at Sephora when I was looking for a moisturizer with SPF in it that wouldn’t make my skin burn or eyes tear up. My skin is a sensitive bitch, just like my heart. She raved about this and told me just to buy the small sample in case I didn’t like it. Well, I LOVED IT. It’s lightweight and hello SPF 47. Josie Maran has free shipping for anything over $25 too.
4. Bare Minerals Original Broad Spectrum 15 Foundation
I’ve used this for the past 10 years, easy. It’s lightweight and covers well without making you look like a street walker. I used to be a Medium, but have changed to Medium Beige. Damn the Florida sun. I tried Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue recently as my skin was a bit dry from winter and I like it but I’ll go back to the powder after I finish it up.
5. It Cosmetics Vitality Face Disc
This has lasted me over a year and a half. It’s a bronzer and highlighting powder with blush. Somedays I use all, some I use just the blush and other days I don’t use it at all. As in, my face goes commando. Ohhhh, kinky.
6. Laura Mercier Full Blown Volume Supreme Mascara
I have a dilemma most bitches hate me for- my eyelashes are quite long. Frankly, I love them and I don’t say that about many parts of this ol’ body. They are so long that they leave black mascara marks above my eyes because…they are long enough to touch my brow bone. I can feel the death glares now. I found this in my Birchbox one month and became an instant fan. It’s much easier to take off than Benefit’s They’re Real mascara, which was my go-to for years.
7. IT Cosmetics Brow Power Brow Pencil
Don’t you wish your eyebrows would grow as thick as your armpit hair? Gross? Sure. But if there’s a hairy joke line, I’ll cross it. Sometimes I need a bit of a filler to make my brows fuller and this does the trick without making me look like 80’s Madonna. It’s a universal color so anyone can use it and not screw it up. Allegedly.
8. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer
I’m not sure if I just have greasy eyelids or what, but whenever I wear eyeshadow I’d get this weird crease in the makeup on my lids. This stuff solved it. One tube will last you a really long time.
9. Coastal Scents Revealed 2 Palette
I change up my eyeshadows the most often (read: once a year) and usually use what Birchbox sends me, especially since they’re small samples and travel well for a girl-on-the-go like me. Hey-o, travelin’ superstar! I liked this one so much that I bought the full size set. It’s similar to Urban Decay’s Naked line, but half the price and just as good.
10. LAQA Lip Lube Pencils
Another find in my Birchbox (are you sensing a trend?) and this really surprised me. I’m not a lipstick gal. I actually wore lipgloss for my wedding and even then someone had to push me to do it. These little puppies pack a punch and keep my lips hydrated, which is often a problem when wearing liptstick. I love the Lambchop and Menatour colors.
Other products:
Right now, I also use Olay Regenerist Advanced Anti-Aging Regeneration Cream Cleanser and Neutrogena Alcohol Free Toner before I put facial cream on at night. That’s usually Oil of Olay Regenerist Micro Sculpting Cream, R+F Redefine Night Renewing Serum or Retin-A.
The Giveaway:
The first 15 people to comment below about what’s in their beauty arsenal will get free samples from my dear gal pal, Emily, at R+F. I know what you and your Facebook newsfeed are thinking, sometimes I feel like I need to teach a few R+F gals some marketing skills– bombarding my newsfeed with how omg! wonderful! great! a product is isn’t selling something, it actually creates something called consumer fatigue.
I digress…
Emily isn’t like that. In fact, I bought an R+F product last year and it wasn’t right for my particular sensitive skin. She never got pushy, never bombarded my email asking if I wanted anything more. I just told her last week about how “pink” my skin is and she simply described one product she loves and the ingredients in it. (She knows her stuff.) I’m so excited to try it! (Update: the Soothe step #2 is awesome.) For sanity’s sake, everything has a 60-day money back guarantee if you don’t like it, even if you’ve used all of the product.
But you’re getting free samples to try, so everyone wins! I’ll contact the 15 winners via email.
Now go ahead and share in the comments– what are your go-to beauty products?
Disclosure shit: If you purchase one of the products sold on Amazon through these links, I get a small commission at no extra cost whatsoever to you. As always, these are truly the products that I use and recommend.
I just discovered your blog via Ashley Abroad and I’m hooked! First off, I just started my own travel blog and we have the same theme so I feel like that makes a twinsies! Haha sorry. I have super oily, super sensitive, acne prone skin. It’s a lovely combination. Currently I am obsessing with: Urban Decay Naked On The Run palette, Cover Girl Bloom mascara for cheap mascara, CLEAN fragrances, Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer, Murad Oil-Control Mattifier SPF 15, First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream and COVER FX Pressed Powder. Also I wash my face with a Clarisonic and Cetaphil. I love Cetaphil.
Haha! Great minds (and taste)! Samesies. I just read your Seoul post and LOVE it. Super helpful- heading there in July.
My go to foundation has also been Bare Minerals for the last 10 years. I use fair with the Bare Minerals bronzer in the summer and the Soft Focus all over color the rest of the year. 95% of my make-up arsenal is by Bare Minerals. I tend to only wear make-up once a month or even less frequently. Depends on how many weddings or special occasions I have going on. I’m a stay at home mom and the need for make-up just isn’t there. For the last year, I’ve been using Aveeno’s Positively Radiant BB fair tinted cream with SPF 30 for those days when I want a little cover up but don’t want to go through the effort. Otherwise, I just use Aveeno’s Positively Radiant SPF 15 or 30. I also use St. Ives Even & Bright Pink Lemon And Mandarin Orange Scrub. I love how smooth and soft it makes my skin. Finally, I use fresh coffee grounds to exfoliate my hands on occasion.
Bare Minerals is the best! Glad I’m not alone. I’ve heard good things about Aveeno’s Positively Radiant too, I may go out and try it. Coffee grounds…amazing! Good idea!
HEY! I was logged in with the wrong account. Can you post this instead:
Welp, I am really just learning how to wear makeup, and most of the time I would rather not have anything other than mascara (benefit badgal because I am not like you, caro) and some nude-ish eyeshadow on. BUT, I recently discovered a need for concealer, and have been won over by Marc Jacobs liquid concealer in this clicky tube thing. I also decided I wanted to start wearing lipstick, and LOVE the NARS Audacious Lipstick in Jane. It’s matte, but looks great with clear gloss over it when I’m feelin’ shiny. I use witch hazel as my toner, and Weleda Rose Oil on my face at night. I’ve been on the hunt for a good moisturizer with high SPF, and am looking forward to trying your recommendation!
Try it, you’ll love the Josie Maran moisturizer! Thanks Patty! <3
I’m such a girly girl. I LOVE makeup. I had soooo much makeup before (I was one of those people who collected every single Urban Decay palette . But since I started traveling, I could barely be bothered with putting it on. And then all my makeup got stolen, so that really solved the problem for me, lol. Thank god I still have my Fresh lip butter because I love it. And I purchased a new eyeliner for when I want to look a bit nicer. That’s all I use now! Not gonna lie though, I kinda miss makeup still!
Btw… I’m just commenting, but I’m not entering in the giveaway! 🙂
I’m pretty low maintenance so far as my makeup goes on an average day; I don’t use foundation but a bit of concealer and color balancing powder (to help hide my rosacea), but I won’t leave the house without coloring in my brows and putting on some mascara – my brows and lashes are virtually invisible to the naked eye (maybe I have super powers?!) and Burt’s Bees lip tint. So far as skin care, I’ve been doing OK for awhile with Eucerin’s line of sensitive skin and redness relief products. They have a lightweight, sensitive skin, anti-aging moisturizer with SPF and a night time redness soothing cream. I also use the good ol’ fashioned apricot scrub, but use Clinique’s 7-day scrub as well… I feel they work well in combo like the course and fine sides of a nail file… but for my face? And you may have inspired me to re-up my Birchbox subscription!
I LOVE e.l.f.’s mattifying balm, it is perfect for the hot days that cause my skin to go crazy, I just dab it on and boom, shine-free! I also like my Maybelline pressed powder, Mineralogie waterproof mascara, and NYX Natural lip pencil. These four have a special place in my bag.
I love physicians formula bronzer and eye palate. They’re hypo-allergenic and I have super sensitive skin and am also allergic to preservatives found in makeup. So I have to toss everything and start over after awhile. But…I’ve never had to with PF ;). I also love the tinted sunscreens. My go to brands are Elta MD and Pond’s. They’re light but also cover well! I just started using elta’s face wash too and it’s fantastic so far!
I love trying out new beauty products. I have tons of Urban Decay eyeshadows and Elf products 🙂
My beauty arsenal is packed with different products. I like eyeshadows with shine which is why I love Urban Decay, Mac and Lancome. For foundations, I really need to use powders that are light and won’t grease up throughout the day. BareMinerals have been great and Neutrogena’s foundation have been perfect. I also love Elf’s eyeliner! It’s a great price and does the job!
My beauty closet is stocked with so many different items right now. I’m addicted to beauty product shopping and always try to experiment with as many different products as I can because you never know when you will find “the one” product that makes you just feel wonderful and look wonderful. I have NYX, Maybelline, Lancome, Covergirl and a ton of random products by different companies because each company has one product that I just love love love.
My go-to beauty product right now is the new Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue! I LOVE it!!
I needed a new go to now that summer is on its way. I got bareminerals original for hot days (I got ultra oily with liquid stuff) and Dr. Jart premium BB cream.. I prefer silver label, but sephora stopped carrying it. However the premium works just as well
I’m pretty low maintenance in the makeup department, but I’m finding that as I, ahem, age a bit, my skin is changing! I was using the old fashioned Olay moisturizer, but with this winter’s extreme cold, I ended up with flaking and peeling right on my face! Switched to a Neutrogena moisturizer with sunscreen, but didn’t realize until I read your post that I might have sensitive skin and that’s why there’s a very slight burning when I apply it to my face! (Glad I got a sample size of that!) My daily foundation is just a BB cream, but I think at my, ahem, age, I could use something with a little more coverage. But like you, I refuse to spend all sorts of time in the morning on makeup, so I don’t really have a go-to eye shadow or mascara. I do love lip glosses though, and my favorite are actually from Pure Romance! And I’ve tried different glosses from Burt’s Bees and I never really like them. I feel like there’s something wrong with me because I’ve heard good things about them! Well, clearly, I need to do something about my skincare/makeup routine! Maybe I’ll try some of your favorites!
Great tips, Caroline! There aren’t really a lot of beauty products that I own that I really love…but I keep coming back to the same mascara- Full & Soft by Maybelline. It does the job and doesn’t make my eyelashes feel super crusty and heavy.
Here are my favorite items: Suave moraccan oil, Naked eyeshadow palette, Aveeno SPF 70, Estee Lauder double wear foundation!