It was just about this time last year when I shared my last beauty update. It seems winter lends itself to examining skin care routines as we navigate cold weather and recycled air.
Since the last check-in I’ve modified a few things in my routine. I’ve switched mascaras, and I like this one so much I bought my mom one for Christmas! And I’ve added some products from a new, science-based skincare company to my routine, in the form of two moisturizers and a serum. I do this alongside my very favorite drugstore products for cleansing and moisturizing.
MY SKIN.
Next month I’m turning 37. (Which truly sounds ancient.) Now, more than ever, I’m focused on caring for my skin, because no one wants to look older than they are, right? I have combination skin, which is currently in a cycle of few and mild breakouts (yay!). I’ve learned, if I want nice, clear skin, consistency is key for me.
MY A.M. ROUTINE.
Every morning I do a quick and gentle wash with my beloved CeraVe cleanser. It’s creamy and hydrating, and nice and subtle on morning skin. After I pat my face dry I use CeraVe’s daily moisturizing lotion around my eyes and Oil-Free Plantscription SPF by Origins all over the rest of my face. I use the CeraVe on my eyes because I find, if I get any other moisturizer in my eyes during the day, it makes them burn and water. I don’t put moisturizer on my neck because I think I’d go through it too fast. My neck also never feels dry. Do you put SPF on your neck??
MY PM ROUTINE.
This one varies a bit, depending on my skin’s needs. Many nights I will do the CeraVe wash only, and other nights I’ll follow the wash with my Norwex cloth, which is the master exfoliator and has saved me countless $$ on expensive exfoliating cleansers. You can make it as strong or gentle as you want depending on how wet the cloth is. I use my cloth for about a week (rising after each use) before washing. On other days, if my skin feels oily or starts to break out, I use my R+F scrub, which I’ve used for a handful of years now. Though, my Norwex cloth means a bottle of it lasts a lot longer now. I noticed I usually need to scrub more in the summer (cloth or R+F) and less in winter.
Next up is my fancy serum. That’s right, I’m a serum girl now!
After I wash and pat my skin dry I apply two pumps of Eighteen B’s Firm + Replenish serum all over my face. I let it absorb while I brush my teeth. I received this one as part of a partnership with Eighteen B in the fall and have been using it for a few months. It helps shrink up the pores around my nose. I may try increasing to using it twice a day to see if I can get more results. Next, I follow up with Eighteen B’s rich cream and/or hydrogel moisturizer all over my face. In the summer I tend to use more of the gel and less of the cream, and in the winter I use the cream exclusively. I have been using these two products daily since I received them as part of a collaboration in August of last year, and I LOVE them. I can’t say enough about how bright and clear they make my skin. I feel like I wake up every morning with my skin looking fresh. Plus, they feel really good on my skin.
MAKEUP ROUTINE.
You can read my thoughts on makeup here, in my last beauty update. In a nutshell, I’m okay with skin texture and less-than-perfect skin. That means I don’t wear concealer, foundation or powder. I prefer my natural skin, and the less makeup I wear, the better it usually looks. It probably helps to live in a place where less makeup seems to be the ‘norm.’
LESS
This is what I wear 99% of the time. I never leave my house without a little brow and mascara. I finish with a variation of lip color (more on that below). For brows I use Anastasia Beverly Hill’s Brow Definer, which is great to fill in any gaps. After that, I finish with the same powder (Mac’s eye shadow in Omega) and angle brush combination I’ve been using since my early 20’s.
I recently followed my friend Jaana’s lead and started using Thrive Causemetic’s Liquid Lash Extension mascara, and I am HOOKED. It goes on easily, and truly makes my lashes look darker and longer. But my favorite part?! It stays in place all day and doesn’t flake under my eyes or come off when my lashes brush up on my eyelids. My next favorite part? It comes off super easily with just water!
And that’s it! It’s quick and easy, gives me a little definition around my eyes, and I still feel like myself.
MORE
When I am going to take blog photos, or if I’m looking a little tired, or if I have a hot date, I like to add a few more elements to my makeup. Sometimes I add one, sometimes both. Have you guys heard of Lilah B.? Their PR team sent me a few products in early fall, and their Divine Duo Lip & Cheek color (in B.Memorable) is my current favorite blush. I just dab a little on the apples of my cheeks and it makes me look glowy and flushed. I love it! And, true to its name, you can wear it as a lip color as well.
The other variable is eyeliner. I love this smudgey brown. It goes on well, creating depth to my eyes without looking too ‘makeup-y’.
LIPSTICK.
As the title of this post indicates, I have a soft spot for lipstick. My lips are essentially the same color as my face, and I prefer to brighten them up with various combinations of lip color, depending on the day.
On days I want just a little color (most days), I wear my Kjaer Weis lipstick (in Believe). I am on my second or third tube of this and it is the best lipstick I’ve used in years. The formula is nourishing and it stays put. AND, the tube is refillable! I have yet to try other colors, but I really want to. One thing I love about this lipstick is that it doesn’t go on with a hard-defined line. It makes my lips looks like they are really this color rather than having something painted on. It’s beautiful!
When I want a little more impact I go for Kosas’s Undone. This one packs a lot of pigment and leaves a clean lip line. (See Lee’s review for loads more info!)
The lipstick in the gold tube is actually a rose-colored lip sheer, it’s too light to wear alone, but I often layer it over my Kjaer Weis lip color!
On my most casual of days I wear my Burt’s Bee’s tinted lip balm, and some days I layer it over lip color.
I also like to use my Lilah B. lip and cheek tint (in the white case), but I haven’t mastered it yet. I usually just dab a little on, and it makes my lips look flushed from the inside out. It’s a great way to add natural color without having color that looks painted on. Sometimes I’ll wear my lip balm on top for a little more impact.
PUBLIC GOODS UPDATE.
I have been using Public Goods almost daily since I got my first box from them in September 2018. They gifted me some products as an introduction to the brand and I’ve been hooked ever since. My whole family uses the hand soap, shampoo and conditioner. I vary my hair products between Public Goods and Prose (my hair seems to like the change up). I have refilled these containers many, many times over the last year plus. And I have these hand soap bottles all over my house!
I swear by their dental floss, which is refillable. I also use their dryer balls and have recently been trying out their organic bath towels. I am now an affiliate with the brand, and here is my link if you’d like to use it. You can enter my full name (ANDREAHPGA) at checkout for 25% off!
Thanks for reading through this extra-long blog post today! I’d love to know your personal beauty habits. I find it’s always inspiring to hear what others are doing!
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Absolutely use sunscreen and moisturizer on your neck!!! It needs protection to prevent and delay the crepiness that will inevitably occur. Your face may look great, but if your neck is lined and wrinkly it will definitely give away your age. Same with your hands!
I completely agree with Mary. Absolutely positively use sunscreen and moisturizer on your neck and back of your hands!! Your face might not show your age but your hands and neck will if you don’t take care of them also. And if you have a facial product that you find doesn’t work that great on your face don’t let it go to waste…put it on the back of your hands and your neck and chest until you’ve used it up. Then just use whatever you use on your face. I’ve had several dermatologists and estheticians tell me that’s why they do! I also keep a deodorant type stick of sunscreen in my car and I put it on the back of my hands before I start driving. It does make a difference…I’m 60 and it does prevent you from getting sun spots on the back of your hands.
Thanks ladies! And great tips Andie! I do have a few products I didn’t love on my face, great idea about putting them to good use!
I’m glad you’ve found a routine that works for you and I enjoy reading your product recommendations, but I’m disappointed that you’re promoting “Eighteen B.” Have you read about their parent company and the technology they use to create their ingredients? (I mean beyond their marketing language…). The company, Bolt Threads, creates “micro silk” by genetically manipulating yeast and feeding them copious amounts of sugar and fermenting the whole concoction and then extracting these proteins. Of course you are welcome to your own opinion on the subject of genetic engineering but I’m surprised and again disappointed that your choice of sustainable/ethical products involves a company that is modifying base life forms (DNA) — and for what? According to their website the “silk protein” acts as a carrier for hyaluronic acid? This is readily available in serum formulations that are less expensive and frankly less risky. My primary concerns are about equity — that the company has received millions of dollars of funding to patent this process that is woefully under regulated by any agency — and environmental harm, because the synthetic biology process can create genetic pollution, uses resources from industrial agriculture (ie sugar to feed the yeast) to replicate something that can be produced naturally with less harm, and this industry of synthesizing ingredients through genetic engineering puts farmers at risk of losing their markets and livelihoods. I haven’t tried the Eighteen B creams but I’ve seen the Bolt “micro silk” in person and heard many in the sustainable fashion industry point to them as a vision for the future, and I think we all need to seriously scrutinize this technology from a holistic perspective of ethics and environmental health, and consider if the engineered silk (which by the way feels like rayon) really deserves millions of public and private investment along with greenwashed accolades. Anyway, I recommend you read more about their practices and similar efforts, called synthetic biology, and consider if this is really necessary and worthwhile to promote: https://civileats.com/2019/05/14/synthetic-biology-is-changing-what-we-eat-heres-what-you-need-to-know/
Hi Jess, thanks for this for this insightful comment. It’s certainly not as aspect I have considered about bio-silk or things like vegan cheese or Impossible burgers (coincidentally, I had one this weekend!). You’ve given me a lot to think about, I will be sure to take some time to dig in a little more and read that article.
Thanks for sharing!
I came down to the comments to tell you to put SPF on your neck, but someone beat me to it! :) I tend to use less expensive products (or ones I didn’t love, as other commentators suggested) on my neck and hands. I’m 32 and every woman my mother’s generation has given me this advice at one point or another!
I quit all foundation and tinted moisturizer at the beginning of 2019 for similar reasons. I think my skin is better for it! Thanks for sharing your favorite lip products. I tend to do my eye makeup every day but never really wear anything on my lips. Maybe I’ll give it a try in 2020.
Thanks for weighing in Stephanie! I agree, my skin is better for quitting those products too. And I feel like when there is a flare up/break out, I can get through it faster because I deal with it through skincare instead of covering it up with makeup. It forces me to stay disciplined with washing my face, etc. Good luck with your potential lip color experimentation!