Here are the products in my minimalistic morning routine! Enjoy!

The only way I can start my morning is with a shower. I wash and condition my hair with whatever is on sale at the store or smells good. I’m not picky. I am currently using these products from Organix: They smells great, but can weigh down my fine hair. They are easily accessible at Target and are relatively inexpensive, so I would recommend checking them out if you have thicker hair.  

I am currently using a standard Irish Spring bar soap to wash my body, but my favorite body wash is Passionate Spell from Caress. You can’t beat the $3.77 price tag and it smells great. I have gone through so many of these.

I then wash my face with the Clinique Rinse Off Foaming Cleanser. It works really well to remove any makeup, dirt, or sweat, but I find that it can be a little stripping. Once I finish this one up, I am going to switch back to the Neutrogena Naturals Purifying Facial Cleanser.

Maybe two or three times a week, I will follow my cleanser with the Be Fine Exfoliating Cleanser. I love this stuff. It is made with natural food-grade ingredients and really nourishes my skin. I have been using it for about four years now and swear by it.

After about 7 minutes, my shower is complete. Yay for conserving water! And I also keep a bucket in the shower to collect extra water, which I then use to water a tree in our front yard. #gome

You might have noticed that I did not stop to shave, and that is because I have gone through laser hair removal. If you would like a separate in-dept post about this, just let me know below.

I am then ready to start prepping my skin. I start with the Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion. This sunscreen is the sh!t. It is a factor 50 and is water resistant. It is very liquid-y in consistency and needs to be shaken before use. Despite its wateriness, it dries very quickly and I have never had problems feeling greasy after applying it. I have also found that it does not cause flashback in pictures like other sunscreens might. It is worth the $40 price tag, especially if it will encourage you to protect your skin daily!

I follow up my sunscreen with lotion. I have been using the La Roche-Posay Anthelios SX Cream for years as well (when you find something good, stick with it!). I love that this product also has an SPF factor and is fragrance-free. I use this as my day and night moisturizer. My mom and brother also use this moisturizer, so it is suitable for all skin types and levels of maturity.

Experts recommend waiting about 10 minutes to let your moisturizer sink into your skin before applying makeup, so I spend this time moisturizing my body and lips, putting on deodorant, and taking my daily vitamins. I will also put a few squirts of It’s A 10 Miracle Leave-in Plus Keratin and clip my hair up in a bun. This is the only product I put through my hair and it is awesome. It truly is a miracle product. I would definitely get the ‘Plus Keratin’ gold version over the original purple.

Now my face is prepped for makeup! Here is the before: 

Most days, I’ll start by priming my skin with the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer. Although this is a nice primer that doesn’t feel goopy on your skin like the silicone ones do, it comes with a steep price tag ($52 for 1 oz! Yikes.). I would recommend checking out the travel size first, or getting a free sample from Sephora before purchasing.

I then fill in my eyebrows with MAC’s Omega Eye Shadow Powder. Since my brows are already pretty bold, this ashy color is just what I need to fill in a sparse area or two. As you can tell by how much product is gone from the pot, I love it. $16 well spent.

I them skip foundation and just run a little bronzer under my cheekbones and on my temples. I find that this helps balance out the pink undertones of my Irish skin. This NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Powder is in the color Sunny and will run you just over $3 at Target. Not the best bronzer I have ever used in my life, but it hits all of the standard bases with a home-run price.

Next up is my favorite step! Things getting a little silly with my Becca Shimmering Skin Perfecter Liquid in Pearl. This highlighter gives your skin the most natural, healthy glow. Love love love. I dot a very small amount on my temples, cheekbones, brow bone, and cupid’s bow. You can put the product all over your face under foundation as well, but I would avoid that technique if you have oily skin.

I then powder my forehead with Laura Mercier’s Translucent Loose Setting Powder. A little goes a long way with this bad boy and is worth the money. The only downside: the bulky packaging makes it hard to travel with.

I then move on to eyes. I like a pretty subtle look, so I am opting for a tight line of liquid liner on the outer half of my upper lash line. I have been hooked on the Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner in Purple. I was given this product as a promotional item, but I love it. The sturdy felt tip gives you lots of precision and the purple color brings out the hazel in my eyes.

I top it all off with a coat of Covergirl’s LastBlast Fusion Water Resistant Mascara in Very Black 885. I don’t believe in purchasing high end mascaras as they tend to dry up before you can use the whole tube. I find it a waste of money when both Covergirl and Maybelline  make great drugstore mascaras.

 I run a little of Maybelline’s Browdrama in the Blonde shade through my brows to keep them in place, and my eyes are done!

Lips are last, and for day-to-day I love to use a tinted balm. This one from Soap & Glory is my favorite. It is called Sexy Mother Pucker GlossStick and I have it in the shade Fuchsia, which is a lot sheerer than it looks!

And with a swipe of that on my lips, I am done with makeup!

I then do a quick 5-minute rough blow dry of my hair (I basically just flip my hair upside down and brush my hands through it until it is dry) and spritz on a perfume. With that, I am done with my minimalistic morning routine!

What do you think? Pretty easy since I skip foundation, concealer, blush and eyeshadow. I pretty much only break those products out on a need centered basis. I also just used one hair product and didn’t do any styling, just let my layers speak for themselves.

Simple, clean and a little interesting with the purple eyeliner, I feel like my natural self and love that my freckled skin can shine through. I have found that by not loading my skin with added layers of God knows what (like foundation and concealer) by skin stays very clear. There is no better feeling than loving the skin you are in.

-TM

What are your go-to products? Let me know below.