Let me preface this by saying that, for the most part, I know what I’m doing. But also, in an even bigger sense, I have no idea.
I know makeup isn’t rocket science, per se, and I’ve had great fun expanding and playing with my beauty and skincare routine over the last year, thanks in no small part to the fact I now make a living wage and I’ve decided, well, why the hell not try out some products? But it wasn’t always this way—I’m a commitment-phobe. I used to believe that I only needed one of everything and generally felt overwhelmed by the number of blogs and articles and Instagrams dedicated to making me buy another thing for my face. Now I know better: I’m branching out, having fun with it, and feel confident knowing I am holding my own hand through this process. I am guided through drugstore aisles and Sephora and Ricky’s and Dermstore by my own sense of what I like and what I need. I have never seen a YouTube makeup tutorial and I never want to. Definitely Marie Kondo-ing this shit.
7:15 a.m.
I am trying desperately to work on becoming a morning person, because this news cycle is insane and I like to have some time in the mornings to just CHILL before work. This part of my routine may be the most boring, because the only thing I do to my face when I wake up is wash it. With water. Really, that’s it! Water, baby—it’s nature… hmm, well, it’s water.
The reason for this is I have oily skin, so I really don’t like to put anything on my face in the morning. Plus, I already cleanse and moisturize every night, and my skin also seems to be sensitive to more cleansing in the morning. Whatever! This works for me, despite horrifying more than one Sephora employee in my lifetime, so until I see a big reason to change, I’m sticking with it.
At this point, I’ll read or make coffee or listen to a podcast and generally putz around. If I’m showering, I use David Mallett Shampoo No. 1 L’Hydratation, which I bought from a co-worker at a discount, and R+Co Gemstone Color Conditioner, which my best friend bought for me for my birthday. I towel-dry my hair and then let it air-dry. I used to love blow-drying my hair, and did it every time I showered for many years, but then I realized I loved saving time even more. It’s not laziness—I really, truly believe that my hair, which is very thick, relatively healthy, and in the last year or so has become kind of wavy, ends up looking exactly the same either way. In the winter months, it is harder to exclusively air-dry but still doable with a little planning.
Oh right—last year, I dyed my hair blonde and it looked GREAT, but I got really impatient growing it out and asked my incredible hair stylist (shout out Marlene!) to do whatever it took to bring it back to normal. She did some hair magic shit and dyed it back to my natural color six months ago and that color is STILL hanging on! But my hair is still technically dyed and prone to damage, so I like to do a little deep conditioning or hair repair mask every week or two to really give it some love. I used the Arrojo Whipped Treatment from my salon last night, and today, my hair is lewking good.
10:30 a.m.—??
At this point, I have blogged and I’m ready to leave my apartment, which means I need to do a few things in a specific order. First: This is when I moisturize. I recently decided I should start taking better care of my skin and get a moisturizer with SPF in it. For the majority of my life, I thought being brown would save me from ever needing to apply sunscreen unless I was, I dunno, at the beach, but that is a dream I must hang up on the shelf now. Currently, I am using CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion with SPF 30 and it’s nice: It goes on smooth, it’s not too heavy, and it doesn’t have a strong scent. It’s also getting warmer out, so for my arms and legs, I use Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen with SPF 30. I like to wear my glasses at home, which make me look kind of like an owl, but I have worn contacts since I was 12 and find it hard to give up wearing them out, so around this time, I’ll pop ‘em in.
Now, the fun stuff. Makeup! If I had to give up every piece of makeup for the rest of my life except for one, I would choose concealer. I love it. It’s like my face, just a teensy bit better. I used the NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer for a long time but the seasons are changing and my skin is getting darker and I can’t find it in my exact shade anymore. I’ve been trying out the YSL All Hours Concealer, and I looove it; it’s sooo silky and smooth and lightweight but durable. Would recommend!
Next, I’ll use the Glossier Boy Brow in brown on my brows. I hate Glossier, but then I hate-go into their store and I hate-try on their products and I hate-look really cute, so I use some of them. I’ve been really into highlighter lately, because it makes me feel glamorous yet understated, like I have a cool secret. I use the Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter from Fenty Beauty. I splash that shit on the tops of my cheeks until it looks like my face would glisten in a Boomerang on Instagram, and then I’m satisfied. For blush, I wanted to try the Benetint Cheek & Lip Stain from Benefit Cosmetics, which sounded practical and cool as hell as it can also go on your lips, too. Have used it a couple of times so far, and in fact, it’s good.