My Current Skincare Routine (Morning and Night)

Recently, my passion for the beauty industry has shifted more towards skincare than dramatic makeup looks. While I still love makeup and enjoy its opportunity for artistic creativity, I have really been making skincare my #1 priority. After all, having skin is the key to a great makeup day!

I have tried so many different skincare products and am finally 100% content with my current routine. I use very simple, natural products and they have made the biggest difference for my skin. I currently have NO TEXTURE and NO ACNE! Occasionally I will get a little hormonal pimple, but it goes away in a day or two if I keep up this routine.

I have oily skin, but these products (with the exception of a couple) can be used for all skin types. I am not an esthetician or have any kind of professional training when it comes to skincare, but this routine has worked so well for me and I wanted to share!

My Morning Skincare Routine

Step 1: Cleanse with the CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser

• This cleanser is meant for normal to oily skin. If you have dry skin, the CeraVe Hydrating Facial Cleanser is a great option!
• This cleanser contains hyaluronic acid and has a liquid/gel texture
• Sometimes, I will also just splash my face with water and skip cleanser in the morning.

Step 2: Tone with Witch Hazel/ Apple Cider Vinegar 

• One of the worst things you can do for your skin is use a harsh astringent that contains alcohol. Witch Hazel is an all-natural toner/astringent and is completely alcohol free.
• I will alternate between Witch Hazel and Apple Cider Vinegar for this step.

Step 3: Moisturize with the CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion

• This is a lightweight moisturizing lotion and is great for all skin types!
• Contains hyaluronic acid as well.
• I also mix in my daily facial sunscreen with the moisturizer just to save a step.

*** ALWAYS WEAR SUNSCREEN ***

*** Once a day, I will apply a Manuka Honey mask. I use pure Manuka Honey and will leave this on for at least 30 minutes/ 1 hour. I have an entire post dedicated to my love for Manuka Honey and how much it has helped my skin so check it out!

My Evening Skincare Routine

Step 1: Oil cleanse with 100% pure Sweet Almond Oil

• I do this regardless of whether or not I am wearing makeup that day. This oil works great for breaking down makeup (you can also use coconut oil, but almond oil is not as heavy).
• I like to oil cleanse before using my normal cleanser because I find that it makes my skin softer and actually helps my skin to produce less oil naturally.

Step 2: Cleanse with the CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser

• This breaks down the oil really well, but you could also dampen a washcloth with warm water to gently remove the oil before this step.

Step 3: Tone with the Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner 

• This toner is great if you have textured skin and/ or acne scarring.
• I NEVER use an exfoliant scrub on my face because it is way too harsh and can actually irritate the skin and cause more acne/ scarring.
• Glycolic acid is an amazing chemical exfoliant and I have found that this toner has really reduced my acne scarring drastically. It also works great with helping new pimples to go away quickly without leaving a mark.

Step 4: Moisturize with the CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion + Rosehip Seed Oil

• To boost the moisturizing benefits even more at night, I add in a few drops of 100% Rosehip Seed Oil to that same moisturizer. The oil absorbs really well into the skin and is great for acne scarring and has amazing anti-aging benefits.
• If you have dry skin, I recommend the CeraVe Skin Renewing Night Cream. This is a very thick and luxurious moisturizer that will help get rid of any dry patches you might have. I have gone through 2 jars of this stuff and I even love it with my oily skin!

*** As an added beauty tip, I will use a clean mascara wand to apply Vaseline to my lashes every night before I go to sleep. This has made my lashes grow like crazy!

“IT” Glam Pennywise Halloween Makeup Look

I’m sure y’all have already seen hundreds of recreations of Pennywise makeup from the movie “IT”, but I figured I would create a look as well!

 This makeup was inspired by Instagram user @milk1422 (Sergey) and one of his amazing face chart creations!

Metallic Green Smokey Eye feat. Jaclyn Hill x Morphe Palette (Fall Makeup Look)

It has been an EXTREMELY long time since I have posted a new makeup look, so I am so excited about this one! I have had the Jaclyn Hill x Morphe Brushes collab palette for quite some time and was finally able to play around with it today!

Keep scrolling for a full list of products used to create this look!

EYES

• Primed my eyelids with a concealer
• Used the Jaclyn Hill x Morphe Brushes palette for the entire eye look
  • Shades “Pooter” and “Pukey” in the crease as transition shades
  • Shade “Diva” (metallic emerald green) all over the lid. This shade is extremely pigmented, I did not even have to wet the brush!
  • Shade “Enchanted” (deep matte forest green) to deepen the outer corner and blended it slightly into the crease.
• I applied the same shades in the same order to my lower lash line.
• Applied a pair of Ardell Demi Whispies
• Applied a coat of the Essence Lash Princess (black and blue tube) to my top and bottom lashes

FACE

• Wet N Wild Photo Focus foundation shade Golden Beige
• Nars Radiant Creamy concealer in custard mixed with Tarte Shape Tape concealer in light sand
• Set my concealer with the RCMA No Color powder
• Bronzed using the Sonia Kashuk cream bronzer in warm tan
• Contoured using a mixture of all 3 contour shades from the Kat Von D Shade + Light palette
• Jaclyn Hill x Becca Cosmetics Champagne Pop highlighter on my cheeks, nose, brow bone
• Maybelline Fit Me blush (old formula) in shade deep wine

BROWS & LIPS

• Filled in my brows with the ABH Dipbrow pomade shade medium brown
• Lipstick is the Colourpop “Lippie Stix” shade Grunge (matte)

 

MOTD: Metallic Cobalt Blue Halo Eyes

I used the Juvia’s Place Masquerade palette and the Urban Decay Naked Heat palette to create this bold eye look today! This is by far one of my favorite looks that I have created so I hope y’all like it just as much as I do!

Keep scrolling to see more pics of this look and a full list of products that I used!

EYES:

• For primer, I used the Smashbox Studio Skin concealer
• In the crease, I layered shades Sauced and Cayenne from the UD Naked Heat palette. I used these same shades to smoke out my bottom lash line as well.
• I applied the shade Chi (metallic cobalt blue) from the Juvia’s Place Masquerade palette all over my lid. I used my finger to apply the shade Giza from the same palette in the center of my lid to create a halo eye effect. I used the same technique on my bottom lash line, but did not smoke these shades out too much.
• Sephora crayon eyeliner in “My boyfriend’s jeans” (metallic cobalt blue shade) in the water line.
• Curled my lashes and applied a coat of Essence I Love Volume mascara to my top and bottom lashes.
• Applied a pair of Ardell Demi Whispies

FACE:

• Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless foundation (shade 128)
• Smashbox Studio Skin (light/warm) and Tarte Shape Tape concealer (light sand)
• Set my face with Essence matte setting powder
• Bronzed my skin with the Covergirl True Blend bronzer in 200 bronze
• BH Cosmetics Nude Blush palette (neutral shades)
• BH Cosmetics Spotlight Highlighting palette (shades Dream and Glow)

BROWS & LIPS:

• ABH Dipbrow Pomade in medium brown
• NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Abu Dhabi
• Wet N Wild lip gloss in “Ring My Bellbottoms” (sheer gloss with gold reflects)

 

MOTD: Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette

I used the new Urban Decay Naked Heat eyeshadow palette for today’s look! I am so excited to create more looks using this gorgeous palette, especially since Fall is just around the corner!

Keep scrolling for pics of the look I created and for a full list of products I used.

EYES

• Urban Decay Naked Heat palette (shades Sauced, Low Blow, He Devil, Scorched, Cayenne, En Fuego, and Ashes). I used as many shades as I could from the palette to add dimension to the eye look.
• Ardell Demi Whispies
• Catrice black pencil eyeliner

FACE

• L’oreal True Match foundation (W5)
• Nars Radiant Creamy concealer (custard)
• Essence Matte pressed setting powder
• Wet N Wild contour palette (dulce de leche)
• Milani baked blush in Rose d’ Oro
• Maybelline single shadow in The Glow Down (as a highlight)

BROWS

• ABH Dipbrow pomade in medium brown

LIPS

• Maybelline lipstick in Stormy Sahara (warm toned nude)

 

MOTD: Juvia’s Place Masquearade Palette

For today’s look, I used the Masquerade Palette from Juvia’s Place (mini)! The shades in this palette are gorgeous, pigmented, and easy to blend.

For a full list of products used and more pics of this look I created, keep scrolling!

EYES

• Juvia’s Place Masquerade Palette (mini)- Zobo in the crease, Makeda all over lids, Calabar in the outer corner
• NYC black liquid liner
• Covergirl SuperSizer mascara
• Ardell Demi Whispies

FACE

• Tarte Amazonian Clay foundation
• Tarte Shape Tape concealer
• Maybelline Fit Me loose setting powder
• Tarte Clay Play face shaping palette (contour shades)
• Maybelline Fit Me blush in Deep Wine (old formula)
• Smashbox x Casey Holmes Spotlight highlighting palette (gold)
• Elf Cosmetics baked highlighter in Moonlight Pearls

BROWS

• L’Oreal Brow Stylist Definer in brunette

LIPS

• Rimmel x Kate lipstick in Boho Nude

DIY: Distressed Denim Jacket

Distressed denim jackets have become a huge fashion trend recently, but this also means that they can be a bit pricey. For today’s DIY, I took an old denim jacket that I had bought previously at a resale shop and decided to create my own distressed denim look for a fraction of the price!

What you will need:

• A denim jacket (you can find denim jackets at resale shops for a few bucks)
• Tweezers
• Hobby knife/exacto knife
• Grater/ microplane zester (a file or sand paper would also work well)

I started by using the hobby knife to cut slits wherever I wanted to have holes and frays. Then, I used the tweezers to pull out the blue threads so that only the horizontal white threads of the material were left. To add a more distressed look to the jacket, I used the microplane to rough up the frays even more as well as the stitching of the jacket.

Before

After

Hope y’all enjoyed this DIY! Let me know if you have any questions!

Smokey Black & Violet Halo Eyes

I was inspired by makeup artist Linda Hallberg, yet again, to recreate this black and violet smokey halo eye look. This is not an exact replication of Linda’s makeup, just my own more wearable take on it!

Keep scrolling to see pics of my recreation as well as a full list of products used!

 

(pictured above: Lina Hallberg’s look)

Products Used:

EYES

• MAC eyeshadow in Soft Brown as a transition shade
• NYX medium deep purple shade in the crease (sorry I do not remember the name of the shade because I depotted it from its packaging, but any shade will work!)
• Tarte “Onyx” (matte black) eyeshadow from the Clay Play palette on the inner and outter corners of my eyes. I blended this shade slightly into the crease with the NYX purple eyeshadow I mentioned earlier.
• Applied MAC eyeshadow in Star Violet (metallic pinky-brown plum shade) to the center of my eyelids using my finger.
• Blended out the edges with a little bit of the black shadow so that there were no harsh lines
• Applied a pair of Kiss Blooming lashes

FACE

• Wet N Wild Photo Focus foundation in shade bronze beige
• Tarte Shape Tape concealer in light sand
• NYX HD Finishing Powder (pressed) in banana to set the concealer
• Elf Cosmetics Cream Contour Palette (lightest contour shade)
• Tarte Clay Play palette (middle contour shade)
• MAC Give Me Sun bronzer
• The Balm Cosmetics InStain blush in shade Pinstripe
• To highlight, I mixed the Wet N Wild Megaglo Highlighting Powder in The Sweetest Bling (pink undertone with an iridescent violet shift) with the Makeup Revolution baked highlighter in Radiant Lights (pink undertone)

BROWS & LIPS

• L’Oreal Brow Stylist Definer in brunette
• Wet N Wild Liquid Catsuit matte lipstick in Rebel Rose

My Maybelline Lipstick Collection + Swatches & Dupes

 

Maybelline is one of my favorite brands when it comes to lipstick! I love how they offer such a wide variety of shades in many different formulas and finishes.

Keep scrolling to see swatches of every single Maybelline lipstick that I currently own (my collection will continue to grow 🙂

Left to right:

Wickedly White (great to mix with/lighten other shades)

Blushing Beige (dupe for MAC lipstick in Creme D’Nude)

Truffle Tease

Sin-A-Mon

Daringly Nude (Tarte Tarteist Creamy Matte Lip Paint in Namaste)

Clay Crush (dupe for Kylie Cosmetics liquid lipstick in Dirty Peach)

Toasted Truffle

Maple Kiss

Raw Chocolate (dupe for ABH liquid lipstick in Ashton)

Nude Nuance (dupe for MAC lipstick in Whirl)

Warm Me Up (dupe for MAC lipstick in Brave)

Brown Blush (dupe for Jeffree Star Cosmetics liquid lipstick in Androgyny & ABH liquid lipstick in Veronica)

Mauve It

 

Left to right:

Touch of Spice (dupe for MAC lipstick in Twig)

Blissful Berry (dupe for MAC lipstick in Darkside)

Rum Riche

Burgundy Blush

Violet Vixen

Midnight Blue

Orange Danger

Tarte Clay Play Face Sculpting Palette (Review + Makeup Look)

I have seen this palette all over YouTube and Instagram recently and was drawn to it because it seemed like something that could be a new go-to in my makeup collection. 

If you would like to know my thoughts on this new Tarte palette, keep scrolling! 

The Clay Play Face Sculpting Palette (retails for $46, but I used a 20% off coupon at Ulta) is one of Tarte’s latest launches this summer. After seeing it pop up so many times on YouTube and hearing all the wonderful reviews on it, I decided to pick it up and try it out for myself. 

I hesitated purchasing this palette at first because the shades really aren’t anything special, however I love the fact that this all-matte palette can be so versitile and all the neutral shades you could ever need are all in one place. I like how I could do my eyes, contour, bronzer, and even brows all with just this one palette. The versatility also makes this great for traveling or just on-the-go touch ups throughout the day. The palette isn’t too bulky and comes with a good sized mirror as well. 

The formula of the shades is absolutely amazing. I am a huge fan of the Tarte Tarteist Pro eyeshadow palette because the shadows have a very creamy texture and are also extremely pigmented. In my opinion, the formula of the Clay Play palette is no different, if not better. The shadows are very buttery to the touch and do not produce a lot of powder fall out. In addition to their amazing pigmentation, I find that the shadows and contour shades are very easy to blend.

Overall, do I think this palette is worth the money? Well, that depends. There are already tons of palettes that have these same neutral shades and at this point, almost very makeup lover probably has their own favorite contour palette. What makes this palette worth it to me is the amazing quality of the product, as well as the convenience and versatility the palette offers. I definitely see this as being the one palette I bring with me when I do not have access to my entire makeup collection because everything I need is in one palette. 

I hope this review was helpful! Let me know if you have any more questions about what I think of this product!