Daily routines seem to be a pretty popular topic with beauty bloggers and Youtubers, so I thought I'd share my personal routine with you just to give you an insight onto how I do it — without spending much money!
Browsing beauty blogs, there is one topic that comes up over and over and over again; get ready with me and daily routines. So, I thought I'd join in on the acton and give you a quick glimpse into my daily life — boring as it may be.
Now, I don't use expensive makeup. There are many things in this life that I'd love to spend more money on, including shoes and bags, but I also have a home to run and Renovate, y'know? I've had Benefit makeup, and I've had Soap and Glory makeup, and I've had Revlon makeup — and I've found that although Benefit is good, it isn't any better than a lot of medium priced brands I've tried. Plus, I'm a bit against paying £25 — or $35 for mascara. But if your budget is more than mine, you do you, girl!
Cleansing And Prepping
At night, I cleanse my face with a tea tree and witch hazel 2 in 1 cleanser and toner. It's from a drug store, and it's an own brand, but it works wonders for me. I have oily, combination, weird skin and I need something to stem the oil, and tea tree and witch hazel are great ingredients for that. They're also useful spot preventers. I drip a little onto a cotton pad, then use a night treatment gel, which has a really light texture, that contains the same ingredients. I take makeup off using super soft Garnier micellar wipes, which actually have silk extracts. In the morning, it's the cleanser again, and then a daily shine control moisturizer.
If you have problems with oil, I'd recommend using a moisturizer similar to this, because it isn't creamy, yet it's still nourishing enough for my skin.
'The Face'
If I'm feeling energetic enough to put foundation or any kind of base onto my face, then I'll dab a little bit of this Baby Skin pore smoothing primer on by Maybelline. Yeah, it's marketed towards teens, but it has the exact same feel on my face that the Benefit Porefessional has, except it isn't skin-colored. It smoothes out your skin completely — the only thing I'll say is that it can make your makeup slide around a little bit if you put it on too quickly after applying, or if you use it on your eye area (don't, use a shadow primer instead). So, make sure you let it sink in before applying anything else.
I then use a teeny tiny little bit of this really thin liquid foundation (give it a good shake first), by patting it all over my face in the pattern shown below, then blend into any dark or pigmented bits. I don't put it everywhere, because I don't want to look like a pancake. It's rare that I'll contour, because I am very, very new to it, but I always apply a dab of blusher — I love this ModelCo lip/blush duo (I keep one in my bag and one in my makeup bag, I love it that much) to my cheeks, either in the form of a blush or a bronzer.
My Inexpensive Makeup Routine
Blusher
If I'm going to use blusher, I always use a cream formula or a gel formula, because I find the consistency works better with my skin type. I pat it in, again — rubbing it causes the color to drag and it doesn't sit nicely. I pop it on the apples of my cheeks. If I'm using a bronzer, I use a brush, and with a very light touch, sweep it into the hollows of my cheeks, and then up towards my hairline. I also sweep it into my hairline, too.
Eyes
I love a good cat's eye. I literally wear it every single day. All day. I used to wear a lower kohl pencil and tightline my lashes, too (where you use a kohl pencil to line the waterline of your upper eyelid), but I'm starting to like the simplicity of a brighter lip and a simpler eye. I use a felt-tipped black liquid liner, because they're less wet and I find them to be much more precise than the little dip pots, although I am also a fan of gel liner, too, that you apply with an angle brush. It just depends on what I'm doing. I start at the centre of the eye and draw the flick out first, creating a triangle, then filling in the gap, then extend it out to the inner corner of my lash line. I like to think I'm pretty good at it by now!
Next, mascara. I learnt this trick when I (very briefly) appeared on morning TV here in the UK last year.
You apply mascara from the top, rather than the bottom, and wiggle the brush from side to side, and this makes sure that each and every lash is really evenly coated with product. Once you've done that, you can angle your brush in the normal way to fan your lashes out. Clever, eh?
Brows
I'm pretty new to doing my brows, too. But now I absolutely can't leave the house without it — it is my must have. I just look weird without them. (Not that I don't already have eyebrows, but hopefully you know what I mean). I use a double-ended Revlon brow gel and pencil, in a dark brown, and it is the perfect match for me. Using the pencil (make it as sharp as you can so your lines are precise), draw lots of little, feathery lines, filling in your brows until you reach the desired shape.
Remember, your brows are sisters, not twins! (I love that saying).
Once you're happy with that, you can set everything in place with the gel, using the windscreen wiper method — load the brush with gel, then from the outside in, brush the brows with the grl so that they're all a bit hay wire until you reach your nose, then use the brush to comb them into place. Repeat on the other side.
Finishing Powder
Finally, I finish everything off with a smidgen of matte powder. This version by Maybelline is specifically designed to blot oil. I'm a big fan. Use it lightly to set everything else into place, but not your eyes — obviously.
Viola! And I'm done. It's a pretty plain face, not too much makeup. Just a little bit. Let me know how much your routine differs from mine!