(via instagram)
NOURISH Organic Argan Oil | available at Whole Foods
CAUDALIE Vinoperfect day perfecting fluid
AMORE PACIFIC color correcting cushion compact or LAURA MERCIER tinted moisturizer
ORIGINS Ginzing eye cream
BOBBI BROWN Everything mascara
RMS living luminizer
SMITH’S Rosebud salve
ACURE organic argan oil wipes | now available at Target
I took this picture and posted it on Instagram a couple weeks ago, as a closeup of the Everlane chunky knit turtleneck tunic and for a bit of fun, and as I looked at it, I was really struck by my eyes – the lashes specifically. And in general, how “uniform” my makeup/coverage looks. Also, that I probably need to do Zoom whitening again…but mainly, I thought, wow, I think I’ve got I’ve got it! A good beauty/makeup routine, that is 😉 Finally?
I’ve never worn a lot of makeup (previously discussed here), in fact, most days, I don’t wear any, unless I’m going “out out” or having dinner out with Leo or something. Generally, I’ll just moisturize, use eye cream, and the Caudalie vinoperfect fluid or sunscreen and that’s it. The day I took this picture, I added some Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer (which I patted on, making ALL the difference), mascara, and some rosebud salve on my lips and as a ‘highlighter’ on my cheekbones.
The mascara though. I have both the Bobbi Brown everything mascara and Lancome defincils, which I generally prefer, but after this picture I switched back to the BB. I prefer the Lancome, mostly because it’s easier to remove with just wipes, or Fresh cleanser, and I really really really hate having to do more than one step to remove my makeup. With the BB mascara, I use coconut oil to remove all of it, but then most of the time I end up getting it in my eyes, which doesn’t feel so great. So I might have to give in and use eye makeup remover…because I really love how the Everthing mascara opens up my eyes, with little effort. (I do curl them before applying mascara though, of course).
Maybe I should be using more on my face, in terms of skincare, etc., but I really don’t want to spend the money right now, and I feel like my skin is hydrated sufficiently with the argan oil (not always though). I also like the way the Caudalie Vinoperfect fluid evens out my skintone a bit more and makes it ready for anything else I’m going to put on top. Other than that, I’m not really sure what I need.
And to be honest, I treat my makeup and skincare like I do my “good” clothes, and am loathe to use it if I’m just going to be working at home most of the day and/or just going out to run errands. I don’t want to “waste” it, you know? A big reason why I don’t use my RMS un-cover up…it’s getting close to empty, and I don’t want to use it up so I’ll have to replace it. Although I love it, probably more than the other two “makeup” products I’m using right now.
Ugh.
But I’m now going to start doing what I’m doing with my clothes (making myself wear the things I’ve decided to keep, paying attention to how I feel when I wear them, etc.,) and start using my makeup products more often. The ones I really love. I’m going to use the RMS un cover-up until it’s gone, then I’ll use my other products until they’re gone, and at that point, I’ll decide what to replace.
I’ve actually gotten rid of a lot of my makeup/skincare products, but I could do better. I’ve banned myself from buying any more nail polish because my collection is out of control, especially the pricey ones, but I also need to go easy on trying/buying new things for a while and use up what I have. It’s no surprise my “issues” with clothing and beauty products are the same; I’m afraid to be “without”, so I buy a replacement long before I run out of something and then it turns out I don’t use it anymore. So I have quarter-full bottles of stuff hanging around that I’m also afraid to use, because I don’t want to run out! Doesn’t make sense, does it?
So, this is my routine, now, and I’m satisfied with it. For “special” occasions I’ll add eyeliner, maybe, and lip-color, maybe, but otherwise, I’m very happy with my “look” now, and the minimal steps it takes to get there. Should make travel quite a bit easier too…
What is your skincare/makeup routine like? Has it changed much over the years? Do you use more or less than you did 5 years ago? Do you use the same products all the time, or switch it up?
You look gorgeous! I think as we age, less is definitely more. I recently went to Sephora thinking I needed to step it up a bit and “make more of an effort” {which means, a heavier foundation to even out skin tone and look more polished}. My makeup routine consists of a high SPF BB cream and mascara. The associate loaded me up with some sort of “blurring underlayment, foundation, powder, etc. My teen daughter took one look at me, laughed and said, ” You look really old!”
Not the step up I was trying for…
Keep doing what you are doing. It is absolutely working for you. You look at least 10 years younger than you are. Don’t be tempted by all the miracle products out there.
Although sunscreen is definitely a necessity!
thank you juli – yes, i know i need to do so much better about sunscreen – i need to make it a habit to just put it on first thing in the morning before i get going. as it is, i wait until after pure barre, shower, etc., and by then, my skin has already been exposed to half a day’s worth of sun!!
yes, i feel the same way – i feel/look older when i wear much on my face. it’s also just not “me”…
See, I disagree. I think as we age we need to wear a bit more. Not a ton (powder will definitely age you!) but I do need to fill my brows and wear mascara and concealer or people ask if I’m feeling okay.
Grechen, you look amazing! I wish my skin had that glow. I probably use more products than I should, but for a minimum/weekend look I use:
CeraVe AM moisturizer (sometimes a little face oil underneath if my skin is feeling very dry)
eye cream (Boots or Origins)
foundation or tinted moisturizer (Smashbox or Laura Mercier)
concealer (Clé de Peau)
eye brow powder (Urban Decay)
cheek tint (BeneTint)
eye liner (MAC)
mascara (I rotate a bunch)
tinted lip balm (I rotate a bunch)
For a work day I add a bit of eye shadow, lip gloss and, uh, more concealer.
I have that same luminizer and I like it but feel like I’m not using it right. Where on your face do you apply it? I am pretty hopeless with makeup, my mom never wore any.
i think it really depends on what you’re used to, for me, foundation/concealer ages me since i don’t wear it – that, and honestly, i don’t think i even use it right, or have the right stuff (I’d love to try the CDP)…but if you’re used to wearing stuff, and people are used to seeing you in makeup, then yeah, it makes sense that you’ll probably need to wear a bit more with age.
i’ve just never felt comfortable in “makeup”. not that i think i look amazing without it, or whatever, i just prefer to look/feel like “me” – and i NEVER do in full makeup.
i wish i was more comfortable with eye shadow, etc., i have the naked palette and i have NO IDEA what to do with it. but i do know that if i do wear something on my lids, etc., i look a little more “alive” – there’s just a fine line, i think. and i cross it whenever i try to use eyeshadow LOL
i’m hopeless too! i’ll try to find a link to a video i saw about where to apply luminizer, but basically i put it on my cheekbones (up high), in the inside corners of my eye (don’t get it in your eyes!!), on the bridge of my nose, and cupid’s bow (right above your top lip in the middle). just a teeny tiny bit each place. i can always tell a huge difference after applying it…
Grechen,
I’m 50 and work in an office full-time and apply full makeup daily (usually 7 days a week). I am also diligent about skin care, and have been all my life.
Two of my favorite skin care products are by Philosophy: When Hope is Not Enough serum and Turbo Booster Vitamin C Powder. I use the serum morning and night all over my face and neck, and add the Vitamin C Powder to the serum in the mornings. The addition of the Vitamin C has given my skin a nice radiance and has reduced the brown spots.
Have you ever tried Bobbi Brown’s Shimmer Bricks? I’ll bet they would enhance your skin and give you a nice, subtle glow.
I probably wear more makeup now that I know how to apply it (thanks youtube!). I’ll go a while without buying stuff then go on a little makeup buying binge .. oh, well .. it’s my vice .. 😉
Monica.
MonicaP´s last blog post ..Tahari baby blue jacket
I also disagree. As I get older I need much more makeup to look good. And by good I mean just a nice natural not-a-lot-of-makeup look. I never used to worry about brows or under eyes but now I won’t leave the house without. If my brows aren’t filled in and sculpted and if I don’t use undereye concealer plus highlight I feel like my face disappears. I have also added some contour that really helps to define my face. I think as you age your features all ‘soften’ and makeup really helps to focus them again. I hate it though because it takes so long now to get ready.
Love the Living Luminizer. Here is a video
Thank you Grechen for sharing. I used to work for Nordies as a make up artist so paring down my routine to be minimal has been a struggle. Also, I am trying to use all harmless/green products. I have managed to trade out most of my routine for green items, but still haven’t found a mascara I love. Here is my workday day face (in an office, meet with donors etc…).
Day:
Rinse with water in shower – use Clarisonic 2x a week
Josie Maran Sunscreen
Gressa Minimalist Corrective Serum Foundation
RMS Solar swiped on eyelid
Jane Iredale cream liner just on top
Bobbi Brown Mascara
RMS lip2cheek in Smile or Promise on cheeks
RMS Living Luminizer on cheeks, above brows and lips
RMS lip shine or Gressa lip boost (either nude or red depending on mood)
Night:
Gressa Balancing Cleanser – this oil takes everything off and smells heavenly
Gressa Night Repair Elixer
That’s it. I know the makeup routine seems like it would take a long time, but I apply with fingers and takes maybe 5 minutes at the most. Weekends I usually just mix the foundation and sunscreen and use lipgloss (Ilia White Rabbit)
Whew – anyway thank you as always for sharing your journey with us, you are truly inspiring.
You have such lovely skin, Grechen and NO EYE BAGS! You look beautiful and comfortable.
I have always been a makeup minimalist for reasons not unlike my relationship with clothes. I don’t want to draw attention to myself and prefer a natural, casual look. However, now that I am in my 40’s I have a desire to be the best version of myself. I thought that would mean more makeup…but after a few experience fails at the beauty counter, I realize that less, done strategically, is still more.
I am prone to hyperpigmentation and have eye bags that startle the most generous makeup artists. And, I’ve made a commitment this year to support brands that don’t do animal testing, which is much harder than I was expecting. I’m not trashing my products still on the go, but am swapping out more compassionate versions as I need to replace. I’m picky, and have played around with a lots of stuff the last few years including some very high end lines and strategic treatments, but I have settled on these :
Skincare:
-John Masters Organics Linden Blossom Face Cream Cleanser.
-Diptyque Infused Facial Water for night moisture, and their Protective Moisturizing Lotion with SPF for daytime.
-Darphin’s Camilla Mask and (my great indulgence, but lasts over a year) 8-flower nectar. Darphin is not cruelty free. I’m so sad that I will have to replace these things.
-Eye cream. Reports say it is redundant, but my face is much happier with extra moisture there. I’ve been unsuccessfully hunting for a Lamer replacement for over a year. Aveda’s new one isn’t too bad.
Best skincare gadget (I’ve tried many): Dennis Gross face steamer. Natural way to deep clean pores and cleanse.
Makeup:
My go to basics for the last 20 years have been mascara, concealer, and lip gloss.
-Maybelline Great Lash mascara. I have always been so proud of this cheap-ass miracle, and am going to have to cough up another $10 to find a cruelty free mascara. Bareminerals has been a fairly good substitute.
-Aveda concealer.
-Bite lipgloss in seasonal colors. I adore this brand.
The extras that I can stand include a great lip liner (Aveda) that I use under gloss when I go out. Ole Henrikson BB cream instead of foundation — it is good though I am switching back to Aveda tinted moisturizer, an old favorite. Nars and Jane Iredale eyeshadow and blush (I look ill without blush, so everyone tells me…and they are right). I do have a MAC eyeliner and Dior lipliner that I love, but I will give them up when they are done. After your post on Charlotte Tillbury I discovered her products are still cruelty free. She’s next on my list to try.
Thanks for the responses! I did try it this morning, was very pleased!
Grechen, you look fantastic. My skincare purchases are almost always from the drugstore but I do get makeup from a department store every once in a while and try to make it last – like there’s going to be some kind of great makeup shortage….
I’m 40, have similar coloring to you, and my big thing is SPF. I’ve never worn powder, foundation or concealer and have had to forgo retinoids since getting pregnant and now breastfeeding my baby – but I’m not going in to a job, though, so I’m not under pressure to be polished. I wash my face twice a day with Dr. Bronner’s Baby Mild soap, and apply something with SPF first thing. The best moisturizing sunscreen I’ve found is Live Live, and it sinks in quickly and smells great. I’m out of it so I’m switching between Aveeno BB cream and Olay Regenerist SPF 50. I should toss the Aveeno because the Fair to Light shade is still dark for me, and the cream is messy. I wish I’d read reviews on Makeup Alley about that before purchasing. Ideally I’d alternate between Live Live (SPF 30+) Clinique City Block SPF 40 for some more polish, and Olay Regenerist 50, which I think is a good product. At night, I just put Vanicream on my face and neck. I think Vanicream is close to identical to Cerave or Cetaphil creams.
The other parts of my ‘minimalist’ routine are to brush my brows with a clear mascara and to curl my lashes, and I’m also a fan of Rosebud Salve and Cherry Chapstick. I use a little Nars Orgasm blush, some very blended blue eyeliner (Nars Kitty or Chanel Apparition) and, to look more done-up, any mascara on-hand and Clinique Black Honey ‘almost lipstick’ or Nars Dolce Vita lipstick.
I tend to be completely fickle with my makeup and skincare, but I do have a few holy grail items that I can’t live without:
– Clinique High Impact Mascara (I’ve tried a million mascaras and always come back to this one)
– Anastasia Perfect Brow Pencil
– Supergoop Sunscreen Serum
Even though I own an obscene amount of makeup, most days I don’t have the time/energy to do much more than moisturize, fill in my eyebrows (absolutely essential), and put on mascara and lip balm/gloss/stick. I love how I look when I really do my eyes, but it’s not in the cards for me on a daily basis right now.
Jessica @ Beautify My Life´s last blog post ..Surviving the winter and #BeingBasic
You look fantastic!!! And in a close-up, too. Very brave, since I’m analyzing every [invisible] pore 😉
Your skin tone looks so incredibly even, so is that the skincare, the LM tinted moisturizer, or a bit of both? I’m going to have to pull my old LM out of its basket and see if it still smells OK, Cuz I want skin like you!
Speaking of obscene, Jessica, as a former Bobbi Brown and freelance MUA, I’ve got makeup on top of makeup! I keep giving it away, and it reappears (probably because I tend to buy the “same ol’ same ol'” colors over and over again, but in different brands. Well, and sometimes, the same ones.)
My skin issue right now is that since I hit menopause…it really is like hitting a wall…my skin has gone from oily and a few monthly chin zits to Sahara-dry and some weird zit-like creatures on my chin and lower cheeks, which I’ve read is hormonal. My dermatologist didn’t think it was a big deal (because it wasn’t happening to HER!) and gave me a prescription cleanser that costs a million dollars and told me to get Cerave cream. I guess it’s getting better. And no one will notice my face since my hair is falling out. (Don’t mind me. It’s just a grumpy day.)
So here’s what I’m using these days:
AM: Million dollar prescription face wash with a planetary name
YBF Vitamin serum
YBF Eye cream
Cerave cream, sometimes supplemented with Bobbi Brown EXTRA balm on super-dry patches
Makeup: I, too, have found that less is more as I’ve gotten older, but, like Mallory and Christina, it has to be brightening to be effective and make me look alive.
Bobbi Brown EXTRA Tinted Moisturizing balm SPF 25 is my lifesaver! Dewy, sheer coverage, treatment, SPF all-in-one! I buy this over and over and always will.
I’ve been switching between BOOMSTICKS by Cindy Joseph, (one is a moisturizer stick, one is all-purpose color, and my favorite is a highlighter) which are organic and nice, and Julie Hewitt Cheekies in “Destiny” for blush. They’re both cream. Sometimes, if I’m in a hurry, I’ll just brush on some BB Shimmerbrick in “Wild Rose” and I always get compliments on my skin when I do.
Mascara…UGH…Hot flashes make this damned near impossible, but I’m trying to find my Holy Grail waterproof. I thought it was going to be Kevyn Aucoin’s tubing mascara, but I sweat it off and it looked like I had spider legs all over my face! Great look. 😉
Lipgloss by LM, BB, NARS, or most likely Fresh Sugar tinted lip balm in Petal, Rose, or Cherry.
If I’m going out, or want to look more put together, I’ll add eyeliner and maybe some taupe eyeshadow from BB. But not often anymore.
I concur! Highlighter is everything.
Love them, maddie!
Oops! I don’t sleep with my makeup on. (Got sick of my own voice and quit typing…). I use a gentle cleansing oil by DHC that takes it all off, then the serum, spot zit treatment or prescription Retin A, followed by Cerave cream, and YBF eye cream.
which cereve cream do you use? i tried it once (or maybe that was cetaphil?) and i didn’t think it was very hydrating at all…didn’t like it.
i have that wild rose shimmer brick, but i have NO IDEA HOW TO USE IT.
Maybe this is just stating the obvious, but, there ARE different levels of makeup between “none” and “full face.” I mean, you should do what you’re most comfortable with, which is what I told my clients. But I feel like the right blush, or lip color can make all the difference in the world to make us look and feel our best. Or, “To feel prettier and more confident,” as Bobbi Brown would say!
I always do brows, too, Mallory. As I’ve aged, they’ve become more sparse and less defined. My big regret in life: That I plucked my brows as a teen to achieve the ultra-thin disco brow!!! UGH
Sign me up for a shimmer brick tutorial, too!
Val, I’m with you — I give away makeup and yet my collection never seems to dwindle. It’s a combination of a shopping problem and being fortunate enough to have companies send me products to review from time to time. A good problem to have, but a problem nonetheless.
What is YBF? I’m googling, but not sure I’m finding the right thing.
Jessica @ Beautify My Life´s last blog post ..Surviving the winter and #BeingBasic
The Cerave is called “Moisturizing Cream” and it comes in a 16 oz. tub…it’s not a lotion in a bottle. It’s honking BIG!!! And it is VERY hydrating. But no sunscreen.
I use the Shimmerbrick as blush, basically: A light dusting on my cheekbones vs. apple of the cheek, and just what’s left on the brush across my hairline and tip of my chin. I use the “Face Blender” brush by BB because it disperses a very light amt. it will last forever at this rate! I ALWAYS get nice comments about my skin and my glow when I use it.
I hear ya, Jessica! I have won so many products from blogs, plus, have a ton of freebies from work as a MUA. My daughters and their friends love it when I do “Val’s makeup sorting and purging giveaway night”!!! I lay out a big blanket on the floor and they go crazy! Haha! And I end up doing their makeup for them with the colors I advised them to choose. It’s fun 🙂
YBF stands for “Your Best Face” and it’s a high-end skincare brand that I discivered through several bloggers. They generously sent me a BIG box of their products and I love it! (They’re on Facebook. Tell Darrell I sent you!)
OK, I promise this is my last comment on the topic and then I’ll shut-up! I came across this article in the online mag “Chalkboard” and it seemed to speak very well to what I was trying to say but unable to articulate: http://thechalkboardmag.com/winter-skin-solutions-5-step-to-a-dewy-daytime-look#sl=2
I really liked the general ideas the author expressed, and it seemed to echo what several of us, and you, Grechen, were saying about makeup.
Good night!