Daily Make+Skincare

As someone who is still very much the tomboy she was in high school, I have a hard time justifying wearing copious amounts of make-up in most situations. I generally feel like make-up feels really heavy on my face, or just plain old takes too long. So, in the past couple years, as my experience with make-up and the number of products I have tried has grown, I finally think I found a morning routine that is perfect for my skin type.

Of course, what I am about to say will not work for everyone, but hopefully I can provide tips that can put you on the right path to finding that bliss that is an easy-to-manage morning routine.

My skin is combination oily/normal--although since I live in a place with high humidity, when I go to someplace that is dryer my skin tends to dry out a bit around the lips. But because I live in such a humid climate, my skin care routine is super light and doesn't make you feel like you already starting sweating!



First off, getting your skin ready in the morning has to be fast and handy. Most people don't have time to sit around waiting for products to do their job, or to use a bunch of different steps. Best part of the routine I have come up with is that it is (mostly) organic and fragrance-free!

There is always the three important steps you need to take (especially for acne-prone skin like mine) to ensure your skin stays nice and dry all day. Cleanser, toner, and moisturiser. For me, I looked a lot of different alternatives and finally found the perfect fit for me when it came to these three things.

I use Lush "Herbalism" face wash--I love it for traveling because it has no water content, so I can take it on flights according to TSA regulations! To use it, just add a little bit of water to the palm of your hand to make it more soft, and then rub it onto your face. It has a bit of a sandy texture, so it's great for exfoliating!

Then I add a couple of spritzes of rose water to my face. I use Heritage Rose Petals Rosewater, but I will be using some of the organic rose water my father brought me from India after I finish the bottle! I'm not using my own photo here because I have since recycled this bottle and transferred the remaining rose water into a smaller travel-size. Sorry about that! Also, the water is not pink--it's clear. The bottle it comes in is just tinted pink.

Last but not least, I use Too Faced BB Cream. It took me a long time to finally sit down and purchase a BB Cream for myself because I was a bit skeptical about its restorative properties, but in the end having a tinted moisteriser that also acted as a sunscreen pulled me in. Too Faced comes in three shades, and I use the second darkest shade they have, "Nude Glow." I'm not even considered to be very dark at all, so I don't know how anyone darker than me can use this brand. It was a good price, $28, and leaves my skin feeling dewy and refreshed. Since it is tinted, it also brightens my skin! I had initially purchased the darkest colour "Beach Glow" because they were out of the shade I would normally buy, and it tinged my skin a bit orange.

I slap on some Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Hibiscus (which is annoyingly expensive for lip balm, about 7-8 dollars, and it doesn't even come with SPF protection!). The reason why I use it is because my lips get really badly chapped when I kiss my boyfriend on the cheek since he uses a lot of strong acne medications and I have always been super sensitive to them, and this chapstick is the only one that has properly moisturised my lips! Believe me, if you're having really chronically dry lips, to the point of being painful, pick some of this up and you'll be okay in two days, I'm not even kidding!

Normally I prefer EOS lip balm though, it comes in a bunch of different flavours, and the lemon flavour has SPF in it. It's super lightweight, and of course, organic!

Since I normally have to use Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm, I go ahead and apply a quick layer of Rimmel London Moister Renew lip gloss in Pink Remedy. It has SPF 15 in it, and isn't super sticky like other lip glosses. It's the only lip gloss I use now!

The end result is fantastic--Too Faced evens out my skin tone and brightens my face, and the hint of Rimmel lip gloss makes my lips look moist and plump, and this only takes me about 5 minutes to do!

At night, I basically do the same routine, but instead of BB Cream I use Lush's "Imperialis" face moisturiser. It smells absolutely divine, and does not leave an oily residue on your skin at all! I of course also don't wear the lip gloss. It's a bit expensive, but you only use a dime-sized amount on your whole face, so it's really great.

I have also discovered my newest obsession at Sephora this past couple weeks upon a friend's recommendation, which is Rosebud Perfume Co.'s Rosebud Salve. It has a bit of petrolatum in it, which you should never wear in the sun because it does darken your lips, so I slather some on before bed to really help heal them. The smell is divine as well! You can also use it on other areas prone to dry skin, although I prefer things without petrolatum in it, like Lush's Lemony Flutter.

Of course, at night it is always a good idea to do some spot treatments on those pimples you can just FEEL coming. Lush's Grease Lightning is great for sucking out the oil and stopping a soon-to-come pimple in its tracks. I don't recommend using it on a pimple that is already out because I've had issues with it darkening my skin in the area where it was. It's great to use when you get that ache-y feeling when you press certain parts of your face. Just dab a little on and voilà! You wake up in the morning with no more pain and zits! Best part is, it's clear, unlike a lot of traditional spot treatment methods like Clearasil, so you don't look all spotty going to bed.

To remove any make-up traces, I use DHC Mild Touch Cleansing Oil. It's a little expensive but it has such a powerful make-up removing formula! My friend used it to remove all her grey paint when she cosplayed as a Homestuck troll! This stuff is a godsend.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my daily skincare routine! What do you do differently? What do you recommend? Let me know! I apologise for using mostly stock photos this time around--I just haven't had time to blog lately, I've been going to a lot of law school conferences. ;A;