Sometimes I skim through old photos of myself from college and my first year post-grad and think I look like I’m still 19 (or is it just that everyone younger than me looks older than me?) and other times I appear to be a completely different person! My style and hair texture have changed over the years, but nothing looks as jarringly different than my daily makeup. From the moment I discovered beauty YouTubers in 10th grade, I was obsessed with covering my skin in the most mattifying medium-full coverage foundation and blending perfect smokey eyes even on the hottest days at school. I loved the Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer, NARS Sheer Glow Foundation, and Armani Luminous Silk to glaze over any blemishes and redness while removing all traces of natural glow. My MAC customized eyeshadow palette and Urban Decay Naked2 Basics were on a daily rotation whether I was heading to a family dinner or to band practice as seen in this shocking post from my freshman year of college (I know!!! Who did I think I was?) with the heaviest lashes coated in $32 Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Lashes mascara (which I purchased every 3 months as if I were rich). My foundation goals were to cover up every single flaw I had and mattify my skin til completely poreless and powdery. When COVID began and I had to work every day in office, I realized my masks wiped off and disturbed most of my foundation, so a change had to take place. I paired down my daily makeup routine to take only 10 minutes as I swapped my beloved IT Cosmetics CC Cream—last seen in this post—for a base of of only light concealer (still the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer) dotted directly over pesky spots, redness, and dark circles and topped with a bare dusting of the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Translucent. As I mentioned my natural aging process before, I’m far more interested in natural skin with a new penchant for the extra glow that comes from my sunscreen and genetic oily skin. To pump up the natural factor, I heavily swirl the rosy Milani Baked Blush in Petal Primavera all over my cheeks and across my nose, which I personally think de-ages me a wee bit and suits my girly look. I’m now quite embarrassed when I observe how outrageously dark and harsh I used to fill in my eyebrows, so I only fill in the front gaps and the the tails messily with my L’Oreal Brow Stylist Definer in Dark Brunette before brushing the hairs up with a clear mascara. Lashings of my ultimate favorite L’Oreal Lash Paradise Mascara in Blackest Black go on next as I will always be a big lash girl, but now for a fraction of the price! My new daily makeup routine is complete with swipes of my most used and loved Revlon Kiss Balm Lip Balm in Berry Burst—the best damn lip color on the market. I stick to this routine for every single occasion now, whether it be a regular once a week office workday or a fancy fundraiser gala, and I love the result either way—no foundation needed!
