Getting “presentable” shouldn’t be a chore. For me, it has to be fast & easy, and it has to make me feel good about me. Here are the Lucky 7 beauty products that I use every day to give me that “put-together” look and feeling in 5 minutes!
Mommin’ ain’t easy, y’all.
I used to be one of those kinds of people that put foundation on my face. But that was back before I became a mom, just like I used to think I wouldn’t go out in public with baby snot on my shirt or spit-up on my shorts. Things happen. People change, you evolve. Right?
I still “get ready” every day, even though I technically don’t “have to”, you know? Like, I’m not going to work every day anymore; I do not need to “be presentable” to meet any sort of dress code. Some days I don’t even drive my car at all. There are some days that I don’t interact with anyone other than Jeff & Sam (and Wrangler), but it’s still really important to me that I get up every day, run a heat-styling tool through my hair and put on a little make up. For me. Because it makes me feel good. And it makes me feel good about me.
One of my big takeaways when I was in therapy for my postpartum depression and anxiety was about self-care. Self-care is one of those terms that gets thrown around a lot; it gets painted as this pretty picture and one of those cliché hashtags about mental health, talking of spa days and drinking wine and #girlsnightout… or something? But when I say self-care, at least in this instance, I mean it in the most basic sense of it, actually caring for myself, such as showering. That’s how bad it was, you guys, I wasn’t even showering. (Ok, just to set a baseline, it’s not like I wasn’t showering at all. I’m just talking about how I am one of those shower-every-day types of people and I was going 2-3 days before I would finally do it, and it was likely at someone else’s prompting. That’s not normal.) That’s like a basic necessity of life, and it should have been a cue back then, but somehow, I missed it. Once I felt like I had come back to myself, I looked back on that broken woman, and made promise myself (and we don’t break promises to ourselves, do we?) that I wouldn’t let that happen again, that I was going to take care of me, because I deserve it. I deserve to take care of myself, and in doing that, it makes me feel better about me. If I feel good about me, I’m in a better space to be there for those around me, those I love.
That leads me to sharing with you my favorite products that get me a [light] full face of make-up but still ends up as an everyday look. When I actually listed out the products I use every single day, I was like this still seems high maintenance, no way this is actually a five-minute face. But I went back and timed myself and turns out it’s still true. A quick whisper over my face with some brushes and some powder, a couple of wings with my eyeliner and a swipe of mascara, and that’s it. For real. And that gets us back to my original premise: mommin’ ain’t easy, so I’m not trying to dedicate actual time to putting my face on every day [anymore]. Time is a precious commodity as it is and I gotta use it wisely. So, quick and dirty, here are all of my secrets. Let’s do this.
#1 Covergirl TruBlend Minerals Loose Powder in Medium 410
I used to use this powder to set my foundation. Now I just use it… to set my face, I suppose. 🤣 Starting with this and using it as my base, I feel, removes some of the sheen and shine of my plain skin. I feel like it also evens out my skin tone just enough as a starting place. I like that it has some shimmer to it, and it’s more pigmented than their plain loose powder. Right now, because it’s summer, I’ve bumped up to the medium shade 410 because my skin tans pretty easily, but the rest of the year I’m the paler shade, 405. #michigan
#2 Wet n Wild MegaGlo Contouring Palette in Dulce de Leche
When I think of contour, my brain splits into two: the Kardashians & Snooki from her Jersey Shore days. Either way, it’s an extreme and not one that I’m necessarily striving for. However, I gave this drugstore palette a shot because I was just minding my business one Thursday night and watching a Facebook Live of my favorite makeup guru Ally Things Beauty and she used it and was blown away but how great it was and I figured she would know, so I went out and bought it. 🤷🏻♀️🤣 Honestly, watching her videos taught me how to do it so that I didn’t look like an idiot. If you are even a little bit curious about how to do it, check out her videos (because the “instructions” on the back of the packaging are whack).
#3 Burt’s Bees Blush in Shy Pink
I have been, and forever will be, someone who wears a pink blush. Once I saw how to use it with the contour, things blend so much nicer now. I also learned that blush also gives you a younger, sun-kissed glow if you lightly apply it right above your eyebrows in addition to the apples of your cheeks. I know this sounds weird, but this is another one of those tips I learned from Ally Things Beauty and I understand why she says “trust the process” all the time. If you check out her Instagram, you will likely end up scrolling longer than you meant to. She’s gorgeous and she does really cool things. I realize now that this turned into a plug for her more than me talking about how I like this blush. I like it. I grabbed it because my Clinique blush got smashed in a travel bag I had, and it was sad. I also dig Burt’s Bees, so I’m on board. It’s doing what it’s supposed to do.
#4 Wet n Wild MegaGlo Highlighting Powder in Blossom Glow
The whole thing about highlighting, just like contouring, can get a little cray, so you have to watch yourself. And with this one, in particular, you really can get really shiny/sparkly in a hurry, so you need to check yourself when you’re swiping this onto your face. I’m just being honest. Check yourself before you wreck yourself and have to wipe off your makeup and start over because now you’re way too shiny. I love it because it lasts forever, and I love that a little goes a long way. Wet n Wild used to be something my middle school self was in love with because it had crazy colors for everything and I was an awkward middle schooler experimenting with drugstore makeup that I bought with my allowance and babysitting money and then wore as I flipped through my J-14 magazines. And now that I’m in my 30s, I’m back to buying it, so I’m not sure what that says about me or Wet n Wild, but I swear the quality has improved leaps and bounds and their product offering is worth exploring, in my humble opinion, of course.
#5 NYX Tinted Brow Mascara in Brunette
I’m not confident about using a brow pencil, so I’m using this tinted brow mascara to fill in my brows. Here’s another thing: while I appreciate when other women have impeccably shaped and managed brows, I just am not that kind of lady. Also, with the amount of effort I’m actually spending on my face, it seems like it would be overdone or look weird to have these perfectly perfect brows on an otherwise natural looking face. Because that’s really what I’m going for, you know? I’m going for that natural look by putting all of this make up on. Look, I don’t make the rules. That’s just how it is.
#6 Kat Von D Ink Liner in Trooper Black
I just can’t with this one. If there was only one make up product I could have for the rest of my life, it would be this. This shit is literally the best. It’s not waterproof, but it stays until you take it off on purpose. I know this because I cry ALL THE TIME, guys, and this stays put. I once read an entire Buzzfeed article about all of these women telling stories of shit they’d been through where most other makeup failed them, but this just stayed right where they put it and never let them down. I was introduced to this by a friend ON THE DAY OF MY WEDDING. I decided to roll the dice that day (LOL what? Who does that?) and agreed to use her eyeliner (she was doing my make up because she’s really good at stuff like that) because she promised it would run if/when I cried my bloody eyes out all day, and, girl, did she deliver. So, you can bet your bottom dollar that I went right out and bought myself some of that. 💁🏻♀️ That’s real life.
#7 L’Oreal Lash Paradise Mascara in Blackest Black
I am a fair-weather friend when it comes to mascara. I will jump ship to a different brand or a different one within brands all the time. But I would say that this one has had my attention for the last year or so. I read some listicle that compared drugstore makeup to designer makeup and which ones measured up the best, and this was on the list. I don’t even remember which designer brand this was compared to, but after I read that, I bailed on whatever Clinique mascara I was trying at the time. I really like this mascara, because as it advertises it doesn’t clump. It also comes in waterproof, but I hate having to scrub my eyes so hard to get it off when I want it to come off. Even though it’ll run if/when I cry, it’s ok. It just goes on smooth and I don’t have to do a million coats to make it feel like my lashes are actually noticeable.
So,… that’s it. Those are all of my secrets and the #Lucky7 products I use every day to get myself ready to face the day. What do you do every day to get yourself ready? Leave a note in the comments or tag me on facebook or Instagram and let me know what you’re doing and using!
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