The Fundamentals of an Everyday Makeup Routine

I follow a lot of daily routines, emphasis on daily. I teeter on the edge of being considered high maintenance solely based on the occasional inflexibility that I have when it comes to letting go of certain daily routines, namely the ones surrounding my grooming efforts which includes but is not limited to my makeup, skincare, and bodily hygienic routines. Everything is fairly formulaic, with new products and formulas swapped in every once in awhile as my idea of shaking things up.

It's no surprise that I thrive off of following my routines, but each routine is unique to everyone. I made a video the other week on my YouTube channel about my makeup routine, which has pretty much been the same for the past, hm, four years? Products have changed, my needs are different, but the fundamentals are all still there. The beauty of us being our own individual selves is that nobody is going to do the exact same thing as you. So, I figured I'd break down the step-by-step fundamentals of what I do to my skin and face every day to find different adaptations for different needs.

First Step: Skincare

Your makeup is only as good as the skin beneath it all. My morning routine is as follows: single cleanse, (optional) toner, antioxidant serum, hydrating or brightening serum, firming eye cream, moisturizer, antioxidant face oil, SPF. Obviously, these steps are personal to my skincare needs. I live in a city with heavy pollution so antioxidants are a must to combat all of that. Hydrating is always key, so I like to ensure I'm keeping my skin moisturized and plump so it's bouncy and not flat or dull. Brightening helps balance out the dullness too, but I also like it to gradually fade pigmentation from acne scarring. And must I explain why SPF is important?

Maybe you just need to cleanse, tone, and moisturize. Maybe you like anti-aging formulas. Pick your poison and be diligent about it being the precursor to the rest of your makeup routine, no matter what it includes.

Second Step: Eyes

I do eyes before skin but you can easily swap this step with the next depending on your preference. My eye looks can be summed up into a simple sentence: neutral with a wing. I prime my lids either with MAC's Paint Pot in Painterly or any concealer that I have on hand, depending on what I'm in the mood for that morning. My eye looks follow the same two to three color formula: light on the lids, medium to prep the outer corner and crease, darker color to intensify the outer-v of my eye and fade into the crease. After blending it all out, I put on my winged liner and then go over it with black eyeshadow to lock it in place.

Winged eyeliner is an essential piece in my everyday look. I don't go a weekday without doing it because I personally like the way it compliments my eye shape and creates extra drama on my face when combined with my bold brows and, er, strong nose. Maybe it's the Sophia Loren effect, I don't know! 

Test out what works for you! Try a wing, try just regular liner, maybe forego any liner on your upper lashline! Experiment with single-colored lids, use a cream eyeshadow and fade it up into the crease. The possibilities are truly endless. Not a fan of neutrals? Use a wash of any eyeshadow color!

Third Step: Face

I feel like this truly is where the variant comes in. Everyone has such different skin types and needs that you have a lot of freedom here. I use a medium buildable foundation, undereye concealer, regular concealer, (optional) liquid highlighter, undereye powder, shimmering setting powder, contour, (optional) shimmery bronzer, blush, and highlighter. That sounds like a lot because it is a lot, but I try to be careful about the way I layer. I try to do a single layer of foundation and build up coverage lightly with concealer to ensure my redness is concealed without packing on thick layers of product. I'm getting better about trying to hide my skin in general versus just spot concealing and letting some of my natural skin (just enhanced a bit) shine through. 

If your skin is not a concern when it comes to discoloration or acne, maybe opt for a light coverage, dewy foundation or a CC cream to just even out your skin tone slightly and add some other skin benefits as well. Alternately, if you're more comfortable wearing full coverage, I'm not here to stop you whatsoever.

If your cheeks are already sculpted out of marble, opt to skip contouring. Or, if you're like me and look like the moon emoji, use a little bit of contour to sculpt out your cheekbones ever so slightly (or maybe go dramatic, I'm not here to stop you!). 

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I think at the end of the day, everything truly comes down to carving out your own routine. Or maybe you don't have a routine at all! The beauty of beauty is that we all have our own definition of it. There's pressure on both ends to wear a ton of makeup to "enhance" our looks and also alternately people argue that makeup is forced upon us by society and we should revolt and say screw it. 

I've talked about this on the blog before and I just firmly believe to put whatever you want on your face, whether it's a full face of makeup or absolutely nothing. We have the freedom to curate our own routines to our day-to-day needs or experiment as much as we'd like!