Morning Make-up MUSTS!

Every morning during the week I hop out of bed and start my morning routine. It's pretty much exactly the same every day. I put my eye cream and day creams on before I choose my outfit and by the time I'm dressed my eye cream and day cream have been absorbed and I'm ready for makeup and hair.

My moisturizers I use in the morning are:

Clinique's "All about Eyes" and Aveeno's "Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer"
 

Clinque has great eye creams and Aveeno has worked really well for me for a day cream. Both products seem to reduce the puffiness in my face in the morning and it's also important for me to have SPF in my day cream.  I used to use Intervene products by Elizabeth Arden but it was getting too expensive to have my day cream and my night cream be department store brands so I went the less expensive route but am still pretty happy with the results. For me it's more important to have an awesome night cream that repairs my skin while I sleep so in that case I'm willing to spend a little more money.

I'm currently a Supervisor for a Client Services Department and sit behind a cube all day so my daily makeup routine has gotten pretty boring but it's amazing how just a few make-up products will instantly make me look more awake or feel better about my morning face!

My "Morning Make-up Musts" are as follows and are applied in this order:

• Concealer
• Mascara
• Bronzer

CONCEALER

For concealer here is what I'm currently using:

Make-up Forever 5 Camouflage Cream Palette No. 1 ($38.00)





I love this concealer for multiple reasons. I used to use a cream concealer by The Balm but they discontinued it and so it' it's place I wanted to find a good product to replace it that was still cream based. While it stinks this concealer is expensive, this palette has lasted me almost a year and there is still lots left to use. A little bit really goes a long way and it's blendable and not tacky like some cream based concealers can be. Also, when transitioning from my summery, tan skin, I had lighter concealer choices to choose from instead of running back out to the store. Also, it comes with the green color correcter for red spots. I don't typically wear daily foundation so when it comes to covering up additional problem areas this is a great palette to mix and use different colors from cause as we all should know, different areas of the face are different colors. Being an artist this palette has been fun for me to use.


AND....

NYX Concealer Wand ($5.00)





For those of you who are just looking for 1 color, a more affordable option and not much to mess with I suggest trying this. It was $5.00 at Ulta and I just saw a vlog on youtube with this being used. The ladies raved about it so I figured I'd pick one up. This blends well and really brightens me up under my eyes. There is no need for touch ups with this wand as it seems to last me a full work day.

WARNING: I wouldn't use it anywhere else because I read a lot of reviews that this tends to clog pores or enlarge them so this is really a product to use under the eyes only.

MASCARA

I'm a mascara junkie. I've tried all sorts of brands from the cheapest of cheap to expensive. The two I've been using most often in the past 6 months are below. 

Benefit's They're Real! Mascara in Black ($23.00)

This brush does a really great job separating lashes while providing length and a subtle amount of volume perfect for work. I typically curl my lashes before using this and they stay curled all day. This is a good layering mascara that doesn't get cakey if you like to apply more than one coat like I do.


MAC In Extreme Dimensions Lash ($20.00)

 


This mascara is simply awesome. If you want va-va voom lashes without the work of added individual lashes or fake lashes, you have to try this. I still have to work on my technique with this but you can layer this mascara for days and your eyelashes just get bigger, fuller, and longer with each swipe of the brush. No primer is needed. The trick with this one is to wiggle the brush at the base of your lashes before working it up. It does a great job of thickening and lengthening. As always, I curl my lashes before applying.  The only con of this mascara is it takes awhile to remove if you apply more than a coat or two. For me, it's worth it for an awesome mascara.

Doesn't it look awesome?

BRONZER

Benefit Hoola Bronzer ($28.00)

  

While for concealer and mascara I mention two products there is only really one bronzer I'm using currently. It's lasted me almost a year as well with still plenty left to use and it pretty great. This bronzer comes in a little box and is handy for travel. It comes with a little brush inside that works really well for contouring purposes. I feel like most products that come with brushes come with cheap brushes but this one is great! A perk of this product is you can wear it subtly or for a more dramatic look depending on how much you apply. Right now I'm a big fan of flat bronzer with zero shimmer and this is a good one for a sun-kissed look without the sheen of some types of bronzers.

I'd love to hear from you! What are you're morning rituals or your Morning Make-up Musts?

Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!!!