My Skin and Everyday Makeup Routine
no-filter selfie of yours truly (foundation: clinique beyond perfecting foundation, nars bronzing powder, fenty beauty highlighter in 'mint mojito' )
First things first, quit taking others beauty and skin advice as law! Just like your hair, you have to find products that work for you. When movements involving our bodies and image are involved, it’s easy to find ourselves subscribing to every makeup trend, buying every sheet mask, and going broke over deep-conditioners. Be gentle with yourself by being aware that skin care and make up is trial-and-error. What works now may not work in six months. More importantly, what works for others, may not work for you.
There are tons of outside factors that contribute to skin reactions which can include but are not limited to: environment, diet, genetics, hormonal and chemical balance or imbalances. Lock down what works and what doesn’t, develop a rhythm and build a skin and make-up routine from the ground up. One of my favorite things about going natural is taking the time to learn about my body.
Over time, it has naturally raised curiosity, encouraged exploration about afro-textures and taught me to love my hair in every stage. It’s so easy to forget to be mindful, gentle and patient with our bodies. Suffering from depression, there are days where I do not look in the mirror because I don't want to see myself. Depression infused with living under an oppressive state where our bodies are hyper-policed and sexualized, mocked and cloned. It can be difficult to work through the muck to love ourselves, to get up and even wash our faces. Audre Lorde’s transcending words give me strength, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare". Lorde’s urgent teachings on self-preservation not posing as satisfaction but instead a necessity for survival is a rallying call for us to be dedicated to being intentional about caring for ourselves.
My hopes with this post are to encourage those reading to learn what works for your skin and what doesn’t. If you’re able, I also recommend visiting a licensed dermatologist where you can receive expert medical advice.
If you’re like me and can’t afford dermatologist visits every month, do as much research as you can. Find online communities of Black people talking about skin! A cheaper alternative is also finding local licensed skin esthetician that promotes healthy skin practices like skin peels or facials. Find the Black ones though!
I have a pretty good rhythm going with my skin routine and have it locked in for about two years now. I'm so happy to share some tips that have helped me and I do hope that this helps someone! First, I'll break down the basics, then flesh out what makeup products I use for a fresh-face makeup look, which I think are the most requested!
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Wash your face daily, in the morning and before bed!
Find a cleanser that is gentle on your skin. I’m a 2-in-1 type of girl, so I generally buy washes that exfoliate and grime off dirt and makeup while scrubbing off dead skin.
Be intentional about making sure you’ve removed all dirt from your face. This includes makeup!
If you regularly use makeup, I’d recommend soft makeup removers like Garnier SkinActive Micellar Water. I also like to moisturize a little extra when I use micellar water because while it contains tiny balls of cleansing oil, the cleaning agents in the oil can be super drying on your girl and strip my skin.
Tone, baby, tone!
Toner is used to restore your skin’s moisture after washing.
Find alcohol-free toners. Clinique has some of my favorite and are reasonably priced! If I can’t make a Sephora run, I use Neutrogena Alcohol-Free Toner.
It’s an easy step to forget but try not to! Stick a post-it to your mirror to remind you until you jam-packed it in your brain.
Moisturize
Your skin needs moisture. Don’t be like the old-me who use to wash, tone and not slab on moisturizer. The oil your face produces does not substitute as a moisturizer.
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Fresh Face Makeup:
Foundation:
Clinique’s Beyond Perfecting Foundation + Concealer in 23 ginger
Concealer:
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in 'Sucre D'orge'
Brows:
Bronzer:
NARS Bronzing Powder in ‘dark brown with golden shimmer’
Highlighter:
Becca’s Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter in ‘topaz’
Killawatt Foil in 'sandcastle/mint'd mojito'
Lips:
BITE Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayon in ‘molasses - rich toffee’
A few extra tips that I've found useful for an everyday-fresh faced look:
- The less foundation, the better. I like to dabble in light to medium-coverage depending on how my skin is choosing to be that day.
- Bronze to give your face depth, and to define angles. It's very important you have brushes. Morphe has spectacular brush sets that doesn't hurt too much to purchase! Do not attempt to rub in bronzer with your hands, it will look splotchy, uneven, and not help you at all. Make sure to brush up and not down on your cheekbone. You want your cheekbones to look higher, brushing down will add an unwanted shadows. Seek out warm colors like browns and oranges.
- Drink lots of water! I'm not that great at it yet. I have weeks when I do so good, and weeks where I don't. Finding healthy organic teas promoting skin are good too!
- I use this charcoal mask to unclog my pores at the top of each week! It helps to maintain clear skin that help curb heavy breakouts, especially when I'm PMS'ing.
I'd be happy to answer any additional questions you might have on my skin and/or makeup routine at rachaelthelord@gmail.com