While it's fun to read about the beauty habits of celebrities, I find it most helpful to learn about the beauty habits of women who have lifestyles, ages, or budgets similar to mine. In this series, I've asked amazing women I know to share their beauty routines. These are women from across the country, different ages, lifestyles, professions, and beauty/skincare priorities.
Tell me a bit about your skincare and/or routine.
I used to always think, "I not a skincare person." I inherited good skin from my mom and that was that. But in writing this post, I realized, I AM a skincare person. I have always known about the power of moisturizing, cleansing, protecting, and hydrating. But, whereas in my 20s, I had a two-step daily routine that included cleansing and moisturizing with Aquaphor (#truth), I now have seven steps!
Nighttime Skincare Routine
- I finish with Aquaphor on my lips and a glass of water before bed.
My husband is always ribbing me about my expanded skincare routine ("Are you STILL in the bathroom?!?!"). He knew me in my 20s when I was still on the Aquaphor plan. Every now and again, I have him do it with me! It's not just about the "potions" magically transforming your skin either. Growing and managing a business can be all-consuming. I work at least 60-70 hours a week. I am also wife and mother to three busy kids. My evening skin care routine has become the perfect way for me to have some quiet time at the end of each day, be gentle with myself, and unwind before bed.
Daytime Skincare and Makeup
Much like my skin-care routine, my makeup routine has expanded as I have gotten older. Still, my approach to makeup is an easy, everyday face with a few products that give me a finished look. I always tell my clients that hair and makeup matters just as much as your wardrobe. Get a doable-plan in place. Just like your wardrobe, don't complicate it to the point that you won't do it.
Again, my earliest grooming/makeup influence was my mother and although she was meticulous with skincare, she didn't wear makeup. She always had makeup products she saved from department store giveaways, but she didn't use them.
I didn't shape my eyebrows until I was in my late 20s if that gives you an idea of the grooming/makeup space I am coming from. But, the one thing I always did was line my eyes from the age of 12. I remember not liking how small my eyes were and wanting them to appear larger and rounder. I thought lining them ALL THE WAY AROUND would do the trick. I would steal some of my mother's unused eyeliner, sneak it out of the house and apply it at school. I went to a Catholic elementary and middle school so I would apply it and the nuns would then promptly have me wash it off.
Much of my makeup experience and routine has been trial and error. Today, I have a pretty basic process for makeup that gets me out of the bathroom in 15 minutes. And yes, the eyeliner has stuck around!
- Rinse. In the morning, I rinse with water. No soap or exfoliant.
- Toner. I splash the rose water toner again and let it dry.
- Coverup. Maybelline Dream Brightening Creamy Concealer is easy to apply and the perfect tone - a little lighter than my actual skin tone but with a little yellow/brown tint. I apply under my eyes and the corners of my nose where I get some redness.
- Lip Liner and lipstick. I use The Estee Edit 06 Nude Scene lip liner (no longer availble, Estee Lauder recommends this alternative). I line my cupid's bow and then the outer edge of my bottom lip. I then fill in with either a little Aquaphor to smear the liner for a "stained" lip look. Or, for a more polished look, I use a matte nude lipstick to blend with the darker red lip liner.
What is the best skincare or beauty advice you ever got and from whom?
Apply everything under the chin and down to the neck and chest. People forget the skin on their necks! Also primer. I never used primer until a few years ago. I literally didn't even know what it was or why anyone would ever use it. Completely clueless. Now, I never put on makeup without it.
What is your must-have holy grail beauty or skincare product?
My Goof Proof eyebrow pencil. Ever since I started shaping and filling in my eyebrows, it's the one thing I usually always do - even on makeup-free days. I feel naked without my eyebrows filled in.
What is your biggest beauty or skincare regret or embarrassment?
Again the eyebrows! I tried to shape them myself the first time and overplucked. I gave myself a very thin brow with a too-high arch. I was "surprised" for weeks.
What nugget of skincare or beauty wisdom do you wish you could give to your younger self?
I would say to my younger self, "Your eyes are beautiful! Stop smothering them with black liner!" The way I approach makeup around my eyes has evolved as I have gotten older. I have my dad's eyes. He used to joke that we had "elephant eyes" - small and squinty. Still, my family always told me I was "lucky" to have a crease instead of a monolid. It's still amazing to me after all these years, how pervasive and insidious Western beauty standards are. I remember in elementary school being teased for having "Chinese eyes." If you are Asian American, your experience most definitely included kids at school pulling their eyes out in a mocking way to let you know that those they were different, strange and ugly. I desperately wanted bigger, rounder eyes. Today, I can't tell you how affirming it has been to have Michelle Lee helm Allure and talk about truly inclusive beauty standards. My teen self would never have believed we'd have tutorials on how to do eye makeup on monolids!
