Category: Beauty

I have always loved makeup. I remember growing up I’d watch my mother and nana apply their makeup on  Sunday mornings. I remember being thrilled when I was allowed to wear blush and lip-gloss.

I always loved looking through magazines and seeing the next great item to use. I still to this day enjoy browsing Ulta or looking for the one-hit-wonder makeup item.

In my teens and collage years, makeup would take me forever to apply. And some of this time was even before eyebrow gel was a thing. 😉 I had to apply a primer, then concealer, and next was foundation.  The type of foundation that was complete coverage was the goal.

Then blush and bronzer was next. Bronzer was something I never was good at. Next you had to do your eyes, which involved 3-5 shades of eye shadow. To this day, I still am not good at eye liner, so I always skipped that step. Lastly, was to curl the lashes and add mascara.

Later on, you had to add more steps like coloring in your eyebrows or using a gel on them. Also highlight on the top of your cheeks and setting spray was a must.

While at times, this was fun to explore and play with makeup, I absolutely dreaded having to take it off. I wish they would make a product that took it all off in one swipe. 😉 Also it was getting time consuming.

Since I have been married, I feel like my makeup routine has completely changed. Partly, because my husband would always say, “Why does it take you so long to get ready?” 😉 But also because I feel like I have grown more as a person.

Now I can actually do all of my makeup in about 5 minutes, and I love it. I love being able to just get up and go.

Check out my Fresh in Fifteen video!  Get ready with me skincare, hair care, and makeup all in 15 minutes!

My makeup now just includes:

-Sometimes primer, sometimes not – depends on my mood 😉

-Cover FX Mineral Powder Foundation – works well with my skin, super easy to apply – not messy like liquid foundation

-Blush – I enjoy Tarte or Milani

– Maybelline eyebrow gel – I don’t always use it, depends on my mood. Sometimes I feel life was simpler when I didn’t have to fill in my brows. 😉

– Eye shadow – one color sometimes two – also depends on the occasion

-Mascara – I enjoy Tarte Lights Camera Lashes, or Maybelline Rocket

– Chap stick or lipstick – I have been loving Burt’s Bees lip shimmers

That’s it! And I love it! Simple! Sometimes I use setting spray and sometimes I don’t.

One thing that really helped me learn to accept my natural beauty, was to embrace my natural beauty. Changing my diet helped me gain more confidence for that.

Over the past year, I have given up gluten due to allergy issues as well as really limiting my dairy intake. My skin has never been clearer in my life. I now only get the occasional monthly breakout around my chin. But even then, they are not as bad of a breakout as they use to be.

I don’t feel like I have to cover up my skin anymore with foundation or hide my pimples with concealer. I now feel more beautiful when someone tells me I’m pretty, because I know I’m not hiding anything with my mask of makeup.

My point I am trying to get here, is that I hope for everyone, makeup is a fun hobby, not something you feel you have to apply perfectly everyday. There are some days now I go run errands without makeup and feel perfectly fine and pretty. I did not use to be like that.

My hope and prayers is that as women, we learn to take care of ourselves with our diets, habits, and taking time for ourselves. That through that, our true inner beauty shines out and we realize that makeup is just an accessory.

No makeup – just natural

Remember:

“You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way.” -Song of Solomon 4:7