Foundation
I have found a new foundation I am completely in love with: NARS Light Reflecting Advanced Skincare Foundation. It’s a perfect medium coverage foundation with a natural finish and has cacao peptides and milk thistle built into the formula, both of which help to protect your skin against blue light (from screens) and other environmental stressors. I use the color Fiji – L5, which is light to medium with warm undertones, and I use this brush to apply.
Color Corrector
My undereyes are sometimes way darker than the rest of my skin depending on how much sleep I’m getting, and I am loving Chanel’s Longwear Color Corrector to solve that! I use the Rose 2 shade and apply it on my undereyes and any other small patches I feel need correcting, and it lasts all day! I apply with my favorite beauty blender.
Concealer
When annoying blemishes pop up and need some extra coverage, I have fallen in love with Hourglass’s Vanish™ Airbrush Concealer to provide exactly that. It’s full coverage concealer with a natural finish and 100% vegan and cruelty-free! I use the Fawn shade, which is light medium with yellow undertones. I also use the beauty blender for concealer application.
Vital Pressed Skin Care Powder
No one likes makeup that moves or unnecessary shine. I always top off my concealer with this featherlight powder to set my concealer. It smoothes the skin and keeps the shine at bay. An added bonus? It’s packed with vitamin C and probiotics to protect the skin from free radicals and blue light. I use the shade Translucent.
Powder
Never thought in a million years I’d spend this much on a setting powder, but here we are. It was recommended by beauty blogger Emily Gemma and I’ve never been happier with a powder. It literally blurs your skin to create a flawless photo-finish. The good news is a little goes a long way! I use this brush for powder application.
Beauty Butter Bronzer
This bronzer is a game changer! A clean, talc-free, super creamy bronzing powder that gives you a “just got back from the beach” look. The matte finish is so good and it has Cacao Seed Butter, which hydrates and nourishes. I use shade Coup De Soleil. This is the brush I use to apply.
Blush
Moving away from powder blush to liquid blush is the best makeup move I’ve made in a long time. I love all of Saie’s products, but especially their Dew Blush Liquid Cheek Blush. Just a swipe on both cheeks goes such a long way, and the color I use—Chilly—provides the perfect warm glow. This stuff makes me look alive in an instant!
Lit Up Glow Highlighter Stick
Westman Atelier has clearly become a makeup favorite of mine. This translucent highlighter glides on smoothly for a natural radiant highlight. It contains an Ayurvedic oil blend to support the skin barrier. I use the shade Lit. *Clean at Sephora
Eye Shadow
This palette has been one of my favorites for years. The colors are so flattering for any eye color and they are so pigmented. This set of six talc-free, buttery, long-wearing eyeshadows that go beyond your basic neutrals—with matte, satin, and metallic finishes. I use the warm nude palette. The brushes I use for eyeshadow here and here. *Clean at Sephora
Brow Pencil
Another product I’ve used for at least 5 years now. 100% the best brow pencil. It’s so precise and lasts all day! I wear color 002 Universal Brown. To keep eyebrow hairs in place use this brow gel!
Brow Gel
I’m always looking for an even better brow gel to help shape my eyebrows and have found it with Refy’s Brow Sculpt Shape and Hold Gel with Lamination Effect. It’s literally like getting your brows done without having to spend the money or the time! It’s vegan, long-wearing, and I absolutely love the end result it gives my eyebrows!
Mascara
I tested out six clean mascaras and landed on this one as the best by far. It’s voluminous, lengthening, doesn’t get clumpy, and lasts all day—what more could you want from a mascara?! Plus, it’s easy to wash off at night, which is a dealbreaker for me and mascara. It’s a bit pricey at $58, but it’s also ranked the #2 best clean mascara on EWG’s website so the Westman Atelier mascara is worth it.
Lipstick
This award-winning two-in-one for cheeks and lips that gives a healthy flush of hydrating color on the go—buildable, blendable, and breathable. My favorite color is At Last, which is a dusty rose. *Clean at Sephora
Cleanser
Did you know you’re supposed to double cleanse? Meaning, just one makeup removal or face wash isn’t enough. You need to take the initial layer of makeup and dirt off first, then go back in to get anything you might’ve missed (and trust me, there is definitely stuff you missed!). I love Elemis’ Pro-Collagen Rose Cleansing Balm for makeup removal. The rose scent is gorgeous, and my skin always feels extra glowy afterwards. They also have the original, which is unscented for sensitive skin.
Hyaluronic Serum
This serum is liquid magic in a bottle. The price is steep, but that’s because Dr. Barbara Sturm knows what she’s doing. I swear by this little bottle of Hyaluronic Serum and think it’s done wonders for the elasticity and hydration of my skin. I use this specific serum in the mornings and wear it under my makeup all day. 100/10 the investment!
Anti-Aging Serum
I use this Anti-Aging Serum at night so it can work its magic overnight. This Dr. Barbara Sturm PM serum helps diminish inflammation (the #1 cause of aging) while replacing your skin’s moisture. Hyaluronic acid is truly the best.
Moisturizer
This is my everyday face cream/moisturizer and I just love it. It works for all skin types, but is best for oil, combo, or normal—I tend to be on the oily side. It’s also fragrance free so it’s wonderful for sensitive skin and, like all Dr. Barbara Sturm products, it’s cruelty-free!
Lip Balm
Your lips are about to change forever in the best way. The Lip Balm by La Mer is like putting legitimate velvet on your lips. It calms, it conditions, and most importantly, helps restore the natural moisture barrier on your lips so they stay constantly hydrated.
Depuff Face Mask
This mask by Clarins has almost exactly 5 stars with 98 reviews for a reason—it’s so effective. I use it about once a week by applying a thick layer to my face and neck and leaving it on for 10 minutes. It’s triple-action with refining facial contours, brightening your complexion, and restoring your skin’s radiance. I see a difference every time I use it, and it doesn’t hurt that it smells lovely!
Acne Healing
You may have heard of pimple patches. If not, allow me to share my absolute favorite with you guys. I tried these salicylic acid acne healing dots based on someone’s recommendation, and they truly work! I apply them to my pimples overnight and truly see the difference. They’re tiny little miracle workers! I always have plenty in stock at home! They recently came out with the day dot which is great if you need to wear and public and still want to apply makeup!
Eye Masks
I love love LOVE these eye masks from Elemis. They feel so good first thing in the morning, especially when I wake up feeling extra puffy under my eyes. I almost always use them with my ice roller to have a mini spa moment before I start the day.
Face Oil
The La Mer Renewal Oil is the most luxurious. What’s so amazing about this product is that you can also use it in your scalp, on your cuticles, and other dry areas of your body. Use the La Mer Renewal Oil by gently shaking the bottle to blend the formula, and apply three to five drops over your face and neck twice a day.
Undaria Algae Body Oil
I’ve never been a big fan of body oils, but my brand director introduced me to this seaweed-infused one by OSEA, and I am obsessed. After I get out of the shower, I apply moisturizer, then body oil. When you apply, it has this warming effect that just feels so cozy. I just wait a few minutes before getting in bed. I really can tell a difference in how moisturized my skin since I started using. It’s one of those products I tell friends about and they’ve fallen in love, too.
Hair Brush
I know what you’re thinking: $90 for a hairbrush?! But hear me out. In terms of hair care, this is the best $90 you will ever spend. Not only is the Yves Durif Vented Hairbrush heat resistant, anti-static, and light in the hand, but it’s handmade from natural rubber resin and carbon fiber in Italy. It’s a detangling tool come true, and so easy to hold and maneuver. It will truly change the blow drying game for you!
Hair Dryer
My favorite beauty purchase of all time. I cannot say enough good things about the Dyson hair dryer. It cut down dry time for me by over 50%! This hair dryer engineered to protect hair from extreme heat damage, with the fastest drying+ and controlled styling to help increase smoothness by 75 percent, increase shine by up to 132 percent, and decrease frizz and flyaways by up to 61 percent.
Straightener
This is your 7th grade dream come true—a straightener that literally predicts exactly what temperature each individual section of your hair needs. If only we had this back in the day when straighteners weighed 200 pounds and had one heat setting, right?! Through its predictive technology, the ghd Platinum flat iron recognizes the thickness of your hair and the speed at which you are styling, and then magically the power accordingly. It’s incredible and, more than all that, it has an automatic “sleeper” mode so if you leave it on by accident, it switches off after 30 minutes of non-usage.
Blow Dryer Brush
HAIR DAY GAME CHANGER ALERT! This Double Shot Blow-Dryer Brush by Dry Bar is every hair day prayer answered. It’s the perfect marriage of a blow-dryer and round brush to give you that smooth, shiny blowout finish without having to go to the salon. It also works FAST. I love it!
Dry Shampoo
I have to use a powder dry-shampoo since anything else makes my hair heavy and oily. This one has been a favorite for years. It’s vegan/cruelty free and after one application, I can go 1-2 days before needing to reapply more (or wash my hair).
Shampoo & Conditioner
In terms of best clean hair products, the hype is real about prose. I can attest. It’s all I’ve been using for months now, and I feel like my hair has never looked better! It’s 100% worth taking the test and ordering yourself a custom shampoo and conditioner suited specifically for your hair. Do it and thank me later!
Curling Wand
In terms of styling your hair, the T3 wand is really the only thing you need. It lives up to the hype and then some, I can attest! For beach wave hairstyles for medium hair like mine, I rely on the T3 1” Undone Waves barrel. The base and barrel lock into each other so easily, and this wand has 5 heat settings so you can use as much or as little as necessary. I can’t achieve the cool, casual beachy hair waves the way I can with this hair tool–it’s the only way I know how to curl hair, with the T3 wand!
Heat Styling Spray
A high-quality heat stylant is a non-negotiable if you take heat to your hair. I love the Oribe Royal Blowout Heat Styling Spray. It smells great, is lightweight, and helps my hair remain soft, smooth, and undamaged after styling!
