Updated 2019 Natural Makeup and Skincare Routine

An updated natural make up and natural skin care routine resource

I’ve been using natural make up and natural skin care for a several years. But don’t let this tidy list fool you…. my transition from conventional products to natural products took time, research, talking to those in the natural make up retail space as well as and trial and error. It’s a process I wouldn’t call easy or seamless but in the long run it’s worth the investment. Don’t give up.

In April 2018 I listed my go-to natural skin care and make up items . Over the past year I’ve learned a bit more. I realized certain brands I was using for certain jobs just weren’t the right fit for my dry-ish skin. I found new products that worked better and new brands that were just right.

WHY NATURAL MAKEUP?

Your body absorbs what you put on your skin. It seemed silly to me to be someone who cares about what they put IN their body with food, but didn't take that same care to what I was putting ON my body. While a lot of sources quote 60-70% absorption of product, I've seen conflicting numbers so I won't state a definite here. So let's go into this knowing some of the product ingredients are going into your body. And the ingredients...they're not good. The US is decades behind cosmetics ingredient regulation. There are over 1000 ingredients banned in the UK while in the US...it's only about 30 ingredients on the banned list. I also see natural makeup and skin care products as an INVESTMENT in anti-aging. I’d rather put my money here for prevention than be considering more intense options at age 60.

SKIN TYPE NOTE

These makeup items are based on what has worked for me. I'm mostly normal to dry skin type but in winter I am dry for sure...so there are lots of cream based vs powder products here. If you're 'greasy', this is probably not a good selection for you.

I also want to acknowledge some of the smaller brands don't necessarily have an inclusive shade range. Many of these products I’ve selected are also on the lower coverage side of the spectrum. I, thankfully, have 'good skin'. I don't have a lot of pigmentation or textural issues, so the selections in the face section below are not full coverage. I will also say that compared to conventional products which now boast 24 hour wears (why???), natural products are definitely not as long lasting for wear period. So go into this knowing you cannot wear this make up from 7 AM to 9 PM and have it look flawless without touchup. Expectations people. 

You may recognize a few items from my 2018 list. For the ones that changed it was because I had a great consultation with the Follain makeup specialist and we tried several options for what actually worked. Mostly that relates to foundation-type makeup. I highly recommend going to a Follain store (not sponsored) or going online and using their chat function. At the very least, do their skin quiz and get a starting point.

SKINCARE:

Face Wash:

Acure Brightening Cleansing Gel: I’ve tried lots of different face washes and they’ve all been ‘fine’. So is this one. I picked it up at Whole Foods when I ran out of my previous face wash and it is just that…fine. It does the job, I don’t think it necessarily is ‘brightening’ but more so, it provides product that after two washes or after exfoliating will get the job done.

Treatments:

Sunday Riley Good Genes: Contains licorice and lemongrass as well as prickly pear extract to reduce the appearance of surface redness, dark spots and promotes an even skin tone. To be honest I’m not certain if this is 100% natural since I buy it on Sephora, but it’s very helpful for clearing skin congestion thanks to its lactic acid ingredient. Start slowly. It’s powerful. I’ve used this for multiple years now and think this is one of the keystone products to my routine.

Hannes Dottir Mineral Spray: This product is supposed to help other topical products absorb more, and for me, it helps refresh my makeup to blend in new product as needed. It’s a hydrating toner and the kelp used in the product is harvested by row boat to avoid emissions. Here’s the thing though…this product has been a game changer for my dry skin and make up application. I never would have purchased this if the Follain make up artist who was doing a consult with me hadn’t tried it on me first. It’s not the kind of product I typically see as ‘necessary’, but I’m on my second bottle and it has absolutely changed things for applying make up to my dry skin.

Tammy Fender Capillary Strengthening Oil: If you buy one thing I list in this post, make it this. If you suffer from skin redness (mild rosacea, broken capillaries etc), you will love this product. I have some facial redness on my cheeks and this has helped decrease it significantly. I use this as my night time moisturizing step.

sun protection

Josh Rosebrook Nutrient Day Cream, SPF 30: SPF, redness reduction and a great base for make up. This is my daytime moisturizer base.

Mask

Farmaesthetics Herbal Hydration Complex: Hydrating, redness reducing- it’s the mask you need after wearing makeup or traveling for a few days in a row. It’s so good even Chris can tell right after I use it.

Make Up:

Face Make up

Under-foundation glow/highlighter: RMS Living Luminizer: A hydrating highlighter that’s noticeable but not insane looking. I am 100% always wearing this when people comment or DM me about my skin on Instagram.

Foundation and concealer: RMS uncoverup : I use this as my concealer and foundation. With that said, I do not use this all over my face. I only use under my eyes, to spot conceal and that’s it. I use the color 22 in summer.

Setting Powder:  RMS unpowder: In the heat of summer I will use this to set certain areas of my skin. I’ve also used this as an eye shadow base and it works well.

Bronzer: W3ll People: BIO bronzer chubby stick: Also works well as eyelid color in a pinch!

Eye Make Up

Day to Day Mascara: W3ll People Expressionist: I'm so thrilled with this as a day to day mascara. It separates and evenly coats lashes. There's nothing clumpy about this. If you have lots of lashes you’ll love this for a day look.

Intense Mascara: Jane Iredale Longest Lash Mascara + Pure Lash Extender Conditioner: If you are just now switching to natural make up THIS is the mascara for you. It's intense and can easily stack up against high impact mascaras at the drugstore. BUT, you need to buy both the lash extender conditioner AND mascara in my experience. 

Eyeliner: Alima Pure Natural Definition Eye Pencil:  Since I have green eyes, I LOVE the shade merlot. Yes, it's purple. No, it doesn't really look like it on. It just accentuates the green. I have found this is a bit slippy and for more staying power sometimes needs a powder to lock it into place. 

Eyeliner #2: Kjaer Weis Eye Pencil in Black: In my experience, this stays put better than the Alima pencil, so if you’re looking for a great black pencil, this is it. My one gripe about this pencil is how heavy the metal cap is.

Brow Gel: Jane Iredale Purebrow: This colored brow gel is easy to sweep on and use a clean spooly to brush through. I use the color 'blonde' as a medium brunette. 

Eyeshadow: I’m not big into eyeshadow to be honest. Often, I’ll just use a swipe of a powder bronzer or cream bronzer, but if I’m doing the whole shebang, I default to my Naked Basics from 5 years ago. Sorry!