My Clean Makeup Routine (+ a natural way to clean your makeup brushes!)

If you’ve known me for a while, you know that once upon a time I owned a full-time hair and makeup styling business providing beauty services to women in all stages of life, all over the southeast USA. That experience is something I’ll be proud of and fond of forever!

Me doin my thing!

One of the best parts of the job was being able to try many different brands of makeup. Not long into my career, I started going on a personal journey of switching to more clean, natural, and non-toxic personal products, especially the stuff I put on my face every day.

We had been trying to conceive for a while and I felt that I owed my body a chance to detox from the many, many products I used daily, each with a laundry list of wacko ingredients, many of which are banned in other countries due to their links to health issues.

But my experience with natural makeup up until that point was, well, that it didn’t work so well.

That was about 8 years ago, and I’m happy to report that natural, non-toxic beauty has greatly improved in its quality and performance, and also in its popularity as more than just for crunchy, Whole Foods type people :)

I’m also happy to say that I’ve tried MANY clean makeup brands, and have developed an under-5-minute daily makeup routine using only clean, non-toxic products.

As you can tell, I don’t go for perfection in my makeup routine - I just want to feel fresh, awake, and put together without taking too much time. I want the minimal products I use to do their job well! It is empowering to know that what I’m putting on my face won’t possibly contribute to any health issues for myself or my baby, who touches my face every day.

(P.S. Please excuse my less-than-profesh pictures - I promise the quality of my images will improve with time, but these will do just fine in the meantime!)

Start with a clean face

I’ll be sharing my clean, non-toxic skincare routine in another post, but I am a strong believer that good makeup starts with good skin prep! I wash my face, spritz with a toner, and pat on some beauty oil to start.

Apply foundation with hands

You’ll always want to make sure your hands are clean for this part (which should be fine if you just washed your face), but I find that fingers are the best makeup applicators out there! It warms the product and presses it into the skin beautifully. I start at the middle of my face where there is the most discoloration and blend outward and down onto the neck.

I really love the Elate Cosmetics Refresh Fresh Tint Foundation, and I’ve been using it for about a year. It’s not too heavy of a formula and it has a beautiful medium/light coverage that has a natural-looking sheen to it. I use it in color RN2.

Apply concealer

I use concealer as a more finessing spot treatment for any remaining discoloration. That’s usually under my eyes, along both sides of my nostrils, and a little on my chin and between my eyebrows. If I have any blemishes (as seen in the before pic, lol!) I use my concealer there, too.

My all-time favorite clean concealer is Hynt Beauty Duet Perfecting Concealer, and I use it in DC02 Light. It’s creamy, has beautiful coverage, and isn’t cakey. I apply with my ring finger (that’s because the ring finger typically has the lightest “touch” which is important for protecting the delicate skin under your eyes.)

Apply cream blush

Cream blush is my favorite because it looks the most like a natural flush. I apply it straight to my face, and blend using a diffusing makeup brush (something like this would work great!) I take whatever is left over and sweep it over my eyelids as a kind of easy eyeshadow for the day. My favorite is Beautycounter Color Pinch Cream Blusher in Hibiscus. It’s so bright and happy!

Fill in brows

Even for the most relaxed of makeup days, I fill in my brows! I have very sparce brows, and because they are dark, I find that a cream works a bit better than a pencil or powder. Be sure to brush your brows first, inward towards your nose, then outward, to reveal the most natural shape. I use a very fine angled brush (like this one) to mimic brow hairs. I’ve been enjoying Hynt Beauty Cream-to-Powder Eyebrow Definer in Taupe.

Mascara

I think non-toxic mascara is the hardest to pin down. In my experience, it tends to run more easily, sting if it does run, and just plain not work as well. Right now I’m using Ere Perez Avacado Waterproof Mascara in black and I’m happy to report it does not sting or run, but it also doesn’t add a crazy amount of va-va-voom to the lashes. I apply a few coats to help out there!

Lips

There are so many wonderful options for clean, natural lip color, be it balm, tint, stain, gloss, or lipstick. Praise! I keep going back to Jane Iredale Just Kissed Lip & Cheek Stain in Forever Peach. It feels balmy on the lips but stays for a super long time!

So there it is! In 5 minutes I’m ready to go out for groceries, hang with a friend, or feel a little more like a human, without compromising my health with harmful ingredients. win win win!

Before

After

Have you ever tried clean, natural, non-toxic makeup? What products do you like? Any that didn’t work? Let me know!

Here’s to finding better products for us that do a great job without too much effort!
Sam

P.S. Here’s a natural, non-toxic way to clean your makeup brushes!

As you can see, my brushes need a good clean, so I wanted to share a very quick, clean/non-toxic way to clean your makeup brushes at home. All you need is a natural liquid soap such as Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile soap (I love it in lavender), white distilled vinegar, a bowl, and a small textured silicone cleaning pad. These can be easily found at Walmart or Target, or ordered on Amazon - they’re super inexpensive and literally the BEST way to clean your makeup brushes!

In the bowl, add 1 tsp of vinegar to warm/hot water from the tap. Vinegar is a natural disinfectant and the small amount ensures it won’t leave an odor. Swish around your brush, rinse under running water and add 1-2 drops of the castile soap straight onto the bristles of the brush. On the silicone pad, swish around the brush in circles until it begins to lather. Rinse well under running water, and lay flat on a towel or paper towels to dry.