As many are getting ready for back to school, I’m still very much living in the summer and enjoying all things hot weather – lighter/less makeup, focusing on good skincare, less layers, less fuss and more fun. BUT! With September on the horizon and many beauty routines getting adjusted with the change in seasons, I wanted to share some of my favorite skincare and makeup lately since I’ve been LOVING them! I’ve got a few in makeup, a few in skincare and a couple in between. Let’s get to it.
I’ve been undergoing infertility treatments the last few months, so my skin has been going completely insane with hormonal breakouts.
Currently, I am 36 years old with oily yet dehydrated skin. I’m managing hormonal breakouts, keeping congestion at bay and keeping fine lines and wrinkles away. Hope that gives you a reference point for if these products will work for you, as well.
This Calm Oil is my current moisturizer I use day and night. Because of all the hormonal breakouts I was experiencing, my aesthetician really wanted me to pare down my skincare routine to SUPER simple ingredients. Nothing active. Nothing fancy. Just ingredients that will help reduce inflammation and congestion in the skin.
I am NOT one to like facial oils. You probably cannot find one facial oil on this blog I ever recommended. It’s just not something that ever worked for me because my skin is so acne prone and prone to congestion. However, this blend of Squalane and Abyssinian oils work incredibly well to soothe my skin and help heal my acne.
It took me a few months to get my skin to calm down and reduce inflammation after cutting nearly EVERYTHING out of my routine after taking hormones, but once I felt it was in a safe spot, I was ready to reincorporate a skin brightening serum.
I’ve been an avid user of vitamin c for acne scar fading/hyperpigmentation, but right now, I’m using this skinceuticals blend to do that work.
There are a few other ingredients on the market that target discoloration besides vitamin C…and this serum contains a lot of them! It’s a blend of 3% tranexamic acid, 1% kojic acid, 5% niacinamide, and 5% HEPES to brighten the skin in as little as two weeks. Now, that’s a bold claim. I would say I started seeing a difference after week eight.
*Note, this serum will not do much in terms of anti aging like vitamin C can… so just decide if it’s right for you or if sticking with vitamin c is better.
I have raved about this Vichy eye cream/serum on my Instagram for weeks! At 36, concealing my dark circles is essential yet can make me look MORE tired and older than I am if I use the wrong combination of concealer and powder
Just one pump of this hyaluronic acid + caffeine blend instantly makes my makeup apply better and look flawless. I can 100% tell a huge difference when I forget to apply it before concealer. Ugh, not good.
Whenever you feel like your makeup looks bad… it’s often that you’re not using the right skincare for your skin at that time.
More to come on this guy but I have not put this medium coverage mineral SPF50 from Colorescience down for weeks! It’s the ONLY mineral SPF that actually has coverage in a formula that doesn’t congest my skin! This is solid medium coverage in a natural finish… it’s amazing and I’m obsessed.
I have to mix Medium and Tan, but the ease of slapping this on my face in the morning and getting an even complexion is worth it!
Oh boy this is an expensive powder… but! This Chantecaille powder is the best combination of clean + high performing + works well on dry and oily skin pressed powders I’ve found.
I like my powder to set all over my face and I want it to have a hint of coverage. I also don’t want it to be too mattifying and exacerbate dry spots or texture. This does it all. Highly underrated item. I wear shade Maple.
Another underrated item… this Sheer Genius lipstick in Pearl is like a chapstick with a subtle iridescence. I use it almost every single day along with a lip pencil to define. So easy. Such a yummy organic Madagascar vanilla scent. So hydrating and that hint of shimmer makes the lips look healthy!
NEW mascara launch that I just started using a month ago, but I cannot wait to continue to use the Think Big mascara through the fall because of the tripeptide lash technology! This All In One mascara delivers volume, length and intense black pigment – all while being EWG verified (the gold standard in clean beauty).
But! The best part is in clinical studies, users reported stronger and fuller lashes after four weeks of use! I love a good fuller lash.
That wraps up my favorite skincare and makeup lately! Comment below or shoot me a DM on Instagram with some products you can’t put down lately.
-Steffanie
