my daily routine

I've recently made a pretty big change to my outward appearance. (If you're new here, I just dyed my hair a color other than red for the first time since high school. Kind of a big deal?) I'm a creature of habit. I've been wearing the same eyeshadow colors since college. I would have never thought to wear orange but I'm a huge Philadelphia Flyers fan and what began as a playoff tradition just stuck! I deviate every once in a while but always come right back to it. Lately, my daily routine's been a pleasant and refreshing mix of old and new. Take a look!

It's definitely really hard for me to post a makeupless picture here... on the internet... for everybody to see. But hey, if somebody's gonna pick on a freshly awake me, why should I care? An ongoing struggle occurs every day for me to feel comfortable in my own skin. This is a pretty good place to start, right? Anywho, back to the routine. Glasses come off (most mornings) and contacts go in. I then use a powder puff to apply a sheer powder foundation (in a very pale cover) on my face.

Eyebrows! I used to style my eyebrows pretty thin. Since growing out my bangs though, I realized that thin eyebrows aren't really working for me so I've been penciling them in a bit. (NO SHAME!) At least until they grow back to where I want them. After fixing my 'brows a bit, I brush a mineral powder foundation all over, even on my eyebrows. Makes 'em look a little more natural. The color is slightly darker than the powder used before but still pretty pale! (I may have grown up in Jersey but that doesn't mean that I gotta rock a fake tan year round!)

Next is the eye makeup. You can learn more about my method here. (It's an old tutorial but it's probably more effective than attempting to use words!)

It's now time for blush: I only use the tiniest bit because my cheeks get pretty red by themselves. I guess it's part of the pale skin curse?

I'm a compulsive lip-balm'ist. I always have about five of these Mentha lip balms in my bag. They're amazing. I think I use one like... maybe 6 or 7 times an hour? They smell and taste so good. Definitely invest in a few! I also love lipstick. Pink is my go-to because it is simply the best color ever. It never fails.