TAG | AM & PM Routine
I was tagged by the lovely Celina of The Celution to do the AM & PM Routine Tag (which she also happened to create)! I was also tagged by Daisy of Wear Daisy Went - this tag is definitely making its way around the blogisphere which makes me so excited!
I've been quite a busy bee and haven't had time to sit down and jot this one down. Also the photographs I wanted to take required a second set of hands, but both the boyfriend and I have been quite busy so that unfortunately didn't happen. But I wanted to get this tag out there cause I'm sure a few of you would love to know what I'm up to day in and out.
AM
1. What is your morning beauty routine?
My morning routine may surprise some, but it's pretty simple. I don't use any cleansers in the morning and only wash my face with water. I will go in with some sort of toner with a cotton circle, my favorite is the Pixi Glow Tonic (which I just picked up a new bottle of). I go in and moisturize and add sunscreen, my go-to choices right now are the Origins GinZing Moisturizer and the Shiseido Sunscreen.
I shower at night so in the morning, depending on how much time I have, I'll straighten or curl my hair. I can rarely just walk out of the house since I have naturally wavy hair (thanks dad) and my hair is Qa wild mane in the morning.
2. What's for breakfast?
Well I'm terrible and I'm going to say I don't eat breakfast. Now I absolutely LOVE breakfast food, but it is rarely eaten by me for breakfast, especially on a weekday. Sometimes at work I'll feel pretty hungry and I'll make a pack of instant oatmeal with brown sugar. I usually pick up a box from Trader Joe's and keep it in my drawer at work. My new job is pretty great (and dangerous) as they have different breakfast items most days: pastries, bagels, donuts, etc. Basically everything that should be an occasional treat-yourself is just there tempting me everyday. (My office is not a safe place to eat. Ex: Today someone made and brought banana bread.)
Weekends are a completely different story and I am a bruncher. I love brunch and all the food options. I'll usually go for the savory route and opt for some Eggs Benedict with a side of bacon or hash. And I'll either go for orange juice or tomato juice / or their alcoholic counterparts - mimosa and Bloody Mary. And I'll usually stop by and get a cup of coffee elsewhere throughout the day.
3. Coffee or tea?
I am my father's daughter and I inhale coffee like it's water. I actually enjoy the taste of coffee, I'll add some cream and sugar and I'm good to go. Caffeine actually doesn't do much for me energy wise and I can drink a giant cup of coffee at 10PM and still fall asleep by 12AM. My brother is the same way so it must be a genetic thing. Butttt sometimes it gets to the point that if I don't have coffee, a fat headache will come in around 1PM. Coffee is a drug (I learned this in college, thanks college education) so sometimes I do try to knock it out of my daily routine and go for a cup of tea. My favorite type of tea is green tea - in particular Japanese Genmai Tea which is brown rice green tea that is typically served at Japanese restaurants.
Top 5 favorite things to do ever is sit in a coffee shop and just work away on my laptop. I love the smell of coffee brewing and I love smelling like a coffee shop when I leave. Tbh, if I could do this every single morning I would. There are way too many coffee shops out there that need to be explored.
4. How long does it take to get out the door?
It usually takes me about 20-30 minutes to get out the door from the moment I wake up. It really depends on how late I wake up as I need to be out the door by 7:15AM everyday. I am surrounded by schools. Elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools. Yes. Plural. Of EACH type of school. So if I'm not out of my house I'll get stuck in ridiculous traffic. So it's a pretty good motivator for making my morning routine fly by fast.
5. What is your go-to makeup look on a fuss-free morning?
My makeup usually takes 10 minutes or less as I'm pretty fuss-free about my makeup in general. Since I usually moisturize my face before I do my hair, my face is pretty much good to go right away. I throw on some foundation, my current ones in rotation are the NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint and Charlotte Tilbury Wonder Glow foundations which give a pretty natural glow on their own. I'll add on some eye primer and let that dry while I apply blush and highlight. I'll use varying brow products depending on how much time I have that day. I alternate between the Hourglass Brow Sculptor, Anastasia Brow Pomade, and Anastasia Brow Duo. My go-to eyeliner look is a dark brown or black pencil liner with a liquid eyeliner cat-eye flick at the end, always with the Kat Von D Tattoo liner. I curl my eyelashes, throw on some waterproof mascara, and I'm ready to go. I carry, on average, about 5 lip products in my purse at a time so I usually have options and will do that in the car before I head into my office.
I'm really all for glowy skin right now, and you can see the products I use to achieve that in my post HERE.
PM
6. Snack time! What's in the bowl?
I actually am not a big snacker in general. I usually head to dinner right after work and get home fairly late after that so there's no in-between time to snack. But I will admit that I snack on the occasional chips and cookies at work since they're just there. But if I'm making a snack for myself it would probably be chips and guac. My boyfriend came across the Chipotle guac recipe and that's pretty much been our thing to make and bring to every gathering we go to.
7. What is your evening beauty routine?
I usually remove my eye makeup with a bi-facil makeup remover before I jump in the shower. I shower at night so all of my products are usually ready for me in my medicine cabinet or in my shower. I've been alternating between two cleansers to help take off all the face makeup, the Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel and the Glossier Milky Jelly. I also rub these around my eye areas to make sure that any remaining eye makeup has been removed.
After washing my hair I'll usually go in with the First Aid Beauty Facial Cleanser just to get rid of any extra product that may be left on my face, including conditioner. When I get out of the shower I go through with a makeup remover soaked Q-Tip over my lash line to really make sure no extra eyeliner is left lingering between my lashes. I'm real thorough with my eye makeup if you can't tell. I'll use my Pixi Glow Tonic toner again and will pat on my Sunday Riley Luna Oil, a moisturizer of some sort, and the Kiehl's Avocado Creamy Eye Treatment.
On the nights I treat myself to a mask, I'll usually multi-mask. Using different masks to target different areas on my face, whether they be dry patches, oily patches, or brightening. Some of my favorite masks are currently from Aesop, Boscia, and Oskia.
8. How do you wind down and prep for bed?
I've recently started doing some stretching and yoga at night before I shower. I sit at a computer all day and then sit in traffic on my way home. Especially during my busy work season, I found that my neck, shoulder, and lower back really needed a good stretch. I usually shower after this so that in itself definitely gets me relaxed. It's terrible but I'll usually watch TV in bed and scroll through Instagram or Bloglovin' on my phone for an entire episode. I usually have no problemo falling asleep as I'll be out within a matter of minutes.
9. Cozy up! What are you wearing to sleep?
I've never been one to actually buy pajama sets, but I did buy a few Aerie boxers when I was a teen and they've lasted me until now (10 years later). I got tons of shirts growing up, whether they were from school events, camps, and marathons. I usually wear one of my old shirts and an Aerie boxer to sleep during the warmer seasons, and will opt for an old long-sleeve shirt and sweats or leggings during the colder seasons. For loungewear on around the house on weekends I'll usually opt for leggings and a loose tee since I don't mind stepping out of the house to run errands in those.
10. What are some things you must do before hitting the hay?
I definitely set at least two alarms for the next day and make sure my phone is charged. I usually check the weather for the next day so I can get an idea of an outfit or two that I'd like to wear so I don't need to worry about it much the next day. I like to pack my purse for the next day and make sure that I have everything I'll need. I'll put on some lip balm if I feel that I need it, the Nuxe Reve de Miel is a favorite. I'll also apply Essie Apricot Oil to my nails if I have the time to do so. My boyfriend works out with his friends and usually calls me on his drive home which coincidentally lines up about 15 minutes or so before I sleep. (I sleep early cause I'm a grandma.) That's definitely a nighttime routine the two of us have, and he'll usually be the last person I usually talk to before I turn off the lights.
I would love to see all of you doing this tag, and I'm sure Celina would too!
In particular, I tag:
Hao of HaoDoYouNgo
Tenneil of Like Neon Love
& Divya of The Conscience Fund
Let me know if you end up doing the tag and leave your link below!