A Five-Step Clean Beauty Routine To Simplify Your Life

A Five-Step Clean Beauty Routine To Simplify Your Life

Many of us have looked to change up our skincare lately. Whether it’s due to stress, maskne, lack of sleep, or lack of vitamin D, if your skin has changed—you aren’t alone. There is no need to labor away with a strenuous skincare routine, and there is certainly no need to spend time on things like applying layers makeup to look and feel amazing (unless you want to). We’ve selected some of our clean beauty favorites below.

Simplicity is key. A balanced morning should be about meditation, a matcha, movement, or setting yourself up for success, in whatever way you choose. Think of simplifying your routine as a means of empowering yourself. Here is a five-step skincare and makeup routine that will keep you looking gorgeous (and help get rid of that annoying maskne):

Cleansing Waters

First things first. Cleanse your face every single morning. Use a gentle, pure cleanser that is free of unnecessary additives, synthetic chemicals, and coloring. We love the cleansers by Bioderma and Andalou Naturals—both are great for all skin types, get the job done, and will not irritate your skin. Double cleanse with their Sensibio H20—swipe a few pumps onto your skin using a cotton ball or round, and your pores will thank you.

If your skin has special needs, tend to them. Sensitive, dry skin may require a cream cleanser such as Goop Luminous Melting Cleanser, and if you have oily skin, you may need to use something a bit more intense, such as the Essential Cleansing Oil by Kari Gran. It will help to balance your skin’s natural oils.

Set the Soft Tone

Next? Tone, moisturize and apply eye cream. For toner, we love the Probiotic Orange Blossom & Frankincense toner by Wabi Sabi Botanicals. It is soothing, refreshing, and boasts a soft, floral scent that will leave you feeling cleansed and beautiful. We are major fans of the moisturizers by Drunk Elephant, Tata Harper, and CocoKind. For eye cream, we love the formulas by annmarie—you won’t feel as though you have a layer of film under your eyes.

If your skin is dry, sensitive, or you are worried about aging, invest in a great face oil. We like Vintner’s Daughter, True Botanicals, and evan healy. If you live somewhere sunny and spend a lot of time outside, you should also apply an SPF. Find a gentle formula that won’t clog your pores, like one from Supergoop.

All Eyes on Me

When doing a minimal makeup look, it is essential to give the eyes attention. Bright, well-rested, exaggerated eyes will change and elevate your entire look. We are major fans of a subtle, smokey brown eye—it is a classic look that will take you from morning through evening, emphasize the natural beauty of your eyes, and keep you looking put together—but not too made up.

We love Honest Beauty Lash Primer. It will enhance your natural eyelashes while also making them look a bit more polished. For this look, apply a darker brown shade of eyeshadow into your eyelid creases, and use your finger or an eyeshadow brush to apply gold, light browns, and taupe shadows onto the lid and mid-eye area of each eye. Brush some Expressionist Brow Gel by W3ll People onto your eyebrows, using an upwards motion. Next, line your eyes subtly with a soft brown pencil, accentuating your natural lash line, and swipe on a few streaks of mascara. Voila! You will have brighter, beautiful, enhanced eyes in a few minutes, flat.

Glow Forth!

Once your eyes are ready for all eyes to be on you (and them), it’s time to pay some attention to your skin. If you don’t mind the feeling of makeup covering your face, apply a light-tinted moisturizer. We recommend Ilia Beauty‘s, which also has a bit of SPF. After that—or instead of, if you do mind the feeling of wearing makeup (which we understand), apply some bronzer to your cheekbones using a clean bronzer, powder, or blush brush. Put a bit on your forehead and nose, as well—apply it anywhere where the sun hits your face, so that you’ll have a naturally sun-kissed glow, without risking damaging your skin in the sun.

We love the bronzers by Kosas and Pai. Both are made of clean, natural ingredients, won’t clog your pores, and will provide you with a subtle, warm glow. You’ll look rested, more vital, sun-blessed, and bright. Who doesn’t want that endless summer glow, sans the hassle and dangers of spending hours in the sun? We’re all for looking as though we’ve just returned from a sun-soaked vacation, year-round, sans the jet lag.

Pucker Up

Finally, pay some attention to the lips. Our mouths are portals of communication, nourishment, hydration, and breath—all of which are essential components of our well-being. For an instantly polished, elevated look, apply a lip balm or lip gloss that moisturizes the lips. For lip repair, you can’t go wrong with a smearing of Egyptian Magic. It’ll intensely and effectively aid dry, chapped, and wind-burned lips, and can also be used as an eye cream, on dry cuticles, and so forth.

Stash a colorless lip balm by your bed, a tinted gloss like Kjaer Weis in your bag, and one at your desk, and re-apply throughout the day. Kiss chapped dry lips goodbye. So there you have it, beautiful—in less than ten minutes, and in just five simple steps, you can take your look to an elevated level of natural gorgeousness, using products that won’t damage your skin and lips. Of course, beauty starts from the inside out. If your skin is feeling like it needs a major reset, we recommend trying a 21-Day Cleanse to make it sparkle!

Written by Alexandra Malmed

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