The slightly beautiful beauty regimen: What a minimal make-up wearer puts on her face

I, like most women, have a make-up bag...this little Clinique bag that my mom gave me one spring when they do their special promotion thing. She usually keeps the make-up, but I’ve gotten a lot of little nice bags :) 

It’s not very big and it doesn’t have very much in it, and out of what is in it, there’s even less that I actually use. If I put mascara on, I’m sufficiently made up. I sometimes feel like being more painted, I guess, and for those moments when that fancy strikes I keep an eyeliner or two and some shadow on hand. But that fancy doesn’t strike often. 

However, I recently hit upon a few items that I enjoy using, and two of them are absolutely invisible! Which, I suppose, disqualifies them from being in the make-up category, but I put them on my face regularly anyhow. Here’s a rundown of what I now consider my essentials:

1. Olay Complete Care Day UV Cream, SPF 15

I have been far too lenient in my sunscreen application, I’m sorry to tell you. I love a good tan and have preferred to go out bare-faced rather than lathered up with SPF, but that’s all changing. I live in one of the sunniest places on earth, I think. The winters are sunny, the summers are sunny, and there’s a good chance that fall and spring will be sunny most of the time, too. I think my face has taken enough of a beating (or burning, in this case) over the years, and a few years in ZA may, if I’m not careful, earn me a new nickname: raisin cheeks. 

The most important thing in a day cream is, of course, the SPF (just read what the pros say about it). Regardless of where you live, if you’re waring a moisturizer that doesn’t have UV protection, you should think about chucking it. 

2. Neutrogena Ageless Intensives Deep Wrinkle Moisture, Night

If one calls what they wear during the sunlit hours a “day” cream, you can infer that they probably slather on something of a different formula at night. I used to just rub my excess hand lotion all over my face to take the dry, tight edge off, but now I’m using something that may be a bit more beneficial. Before anyone laughs at me I know I’m not wrinkly, not yet anyway. And no, I’m not obsessed with staying youthful forever. But, this cream contains a retinoid which is good for keeping things from getting too saggy, and it can help with the appearance of pores, which I find more interesting. You can’t, of course, make your pores disappear, but you can try to prevent them from getting elongated. I look at this as my elasticity booster...I use it in the hopes of keeping my face and pores from sagging down to my shoulders. 

The reason you look for a retinol in your night cream is because it’s not advisable to wear a product containing retinol in the sun. The cream can, actually, dry out your face so some recommend wearing it every other night. This particular product isn’t as strong as a prescription product would be, though, so it hasn’t aggravated my face too much. If I feel like I need a break, I just wear my day cream to bed.

3. Garnier Skin Naturals BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfector

It’s been a long time since my foundation-wearing days. I had some as a teenager that I wore until...I guess 18? I got out of the habit. I didn’t have horrible acne and I wasn’t good at blending. I think the contrast between my face and neck was a little strong  sometimes, and who honestly wants to rub something that feels like mud into your face? 

I read about BB creams just last week and decided to give them a try. They’re light on your face and work like a tinted moisturizer. This one also contains SPF (and hey, I’m all about SPF!). This is a product that started in Germany, gained popularity in Asia, and has only been marketed in the USA for the past couple of years. I highly recommend this one! BB stands for blemish balm, or beauty balm, and works like a silky charm. It’s good if you don’t want a deep cover up, like a traditional foundation would be. I put it on and just feel a little more even, just slightly more polished. I seriously only wear a tiny bit, I can’t even give you a good measurement. I just put a pearl-sized amount on my index finer, dot it around strategically (focusing on my pore areas), and blend it over my face. I ask Todd to tell me if my face looks orange or if there’s an obvious difference between my neck and face, to which he has always answered “no.” 

I think some people may apply a loose powder over their BB cream, but I’ve not found it to be too glossy without. And plus, having to apply a powder would just be too involved for me ;) 

4. Cover Girl LashBlast Mascara

This is my old standby, my absolute favorite mascara for many years now. Mascara has always been my favorite make-up, and is most often the only element I take the time to apply. 

Mascara commercials are ridiculous, in case you haven’t noticed, and they all promise the most stop-stare lashes you or Minnie Mouse could ever imagine. This one, though, does not make hollow promises, not in my experience. This mascara, which I wear in blackbrown, coats, elongates, and separates to perfection. I don’t plan to ever switch, provided they don’t change their formula...I used to be a Revlon Fabulash follower, but they changed to a formula that flaked and crumbled while on my lashes. They forced my hand something like six years ago and after finding this bright orange tube, I never looked back. 

Oh, just to warn you, I don't advise going waterproof with this one; good luck getting it off if you do. 

So, there you have it; my staples. I should also add chap stick to the list (I’m lost without my chap stick). As you can see, it's not a flashy or particularly interesting regimen. Maybe I've gotten too old and too married to care ;)