FAQ: Caitlin’s Makeup Routine

Today, I’m so excited to be sharing the answer to one of the things I get asked about the most: the switch I made to safer products! It’s no secret that I love all things fashion & beauty, so this was such a fun post to put together. I also loved sharing this post about my skincare routine- come take a peek! I hope both posts serve as a helpful resource for you. Let’s jump in!

THE PRODUCTS YOU USE MATTER.

As many of you know, we are expecting our first little one in April! We could not be more excited or thankful!! We struggled for around two and a half years to get pregnant, and the journey was not easy. There are a LOT of things we believe led to me finally getting pregnant with baby Grayson Henry, and I’ve become so passionate about sharing what we learned on our journey in order to help so many other families who are struggling to start or grow their families! 🙂

One of the things we personally chose to do when we were TTC was to take a hard look at all the personal and household products we used! After looking up all my makeup, skincare, cosmetics, cleaning products, and other household products on the EWG website, I was stunned by what I read. I realized our products had negative impacts like cancer, reproductive harm, organ system toxicity, hormone disruption {which ended up being the #1 reason it took us so long to get pregnant!}, and more. I knew we needed to make a change!

MAKING THE SWITCH

I’m more than happy to share another time about all the products I ultimately chose for our family to use after SO much time and research, but today I want to answer one of our most commonly asked questions- what did I switch to for makeup, and do I still use all those products now that I’m pregnant?

The answer to those questions is Beautycounter and heck yes! One of the biggest benefits of changing all your products while TTC is the fact that once you become pregnant, you most likely will not have to switch much in order to use safe products during your pregnancy. It’s been so convenient!

I found Beautycounter back in 2019, was blown away by the safety of their ingredients, products & packaging, and one weekend, I went for it: I placed a bulk order for #allthethings, and I’ve never looked back! I threw away everything horrible I’d been using, and the best part is that I actually like this makeup way better than the toxic drugstore products I was using before!

BEFORE DIVING IN…

I am someone who loves to spend 15 minutes doing my makeup every single morning- it helps me feel put together and productive. I generally apply my makeup the same way every day- whether I’m home in the office, having a shoot or meeting, shooting a wedding, or spending time with people I love. For fun things like date nights, our own photoshoots, or holidays, I just apply things with a heavier hand or a bolder color, such as my lipstick and eyeshadow- but that’s really all I ever change! 🙂 What can I say- I’m a creature of habit!

The last thing I want to share before diving in is how CRAZY long Beautycounter’s products last! I replaced 100% of my makeup back in May of 2019, and as of December of 2020, I STILL have some of the same products I originally purchased, and they hardly look used. Although the initial cost of a high quality product is higher, it is beyond worth it for how long it lasts!

Let’s dive in! I’m sharing the products I use, in the order I use them. 🙂 First up is my foundation and concealer, which I apply after letting my 5 minute morning skincare routine soak in and using a jade roller on my face!

MY GO-TO PRODUCTS

BRUSHES: What you apply your makeup with matters! You cannot go wrong with Beautycounter’s incredible brushes. They are such high quality, and they apply everything so well! Their foundation brush especially is a tried and true favorite.

FOUNDATION: Dew Skin Tinted Moisturizer in Light or Fair & Skin Twin Featherlight Foundation in Fair 150 or Light 210 {I use the darker of the two shades in the summer!}

I start by applying Dew Skin tinted moisturizer because it has SPF, which is so important! Then I apply Skin Twin, and for me, this combo is the perfect amount of coverage. I love how buildable Skin Twin is, how well it blends into your natural skin tone, and how its hyaluronic acid improves your skin’s health with every application.

Skin Twin feels lightweight and doesn’t clog my pores, but somehow looks like full coverage foundation. Yet, so many people tell me that it doesn’t even look like I have any foundation on, which is my goal! Before Beautycounter, I always reached for a full-coverage foundation, but news flash- when you start taking good care of your skin, you don’t need that stuff anymore! Take it from a former addict to full-coverage foundation: Skin Twin is now the BEST foundation I’ve ever tried. Trust me!

I’ve always had the best success applying foundation with a damp makeup sponge! This is also what I use to apply my concealer.

For help finding the right shade for you, click here or email me at hello@caitlinandluke.com, and I’ll help you! If the shade you purchase isn’t right for your skin, we can return it for free- but I’ve never had someone use this tool and need to return it 🙂

CONCEALER: Skin Twin Creamy Concealer in Fair 1 or Fair 2

Skin Twin Concealer is to die for! I love that it is so buildable depending on how much coverage you’d like. I also always reach for lighter concealer shade because I like how that brightens my under-eye area.

I let this sit while I do my brows, then go back in and blend- it helps the coverage look better and last longer! Sometimes I’ll also add a second layer if I’m looking extra sleepy 😉

For help finding the right shade for you, click here or email me at hello@caitlinandluke.com, and I’ll help you! If the shade you purchase isn’t right for your skin, we can return it for free- but I’ve never had someone use this tool and need to return it 🙂

EYEBROWS: Velvet Eyeshadow Palette – Classic in Sable or Suede & Brilliant Brow Gel in Invisible

I fill my brows in with a little brush and brown eyeshadow, then use clear brow gel on top! {I always say clear brow gel is photographer must-have with how much we press our cameras against our faces!} I also love our brow pencil in Medium. It looks so natural!

POWDER: Mattifying Powder

This is my all time FAVORITE powder- and I’ve tried everything from drugstore to designer! It isn’t cakey or tinted, two of my biggest pet peeves with powders {especially since I’m fair-skinned!}. It helps my makeup stay put and keeps my face from looking oily! I apply this all over my face with a big fluffy brush, then I go in with a smaller brush and set my under-eyes and the sides of my nose.

EYESHADOW: Velvet Eyeshadow Palette – Classic or Velvet Eyeshadow Palette – Romantic

I rotate between these two palettes! For fall and winter, I gravitate towards the warmer shades in our Classic Palette, and for spring and summer I find myself reaching for the cooler shades in our Romantic Palette- but both can be used all year long! The pigment is amazing, it’s very blendable and buildable, and the colors are so natural. They’re the best I’ve ever used!

For everyday, I typically use the Classic Palette! I apply Ivory on my entire lid as a base and neutralizer. Then, I combine a few shades {TIP: the colors immediately next to or on top of/beneath each other are meant to be mixed!} and go all over my lid, while using a heavier hand on my outer crease. My favorites are Cinnamon, Copper, Sahara & Burnished! Lastly, I highlight my brow bone and inner eye corner with Ivory to open up my eye! I have tried millions of ways to apply eye shadow and hate how anything but this looks on my eyes! 😉

EYELINER: Velvet Eyeshadow Palette – Romantic

For everyday, liquid eyeliner is too much for my face! So, for “eyeliner” I use Moto from our Romantic palette and apply it with a thin brush. However, if you love liquid liner, Beautycounter’s liquid liner is the best I’ve tried- it’s what I use for extra special occasions and for lining my inner/upper waterline every day!

MASCARA: Volumizing Mascara

The game changing step before applying mascara is curling my lashes! I only started doing this within the last year or so, and it truly makes such a difference. I always use Beautycounter’s volumizing mascara… it’s my all time favorite, and a tube will last me forever!

BRONZER: Radiant All Over Bronzer in Dune

As a very fair skinned person, finding the right bronzer for me has been hard- everything seems to be too orange or too dark! Our bronzer is incredible, and I hardly use any each day to get the look I want. I apply it beneath my cheekbones, along the sides & bridge of my nose, along my hairline, and lightly around my jawline!

BLUSH: Satin Powder Blush in Nectar & Guava

A makeup trick I swear by is mixing two blushes to get the perfect shade! Being so fair-skinned, I’ve struggled to find blush that looks natural, but I love Guava and Nectar! I mix them with a brush on my cheekbones for the perfect glow. Bonus tip: apply a bit to the tip of your nose to warm up your face! While I use our powder blushes, our cream blushes are gorgeous and so easy to apply!

HIGHLIGHTER: Luminous Powder Highlighter in Halo or Illuminating Cream Highlighter in Pearl Glow

I finish with my favorite step- highlighter! I tend to go a little overboard with highlighter, but I just love the glow! I use our powder highlighter most, but I also love our cream one too. I apply this above my cheekbones, down the middle of my nose, beneath my eyebrows, above my eyebrows , on my chin, and right above my top lip! Highlighter makes SUCH a difference- I could not go without it.

LIPS: Color Intense Lipstick in Backstage {going out & about}, Color Intense Lipstick in 9 to 5 {special occasions}, Sheer Genius Conditioning Lipstick in Twig {lighter everyday}, Sheer Genius Conditioning Lipstick in Rosewood {darker everyday}, Sheer Genius Conditioning Lipstick in Pearl {weekends or evenings- no color!}, Beyond Gloss in Rosewood {everyday}, Beyond Gloss in Clove {everyday or going out & about in the fall/winter}, Beyond Gloss in Peony {everyday or going out and about in the spring/summer}, Beyond Gloss in Brûlée {everyday/weekends}

Can you tell I love my lipsticks?! I’ll be honest: 99% of the time, I’m wearing Sheer Lipstick in Twig or Beyond Gloss in Rosewood. They’re so easy and go with anything!

For photoshoots or fancier occasions, I always reach for our Color Intense Lipstick. It’s just a more intense version of my everyday lip! I also LOVE our glosses- they also smell amazing, are very moisturizing and aren’t sticky. I’ve tried tons of our lip products, but I keep coming back to these as my tried and true favorites!

If you’re looking for the best and most economical way to get started with safer makeup, here are my top recommendations:

1. Start with what is closest to your skin! That’s your foundation. Making that switch first will really start you on your way to safer products! Your skin absorbs WHATEVER you put on it, so make sure it’s something safe!
2. Grab our Flawless in 5 set! This lets you pick your preferred shades of everyday products for a discounted price. It’s how I started switching my makeup!
3. Click here for 10% off your first order here!

I hope this post serves as a helpful resource and answers the questions I get asked often! Please, please, please consider making the switch to safer for your own health, friends- it’s so worth it! And as always, if I can help you with anything, don’t hesitate to reach out! 🙂

Top: Shop Impressions | Jewelry: Kendra Scott and Alex & Ani | Photo Credit: Jessica Lauren | This post contains affiliate links, and all opinions + purchases are 100% my own!

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