BY JULIE JORGENSEN
Okay everyone, it’s that time of year. Time for the epic pilgrimages to Target, the establishing of activity calendars and the ubiquitous “first day of school” pictures on the front porch. Just because life is about to get back to a more structured routine as summer comes to a close, doesn’t mean that your beauty routine has to suffer!
When the mornings are all about brass tacks, breakfast prep and who’s brushed their respective teeth, it’s best to have a no-nonsense skincare routine that doesn’t involve eleven million steps. I like a simple regimen consisting of a serum or a face oil, a moisturizer, tinted sunscreen and eye cream. I don’t even wash my face in the morning, I just splash with water when I’m in the shower. I’ve started keeping a jade face roller in my refrigerator for a cooling, de-puffing boost with my morning coffee.
The evenings may allow for an extra step or two, but even then, it’s wise to choose products that work without needing excessive amounts of other products to maximize efficacy. Cleanser/makeup remover or a product that can do both without stripping your skin, anti-aging serum, eye cream and night cream should cover your bases. I frequently stay in hotels, and on those nights, I’ll apply a shielding baby balm to keep my dry, sensitive skin from reacting to the bleach used in hotel linens. If you tend to wear more than minimal makeup, a cleansing oil works wonders for taking off everything without being harsh. Countertime Lipid Defense Cleansing Oil from the geniuses at Beautycounter is my current fave.
Should the notion of washing your face at night make you want to take a ride around on your proverbial “huffy” bike, makeup-removing wipes are for you. Look for a brand that doesn’t contain any alcohol or artificial fragrance. And please, at least put on some night cream after that. Sheet masks and under-eye patches have fab hydration-boosting ingredients and work like a charm in two shakes of a lamb’s tail and they feel AMAZING!
The same pared-down approach when it comes to your morning makeup sitch can work wonders for your sanity (hey, you may even be able to hit the snooze button). The afore-mentioned tinted moisturizer with sunscreen, concealer, eyebrow gel or pencil and mascara can have you looking presentable in a matter of minutes. I dot my lipstick onto my cheeks and blend so I can skip applying powder blush with a brush. Matte, dry lipstick can take time to apply precisely and often need a complimentary lip liner to avoid bleeding around the lip line. As a wise woman once said, “ain’t nobody got time for that” when you’re a busy mom trying to get the kids to school. Swipe on a sheer, buttery lipstick or shimmery gloss and go. I like to keep a little cosmetic bag in my car with duplicates of my beauty essentials in case I need to touch up during the day - or, let’s be honest, apply brow gel at a stoplight. One product that is always in my car is a refreshing rosewater face mist. Another favorite is a simple Evian face atomizer — which is just a fancy word for “mist” — that I can usually find in local drugstores.
All of this running around certainly necessitates a trip to the spa or some “you” time. Schedule and prioritize time for yourself the same way you would your kids’ schedules, date night with the spouse and so forth. Make a date with yourself and keep it, even if it’s ten minutes on the front porch to read a magazine or take a walk around the block. Because before we know it, it’ll be Christmas! Cheers!
