Hey dudes! Inspired by lunamystic, here is me breaking down all my regular make up and face product usage and some other random special effects stuff that I use!

In this post, I talk about skin care, body care & lotion, primers, foundation, and powder. This thing got so big and so full of product, I decided to chop it up into 2 posts. Next post will be about eyeshadow, eye liner, lip color and liner, brushes & sponges, and some specialty products like false eyelashes and other things!

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I love make up. It's super fun for me! Much like shopping and other fashion. It's my thing! I refer to my regular make up routine as "my armor". It is a thing I do for ME. I like how it looks on me, I like playing with silly combos. Some people find it attractive on me as well, which is just a bonus. Some people thing my purple lipstick is weird. So, fuck them. :D I feel fucking AWESOME.


Skin Care

Since I stopped taking birth control after 30, my skin had a mild explosion. I had to rethink how I clean my face and what I used. This is the one place I use a LOT of product every day, and it has helped A LOT with breakouts and discoloration.

I use acne.org as my cleanser, treatment, and main moisturizer. I started having these horrible under skin breakouts, and I couldn't go on medication to fix it due to the rest of my meds routine. I used this, along with some stuff like egg white masks and even rubbing alcohol to kill a bacteria infection. It FINALLY fixed everything, and now I just get spots here and there like a normal person. It works for me! Also, I can buy it like once a year. SCORE big pump bottles!!

I keep my cleanser in the shower & wash my face in the morning. I then put on the treatment after the shower. Then, as I am drying off in my room after shower and getting ready, I put on my moisturizer. If you don't believe anything else about this post, invest in some facial moisturizer! It is the best thing for your skin, and you should moisturize before you put on make up.

Besides the Acne.org moisturizer, I will use Olay's all day moisturizer with spf. I wear this in the summer or during the worst of winter when the sun glares off the snow. It's a good moisturizer that doesn't break me out! :D


For my night routine, I use Simple micellar cleansing water for make up removal and general face cleaning. It's gentle, moisturizing, and I can use it to take off ALL my make up, even eye make up. I LOVE THIS STUFF. You can get it at Ulta, most drug stores, and drugstore.com too. It's cheap, lasts a long time, and is the ultimate lazy girl late night clean up. I don't use it during the day since the moisturizers in it are a bit too much to go under make up.

Something that I don't use all the time, and a little goes a super long way, is Clinique repairwear sculpting night wear. It is expensive! I only picked it up last summer when I got a sample. It's super moisturizing!! I don't know shit about repair or sculpting, but I like it as an intense night moisturizer since it is too much to try to put it under make up. I like it because it feels good on my face and I noticed improvement with dryness after using it. If you want to try it, I suggest getting a sample.



Body & Lotions

Soap & Glory, the righteous butter IS THE BEST. I LOVE THIS STUFF. I keep a giant pump lotion bottle at my desk at work, and I have a tiny traveler one that lives in my purse. I have to wash my hands a lot at work to keep from getting all the germs form students, and this is THE BEST for chapped hands and just general skin use. I also love it because the only scent it has is a faint soap smell. I have friends and coworkers that have sensitivity to strong scents, so this stuff is great to prevent that coworker from complaining about your floral lotion.

I am teasing you guys by linking this. I am not a huge LUSH fangirl, but I do like their bath bombs sometimes, and I really enjoy their shower gels. Specifically, I am FAAAAAAN of their Rose Jam shower gel. It is only a limited time buy during the winter holidays, but as soon as it goes on sale, I start buying that shit up. I only bought 4 bottles this season, and I hope it will last me through the year. ;_; I normally buy 6.

I LOVE THIS STUFF. I wash all over with it, even put some in my hair. It makes me happy and relaxed in the shower. I buy this because it makes me happy. Also, roses. I LOVE IIIIIIIIIT.

Do you sense a rose theme yet? Ha, don't worry, this is pretty much it. My other LUSH fav is Ro's Argan body conditioner. I use it at lotion instead of washable body conditioner. Awesome of elbows and rough patches, and it smells DIVINE. Expensive, but a little goes a long way with this thing.


And drum roll for the Very Best Thing Ever...

Aquaphor

Go buy a giant jar and use it for the next five years. I bought a jar last year and I am only halfway through it now.

I use aquaphor as my chapstick. I put it on in the morning with my face moisturizer and again before bed. I rarely use other chapstick at this point, and my lips are SO SOFT. I also regularly put this on my hands, especially my cuticles, and feet before bed. It is slick, but it is THE BEST for dry skin, especially rough winter skin. My heels from years of dance are HORRIBLE. Aquaphor has been THE BEST for solving the problem that kills so many of my socks.

EDIT: But make sure you don't have an allergy to wool's oil, or as it is listed, Lanolin before trying Aquaphor.



Primers

I don't wear facial primer in my general life, for the most part; only when I need my foundation to last through clubbing, dancing, or cosplay. I do, however, where eye primer every day.

Urban Decay Eye Primer Potion - this is THE SHIT. It will make your eyeshadow and eye liner stay and not crease. It will also help everything go on smoother. I use the original formula, which seems expensive, but it lasts FOREVER. I put a tiny dab a little smaller than a pea on my pointer finger, press my two fingers together, and then use that on each eye lid in the mornings after moisturizer. Or foundation, if I'm honest. You can do either or.

Now, if I am out cosplaying or putting on heavier make up, I prime my whole face first. I torture cosplay friends by making them wear SO MUCH make up, but the always look FUCKING FAB. I buy a lot of different kinds to keep in my make up kit but also, sometimes my face changes with the season and something works better!

Laura Mercier primer - I have bought this multiple times and it has stayed in my kit over the years. It works! It also works for LOADS of different people.

Laura Geller Spackle - this is a very duty primer. I put this one with heavy contouring make up for cosplay, mostly. It's a little heavy, but it does it job to matte your face and fill it spaces for a blank slate before you begin make up. It's too heavy for my daily use, but I know a lot of people that swear by it for their make up routine.

I've used others, and I pick up new primers and foundation regularly just to test things out. But these are the ones that I keep around!



Foundation

Like I said, I pick up new foundations regularly. I spend money on my foundation, and I expect a lot from it. Before In My Kit, a website dedicated to talking about what make up artists keep in their kits this season, closed, I would regularly surf over every few months to see what new wonder foundation had been discovered.

That is how I discovered my FAVORITE foundation ever. Cover FX is a THE BEST, at least for me! No mess, loads of coverage, and each compact normally lasts me over six months with almost every day wear. It covers up almost all blemishes and mild to moderate discoloration. Also, super easy to put on! No liquid. Rub a little on the sponge, apply directly to face. You can also use a brush, but I am normally lazy. I can do my foundation in the car, riding to work, in under 5 mins. And it looks great!!! I wear N25, but it comes in several colors. If you want to try it, I highly suggest going to a Sephora to test first. A little goes a LONG way, so make sure to blend with the sponge.

I have not had any break out issues with this foundation, but like all make up, it really depends on your skin.

Another foundation I used to use often, and still use for cosplay, is Boscia BB Cream. It has very light coverage and a spf in it. Normally, I wear this during the summer, or I put it on someone that doesn't wear make up much or doesn't need much coverage. Mostly so they don't freak out because you don't feel like you are getting make up caked on you. It is a good, solid foundation.

My only complaint is that lack of color variety. I put my money where my mouth is, and if I can't put this one both white, Asian, and black friends, then I don't buy it on the regular. I don't think I will buy a new tube when this one finally runs out. It matches my skin, but I'm pale as fuck. Whateeeevs!

A generally good foundation is Boots No. 7. I don't buy this one as often any more because the company goes through regular rebranding every year or so, and it takes me a while to figure out which product is the same as the one I've previously used. I have to let the internet be my detective. It's more silicon filled, so it gives a nice matte finish. Again, a little goes a long way with this stuff!!

When I'm doing contouring make up, which is rarely for anything but costume and cosplay, I use two different shades L'Oreal True Match over my regular foundation of FX Cover. It's an easy to find liquid make up in most drug stores and isn't that expensive. One is a shade lighter than my skin, one is darker. Then, it is a lot of brushes and sponge work!!!

Contouring can be easy, but for me, it's a bitch. It makes my face kind of uncanny valley until I put my wigs on. But, I can get it done fairly quickly and cleanly using liquid over good matte foundation. With contouring, you don't need high end make up product for your highlight and shadow, just the right shade and the will the blend, blend, BLEND.

(Yeah, not a huge trend contouring fan. Your face is wonderful as is, trust me; contouring does not have to be that intensive)


Powder

One of the biggest things I always have to talk people into when I do their make up or first teaching them about make up is YOU HAVE TO POWDER. You need to SET the make up, otherwise, it is going to get oily. You will wipe it right off. DO IT. EMBRACE POWDER.

I use two powders. They are both EXCELLENT and all you will ever need.

The first is a new discovery last year. Besame's Lavender powder is super awesome. It will lighten up your face! This is the same company that makes Peggy Carter's lipstick. They are a good, handmade company that is just hitting it big time. I highly recommend all their products, but their powder is DIVINE. It smells good and looks good!

It sadly doesn't last the longest time, however. It is a sometimes buy for me. Not because it isn't awesome; just because it is expensive.

The other is Ben Nye Translucent Powder. If you aren't sure what I get, just get neutral. Yes, it is theatre powder. It is the best stuff you can get. Get a big jar and you won't have to buy any more for YEARS. I get a big jar, then fill a little tiny container that goes in my make up bag. Then just fill a brush and swirl it onto my face. DONE. You are set. I normally powder my face in the morning, then powder my face again at lunch. That's it, no more oil or faded make up!

When I do cosplay painting, like when I use body paint or the like, I always use this stuff for the finish. Like, say, painting someone's arm silver like a variety of different comic book characters!