Only 22 Years Between Makeup Updates

When I was 12, my mom told me that when I turned 13 I could start wearing makeup. I'd been bugging her about it for a while, as I'm sure you can imagine if you've ever been or known a young girl! The whole deal was that my mom would let me start wearing makeup if I had a professional makeup consultation, agreed to take good care of my skin, and agreed not to look like a clown. Done! Deal! No problem!

A few days after my 13th birthday, I went to a Clinique consultation, got set up with a skincare regimen, and some basic neutral colors to make my blue eyes pop and my skin glow. I was happy with it.

^^^ Up there is a pic of me at 21 and the second at 34. 

Twenty-two years later I decided it was time to update my makeup routine! Ok, that might be slightly overstated. Through the years, I ditched some of the higher-end products, found some cleansers and exfoliants that were much cheaper and still worked for me. For the most part I maintained a fairly neutral makeup look.

Just recently I got really fed up with my skin texture. My skin is MUCH dryer than it was when I was a younger person. Back then I was fairly combination with the occasional oiliness or breakout. Now, my skin is bone dry and tends toward flakiness (even in the summer). I figured it was time to search out some new products and routines to go along with my needs as a middle-aged adult.

In truth, I started with recommendations from YouTube beauty videos. This can be a slippery slope as a lot of channels will recommend incredibly expensive products, while others will throw in a mixture of high end and drugstore and even some comparisons to see what works best. Personally, I like to watch a YouTuber's makeup tutorials to see if their makeup style and philosophy is anything like mine (minimal most of the time with some funk thrown in when it feels right).

I've definitely found some favorite beauty YouTubers and some great new products that work much better for me now. And I've actually become quite a bit more playful with my makeup using colors I might not have tried before.

Bottom line: IT'S FUN! And shouldn't every morning start with some fun? I think so.

Watch for more beauty posts coming soon including:

• Beauty YouTube channels for grown-ass women
• Best long-wearing products (because I HATE having to touch up)
• Best hydrating products (for my fellow sassies with dry skin)
• Favorite products for sensitive skin and eyes
• High end products worth the high end price
• Favorite drugstore/discount beauty products