My favorite simple beauty items: Get Glowing in a Hurry

I am a self-diagnosed product junky, especially when it comes to skin care. However, I’ve arrived at a place where I find that my skin looks best when I keep it simple. My skincare is simple and I can do my entire makeup routine in 5 minutes. Here are the products I swear by to help me feel fresh and put together in less time.

Skincare

Around 7 years ago, I struggled with a rash that I could NOT get rid of. I went to the dermatologist multiple times, tried prescriptions both topical and oral, yet nothing kicked it permanently. Eventually I discovered a local brand named Qet Botanicals. I met the owner and showed her my rash (turns out it was perioral dermatitis) and she suggested some of her products.

Here are my favorites (use DRMORGAN20 to save):

• Hydrating Cleansing Oil
• Spot Treatment
• Hydrating Oil

Within a week my rash was gone. I haven’t turned back. My former product-junkie self was fully converted to the simplest skin care that keeps my skin barrier strong and my complexion hydrated…aka glowy. The products are safe while pregnant or breastfeeding and the spot treatment has been a game changer for our 12 year old daughter.

I have been using these products for over 7 years now and will always include them in my skincare regimen. If you’re wondering about more clinical grade skincare, I incorporate retinol 2-3x a week but otherwise this is it.

Make Up

Despite my occasional kicks where I binge Youtube videos on make up application, I am NOT a pro. But I have learned what products work for me and help me to get out of the house feeling put together in the shortest amount of time possible. There are other products I’ll mix in from time to time, but these are my heavy hitters, the ones I keep coming back to and make applying make up as simple as possible.

1. Sunscreen

I always start here and the Colorscience Sunforgettable Total Flex is amazing. It truly can be used as your foundation. I’m not kidding. It goes on white and then blends seamlessly with your skintone. I HIGHLY recommend.

The Kosas Dreambeam sunscreen is a close second for me. I used it for a long time and it works great as a primer. It gives you a nice glow, whereas the Colorscience sunscreen is more matte.

2. Foundation

About 6 months ago, I switched to It Cosmetics CC cream and it’s going to be hard to go back for me. I wear the shade Medium Tan and use very little on my face, but it offers great coverage without making you look like you’ve got a ton of make up on. I personally like to see my skin and this does the trick.

3. Contouring and Blush

If I had to contour with any other products, it just wouldn’t happen. I’ve been using these Ogee sticks (the Crystal contour collection) for years now and I love them. I’ve used the foundation before too, and it’s GREAT. If you’re wondering how I contour, I use the copper color do v’s pointing toward my nose high on my cheekbones, along my jaw starting at the tops of jowls (ugh), two lines down the sides of my nose, and then dots along my forehead. Not saying this is it, but just for those of you who love details. I blend and DONE.

I finish with the blush color along the tops of my cheekbones and that’s it. I do NOT recommend the brush by this brand. Here’s the brand I use for the blush and bronzer and my eyeshadow brushes.

4. Eyes

I do NOT have a specific eyeshadow set I recommend, but I do love all things Ilia. I use their mascara and have used their eyeshadow. The products are clean and beautiful to apply. Here are my favorites for eyes

• Ilia Eyeshadow
• Ilia Mascara
• Tarte Double Take Eye Liner: I LOVE this. It has a liquid liner and gel liner all in one tool. I use brown.

5. Lips

I’d love some recommendations here but I pretty much keep it simple. Glosses and occasional lipstick. Here are my favorites.

• Ilia Lipstick in Lullaby
• Summer Friday’s Lip Oil in Mauve

Tools

I’m a sucker for tools that promise to tighten, lift, exfoliate, cleanse, smooth, clear, anti-age so, I’ve tried quite a few here. Most of them just live in a bottom bathroom cabinet and never see the light of day. But there are three that are worth the investment and regular use.

1. The Boost LED mask

I know you’ve probably seen about every influencer talk about these, but they do work. When I use mine regularly it makes a huge difference in my skin tone and overall quality of my skin. There are tons of brands, but this is the one I use.

2. At home microneedling

I have gone to the dermatologist to do microneedling treatments; however the glowy aftereffect didn’t last long and I hated having to factor in the downtime. It just isn’t doable with my schedule.

So, I bought a microneedling pen to use at home and I am hooked. It doesn’t go as deep as the doctor’s office; however I can do it more frequently at home and it requires zero down time. I use vitamin c oil when I do it and then finish with a Hyaluronic acid.

Here’s the one I use and I bought a numbing cream but haven’t had to use it yet.

3. Dermaflash

Ok, so I used to just use these tiny Tinkle razors to remove the peach fuzz on my face. But then I went for a facial (which rarely happens by the way) and the woman essentially laughed at me because I missed entire sections of my face. She pulled out her Dermaflash and took care of my lady beard haha.

I ended up buying one myself because it definitely does a better job at removing the peach fuzz and also offering a deeper exfoliation.

Phew! I hope these links help you. I feel like I’m constantly trying to source the best products that actually do the job. And these are my steadfast heavy hitters.

If you’d like to see a full list of products I’ll rotate into my regimen, you can visit any of the storefronts below and find a curated list of make up and skincare.

*This post contains affiliate links but all the products are products I use and love