My clean skin care and makeup routine for anti-aging—because what you put on your body is as important to your health as what you put in your body.
Here's why it's so important to make the switch to clean skin care and makeup – the laws governing cosmetics and personal care products in the US are so limited that known carcinogens and other toxic chemicals are legally allowed in beauty products. And we can absorb these chemicals through our skin.
I've spent the last couple of years swapping out all of my toxic beauty products for clean versions. And it's taken a lot of trial and error to find safer products that actually work (the coconut oil and honey moisturizer smelled nice but did nothing for my skin).
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Here are the clean skincare and makeup products I'm currently using and loving. I'll keep this page updated as I try new products and add them to my routine.
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Skin care routine
These are the skin care products that I use listed in the order that I use them. I'm starting with my night routine because that's really where I pamper and treat my skin. I keep my morning routine pretty minimal so I can get ready for the day quickly.
For reference, my skin is on the dry side and I'm over 40 so this is my face skin care routine for dry skin and anti-aging—including all the skin care steps I do (and which ones I skip).
Nighttime skincare routine
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- Cleanser – I use this cleansing oil to take off my makeup and cleanse without drying or the cleansing balm for gentle cleansing
- Toner – love, love, love this hydrating essence (like a toner, but with more benefits)! It's clinically proven to improve the skin's barrier function.
- Treatment – I alternate between these treatments at night:
- Countertime Tripeptide Radiance Serum – this serum uses a natural, plant-based alternative to retinol to visibly increase skin firmness and elasticity while reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
- Beautycounter overnight resurfacing peel – this is probably my favorite Beautycounter skincare product and it's good for all skin types! It's recommended to use 3-4 times per week so I use it every other night to minimize pores, fine lines, and dark spots
- Moisturizer – the Countertime Supreme Cream is key to maintaining my skin hydration and elasticity. It locks in moisture and helps with firmness, fine lines, wrinkles, and more even skin tone. I also use this Beautycounter renewal eye cream at night.
- Charcoal Mask – I use this weekly to keep my pores clear
- Beautycounter face oil – no. 1 brightening facial oil
Morning skincare routine
- Cleanser – I skip the cleanser in the morning and just rinse with water, or use the cleansing oil if I've worked out
- Toner – hydrating essence balances and preps the skin for the serum
- Treatment – I've recently started layering these two serums in the morning and my skin has never looked better!
- Tripeptide Radiance Serum – this serum is amazing for improving firmness and reducing the appearance of fine lines
- Vitamin C Serum – the All Bright C Serum blends two forms of vitamin C to brighten skin and help reduce the appearance of existing dark spots, plus antioxidant-rich turmeric and camu camu extracts to help protect against new ones
- Moisturizer – antioxidant day cream for anti-aging (I also like this lightweight adaptive moisture lotion under makeup)
- Sun Protection – I NEVER skip the SPF. I use the Beautycounter Dew Skin daily (see below).
Makeup
I keep my day-to-day makeup routine pretty simple, but here's what's in my makeup bag for everything from an easy flawless in five minutes daytime look to a dressy night out.
- Dew Skin tinted moisturizer with SPF – shade No. 2 or No.3 depending on how tan I am (I'll also mix them together to get the perfect shade if my skin is in between)
- Skin Twin Featherweight Foundation – I wear shade Medium 350 in the new Beautycounter foundation. It has buildable light to medium coverage with hyaluronic acid for skincare benefits. (Find your shade here.)
- Concealer Pen – shade Medium 1, this is the best consistency I have found for under eye
- Velvet Eyeshadow Palette in Classic – I love the nudes and neutrals for every day and there are options for shimmer and smoky eye makeup looks as well.
- Brow Pencil – shade Medium, for filling in
- Brow Gel – shade Dark
- Eyeliner Pencil – shade Black
- Volumizing Mascara – love the big fluffy brush in this Beautycounter mascara
- Radiant All Over Bronzer – shade Dune
- Satin Powder Blush – in Date or Nectar (similar to NARS Orgasm)
- Sheer Lipstick – this is a super moisturizing wash of sheer color. I keep Twig in my purse and use it as a lip balm. I'm also loving the Rosewood shade from this limited edition set.
- Lip Gloss – I have Bare Shimmer, Dahlia, and Rosewood – all are great wearable go-with-anything colors. The bare shimmer is pretty alone or layered over another color. Dahlia is a nice pop of color on its own, especially for spring/summer. Rosewood is the perfect shade for fall and winter.
- Color Intense Lipstick – this is my favorite lipstick formula and I've been wearing it every day since I got it! It's super moisturizing and the color stays on like a lip stain. I love Backstage for an everyday nude shade, and I love 9 to 5 for a darker shade. Most days I use Backstage in the morning and then use the Twig lip sheer for touch-ups during the day, although for fall I'm using Rosewood from this limited edition set.
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Bath & Body
For bath and body I use just a few products:
- Body wash – this Citrus Mimosa body wash is also great for shaving!
- Body bar – this drugstore moisturizing bar is rated 1 by EWG
- Moisturizer – Citrus Mimosa hydrating lotion or this body lotion that moisturizes for 24 hours
- Hand lotion – I love this Beautycounter hand cream. It absorbs quickly and it's not greasy!
- Beautycounter sunscreen – this sunscreen lotion has the best consistency of any mineral sunscreen I've tried. It goes on like a lotion, is easy to rub in and don't lease a white cast to your skin!
- Deodorant – this is the best natural deodorant I've found that truly works! It comes in 7 scents – I use the charcoal version.
Hair Care
I was so excited to find this shampoo and conditioner. I tried so many non-toxic products that were killing my hair. It was dried out and not nearly as soft as when I was using the conventional salon products. This shampoo and conditioner works on my fine color-treated hair. It leaves my hair soft, smooth, shiny, and healthy – and not flat!
- Color safe shampoo that does not dry out my hair
- Conditioner that adds shine, smooths, and reduces frizz (even my stylist commented on how shiny my hair is now!)
- Anit-frizz curl styler or this volumizing lotion for blow drying
- Argon oil – I use a tiny bit of this just on the ends for extra moisture
So many of the clean beauty products I'm currently loving are from Beautycounter. I also love their commitment to transparency and testing—and the fact that they have a “never list” of over 1,800 questionable and harmful ingredients that they will never use in their products.
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