Morning Routine #1

Things have been pretty hectic over on my side of the woods recently – work has been super busy, I’ve been applying for new jobs like nobody’s business and of course working tirelessly to keep this place updated – so the last thing I want in the mornings is a long-winded, complicated routine; I’ve been keeping things ultra simple with the help of some drugstore gems on both the skincare and makeup front. Say hello to my Morning Routine team.

I never feel fully awake in the mornings until I’ve given my face a good old wash, so the first thing I do when I crawl out of bed is head to the bathroom, don one of my American Apparel terry-towelling headbands and use the Simple Kind to Skin Moisturising facewash to gently wash away impurities/the remains of last night’s moisturiser. With its light, calming scent this is really refreshing to use in the mornings and my skin always feels lovely and soft afterwards. I then follow up with the Garnier Fresh Essentials scrub – I know chemical exfoliators are the big thing right now but I still like to use a traditional scrub in the morning. This one is a bit of a strange consistency (almost like a paste) but I find when I mix it with a little warm water and massage it over my skin (scrubbing a little harder around my nose and chin) it feels really nice and results in a clean, glowing complexion. Coupled with the matching (alcohol-free) toner – which carries the same fresh apple-and-grape scent - this is a match made in early-morning heaven. 

Next I move things into the living room (explanation here) and get to work putting some moisture back into my sleepy face. The first thing I do is feed my thirsty lips with their daily dose of original Carmex straight from the pot – I fell in love with this lipbalm at 13 and a decade later that love is still going strong; I don’t think I’ll ever grow out of that addictive vanilla and menthol scent. I then use my ring finger to smooth on a small amount of the Simple Kind to Eyes Soothing eye balm, before applying my current day cream of choice, the Superdrug Vitamin E Radiance Moisture cream, which hydrates as well as giving skin a luminous, light-diffusing glow.

As for makeup, things have reached new heights (or should that be lows?) of minimalism   – a quick application of the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer (buffed in as per with the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush) to hide any blemishes/redness, followed by my go-to eye-makeup routine of Maybelline Colour Tattoo/Barry M Kohl/Revlon Grow Luscious and the usual brow-grooming sesh with my fave Topshop brow pencil & Anastasia brow gel, finished off with a light dusting of the Rimmel Stay Matte pressed powder in Warm Beige to ensure my (not so hard) work doesn’t slide off completely on my cycle into work. A quick all-over spritz of Body Shop Coconut body mist and I’m good to go!

Which products do you use to speed up getting out of the door in the mornings?

Chandra
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