Beauty Uniform

Easy makeup staples for a little (and also a bit more) time

I find beauty uniforms fascinating. Not to point out the obvious - but we all have a face. But it’s how we decide which features to highlight on a regular basis that is so interesting to me. It’s a micro example of the order of our priorities and how we choose to spend our precious time. What is worth it to you to emphasise and bring light to on any given day? 

It’s also so interesting to me to see how favourites and routines change over time. Whether that be due to current beauty trends (I’m so grateful I was too young to own a brow tweezer during the 90s), personal preferences for that period of life you’re in, or the impact of time and gravity on our human shells. 

For instance if you’d asked Sarah at 16 she would have said a powder blue eyeshadow from Claire’s (using the dinky little sponge wand that comes with it), black Maybelline eyeliner (on the waterline only) and Cover Girl Lash Blast mascara (the one in the orange tube) were her one true loves. If you’d gone back even further, a Lip Smackers gloss on a beaded necklace chain might have made an appearance. 

This routine, from Sarah at 31, is reflective of the present moment and who I am right now. Dewy skin, fluffy brows, bold lip, can’t lose. #namethatshow 

The below are some of my makeup staples. Much like a white tee and jeans, they’re what I throw on my face quickly and with zero thoughts with the confidence and ease in knowing they’ll look good. Sometimes it’s nice to not experiment. 

A note that a makeup routine is never complete without first a generous slathering of sunscreen as a base. You can find my favourites in this previous post below. Sunscreen should be your final step in skincare after serums and moisturisers. I like to let my sunscreen ‘dry down’ for about 20ish minutes before going in with makeup. 

Critically Curated: Sunscreens