My Weekend Beauty Routine

For a complicated amalgam of reasons, I didn't start wearing makeup -- save for the occasional school dance, prom, and graduation -- until my sophomore year of college. (For most of high school I just didn't see the point in taking the time to put it on everyday, plus, boys didn't wear makeup, so why should I? Among other opinions and thoughts that teens have).

In college, as I slowly became more comfortable with expressing myself outwardly through fashion, I discovered liquid eyeliner and asked a roommate to show me how to pluck my eyebrows. I could say I fell down the rabbit hole, but that wasn't the case. While I'm much more comfortable with makeup now (and have even amassed a small collection of it), I still keep things light, especially on the weekends, when I like to give my skin a break. Below are a few of the products I use on the weekends, sometimes I use more, sometimes I use less. Sometimes I use none at all, because the one thing that not wearing makeup for 20 years taught me was that while it's fun, it's certainly not necessary:

Alba "Even Advanced" Moisturizer: As long as the weather is decent, in the summer I spend about 90% of my time over the weekend outdoors, which means sunscreen and lots of it. I've been using Alba's "Even Advanced" formula on my face for a couple of years, it contains SPF 15 and is supposed to even out skin tone. I can say the SPF works and it soaks in easily and doesn't leave my face feeling greasy, but ... I have so many freckles in the summer that I can't tell if it really does even out skin tone.It has seaweed in it though, so maybe that counts for something...

NYX HD Concealer: I wear concealer beneath my eyes, on either side of my nose, and on my chin to cover some old acne scars. I really like NYX cosmetics, but to be honest, I feel a little "meh" about this particular concealer. It's a little too heavy to wear alone, and to me it looks a tad chalky.

Stila for J.Crew Creme Blush in Camellia: I stocked up on this color when I worked at J.Crew a few years ago, but lucky for everyone involved it still exists in a non-j.crew form. Somewhere between a blush and a bronzer, this terra cotta hue compliments my freckles and makes me look just a little bit tanner, I also love the dewy consistency and smooth application. I apply to my cheekbones and the bridge of my nose, places where I know I tend to get color from the sun.

Mary-Lou Manizer from The Balm: I apply a little to my brow bone and eyelids. On days when I forgo creme blush, I'll dust some on my cheekbones, the bridge of my nose, and across my forehead.

NYX Eyebrow Pencil: Applied sparingly to the ends of my brows, which tend to be sparse.

Physicians Formula "Organic Wear" Mascara in black: In an attempt to make the tube last just a little longer, I give my normal mascara (Benefit "They're Real", for now) a rest on the weekends and use this instead. A few swipes on my upper and lower lashes does the trick.

EOS Sphere Lip Balm in Sweet Mint: I rarely wear lip color to begin with, but especially avoid it on the weekends. Instead, I'm a lip balm junkie. I love these fun little pastel spheres.

Recently, I've been (very slowly) transitioning my products to be cruelty free. When one product runs out, I replace it with a new brand that doesn't test on animals. Because of this, I've had some hits and misses (I'm still looking for a good CF drugstore concealer - any recs?), but a couple of CF brands that I really like are NYX and E.L.F and when I have a little money to spend, I'm a huge Urban Decay fan (I swear by their BB cream, but that's a whole 'nother post).

Looking for more recs? Check out my (almost) all natural skincare routine.