When busy moms finally get a babysitter lined up and a date with hubby all planned, it feels so good to take a few minutes to do a little something special for yourself. For me, that usually means, putting on makeup, which I rarely wear anymore. I previously shared my basic morning skin care routine. Now I’d like to show you some of the products that I treat myself to for date nights!
I’ve been on a mission to find good, healthy, chemical free replacements for many things around the house, including my makeup. I generally suggest you do your break up with chemicals in stages, so you’re more likely to stick with it. Most of the items, except for one, are chemical free. Many of them are also vegan and cruelty free. And you know what, getting into green beauty products does not mean having to compromise on fun colours, great quality or long lasting wear. In fact, my green beauty makeup performs & wears better than most of my previous choices.
First I start with a nice fresh face. I use my homemade toner to cleanse & refresh and a face serum from Sweet Living Co. to moisturize. Then I take care of the dark circles under my eyes {and any blemishes} with Elate Cosmetics Creme Revealer. And oh my, I am head-over-heels in love with their Fresh Tint Foundation!!! It was recommended to me by a friend who’s makeup bag is almost exclusively Elate Cosmetics. This is the first foundation I have ever used that was actually moisturizing {Alberta girls can relate to how important that is in our dry climate}! So creamy and goes on light. I will never go back after using this foundation. Oh, and if you like supporting local, Elate is made in Canada. Just sayin’.
Next up, I put on a little mineral eye shadow and blush, both from Cheeky Cosmetics {natural, vegan, cruelty free and made in Canada}. I used to wear all sorts of eye shadow colours when I was younger, but these days I’m mainly interested in brightening my eyes. I apply an almost white, glimmering mineral eye shadow in the inner corners and just under my brows. A light dusting of blush on the cheeks and I feel all glowing!
Let’s talk about mascara. I gave up mascara, along with all eye makeup, a few years ago because I kept breaking out in awful itchy rashes on my eyelids & around my eyes. When I had an office job {circa 2008-2011}, there was nothing I enjoyed more than putting on eyeliner & mascara each day. So to suddenly not be able to wear any was a huge disappointment. I threw out all my eye makeup, bought new ones, just in case. Didn’t help. Changed brands. Didn’t help. So I wrote it off… until I decided to give this one from Elate a try last year. It claims to be gentle for the most sensitive eyes. And you know what? IT IS! I haven’t had any issues. It goes on easy, makes my lashes pretty & long and just feels nice. If you’ve had any problems with sensitive skin around the eyes, this might be the mascara for you to try.
Pucker up, baby! It’s time to talk lips. If there’s just ONE thing you put on for yourself to get ready for a date night, then let it be lipstick. Since I was ordering foundation and such from Elate, I decided to give their lipstick a try. The hardest part was deciding on colours. I went with one subtle and one bright & bold {far right & middle in above pic}. My only regret, not ordering more! Again, very creamy & moisturizing, and the colours are very long lasting! I will definitely be picking up some other colours in the near future.
For our anniversary in November, I really needed a dramatic, classic red lipstick for my outfit. I didn’t have time to order from Elate, so I popped into Sephora and picked up one from Urban Decay {far left}. I believe it’s cruelty free, but certainly not toxin free. I do however, really like it. It makes me feel quite stunning, and it has incredible staying power {see, break up with chemicals in stages}.
Pro tip: apply a bit of the Elate concealer onto your lips as a base and the colours of any above mentioned lipsticks will be super bold!
Have fun embracing your beauty!
