My Ultimate Skincare and Makeup Favorites

Let’s talk about tried-and-true, come-back-to-again-and-again products that unequivocably bear the Whoorl Stamp o’ Approval, shall we? You simply can’t go wrong with these picks and I’m willing to fight ya over it.

My Ultimate Skincare and Makeup Favorites

Let’s get started with skincare. (Asterisks next to the ones I haven’t written about before!)

 

 

My Ultimate Skincare and Makeup Favorites

Top Skincare Picks

One Love Organics Easy Does It Face Cleanser

I’ll say it until I’m blue in the face – this cleanser has been my favorite for years. Gentle, smells great, and takes ALL my eye makeup off with ease. (And by “off with ease,” I mean with just my fingers. Trust me, I know there are lots of you out there tugging and rubbing your eyes with washcloths…ladies, THERE IS ANOTHER WAY. Come over to my side, it’s happy here.

*Osea Cleansing Milk

This cleanser is so good for super sensitive skin. When I had dermatitis flare-ups earlier this year, this fragrance-free cleansing milk was so soothing and lovely.

MUN Toner

The OG, baby! Nothing fussy…the Anarose Toner is a beautiful blend of rose flower extract, aloe leaf juice, and other goodness that performs exceptionally in preparing your skin for serums and such.

African Botanics Nutritive Molecule Serum

My daily Vitamin C serum with so many benefits. The Nutritive Molecule Serum also works well with sensitized skin because I was able to resume using it once I introduced serums again after my pared-down perioral dermatitis routine.

African Botanics Cell Resurrection Recovery Serum

My gold trophy, shining star…this retinol serum is the reason my skin looks pretty dang good for a lady turning 46 in less than two weeks. As you will see from this list, African Botanics products are my favorite and you can read my full review of the line here.

*Marie Veronique Soothing B3 Serum

I fell hard for this serum in 2020 when I was in desperate need of something to help reduce my redness and inflammation. Oh, this product did its job and then some! Leaves a lovely glow as well.

Maya Chia The Supercritical Chia Oil

After transitioning back to an oil moisturizer this year, I re-introduced this long-time love of mine and it did everything I knew it would. You can read my full review here.

Le Prunier Plum Oil

Another favorite I wrote about in the above-mentioned review! I will never get over how good this oil makes my face look with just ONE INGREDIENT. And I want to smell it all day long.

African Botanics Fleurs D’Afrique Oil

I use the Fleurs D’Afrique Oil in combination with the Cell Recovery Serum for my 1-2 retinol punch. It’s a gorgeous earthy blend of powerhouse ingredients that are insanely active in the best way.

*MARA Algae + Moringa Universal Face Oil

I tried this oil for the first time this year and fell in love. It’s packed with algae, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and essential fatty acids formulated to help nourish tired, dry skin (*waving hands*) and it’s definitely in my top 5 facial oils.

*GOOPGENES All-in-One Nourishing Face Cream

This cream has far-and-away become my favorite night cream. Obsessed. Full stop.

*One Love Organics Eye Bright Serum

Dayum! This cooling serum wakes my eyes up! And I love that it is fragrance-free because my eye area can be super reactive to scented eye creams and serums.

African Botanics Le Masque Hydralift

If you are looking for the quickest way to plump and revive your skin, put this amazingness on your face. I don’t rinse it off like typical masks – I just mix it with a facial oil and let it be. My skin always looks amazing when I use this!

African Botanics Mineral Cleansing Mask

Designed to deliver much-needed oxygen, nutrients, and minerals rich in iron, zinc, copper, and magnesium, the Mineral Cleansing Mask helps nourish and clear skin congestion.

Herbivore Blue Tansy Mask

Looking to do some clarifying? This cooling gel mask gently exfoliates, smooths, and rejuvenates skin with a blend of fruit enzymes, willow bark, and blue tansy oil. It’s such a gorgeous color, to boot.

Bonus: EleVen Unrivaled Sun Serum SPF 35

Ladies, this SPF serum is exactly what you need if you’re looking for something very lightweight to wear underneath your makeup. It’s so lovely and leaves no cast on the face at all – just a velvety finish. And it’s fragrance-free!

Moving onto makeup!

Top Makeup Picks

*Exa Beauty High Fidelity Foundation

Ohhhhh, this foundation is good. Satin-matte finish, medium coverage, a bit of glow, doesn’t sit in pores or gather in fine lines. So affordable too. I am loving this one! (I wear Dana 430.)

Rituel de Fille Concealer

The Rituel de Fille concealer has such a lovely satin matte finish on the face. It’s super silky and blendable and doesn’t sit in my pores or look heavy at all. I love it as a spot treatment, undereye concealer, and a foundation. I wear the shade Metis in the warmer months when I have some color. And Ceres works for my paler months. I highly recommend it!

Kosas Creamy Concealer

The Kosas Concealer is my go-to when I want a more light-reflecting concealer. Full review here.

Westman Atelier Super Loaded Tinted Highlight

Just buy this in Peau de Peche or Rosé and thank me later. Full review and photos here.

Rituel de Fille Rare Light Luminizer

This highlighter in Phosphene is a color I’ve never seen replicated and looks downright ethereal on the cheekbones.

Westman Atelier Lit Up Highlight Stick

This highlighter makes you look like a straight-up dewy goddess. I love it and you can see it in action here.

Kosas Color + Light Pressed Blush in Contrachroma

I love several of the Kosas Pressed Blushes but there’s something about Contrachroma that immediately warms up my face and makes me look put-together in a snap.

Westman Atelier Baby Cheeks

My favorite cream blush, no question! I love Petal and Chouchette. Thinking of buying Dou Dou today.

Westman Atelier Blender Brush

This brush is a must-have for blending blush and/or highlighters. It’s the perfect match for the Super Loaded Tinted Highlight.

Lily Lolo Bronzer in Honolulu

Best neutral-to-cool-toned bronzer. I’ve worn it for years!

*PYT Beauty Day-to-Night Cool Eyeshadow Palette

This palette is new to me in 2020 and it’s just incredible. The range of shadows is beautiful and every single one of them is wearable! Also love the all-over lid shades.

Ilia Limitless Lash Mascara

Nothing compares to this mascara. Nothing.

*Westman Atelier Lip Suede

I definitely prefer applying lipstick out of the bullet, but the colors in this lip palette are too good to pass up. I honestly love all 4 colors and am complimented on them constantly.

Kosas Lipsticks

Great, wearable colors for all skintones. Full review here.

*Tower 28 ShineOn Lip Jelly

I was sent this lip gloss in the color Fire (which I never in a million years would have picked for myself), but it is so beautiful. Don’t be afraid of the orange hue in the tube. It’s gorgeous.

Top Hair Picks

I’ve talked about all of these ad nauseum, but if you are looking for great styling products, I love all of these.

EVOLVh Healthy Hair Trio

Reverie Milk

Innersense Whipped Creme Texturizer

Captain Blankenship Mermaid Hair Oil

EVOLVh WonderBalm Magic for Curls

So who’s ready to shop?! As always, if you have any questions, hit me up in the comments!

The Best Cleansers in Clean Beauty

one love organics cleanser

How is it even possible that I’ve never written a post specifically highlighting my favorite facial cleansers? I thought for sure I had, but nope, after doing a deep dive into the dusty corners of this here blog, not a facial cleansing round-up was found.

Well, let’s change that, shall we? Here are my 4 favorite facial cleansers in clean beauty!

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My Black Friday Faves 2019

Hello and happy Thanksgiving week! We are headed to Santa Fe, New Mexico with friends for the holiday, but I wanted to share some great sales and promotions going on this week. I’m changing things up a bit this year – whereas last year I posted alllllll of the green beauty sales, this year I want to make things a bit more personal and focus on my favorite sales. This means I’ll be going a bit beyond green beauty this year to include my favorite style and wellness deals as well.

Some promotions have already begun and some not quite yet, but I will include dates for you, as well as my top picks from each shop!

MODERN CITIZEN

Modern Citizen Review

Modern Citizen has been a new find for me this year and I seriously feel like the designers had me in mind when creating this line. Being a lover of solid colors, quality fabrics, and clean lines, I lust over just about every item in this high-quality (yet reasonably-priced!) collection.

Women are the foundation of Modern Citizen, both in the brand and community behind the scenes. The team is comprised of many diverse backgrounds, with unique experiences and ambitions, which I love love love. Plus, as a small business, the team is very cognizant of creating less waste and operating with a conscious mindset. Their philosophy is to strive for constant progress when it comes to responsibility towards people and the planet. #praisebe

Here are some of my current favorites:

Devi Tie-Front Knit Sweater

Gretchen Oversized Turtleneck Sweater

Tilda Pleated Maxi Skirt

Remy Tie-Front Billow Sleeve Dress

Seville Leather Tote

Isabel Cotton Silk Puff Sleeve Blouse

I love the quality and look of these pieces!

Right now, if you click through this link, you will receive 15% off your first order of 100+ plus an exclusive gift with purchase. I’m confident you will be as thrilled with this brand as I am!

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Green Beauty Favorites From Integrity Botanicals

Integrity Botanicals is one of my favorite clean beauty retailers for many reasons. The brands carried there are robust and expertly-curated, the customer service is top-notch, free shipping over $50, and the sample offerings are the best! (With each and every purchase you make, you get to choose three samples to try out. Yes, choose…it’s not some rando situation in which you receive a bunch of crap samples that you would never use.)

I’ve assembled all my favorite products from Integrity Botanicals ranging from $12 to $90 to fit varied budgets. I want to clarify that each and every one of the products mentioned below is, in fact, one that I use often. They all get the Whoorl Stamp o’ Approval for certain.

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My Evening Skincare Routine

Hello! Welcome to today’s installation of what a 44-year-old woman does to her face at night. I mean, really, I’m in slight disbelief that I’m writing posts with “mature skin” in mind. Where did the time go? It seems just yesterday I was 25 years old at some random party, suddenly hitting my introversion tipping point and disappearing without a trace. (One of my spiritual gifts is disappearing from social gatherings like an incognito burrito without telling a soul. It’s a true talent, I’m telling you. Well, a rude talent, if you ask any of my friends.)

Wait…what was I saying? Ohhhhh yeah. Evening skincare routine. Let’s do this thing. Oh, discount codes for many of these products will be listed at the end of the post. #fistbump

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