You know what SuthinGirl is really good at? Making the “transformation.” That’s what the women in my family call it when we go from oh-how-scary to oh-you-look-so-good. It’s not that I’m naturally so gorgeous that it doesn’t take much to get me there. Ahahah, noooo dear reader. Pretty much the opposite. When you’re dealt fair skin, blonde eyelashes and eyebrows…well, you got some work to do.
I’ve been a mom for almost fourteen years and in that time I’ve seriously honed my speed skills in this area. I would medal if it were an Olympic sport. Which it should be.
In spite of being a girlie girl in every possible sense, I am not one to enjoy languishing in front of the mirror for long periods of time or beauty routines with too many steps.
I’m the kind of girl who will find a million things to do in the hour before we need to be walking out the door. Cooking supper, turning down beds, unloading the dishwasher, finishing a post for SuthinGirl, picking up kids from after school activities, you name it. It all tends to hit at that magic hour.
I know this about myself, so I’ve managed to pare down my beauty regimen to include just a handful of to-do’s, all without sacrificing feeling pretty or enjoying the process along the way. At this point, I’ve done it so many times it’s totally stress free. It can be for you, too!
Who knows what I did with the last half hour, but seeing thirty minutes left on the clock kicks my butt into gear! I’m typically wearing what I threw on that morning to get everyone off to school and there’s a high probability that my makeup and hair has been untouched since yesterday. Time to pour a glass of wine. Pause to light a scented candle. Okay, what to wear? Decide that and pick out accessories. Drop wedding rings into a tub of Connoisseurs Jewelry Cleaner.
Thank god my hair doesn’t need to be washed every day! Cheers to that! (Sip wine.) Pin up hair away from face and hop in the shower for a quick lather, exfoliate with St. Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub, shave, whatever needs to be done. I love my bath products and want my skin to smell fragrant when I’m in close quarters on my date! Could my smile use a little brightening up? Apply Crest White Strips.
Turn on a SuthinGirl Spotify Playlist to get in the mood for some fun (sip wine). Moisturize face (I love Replenix Restorative Nighttime Bio-Therapy Cream $49.50 and Replenix Eye Repair Cream $56.25) and body. Don’t skip this step! A big part of transitioning from daytime to DATE NIGHT is that you feel indulgent and pretty! Spritz perfume onto the back of your shoulders, your forearms and back of your knees. Get dressed.
Makeup! And more wine sipping. Love shimmer? Me, too! Bobbi Brown has the best eye shadow line called Sparkle Shadows.They look darker in their cases but when you put them on it’s more like a sheer wash of color that you can build.
Accessorize! (Don’t put your jewelry on until you are done with all lotions, makeup and heated styling tools…you will goop up your real stuff and run the risk of ruining your fave costume pieces.) Remove wedding rings from jewelry cleaner–sooo sparkly!–and put those babies back on. Unpin hair and run a brush through it. Remove Crest White Strips. Apply lip gloss. (See below for my fave.) Blow out candle. Step into heels. Grab clutch.
Let’s say you got dressed earlier in the day and you just need to change clothes and freshen up. I gotcha covered!
If you’re anything like me, by the end of the day your eye makeup definitely needs a touch up! Moisten a Q-tip and squeeze out excess water, then run it under each bottom lash line to remove mascara flecks that may have accumulated during the day. Dab a tiny bit of Clarins ‘Instant Smooth’ Line Correcting Concentrate $31.45 onto the tip of one ring finger and rub both ring fingers together before smoothing the cream under each eye. This makes a HUGE difference in refreshing the skin under your eyes and will make you look well slept and younger! (Woohoooo!)
Next, do the same thing with Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener $32. Pat it gently underneath your eyes and toward the inside corners close to your nose. Oh, don’t you look good! Finally, touch up your eye makeup with a bit more eyeliner on the outer corners of your lids, a fresh dusting of shadow in the crease (I love Bobbi Brown Sparkle Shadows), a highlighter under the brow bone and a bit of mascara on the tips of lashes where it’s worn off during the day. Can’t beat Rilastil Volumizing Mascara $32. You just can’t!
For evening dates, powder your forehead, nose and chin with one shade darker than you normally wear during the day. I use Charlotte Tilbury ‘Air Brush Flawless Finish’ Skin Perfecting Micro-Powder $45. It makes a HUGE difference!
Don’t forget to reapply your blush and your lippy. Dab a little of your eye cream on your lips before you apply your lipstick to help plump your pout. Just be sure to give it time to set. I love Clarins ‘Instant Smooth’ Line Correcting Concentrate (see above) for this, too. It fills in those pesky lines. Of course, you know I love Guerlain KissKiss Liplift $37 pre-lipstick! No more little lines around the mouth and it highlights your lips to make them appear a little fuller. After your lippy, dab a touch of Estée Lauder Pure Color Gloss $24 on your pout. It’s just the right amount of sparkle and I love the consistency.
We’ll explore the wonderfully stylish world of India Hicks and her new accessories line!
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