We are all guilty of losing ourselves in life’s craziness and as a result we neglect the time and effort it takes to stick to a healthy and personal beauty routine. I’ve learned throughout my twenties that beauty, to me, is more than just knowing how to shape one’s eyebrows or become a master at contouring. Beauty to me, is the effort one puts into a daily, weekly and monthly routine to achieve inner and outer confidence (looking as good as you feel).

In this post I’ll be breaking down my Top 5 daily, weekly and monthly beauty routines, my favorite products and additional words of advice! I hope to bring more beauty and wellness blog posts to West Coast Aesthetic this year. I’d also love to hear more about your go-to beauty products and routines!

Daily Routine + Product Highlights

1. Remove makeup before bed.

Even when I’m feeling tired and lazy, I make sure to remove all of my makeup before going to bed. I have extremely sensitive skin that gets irritated very easily if I sleep with makeup on overnight, so to make sure I get all the makeup off of my face from the day. I swear by Kirkland Signature Brand baby wipes from Costco – it sounds silly to use as face wipes, but I’m telling you, it’s the best if you have sensitive skin and are allergic to facial wipes that consist of fragrance. These facial wipes are hypoallergenic, chlorine free and consist of aloe and vitamin-e, leaving your skin feeling soft and clean.

2. Use a daily face moisturizer.

To avoid dry skin and give my face some nourishment for the day, once I hop out of the shower the first thing I put on my face is Nurtura Replenshing Cream from Avon. This cream is amazing at combating dry skin and feels light when applied. This product is hypoallergenic and leaves your skin feeling so smooth. I even apply it to my neck, collarbones and any other areas of skin that feel dry.

3. Wear sunscreen, even if you live in Seattle!

I would have scoffed at this years ago, simply because sunscreen was rarely a thought that crossed my mind. My mom always warned me about sun damage, especially on vacations where I’d lay out for hours soaked in tanning lotion. It wasn’t until two years ago when I started noticing some new moles; skin spots and a few little face wrinkles that made me cringe at what I had been doing to my skin! I now apply sunscreen DAILY no matter where I am. I stick to a lotion with built in SPF to apply to my body and face. I like to use Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion with SPF 15 as it gives me nice coverage but doesn’t feel too heavy when applied. Remember - sun damage is irreversible, people!

4. Apply anti-breakage products and heat protectant spray.

Before applying heat protectant I use my trusty Redken Extreme Length Sealer right when I get out of the shower, applying a generous amount from root to tip. It helps seal the ends of my hair to reduce the risk of split ends. I then apply a misting of heat protectant spray from my roots to ends (my favorite is Protect Spray from Seven Hair Care due to it’s smell and effectiveness in protecting my hair) before blow-drying my hair. Because my hair is super fine/thin, I’ll also apply another misting of it on my ends before curling or straightening my hair.

5. Balm it up.

There’s nothing worse than dry and cracked lips especially in the winter. I am renowned for always having multiple tubes or balms of chapstick on me wherever I go. I’d have to say it’s my favorite beauty product.

My recommendations? Herbivore Lip Butter, Glossier Balm Dot Com in Coconut and Sephora It’s Skin Macaron-Shaped Lip Balms.

Weekly Routine + Product Highlights

1. Deep condition with a hair mask.

I now understand why all my beauty magazines praised hair masks. I have made this part of my weekly routine, sometimes bi-weekly. I splurged on the Moroccan Oil Restorative Hair Mask and I swear by this stuff! I apply a generous amount root to tip and let sit in my hair for 5-10 minutes before hopping in the shower to rinse out of my hair. I follow up my treatment with conditioner to keep my hair feeling and looking smooth. My hair is less frizzy, more manageable, more healthy looking and feeling and overall, stronger and thicker.

2. Get your (safe) tan on.

I cringe at how pale I get in the winter but I’ve never been a tanning bed person or a huge fan of the spray tans that make you look orange. I recently tried out the St Tropez tanning lotion starter kit from Nordstrom and I’ve never loved a faux tan more! The best part about this kit is it comes with a tanning mit, exfoliator, tanning mouse and moisturizer to keep your tan looking even overall and longer lasting. It also gives you a nice brown/bronzed glow and is the farthest thing from orange and is not streaky! I love having a safe and effortless summer glow throughout the year that I can build a natural tan on top of. I incorporate my faux tan into my beauty routine once or twice a week to keep my color from fading. I do, however, moisturize daily.

My tips for using the tanning kit?

Be sure to exfoliate/shave AT LEAST 24 hours before applying the self-tanner. Also, MOISTURIZE your entire body and face especially dry areas very well before applying. Also make sure your skin is 100% dry before applying the tan.
Use the mit for applying tanning mousse to your body – you don’t want the tanner to stain your hands.
I find its more manageable to apply the tanner on your face with a makeup sponge versus the large mit.
Use 2-3 pumps for legs, chest, stomach, neck, back and arms. I use 1-2 for my face. Blend well in the dry skin areas like elbows, neck, ankles and knees.
The tanner goes on dark so you can see where its applied – have no fear if you miss a spot, simply apply the tanner and buff out any ‘mistakes.’ It tends to dry fast so do one area of your body at a time.
Let the tanner set for up to 6-8 hours and don’t wear light/white clothes! Once the time is up, hop in the shower, rinse off, towel-dry and moisturize!

3. Switch up your scent.

I’m a sucker for collecting perfume even if they are sample size! Once or twice a week I like to rotate between my various perfumes and try something new. It’s fun to discover a new scent I like and it always keeps people guessing. My favorite scents of the moment? Kate Spade Live Colorfully and Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir.

4. Exfoliate.

This is a key part to my weekly beauty routine to remove dead skin and keep my skin looking fresh and glowing. I currently use the St Tropez exfoliator that came with my faux tanning starter kit. It works well especially when used with a pumice stone and the scent is incredible!

5. Wear your whitening strips.

As a daily coffee drinker this is a must. When I know I have emails to respond to or a blog post to write, I dedicate this break as my ‘whitening time.’ I use CREST 3d Whitening Strips to get the job done. I tend to use them once or twice a week to help eliminate teeth staining from food and coffee.

Monthly Routine + Product Highlights

1. Wash makeup brushes.

I feel ashamed for not making this a priority years ago. But now, I take washing my makeup brushes very seriously. I wash my brushes once a month using EcoTools Makeup Brush Cleansing Shampoo that is hypoallergenic to ensure I won’t have an allergic reaction once they are cleaned. I have found this to be my favorite makeup cleanser because it deep cleans and leaves my brushes with zero traces of makeup.

2. Treat yo’self.

I treat myself once a month for a ‘me day’ by choosing to get a manicure/pedicure, massage or brow tint. It’s important to find time even when life is busy to unwind and do something for myself that makes me feel good.

3. Update your makeup.

Once a month (sometimes sooner if it calls for it) I go through the makeup bag of what makeup I wear on a regular basis and determine if it’s time to update or throw out.

4. Clean out your makeup drawers.

Similar to going through my makeup bag, I also sort through my makeup bins under my skin to determine what makeup I want to try out or what needs to be thrown away. It’s a good excuse to cleanse and freshen up my go-to’s if needed.

5. Stock up on samples and minis.

I love trying out new products to see what I want to add to my beauty routine! When visiting beauty stores, I ask if they offer free samples and what recommendations they have for my skin type and beauty aesthetic. Trying out samples is a great way to get expert advice, test out products and determine what is worth purchasing later down the road! Not to mention, I swear by samples because they are great for traveling – instead of checking a bag with all of your toiletries or figuring out how to fit beauty products into a ziplock bag, I have found makeup, skincare and haircare samples to be my saving grace.

My Daily, Weekly and Monthly Beauty Routine

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