My Detailed Beauty Checklist

This list is a much closer look at a beauty routine rather than just bullet points to follow with no explanation. This is what I do to look and feel my best, please take what you want from this list and simply leave what doesn’t align with you.

Embrace yourself:

I like to make sure that with any beauty regime I do that I am doing it to enhance my natural beauty and unique features. I never want to change who I am and what I look like to fit into society’s beauty standards. There is only one of me and I that is something that I like to use to my advantage! For me that looks like working on defining my curls, drawing attention to my almond shaped eyes, and enhancing my fuller lips. Those are some of my favorite qualities and I’d like to celebrate them every day! It has taken a lot of time and reflection to get to this point but I highly encourage you to take an inventory of things that you love about yourself and work on embracing those qualities in your beauty routine.

Refine your look

Skincare:

My skincare routine is simple. I wash my face, use a witch hazel toner, apply a hyaluronic acid serum, lactic acid with aha serum, an under eye cream, and a moisturizer. I do use a 30 spf face sunscreen when I remember to, but that is something I need to get better about doing more routinely. Occasionally I will use a little face razor to remove any little fuzzies on my face and I will use the same tool to shape my eyebrows.

Subtle Makeup:

I used to do a full face of makeup every day. At this point in my life I feel like I can scale back on the makeup and only use a little bit to embrace my favorite features. I will still do more intense makeup for special occasions, but my daily routine is much more simplified.

I begin by adding a few small dots of concealer to my under eyes and blending that down to the top of my cheeks as well as blending onto my eyelids. I do a small dash of powder to matte my skin and a small pop of blush on my cheeks. I will subtly fill in my eyebrows but since I shape them regularly I do not need to do any shaping with my makeup. Next I will add some mascara and then I finish the look up with some tinted chapstick or a subtle lip gloss! A super quick and easy routine to have a polished look everyday.

Cohesive Clothing:

At home I like to be comfy but still chic- I will usually be wearing an oversized crew neck sweater with leggings! At work I will keep it simple since I am in a warehouse setting. When I go out or have guests over is when the fun clothing comes out! I like to choose pieces that highlight my figure but are still very modest. I personally feel really uncomfortable showing too much skin so really anything with cleavage is out. My favorite combinations lately are bodysuits with darker denim bottoms and a small bootie type shoe. From there I will tie it all together with a simple gold necklace and a bag or possibly a hat!

Hygiene

Dental:

Obviously I brush my teeth 2x/day. However it is said that bad breath comes from the gums and the tongue so I make sure to give those two areas a little extra love. With gum health I will make sure to brush my gums while brushing my teeth and twice per week before bed I will use a waterpik on the softest setting followed by rubbing vitamin e oil on my gums with a qtip to promote healthy gum tissue. For tongue hygiene I will use a tongue scraper in the morning as well as in the evening to get rid of any bacteria that could cause bad breath.

While I am on the go I keep listerine ready tabs in my bag so I can freshen up as needed! I really like the ready tabs because you pop it in your mouth like a piece of gum, but as you chew it becomes a liquid mouthwash! It says you can swallow but I personally don’t because I’d rather keep bacteria and mouthwash out of my system the best I can.

Clean Hands:

I keep my nails short and well maintained. I don’t know what it is about me but the second my nails have any length to them they will collect dirt underneath that is a pain to get out, so I opt for clean short nails instead. I don’t personally use polish because I feel gross when it chips off, however I will occasionally use a strengthening top coat. As far as hand sanitizer, I have found this amazing thieves scented spray from a local tea shop that smells incredible and keeps your hands moisturized as well.

Freshly Showered: I do like to make sure I shower every day, even if it’s just a quick refresh. I will exfoliate 2x/week rotating between a scrub and exfoliating gloves to keep my skin soft. Before showering I will apply an exfoliating face mask and leave it on until after I condition my hair. I only exfoliate my face every other week since the face skin is much more delicate. I do also choose to use bar soap over body wash as I feel like it doesn’t leave a residue on my skin afterwards.

Smell Good:

This one is so important to everyone and after doing some research I have learned that a lot of the products we use to smell better end up making us sick over time. This is why I personally like to keep it simple and stick to an aluminum free deodorant as well as natural essential oil perfumes when I feel like I need a little boost.

Scalp & Hair Care:

As embarrassing as it is to admit, my scalp is a disaster. It gets build up so quickly if I am not careful to wash every second day leaving my scalp itchy and hot. What has been working well for me is applying a tea tree oil (mixed with a carrier oil) to my scalp before I shower. I wash my hair with Head & Shoulders that I also add tea tree oil to, and I will double condition the middle and ends of my hair. When shampooing I use a deep scrubbing tool to make sure my scalp is as clean and fresh as I can get it. After showering I use a tea tree spray on my scalp to prevent it from becoming itchy.

I have naturally very curly hair so I make sure to keep as much moisture in it as I can. I will leave a small amount of conditioner in my hair when I get out of the shower as well as using a conditioner + water spray that I made before I go to bed at night. To define my curls I will use a small amount of spray on gel while my hair is still wet, and when my hair is 90% dry I will go in with mousse as well as a defrizzing spray. I personally do not like how my curls look when diffused with a hair dryer so I air dry every time.

Health/Wellness

Move My Body:

I have been awful at this one since our move- however we are getting back into the swing of things. We try to go to the gym at least 4x/wk. I begin my workout with 15-20 minutes of fast paced inclined cardio on the treadmill. Leg days consist of either squats or deadlifts (on a rotating schedule), weighted lunges, leg curls, weighted calf raises, and I cannot for the life of me remember the name of this machine but my husband and I call it the watermelon squisher.

On arm days we will also hit up abs, chest, back, and shoulders. For this we start with chest presses, we will hit the tricep machine, bicep free weights, the shoulder press machine, and the seated back cable machine.

It sounds intensive but honestly we are in the gym for maybe an hour and a half which is a small drop in the bucket for the amazing benefits we receive.

On days we do not go to the gym we like to walk the dogs, go rollerblading, go on hikes, or just enjoy time outdoors! I do sometimes lift smaller weights at home as well as hit up cardio on my exercise trampoline.

I would personally like to get into a nighttime yoga practice and that is something I will be working on in the very near future.

Drink water:

I might be a little nuts, but I drink around a gallon of water every day. When I think about the human body being made up of 60% water- it’s hard for me to justify withholding that from myself.

I love to add lemons, cucumbers, mint, and chia seeds to my water! Generally if I am not drinking water you will find me sipping on organic juice, kombucha, or tea. I do have an occasional soda (pop?), but a 12 pack will last me around three months or so.

Less Garbage:

This was the BIGGEST thing I could do for my health.

If you haven’t read my health journey post- I had 13 fibroids as well as endometriosis removed from my uterus. After doing extensive research on why that may have happened and how to prevent them from returning I came to the very solid conclusion that the majority of my issues came from what I was eating. My diet used to consist of exclusively snack foods, cheeses, meats, sodas, fast foods, and processed garbage.

With the knowledge I have now, I decided to stop with the damaging foods and fuel myself with real food. Fruits, vegetables, carbs, starches, legumes, really everything natural that I can get! I have felt such a difference in my mood, energy, and overall general health by just filling my tummy with real food!

Of course I will have potato chips, vegan burgers, or dark chocolate occasionally, but I try to keep it at about 90% healthy and 10% other.

Getting Quality Sleep:

I am absolutely useless without good sleep. Since shifting my focus onto my health and wellness I really haven’t had to do much to improve my sleep- it seems to have happened naturally. Although there are a few things I will do to help myself settle down for bed such as establishing a nighttime routine, having calming tea if needed, and taking a small dosage of melatonin if needed. Again, after working on the other areas of health in my life sleep just kind of fell into place so if sleeping well is something you struggle with I would highly recommend looking at your diet and movement as a good starting point!

Gratitude:

Looking at my life with a lens of gratitude has changed everything for me. Changing my attitude from ‘why is this happening to me’ to ‘what is this doing for me’ has helped me to cultivate a healthier mindset about virtually everything in my life. Learning to embrace the struggles in my life has been a gift that I am grateful for every day because it shows me that I can get through anything and I can do anything and it gives me a much more positive perspective on the happier parts of life as well. Gratitude seems silly at first but it is genuinely such a simple practice that has a lasting impact.

Favorite Beauty Products:

Skincare:

Face wash- https://amzn.to/3SXsuKy

Moisturizer- https://amzn.to/3A7pUcj

Serum & Exfoliation- https://amzn.to/3dFlXnF

Makeup:

Tinted Chapstick- https://amzn.to/3PyhaBq

Hygiene:

Natural Deodorant- https://amzn.to/3QN3Hqs

Scalp and Hair:

Tea Tree Spray- https://amzn.to/3dGZVAY

Health/Wellness: