7 Essentials For Great Skin {Without Makeup}

My beauty routine doesn’t include cosmetics, but that doesn’t mean I leave my skin bare.

{I Gave Up Makeup A Year Ago. Read About My Journey To Makeup Free Living}

Instead, my no-makeup beauty routine means that I take more care to nourish my skin from the inside, then I move to making it look good on the outside naturally, and without covering it up.

Coming from a long line of bad-skin genes, this is a tall order!

Acne, dullness, large pores, bags under my eyes, and a general oiliness make creating skin that looks good without all of the toxic chemicals found in makeup is definitely a challenge. And while I’m not all “replace everything with coconut oil” and “don’t wear it if you can’t DIY it!” I do tend to take a more natural approach.

Making your skin look good with a natural approach and without makeup isn’t impossible

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Why No Cosmetics?

I go into greater detail about my journey without makeup in this post, but here’ s the gist of it:

I want to set a good example for my daughter. One that doesn’t chain her to covering her appearance, but that does teach her the proper way to use makeup.

Makeup contains tons of chemicals that just aren’t good for you. I don’t have the time or energy to eradicate all harmful cheimcals from my home, but makeup is a simple one to forgo.

Leaving makeup off is a self-fulfilling cycle. I used makeup to cover up my bad skin, but leaving it off allows me skin to heal, and therefore look better.

Going without makeup is brave. And who doesn’t like being called brave?

Choosing to do without makeup is a highly-personal choice, and I’m definitely not saying that it is for everyone. It is, however, a very healthy approach which thinks about nourishing, protecting, and healing your skin, whether or not you intend to top your pristine-looking face with makeup.

Also, everyone’s skincare routine is highly personal to them, so no-makeup essentials for great skin work for me, it may not for you. However, if you’re struggling, or want to try giving up makeup, a run-through of my essentials for great skin with out makeup routine may give you someplace to start.

Everyone’s skin is unique, but if you struggle with oily skin, maybe this will help you:

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My Routine

My morning begins with nothing.

That’s right, unless I have a video conference or something requiring me to sluff off the oil on my face, I suck it up, put on a headband to keep my hair out of my face, and leave the oil that has built up on my skin there for the day.

Sound crazy?

For a long time (like 10 years) I was obsessed with getting every bit of oil off of my face. I carried acne cream around with me, blotting paper, and washed my face excessively. Still from 3rd grade until I was 24, I had acne all the time. Not just hormonal breakouts, but all the time.

But when I gave up makeup, I changed my view of my skin.

What if I had oil skin because that was what my skin needed?

Plus, people with oil skin get less wrinkles, so that’s something too.

Working from home allowed me to conduct an oily skin experiment, whereby I embraced a simpler, more effective skincare routine at night, to see if my skin would enjoy the oil that it so crazily produces.

Nighttime

By moving the focus towards doing good things for my skin at night, right before I got to bed (and ensuring that I ALWAYS have a clean pillowcase) I give my skin time to absorb all of the good stuff I’m putting on it, health from microderm abrasion, and develop a PH that is normal for it.

Sluff Off Dead Skin

At least once a week, but usually 3-4 times a week, I hop in the shower at night and use my Clarisonic. The head sluffs off dead skin cells, loosens dirt, and stimulates cell growth by bringing blood to the surface of my skin.

I use my clarisonic with the Mary Kay TimeWise Microderm Abrasion Scrub. The combination of the two loosens and gets rid of dead and dirty skin cells that make my complexion look dull.

I love how my skin feels after I use it, but I very carefully towel it dry and DO NOT TOUCH, because even after a shower, the germs on my hands could get into my newly cleansed pores, and that’s not good for healthy skin.

Minimize Pores

I then soothe my skin with the Mary Kay Timewise Pore Diminisher, which, let me tell you, feels like silk! It goes on super smooth, minimizes lines, imperfections, and makes your whole face glow. It’s kind of amazing!

Non-Microderm Abrasion Days

On days when I don’t use my Clarisonic and it’s regimine, in addition to not washing my face, I usually do a facial mask. My personal favorites are the Yes to Grapefruit facial mask and the Yes to Cucumbers facial mask.

They’re a little pricey, but they feel amazing and leave my skin feeling brighter in just 15 minutes.

If I’m feeling particularly oily, or in need of some help during the day, I’ll use the Yes to Grapefruit Lotion, or the Yes to Cucumbers Cooling Serum. The contain far less harmful ingredients than many more mainstream products and they leave my skin feeling and looking amazing without taking away any of the stuff my skin produced on its own.

Nourishing From The Inside Out

The biggest component to wearing the skin you have proudly, is growing great skin by eating great foods.

Eating well is by far the best way to make your skin glow – from the inside out.

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For most of us – myself included – eating the right foods on a daily basis is the hardest part of looking good. I started doing Trim Healthy Mama for the weight-loss benefits because of my very sad thyroid and 3 years of being thirsty, not only have I finally started to lose weight, my skin is loving eating this way!

Even if my diet of choice isn’t for you, eating a diet that is “clean” – as free as you can get from GMO’s, pesticides, artificial, and other processed ingredients is great for your skin!

Under Eye Circles

Plaguing me recently are my under eye circles. I’ve had them ever since I can remember, and have tried just about everything on them. Recently, though, I have found a few things that work: Yes to Cucumbers Cooling Serum, Yes to Blueberries Brightening Lotion, and Visine…..yes, the eye drops.

I don’t use these with any sort of regularity, but I do use them, especially when I have a big event coming.

The Yes to Blueberries Lotion is my favorite for at nights, because it takes a few hours to see a difference. It’s great at lightening the pigment under the eyes.

The Yes to Cucumbers Serum is great for mornings if I’m feeling like I need a boost in the mornings, because I can see a difference immediately. Because its a clear gel, while it’s working on lightening the circles, it reflects light, making the under eye circles reduce almost immediately!

When I have a big event coming up, I’ll use these two morning and night, as well as Visine, on a qtip, applies to the undereye circles, beecause Visine has some magical property that lightens. I don’t know why or how, because I read about using Visine for under eye circles on Pinterest, but it totally works!

But What About Hair?

Unfortunately, along with the bad skin goes a scalp that gets oily fast.

And by fast I mean that I have to shampoo my hair at least every 24 hours in order for it to look passable.

But honestly, who has time for that?

I mean, showering every day I get, but I desperately want to be one of those women who can leave their hair dirty for a week, have it still look great, and enjoy all the benefits of dirty hair (easier to style, etc).

But since I can’t, and because dry shampoo is incredibly expensive + full of harmful chemicals, I use cornstarch.

I store it in a used candle jar (that seals, so moisture won’t get inside) with a short-handled kabuki brush inside. When my hair gets oily, I apply cornstarch to the roots, section by section with the kabuki brush, and then let it sit for 5-10 minutes.

This step of letting it sit for a few minutes is incredibly important even though you’ll look like a white-haired grandma for a bit, because it takes a bit of time for the cornstarch to soak up the oil. Then, I grab a microfiber towel (a regular towel would work just fine too) and rub out the cornstarch as best I can. Just like with regular dry shampoo, there will be a bit of reside, but this cornstarch trick will let me go up to 3 days without washing my hair.

It’s better for you and much less expensive!

Recommended Products + Where To Find Them

Clarisonic Mia 2 Sonic Skin Cleansing System, Lavender

Mary Kay TimeWise Microderm Abrasion Set

Yes to Grapefruit Masks

Yes to Cucumbers Masks

Yes To Grapefruit Even Skin Tone Moisturizer

Yes To Cucumbers Soothing Eye Gel

Yes to Blueberries Eye Cooling Serum

What I’ve found is that while my skin does still get oily, the longer it let it go with its natural oil just sitting there, the less oil it tends to produce. I still break out because of hormones, once each month, but other than that I don’t have any new breakouts.

It’s actually quite amazing to me, how when I stopped covering up my skin, it started looking better.

My routine is just that – my own – and it may or may not work for you. But, if you struggle with the same issues I do, or have been considering giving up wearing makeup for good, then hopefully my routine and my story will help you!