It’s been 4 or 5 years since I transitioned my skincare to clean products, but it took me a bit longer to find makeup in that category. Over the past few years, I’ve tried and adopted many products – primarily from Kosas, ILIA, Tower 28 and Drunk Elephant – that now make up my clean beauty routine.
Since I’m usually working from home or doing mom things, I keep makeup to a minimum these days, but with the right products, a little goes a long way in making me feel good. And then on days or evenings where I’m going out somewhere, I’ll add a few more steps into the mix – but nothing too substantial.
Here are my go-to clean beauty routine products with background on what I like about each of them:
Light Clean Beauty Routine:
- Kosas Revealer Concealer: The sheer Tatcha under eye cream I had been using got discontinued, so I’ve been on the hunt for a new one with light, buildable coverage. I’m just getting started with this one from Kosas and have also heard good things about versions from Ilia, rms beauty and Rose Inc if I decide to pivot. The Kosas concealer is ideal for daytime because it’s buildable, along with being brightening.
- Supergoop! Glow Screen: A tried-and-true for me, many days I wear this on its own with a tiny bit of under eye concealer. It gives you a nice glow with SPF, without feeling like you have much on at all.
- Kosas Tinted Face Oil: I don’t always do this step (if that’s the case, I really make sure the under eye product is nice and blended), but I like this thin liquid face oil that’s very buildable and feels like an extra layer of hydration even though it’s makeup. I wear 04 – light/medium with gold undertones.
- While I love this Kosas face oil, I’m also going to give the Tower 28 SunnyDays SPF 30 Tinted Sunscreen Foundation a try soon as a dual-purpose product.
- Ilia Fullest Volumizing Mascara: My latest favorite, though I was also a fan of their original Limitless Lengthening Mascara. I highly recommend this Sephora Favorites clean mascara set to try out a few – it comes with a coupon for a full-size mascara.
- Beauty Blender: Blends in the under eye and face products. Make it a bit damp for best results.
- fresh Sugar Lip Balm: I’ve used these for years and lately have been loving Rose or Bloom for everyday colors.
Going Out Clean Beauty Routine:
- IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer: This isn’t clean but has been my go-to for years, and I’m OK with that for now, especially since I don’t wear full makeup often. It’s not cakey, buildable, easily blends and lasts all day. I’m currently on the hunt for a clean substitute for this or Tarte Shape Tape!
- Supergoop! Glow Screen: Just like above, I like to use this underneath foundation, assuming the latter doesn’t already have SPF in it.
- ILIA True Skin Foundation: I don’t always love foundation, but this one blends nicely into my skin and doesn’t feel too heavy while still giving good coverage.
- Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Bronzing Drops: I add a few drops of these on top of the ILIA foundation for a tan glow, especially during summer months. It’s not a sunless tanner so it comes off when you wash your face. You can also add this to any lotion – sometimes I do that with Supergoop! Glow Screen.
- Beauty Blender: Same as above – I use a damp Beauty Blender to blend it all in.
- Kosas 10-Second Eye Gel Watercolor Eyeshadow: I tried this in a sample set and loved it so much in the “Smolder” color that I went back to purchase others. I just put it on my eyelids, let it dry for a minute, then blend in the crease a tiny bit. It stays put and has a nice shimmery color to it.
- ILIA Clean Line Gel Eyeliner: This is an all around great clean substitute for gel eyeliner. I use “Dusk” which is a brown color. Pretty basic but is easy to apply and blends well. I had trouble finding a good one before this.
- ILIA Fullest Volumizing Mascara: Same as above; I usually just do an extra layer if I’m applying full makeup.
- Drunk Elephant O-Bloos Rosi Glow Drops: I’m a big fan of these as a subtle, rosy blush substitute. Another product I wouldn’t have tried on my own but was happy to discover through a Sephora Favorites clean beauty sample set. For regular blush, I’ve been liking the Rose Inc Lip & Cheek Color in “Heliotrope.”
- ILIA Balmy Gloss Tinted Lip Oil: These lip oils come in the prettiest colors, are shiny without being sticky, and are made with plumping hyaluronic acid. I also like the Tower 28 Beauty ShineOn Lip Jelly Non-Sticky Glosses.
