I have always been a fairly high maintenance girl which made the sparseness of my bathroom shocking to those nearest and dearest.  Since I was young I have always befriended gorgeous, fashion forward, girly girls who looked as though they were stepping out of a magazine.  I was never that girl.  This is not to say I didn’t look fabulous.  I have always been very capable of dressing my body type, but I never felt the need to cake on makeup.  On big nights out my makeup routine took five minutes, consisting of mascara (always Maybelline) and a pinky neutral lipgloss (always Tarte), and was typically applied in the car of whoever was driving.  My skincare routine was even simpler: it didn’t exist.  I never removed makeup and I never washed my face. 

Last year, everything changed. I began loving the bold lipped looks all of my friends were wearing and frantically “pinned” favorite looks of mine on Pinterest.  I would send friends screenshots of my favorite looks saying “I could never pull this off, but this would look great on you.” By the time the Too Faced Melted Lipsticks premiered I was obsessed and ventured into my local Ulta to purchase my first lipstick, Melted Ruby.  Once I got home I realized I didn’t even know how to apply it.  Thick, colorful liquid oozing out of a squeeze tube was intimidating, but I went ahead and applied it. I looked in the mirror and as much as I wanted to love it I didn’t.  I couldn’t understand how something that looked so beautiful in every picture I had seen could look this terrible on me.  That’s when I began taking a closer look in the mirror.

When I actually looked in the mirror, my years of ignored skin care was evident.  My skin was red with dry patches.  I had multiple blemishes (although I haven’t suffered from acne since high school, I do have occasional flare ups).  The most disturbing discoveries were near my eyes.  Fine lines were starting to creep up and my circles were not only dark but puffy.  I was only 31 and wanted to curb the aging process as much as possible!  I quickly turned on my computer and began researching skin care essentials for a woman in her thirties.  Immediately I went back to Ulta and came out with my first skin care regimen (Aveeno foaming cleanser, Olay Regenerist sculpting cream, night recovery cream and eye cream).  As time has gone on all of these items have been removed from my routine and replaced with items that work better for my skin, but they were an excellent starting point and I still think they were perfect for what I needed at that time.

Today my bathroom is filled with various electronic devices, moisturizers, serums and masks;  all helping me achieve the clear, glowing skin I have today.  With my skin in better condition I have learned what makeup looks best on me (including Melted Ruby!) and the best ways to apply it.  In addition to the long term benefits of having healthy skin, I have also noted an increased confidence (something I never thought I was lacking).  As people began asking me more and more about my skin care routines and makeup essentials I began toying with the idea of writing a blog.  A  blog is certainly the last thing I have time for.  I am a full time Ph.D student, I have a full time job and babysit the coolest 4 year old on the planet 3 days a week.  I have always been a tad impulsive and a quintessential procrastinator so I have decided that this blog might be the perfect diversion for when I should be getting all of my real work done!