So, I've never been one to wear makeup, but I'm no Luddite. There was a time when I thoroughly enjoyed the beauty videos made by the beautiful Korean-American YouTubers I enjoyed. I had never seen myself as beautiful, but watching these videos being made by fellow Korean-Americans (one's even an adoptee!), I finally started to enjoy my own face.
Nevertheless, I still don't care for makeup, but I like the idea of a beauty GRWM-esque video, so I'm doing a version of that by taking inventory of my current "beauty" routine, which is actually more like a basic hygiene routine with a bit o' spritz.
Also, we've lived in six cities in the past ten years (eight cities since we got together), so my entire mentality behind my beauty routine has been revolving more and more heavily around portability. If it can't fly, I can't buy. Obviously, if I'm going to be someplace for a big-bottle's amount of time, then the bigger the bottle, the better the deal.
First up, my basic hygiene routine ::
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| from top left to right towel loofah (asian style) Dr. Bronner's (the bodybuddy/lifemate wondered his whole life why his skin hated fossil-fuel based soap, and so, we've been using all-natural soap for a long time now) Cetaphil Daily Facial Cleanser (a 100% loyal user since 2015, i start to panic if i can't find it in whatever city/country we're in now) shampoo (no brand loyalty, i literally walk into walmart [or its foreign counterpart], and which ever ones are the next price up from the bottom, i choose among that price point) contact solution (no brand loyalty, same sort of pricing mentality, except in the case of walmart, they've secured both the bottom most and second next floor price point with their own in-house Equate brand of contact solution, respect) whatever contact case comes free with the bottle of solution deodorant (no brand loyalty, the same pricing method applies here as with shampoo) bath salts/soaps (no brand loyalty, one step up from the cheapest for this sorta thing, too, all-natural, a must.) Crest Baking Soda & Peroxide Whitening With Tartar Protection Fresh Mint (100% brand loyalty, i become upset when we have to use a different kind of toothpaste, even if its only for one tube's amount!) toothbrushes (no brand loyalty, whatever is the best deal, &soft for fuck's sake). |
I wash my face every morning when I wake up, and in the shower at the end of my day, when I know I'm not going to go outside again. I brush my teeth every morning as the last thing I do before leaving the house and as the last thing I do before I go to bed. I rub a stick of plain old deodorant (i know about yea, all natural whatnot. i just, i know!) under each arm pit every morning. Most days I bathe in an Epsom salt bath at the end of my day, and when I shower, I scrub with a towel loofah and an all-natural soap.
My scent game is as follows ::
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| from left to right Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Eau De Toilette 50 ml Chasing Fireflies by Bath & Body Works Fine Fragrance Mist 75 ml |
When I was in high school, I think that I wore either some Vicki's or Bath & Body Works body spray. Nothing fancy. While living in Syracuse, NY, during a year-long break I needed during college, I danced every day, jobbed a few days a week (in a mall!) for $7.12/hr (i think, don't quote the exact amount, it was somewhere around there), and lived on my own in a woman's house from whom I rented a room for a flat $300/month. I sold my old 1995 Mazda 626 in Colorado for $3,000 and put that money down on a 2004 Blue New Beetle in New York, for $5,000. It was my first "new" car, and I made $125 ($105? somewhere between $105 and $125 *eyeroll*) payments each month for five years to pay off the first loan ($2,000) I had ever taken on all by myself*. Paying that baby off with a perfect payment history was one of the highlights of my financial life, thus far. It was awesome, and it was during this time in Syracuse that I discovered Dolce & Gabbana's Light Blue. I will literally cry the day this scent is discontinued. I also picked up a body spray on my birthday from ... Bath & Body Works, lol, for jobbing. It's a much louder (&cheaper) scent, so I can really over-dose on it, and bother everyone with my spritz. Deal with it.
Finally, my makeup routine ::
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| currently some Rocky Ford Raspberry LIP BALM Rocky Mountain Fresh Hand Churned + Hand Poured Soothing Butters For Your Kisser Colorado Collection rockymountainsoapmarket.com |
I used to have eyeliner and blush, but neither of those things made it during the "did i even use it once last year? if not, i'm throwing it out," new year routine of 2015. And so, now the entirety of my "beauty" routine has devolved into lip balm, and I'm not even loyal to any particular type of lip balm. I, obviously, went through my Burt's Bees phase, but once it got bought, I quit that shit. Then it took me a long time to find a new lip balm to which to pledge my allegiance, and I am still on the hunt. Plus, I'm cheaper than ever, so lately, I've been sticking to whatever lip balm is swag &or easily lifted by a five-finger discount, etc., jk, *ah hem*
And there you have it.
To, 2024! So much and more!
*I sold that car to my adopted dad (he had the original version back in the day, in blue, lol) for $3,000 in 2013 cause we were moving to South Korea, and he wanted my car. He wanted to drive around in it and be happy. &that $3,000 covered all of the consumer debt we had and the expenses of our 2013 move so that we arrived in South Korea with only student loan debt. &we've been free of consumer debt, ever since.