My 8 Piece Minimalist Makeup Collection & Routine

Have you bought every Holy Grail makeup item some influencer on Instagram or Youtube has promised will change your makeup game and therefore your life? Only for it to sit in your makeup bag gathering the little blush dust and mascara dots because it didn’t actually change your life and maybe it kinda sucked. No, not me…she says lying.

I needed to pare down. So, I came up with a minimalist makeup collection.

We all have a weakness, and makeup used to be mine. It felt like something I was supposed to be into, ya know? I’m a girl. I like getting my nails done and having pretty hair. So, by that extension I should like doing my makeup and acquire alllll the makeup.

But, once I started getting this makeup, I found that I hated putting on foundation every day. I didn’t like doing a subpar smoky eye and wondering what the heck contouring was and did I need it? I didn’t feel like me under all that makeup.

That didn’t mean I wanted to go totally bare face, though. I mean, mama still has a few zits to hide every now and then and I need mascara to look like I have eyelashes.

So, I got rid of almost all of it. And this is what I had left in my little makeup collection. Each piece holds a purpose, even if that purpose is just because it makes me smile!

Minimalist Makeup Collection

Face & Eyes

These are what I consider my foundational pieces. I wear them every single day, and it pretty much feels like I have nothing on.

• L’oreal Double Extend Tubes Mascara – Tubing mascara will change your life. I won’t get into the specifics, but basically instead of “painting” your eyelashes it creates tubes of mascara around them. This means there won’t be flaking from the “paint” and it just slides off when you’re ready to take it off!

• Coola Tinted Sunscreen SPF 30 – My holy grail sunscreen (but you don’t have to buy it!). I love that I don’t have to layer sunscreen under foundation and add another step, because this one has a tint. It’s enough to blur any imperfections but still look fresh faced.

• Glossier Cloud Paint in Beam – I hate using more tools than necessary, which is why I only own one brush. I just use my fingers with this blush and it goes on super smooth, plus it’s a tiny tube but lasts forever. Saving space and money, like a good minimalist makeup item.

• Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Fireball – I only own one eyeshadow, there I said it. This is my “I sometimes need to look a tiny bit fancier, so I’m going to wear eyeshadow” eyeshadow. I know, it looks pink and not like a neutral eyeshadow. But, it’s somehow both pink and coppery and neutral all at the same time. It gives you the look of beautifully blended eyeshadow with only one shadow.

• Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer – If I’m going to wear eyeshadow, it better not have to be reapplied. So, I use this primer to keep it on all day. I prefer using this over a full face spray primer, it feels less like I sprayed my face with shellac. Bonus: it can double as a lip primer in a pinch.

• Essence Make Me Brow – I am a redhead thus my eyebrows are almost nonexistent. I’m pretty cool with this, but I like to add just a touch of color, which is what this brow gel does. It’s super cheap (like $3), which is good because I go through it probably every 1.5-2 months.

Lips

Yes, I have an entire section for lipstick. It’s my one vice.

• Mentha Lip Shine – This is a leftover from my days when I loved Bath & Bodyworks, and it is the only product I still buy from there. It’s just a clear gloss, but it’s super hydrating and stays on for several hours. I usually wear this on weekends or when I know I’m going somewhere I don’t want to touch up lipstick.

• Maybelline SuperStay 24 Hour Lip Color – These lipsticks are AMAZING. If you like Lipsense lipstick but don’t love the price or the company, this is what you need to try. You put on the color base and then wait a minute or so and apply the clear balm on the other end. And it stays ALL DAY LONG. I promise. I eat greasy chicken for lunch and my lipstick is still on. And the balm keeps your lips hydrated and not looking like a dried prune like those matte lipsticks that don’t come off. I just wish they had more colors. I own:

  • Pink Goes On

  • Very Cranberry (a very natural lip color)

  • Steady Red-y

• Yves Saint Laurent Glossy Stain in Watermelon – This is for my in between days, which is most days. I wear this when I don’t want to wear full on lipstick but my lips still need color. This gloss gives a really good color (way better than most glosses) and the gloss doesn’t wear off for at least four hours on me. After the gloss is gone, there’s still a stain on your lips that wears super evenly the rest of the day. Honestly, this stuff is a miracle and I will be buying more colors.

My Tips

• Buy Multi Use Products – like my eyeshadow that looks like an entire palette, or my primer that works on eyes and lids or a foundation that has SPF in it.

• Have a Vice – lip color is mine. I don’t limit myself too much on how many lip products I own, because I love the way it changes up my look. Yours might be eyeshadow or mascara. Choose one thing to let yourself experiment with and keep the rest of your routine simple.

• Use a Small Makeup Bag – If it can’t fit in the bag, toss it. My bag is about 8 by 5 inches and fits all of the above, plus some hair accessories I stuff in there from time to time.

You are beautiful just the way you are when you wake up in the morning. If you think a full face of makeup will fix your insecurities, it won’t. Paring down to a minimal collection will help you more than you know.