What is Your Morning Beauty Routine?

Now that I'm back in school (and not working), I seem to have a wee bit more time to put myself together in the morning. Being able to squeeze in time everyday to apply a bit of makeup has made my life that much more enjoyable - seriously!

All this thinking about my morning ritual gave me the idea that we should compare notes! So readers - tell us what your morning beauty routine is by leaving a comment.

Jill: I start the day by cleansing with whatever I have at hand & moisturizing (Biore's Dual Fusion SPF 30), I also use eye serum (Dior First Capture) . Then I wait a few minutes & apply a mattifying base to my t-zone, which is oily (Philosophy Never Let Them See You Shine or Clinique T-Zone Shine Control). I follow with under eye concealer (MAC Select Cover NC 25) and I also conceal any pimples if I might have them. I fill in my brows with a mix of MAC Espresso & Cork shadows & then use MAC Brow Set in Show Off to groom them. I usually use MAC Tecknakohl liner in Graph Black, curl my lashes with Kevyn Aucoin's curler and finish with Maybelline Great Lash Waterproof Mascara in Very Black. I finish with Chapstick.

To top it off I'll often throw lipgloss, blush or highlighter in the mix - but that depends on how I feel & how much time I have left before classes.

Catherine:

My morning routine starts in the shower. I don't always cleanse per se, but when I do I use Kibio Fresh Pureness Foam, an organic cleanser I get at Shoppers Drug Mart. When it's warmer I do this every morning, but when my skin gets drier (in cold weather) I don't cleanse in the morning. This is something I learned working at Lush. Basically, during the day your skin is exposed to dirt, oils, make-up, germs, all kinds of things - it's dirty by the end of the day! But while you sleep, your skin is clean and refreshing itself naturally. (This is why you should never ever sleep with your make-up on!) You shouldn't use the same cleanser in the morning that you do at night since your skin is nowhere near as in need of it in the morning.

Prep: After showering, I use the Boots No. 7 Restore and Renew serum all over my face, including my eye area. I use Kiehl's Tinted Ultra Moisturizer, then usually a primer - this varies, depending on what freebies I've gotten or what samples I've gotten from Sephora. I do like Bare Escentuals' Primer for everyday, Skin Perfekt for night's out and Dr Brandt's Oil-Free on hot and humid days.

Base: I swirl Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil all over my face, concentrating on the oilier spots of my face (around my nostrils, forehead, nose and chin). Mineral Veil is BE's version of a loose powder (although technically all of their products are loose powders) and it works UNDER the foundation as an oil-absorber and protects your make-up. It's pretty amazing. Then I apply my BE in Fair, using my fingers to apply it as concealer on any red spots or blemishes. Depending on how dark my undereye area is, I conceal using my Maybelline Age Rewind Double Face Perfector (a dual-tipped concealer/highlighter) or my Benefit Eye Bright pencil or the BE or a combination of all three. I swirl on the BE Mineral Veil on top of my foundation to set it.

Basic: My basic make-up is a brush and shaping of my brows with an eyeshadow called Pigeon. This also helps to tint my brows so they match my hair colour better. I always use a bit of blush since I'm so fair and because it does wonders to make you look healthy, rested and youthful - depending on the look I'm going for, but more often than not it's MAC Strada powder blush. I always curl my lashes since they naturally point down, using the Shu Uemera lash curler and then I apply a lot of black mascara - currently I love BE Buxom mascara or Benefit Bad Girl.

Eyes: I like wearing make-up, so I do wear eyeshadow every day. For work it's often a single colour (my favourites are Laura Mercier in Pewter, BE in Java and MAC Greystone) from my lashline to my crease. Another favourite look is MAC Vex from lash to brow and Laura Mercier in Pewter along my lashline (top and bottom) and on the outer half of my eye.

Lips: It's got to go with my eye make-up! For work often a medium-toned rose colour, occasionally in gloss, but usually a lipstick. I always have 3+ lip products in my purse - by the end of the week, there's usually 8 or so!

J.