So, one of the main things I’m into, and want to just snuggle up with through the course of this blog, is routines.  I love routines of all sorts, routines long and short – now this is a poem – both complex and not, I love them all.  This love of procedure may be rooted in a desperate need for control stemming from an anxiety disorder, but no matter.  That’s why the crux of this blog, its namesake category of post, is based upon different routines.

I’m lucky that my particular set of skills gives me the opportunity to work in jobs that end relatively early in the day; I’m home, typically, well before 5 pm.  That ends up leaving approximately seven hours between getting home from work and finally going off to bed (I’m a crazy night owl) – an entire day!  Lucky me!  To be fair two hours of that are a nap, because . . . I’m a night owl and only got six hours of sleep the night before, but still, that’s a lot of time.

It was in this period that I started to fool around with my foundation-free look.  At the end of an eight-hour work day that began with me running five blocks to and from the train carrying twenty pounds of puppets and other teaching tools, my makeup was pretty barf.  Foundation patchy, mascara and eyeliner smudged, lipstick nonexistent.

On top of it, there’s just the regular . . . grit-layer that sits on my face after running around a metropolis all day.  In the winter?  You alternate sweating in your coat on a stuffy train with the dry, gross heat of your work place.  The summer?  The humid atmosphere just lays on your face, lazing about until finally beads of sweat from your hairline takes it and your flawless concealer coverage with it.  Sweat, oil, car exhaust, the B.O. of strangers, and in my line of work, glitter, all sticking to your face by the time you get home.

So, combining the desire just to wash my face while keeping in mind that I basically had another big time slot ahead that would definitely not require any makeup, led me to create a routine that would basically hit “reset” on my face after work – leaving it clean, refreshed, taut (really?) and rejuvenated (maybe?).

First, let’s establish what I mean by “makeup.”  This is me at the end of a long day wearing foundation, concealer, liquid eyeliner, mascara, eye shadow, blush, the whole shebang.

I begin my makeup removal the same way as Kim Kardashian: by using a Neutrogena Makeup Remover Makeup Remover Cleanser Towelette.  I know, I know; we really should work together someday, I think so too.

Don’t believe that these towelettes are all the same, because it’s a lie spread by hippies.  Aside from scent/ingredients making a difference, you also want that perfect amount of texture that will be capable of causing at least a small amount of friction as well as gently but firmly escorting your make up from your facial premises.  You also don’t want something too wet or too dry, and this is right there in the middle.  Your preferred makeup remover towelette may not be this, but you should get on board with at least one; even just a quick swipe after the gym and before you wash your face at night gives your facial cleanser a chance to get rid of any remaining dirt as well as go deeper into your pores.  With this brand, the only caveat is that little sticky closure on the top becomes unsticky very easily, so usually I store it flat and face down so it doesn’t pop open and the towelettes dry out.  Or you could tape it shut.  I mean.  I feel like we can all figure this out in our own way, you know?

And now the best moment in makeup removal . . .

Woo-hoo!  The main event is sadly already over.  And, if I’m getting ready for bed, that’s as much as I do before washing my face.  However, as I said, this is a special makeup removal routine (JAZZ HANDS!), so instead of washing my face with my usual cleanser, I’m going to use an oil cleanser instead.  One of my concerns about how to tackle post-makeup/pre-sleep was drying out my face – my big ol’ pores seep oil when they feel they’re being attacked by dryness, and it’s a big mess.

These days I’m using this Muji Cleansing Oil for this part of my day.

I. Absolutely.  LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE. This.  Stuff.  It’s so incredibly good.  You actually rub it on your face without any kind of pre-rinse – just start rubbin’ it all in.  And it feels weird, for sure, until you rinse.  It’s a bit runny as far as oils go; I expected it to be thicker/heavier so as to better attach to dirt or oil, but it spreads easily and therefore you don’t need a ton to use it.

And once you rinse it off?  Hooooo, boy, your skin feels so incredibly clean and soft.  I don’t feel at all that I wash-washed my face, and that is a very good thing; the point here is to almost get your skin to its most naturally balanced state, not scrub it or medicate it.  And this cleansing oil works well toward accomplishing that goal.

Last – in terms of the actual Taking Off of the Makeup – I use a specific eye makeup remover to get any last bits off of my eyes.  I have sensitive eyes, so this is a necessary step for me; a towelette, even paired with a gentle cleanser, is rarely enough and I always have mascara or eyeliner left.  For awhile I used Simple Eye Makeup Remover, but then I realized that the (Target brand) Up and Up Oil Free Eye Makeup Removal stuff works just as well.

So, it says it’s oil-free but there’s most definitely an oily . . . cast? to it.  And the ingredients separate, so it’s very necessary to shake it, and while I hope that that step is not the most fun part of your day, I certainly hope it’s a fun part of your day!

I would assume most things labeled as specifically for eyes are going to be relatively gentle, but it’s extra imperative to check ingredients for something you’re going to be using around such a sensitive area.  I get super up-in-there when I’m taking off eye makeup, too, so no crazy ingredients like alcohol or scent stuff can get near me.

After every last stitch of makeup is off of my face, I use a toner.  Now, I’m going to say something that might blow your mind: I don’t really “get” toners.  My skin rarely feels that different when I use them, and long-term, I notice little difference in tone.  So.  I do it because my mom and everyone else says I should, and who can argue with literally everyone in the world?

What I decided to do is just to use one of the two toners I have sitting around that my friends didn’t want: The very famous and touted Pixi skintreats Glo Tonic as well as the Shea Moisture Kukui Nut & Grapeseed Oils Youth-Infusing Hydrating Toner.

Because I don’t “get” toners, I can’t super endorse either of these, but I definitely have a preference.  First off, the Pixi will definitely make your skin feel tight, but for me, it wasn’t in a good way.  It felt a bit too harsh for me.  I liked this particular Shea Moisture toner better; the smell was better, it left my skin feeling hydrated as opposed to parched, and also had a bit more of a lasting feeling.  Meaning, it didn’t dry immediately and leave me wondering if I actually did anything or if I stumbled into a time machine and it was a day later.  Neither, though, did anything startling, but maybe I need to use the more consistently.

Last but not least in this Makeup Removal Process: The moisturizer.  I try to use one that’s pretty light; like the toners, this is a good time to use up a moisturizer that you have no problem with but also isn’t your super-good-expensive stuff cause you’re not going out, so why do you need gold flecks just to watch “Real Housewives,” Linda?

One of my favorite every day moisturizers is First Aid Ultra Repair Face Moisturizer.

As you can see: Light, easily absorbed.  Also unscented and totally non-greasy.

Now onto the face . . .

And that’s it!  I’m ready to go when it comes to the tricky tasks of making dinner, creating gifs, looking through my ex’s Instagram for hours – literally anything at all, I’m ready!

While the main goal of the foundation-free routine was to eliminate redness and oil, create smoothness, and minimize pores, the above is all just about general skin health.  The idea is: You’ve gotta lot of crap on (and half-off) your face at the end of the day, the balance is whacked, so you might as well try to get back to a sort of equilibrium for the rest of the evening even if you’re just sitting round the house.

This might sound weird, but I also think it helps give your brain a boost too, to essentially wipe off the first half the day and chill out for the rest.  Or maybe that’s just me.  Anyway – thanks for reading, hope you found a new product or two you want to try, and enjoy the rest of the week!

Questions?  Comments?  Tips for a new product to try?  Gotta tell me about your favorite TV show/movie/book for when I start spiraling?
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