My Skin Care Routine: Morning and Night

I've had a few friends lately ask me lately about what cosmetics and skincare products I personally use. It's funny, with all the reviews I do you would figure I would have touched on what I actually use day to day; but I never have talked about it. So, today I decided to make up a little explanation of my skincare and makeup routine. First, here are the products I use in the morning:

1. Washing my face every morning is essential, and I will admit that I have to change which product I use for this fairly often - my face seriously becomes immune to things over time so I have to switch it up. I always wash my face while I'm in the shower and for the past several months I've used the Neutrogena Facial Bar. I only started using this out of necessity - I ran out of my other soap I was using at the time and I had gotten a bunch of these for free with a coupon deal, so I pulled one out and it's been magic ever since. I really can't believe that something as simple (and cheap) as this would work so well, but I am completely addicted. It is perfect for my skin and it only costs $2 at pretty much any store.
2. Ever since Bloom sent my a sample of this in my ambassador box back in August, I have become the Lily. B poster child. This is the Lily. B Red Tea Defense Hydrating Serum and it really helps with my combination type skin. I always end up with a few flaky dry spots on my face after washing, so I use this on those spots and you would never know I had any dryness problems.
3. Another Lily. B product from my Bloom box. This is the Lily. B Multi-Action Rescue Ultra Eye Cream and it really lives up to its name. This hydrates under my eyes and helps smooth out the wrinkles that are starting to show up.
4. The Yes To Tomatoes Acne Roller Ball Spot Stick has turned into my new secret weapon. I won't lie and say it's a miracle zit zapper, but it is definitely the best product I've ever used for reducing redness and helping heal the zits. Even my husband will go grab this out of the cabinet and ask me to put it on him :)
5. I am a very big believer in moisturizer. I use some everyday even if I'm not going to wear makeup. Keeping your skin hydrated will help combat wrinkles. Currently, I'm using a sample of Lily. B 24/7 Defense Daily Moisturizer and I really like it. Before I started using that though, I was a devout user of Olay Pro-X Clear Complexion Renewing Lotion which I will go back to once this sample of Lily. B is gone. The Olay gives great moisture without making you greasy. It even feels more like a primer than a lotion.
6. I have really bad dark circles under my eyes and normal concealers just look gunky under there on me, so I use the Garnier Anti-Dark-Circle Eye Roller. It doesn't heal my dark circles (mine are cause by allergies and other internal issues so I've accepted that they will just always be there),  but the slight tinting really helps me not to look like I'm deathly ill :) This is another product that I use everyday even if I don't wear makeup.
7. I have been addicted to the Urban Decay Eye Shadow Primer Potion ever since I was first introduced to it when I was 17. It works amazingly well and I have never found another eye shadow primer that worked better, so I've always stuck with it. For those of you who may not be familiar with eye shadow primer, you need to buy this stuff right now. Put it on before you apply eye shadow and not only does it hydrate your lid, it makes the shadow show up the same color on your skin as it looks in the palette. I can't live without this stuff.
8. My foundation is another product that changes fairly regularly. My skin will become immune to it over time. Right now I'm really enjoying my Cargo Oil Free Foundation. This was my first product that I really just relied on the Bloom Best4U recommendation app and I am so glad that I did (learn about the app here). This really does reduce oil in your skin and I look so much less shiny than I used to before using this.
9. Years ago, I used nothing but Bare Essentuals Mineral Makeup line, but over time my skin became immune to it and it just didn't cover anything anymore. The one thing I still love is their original Mineral Veil powder. It's' a very light color and just adds a nice polish on top of my foundation. I always get it at Sephora when they get the limited edition jumbo size once a year.
10. Before I do anything fancy to my eyes, I almost always start with Brulé from Mac. This is honestly the best base color I've ever found for my skin tone and I just use it all over my eye to even things out before applying color.
11. Once the Brulé is on, I usually just use one other color on my lid. I've always been a big fan of Twinks from Mac which is a pinky burgundy brown with a slight shimmer and still use that very often. Lately, I've been on more of a true brown kick and I've been using Twice Baked from Urban Decay. Both Mac and Urban Decay are hands down my favorite eye shadows - they apply so smooth and have very solid and bold colors.
12. This is absolutely something I can't live without. The Physician's Formula Eye Booster 2 in 1 Eyeliner and Serum in black is a joy to use. It has a felt tip applicator and it is so easy to hold steady - it's like using an actual pen on your eye. I always make sure I have a spare of this so I don't run out.
13. I like to use a crayon style eyeliner on my bottom lash line and in a lighter color so it's not so harsh looking. I use Mary Kay Eyeliner in Steely. The charcoal gray compliments the black I use on top but isn't as hard of a line. I can smudge this into my lash line so look a bit more natural. Also, it's self sharpening :)
14. I'm super picky about mascara, and I have really hit the jackpot with this one. It's L'Oréal Double Extend Lash Boosting Serum + Mascara in black. I used to use the serum first and then put the black over top, but I really like it with just using the black and it looks just as good but it takes less time. This really volumizes your lashes and gives them definition at the same time. No clumps! It makes me so happy I want to dance :) Clumps are my biggest pet peeve about mascara.
15. I am not exactly a huge blush user even though I do wear it everyday. I use just a little bit on the sides of my cheeks for contour. I've had a long relationship with Cargo Blush. No joke, my mom bought me this blush when I was 16 and I'm still using it (the shade I have is called Mendocino). This is a little pricey, but not when you consider how long it lasts. It's the perfect amount of coverage and you can build it up if you want a more defined color out of it.

And here is what I use every night:

1. Before anything else I have to take off my eye makeup. Since I use mostly waterproof products, I have to use an oil based remover and I love the Sonia Kashuk Remove. It gets everything off really well and it's also easier to get than others I have liked. I used to use Mac's remover, but I couldn't always drive to Orlando when I needed more, so when I found this at Target I was hooked. It's also only $10 so it's a better value all around than the Mac.
2. Another Target find, the e.l.f.Makeup remover Cleansing Cloths are a must have. These are all around the best cleansing cloth I've tried - they don't irritate my eyes, they get everything off and they only cost $3 per pack of 30. I always stock up on these.
3. Yep, the Yes To Tomatoes Roller Ball again. I use it at night to fight blemishes that appeared during the day.
4. And yes, the Lily. B Eye Cream again too. You can never have enough eye hydration! Plus this smells really nice while you fall asleep :)
5. The LashFood Natural Eyelash Conditioner is kind of a little treat. I was given this in a Bloom box months ago to review and since there's plenty left in the bottle, I've continued using it. I really like it and a little extra nutrition on the lashes can't hurt.
6. The NIA24 Rapid Depigmentation Serum is another Bloom box item left over after a review. I got good results at evening out my skin tone with it so I've continued using it. 
7. I always finish off my nightly routine by putting on lip balm. It kind of depends on my mood and what I've been using more at the time, but lately I choose between these 3: Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment, eos Smooth Sphere in Lemon Drop and Pangea Organics in Pyrenees Lavender with Cardamom. All of these make my lips nice and soft throughout the night and they all smell great.

So, now the secret is out :) Honestly I always thought of myself as a low maintenance type gal but now that I see everything laid out like this I'm starting to question that. All in all my routines don't take me long at all. Obviously the morning takes a bit longer, but still only about 25 minutes start to finish. It only takes me 10 minutes at night and that's mostly because I like to brush my teeth for longer than the average person (about 5 minutes).

Like I said throughout the post, I do have to change my products every few months, so this list is certainly not permanent. Plus the perk of being a Bloom Ambassador is that I'm constantly getting to try out new products and some of them (as you can see) end up becoming incorporated in my daily routine.

So, hopefully someone out there finds this interesting :) If nothing else, this counts as one massive product review list. And you know all of them get good reviews from me since I use them everyday.

Have you tried any of these products? Let us know if you've had any experiences with these!