Ask Allie: My Beauty Routine

I have wavy hair like yours and I was wondering if you could tell me how you styled it and the products you used.

I wash and condition with either L’Oreal Vive Pro or Pureology Hydrate. Pureology is far better than L’Oreal – thicker, richer, kinder to the hair and keeps color far longer but L’Oreal is a fraction of a price. Lately I have been DIY with haircolor which is cheaper and temporary, so I don’t feel as bad about cheating with L’Oreal.

For Straight/Slightly Wavy Styles
While damp, I put either a pea size amount of Fekkai Advanced Glossing Creme or a few sprays of Neil George Detangle Nourishing Spray on it. I do the Fekkai Creme when the weather is super dry and I am more prone to flyaways, the Neil George when life is more humid. Then I use a wood-bristle brush (this one from Body Shop, I have replaced it multiple times but have been using the same style one for over a decade) and dry with this hair dryer (no nozzle or fancy things).

I dry starting with my bangs, since they can get the most jacked up by air drying. I read in a magazine once that Ted Gibson styled Reese Witherspoon’s bangs by using a paddle brush and swiping back and forth like windshield wipers while pointing the dryer nozzle straight down on them. Then the rest is done pretty haphazardly while reading Rolling Stone or a book via Kindle app on my phone. I usually brush the hair away from my face when drying to get it to wave and twist nicely around my head. When dry, I use this flat iron on 390 degrees and will smooth the parts I missed and give a bit of wave where needed. When finished, I do a few spritz of the Neil George Spray and finger-comb it in to separate and add shine.

For Curly Styles
Curly hair only really works on me when it’s humid. Late summer, rainy days… that’s when my hair wants to loop de loop. I wash my hair at night – same shampoo, and then about 6 spritzes of Neil George. Scrunch, let air dry, get bedhead, go crazy. In the morning my hair is about 60% fabulous curls and 40% stringy Kip Winger hair. So I use this curling iron on it, always curling away from the face. Since bangs don’t work well with this method, I curl them into the rest of the hair away from the brow, parting in the middle. When they are really bed-heady, I sometimes pull the bangs to the side and clip them. Once the hair is curled and set, a few more spritzes of Neil George and very gentle finger combing to break up curls and make it cohesive.

I love your blush! It makes you look really cheery and healthy and natural? Would you do a tutorial for us?

I use this brush from Trish McEvoy, and my blush is NARS Orgasm. I apply my foundation then concealer, I set it with a very light matte bronzing powder (currently this one from Rimmel). Then I swirl the blush brush in Orgasm, swirl in circles towards the ears, while smiling so it mainly hits the apple of my cheeks, and up towards the ears.

I've been pondering for a few months how I can wear red lipstick …. and have it stick around. The times I've tried, it has faded (or rubbed away into an awkward looks-like-lip-liner line of red, and an otherwise-neutral lip) quickly. You often wear very opaque lip color … how do you manage to make it stick around and not smear all over your face?

I first dab my lips with powder so they are pretty dry, and use a dry or matte formula of lipstick or these balm stains from Revlon. I keep the lipstick in the pocket of my outfit so I have it available each time I stop by the bathroom or end up in the mirrored elevator by myself so I can reapply quickly. After applying, I suck on my index finger to get any lipstick off the inner lips so it won’t get on my teeth.

 

What is your skincare routine? You have great skin and we are similar ages.

In the evening, I wash my face with CeraVe. Sometimes I wash with my hands, sometimes with my Clarisonic Mia. I use this eye cream from Mary Kay, put Roc Retinol night treatment on, a layer of L’Oreal Youth Code Serum, rub it in until it’s dry, and then a layer of night cream. Right now I am using the L’Oreal Collagen cream because it was on mega sale at Drugstore.com and I had used it before and liked how it hydrated without feeling at all greasy.

In the morning, I wipe my face with Thayer’s Rose Witch Hazel and apply the same Mary Kay eye cream. I then take one scoop of this Vitamin C powder from Philosophy and mix it in my palm with two squirts of L’Oreal Youth Code serum and apply to my face. If I wear BB Cream, that’s all I do, if I wear foundation or just concealer I do a layer of Olay SPF 15.

About once a week I do some sort of exfoliation, usually via a sample that came with a purchase. However lately I have been using this microdermabrasion kit from Mary Kay and I really like it.

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