white woman wednesday: tuesday edition, issue 2: beauty routine

hello gamers and goblins. i'm back here with another one of these.

to update you from last edition, it turns out that my diet and the ovasitol WAS a success! my H1C is back down to where it was 2 years ago. it went from like 6.1 to 5.2 which is crazy. so i'll keep doing what i'm doing and keep that up!

the theme of 2024 has been about taking care of myself. possibly sparked by my mom passing late last year? that's why this year i went to a dermatologist and got my IUD and tubes removed and all that. the dermatologist thing was for rosacea. i had always had Rosy Cheeks but it was getting steadily worse over time. i never had any kind of skin care routine before like late last year into this year. but i started one! unless you have persisting problems, it's easy to ignore until your 30s. but we're there. so we have to do something about it.

anyway. the routine. mine isn't as elaborate but it's something of a routine now.

morning:

• comb hair. i should maybe get a different hair brush. i tried a boar bristle style one and i have never liked it, but maybe a detangler one would be okay?
• brush teeth. electric toothbrushes (the kind that plug into a wall, not the battery powered ones) REALLY do make a difference. plus they have timers in them so you brush the optimal amount of time! technology really is amazing
• hop in the shower
• i tried weaning myself off shampoo, since i don't style my hair and don't use products, just to kind of preserve natural oils and maybe hope my hair wouldn't get so greasy so fast. i have fine hair that's probably on the dry side. i only got to about once a week before i was like "fuck it, i'll just listen to what my hair says and wash as needed". that has roughly translated to shampooing twice a week.
• i use verb ghost shampoo and conditioner. they're really nice and lightweight! a little on the expensive side though. it's mostly conditioner i go through, because while i don't shampoo every day, i do a manual wash with a little conditioner. a little scrubby scrubby on my scalp and moisturize the ends.
• i use just some olay moisture ribbons body wash, which is getting harder to find these days? i used to use dove but it was too drying and i would chafe under my boobs. this stuff is extremely moisturizing while not drying me out! unless i've gotten really dirty or sweaty, i just do the essentials: pits, underboob, under tummy, crotch, butt, back of my thighs. all of those areas need attention. i don't use a loofah, just my hands. it's fine! It Does The Job. i am not afraid of touching my own body
• on saturdays i shave my legs. it's exhausting to shave every day, but once a week is a decent compromise. i used to not shave during the winter in particular, but a) it's a hassle when the warmer weather comes and then i do need to shave; upkeep is easier and b) i feel more groomed when my legs are shaved. i know, i know, something something marketing women to be hairless to appeal to men, but listen: my spouse doesn't care one way or the other, and i am a fan of the bush.
• i wash my face with special prescription sulfur wash. my insurance covers it so it's only $7 for a huge ass bottle that legit lasts months. i rub my rosacea prone areas (cheeks and forehead) and rinse. i have to remember to take my silver wedding band off because the SULFUR Makes it TARNISH. TERRIBLE. it also makes my face smell like eggs. but boy has it given results!
• out of the shower
• face time! i put on azaleiac acid or whatever it's called, not looking it up right now. a dab on my rosecea prone areas and patted in. i use the ordinary brand which is pretty inexpensive
• then i use an eye cream from tarte
• because it's winter, i put on a little lotion on my face. i typically get dressed and then see where looks dry, but i use about a quarter to half the amount i use at night to just pap my face and give it a little Moisture
• also because it's winter, i've been putting lotion on my hands too...and lip balm too

if it's a makeup day, i.e. for work and/or for going out...

• my go to now is a tarte dual stick, one side is eyeliner and the other is an eyeshadow. i like dark brown for eyeliner rather than black; i only use black if it's a Real Night Out. the eyeshadow is a light gold color? i usually blend the two for a sorta smokey eye look. badly. i'm not actually that good at makeup
• i use the tarte gifted mascara. simple, waterproof, and effective
• now that my rosacea is under control, i don't typically wear foundation, but i got a really well color matched one from tarte. i'm still thinking that i need some kind of moisturizing primer underneath so i don't look so spotty/cakey. or maybe i just need to load it on. i am never really sure what the right approach is. i also have a decent matching tarte concealer as well
• LIPSTICK. i want to become a lipstick girlie. i have a shimmery mauvey purple toned one that i inherited from my mom. luckily they still sell it at the drugstore; just a revlon stick called goldpearl plum. i had an old sephora matte stick that i liked, but it's kinda dried up and i hate the texture. it was basically my natural lipshade but a shade darker pink. so i went to try to get color matched and they gave me one that was a little too pinky for everyday...BUT i trusted my instincts and JUST Ordered one online that came in TODAY and it's THE CORRECT SHADE. 20 never ending in their satin lineup. it's also pretty moisturizing too, my lips didn't feel too dry and it lasted most of the day. there is a wisdom to just go for drugstore lipsticks until you find the shade that speaks to you though.
• even if i wear foundation i don't really wear blush. i already have naturally rosy cheeks so i don't need it
• i SHOULD Be penciling my eyebrows a bit since i have None Brows but haven't quite gotten to that stage yet
• if i'm going out on the town i will probably wear some kind of glitter eyeshadow

in the evening...

• if i wore make up, i have a gentle oil based cleanser to clean off my foundation. if it's just eye make up, i use regular make up remover
• splash my face with water, dab dry with a cotton cloth
• azaelic acid papped on
• brush teeth
• then i put on my heavy duty dermalogica repair cream that is stupid expensive but goes on so nicely and is quite moisturizing...it is unfortunately worth the $65 that i pay for it. it has gotten me sephora rouge benefits
• eye cream
• scalp massager with the little massager...then i comb my hair
• hand lotion because it's winter
• lip balm...because it's winter

i dunno, i like routines. this isn't much for a beauty routine really, but it's more than i ever used to have. makes me feel like an adult. it's nice. as an aside, i got a couple samples for foundation today and tried them on each side of my face. a kat von d one and some other brand? the kat von d one makes my face itchy and i can feel it, where i can't really perceive the other one. they both have that weird patchy look though, of either "my face is too dry" or "i didn't put enough on". hard to tell.