100 Layer Cake's "You Can Only Have One: Beauty Edition"

My absolute GOAT picks for beauty and hair, inspired by Hilary Kerr's post, YCOHO

The “best eye cream,” the “best lip color,” the “most comfortable underwear”… we’ve all Googled terms like this, in search of that life changing product. I sort of pride myself on being an obsessive researcher for all the best things to enhance my life, beauty, home, body and mind. So while reading Hilary’s YCOHO picks, my own list automatically came to mind. I’ve honed this list of my absolute favorite ‘desert island’ beauty essentials, and today I’m sharing them with you. And I really really want to hear about your YCOHO picks too!

Let’s start with makeup. I don’t wear much, unless I’m going out. I often opt for a less-is-more natural approach to makeup for everyday. I like to really care for my skin, so I don’t have to pack on makeup. Here are my favorites to achieve a natural-but-more-vibrant glow.

Unretouched photo of moi at 45, wearing the makeup listed here. (and good natural light!)

MAKEUP

Lips: Everyday - Bisou Balm ($28) / Going Out - Signature Lip ($26)

For maybe 20 years, I have used Burts Bees Lip Color in Raisin or Cherry, when I want rosier lips, like I just came out of the sun (or had a passionate kiss!). It has a peppermint flavor, and a slight comforting tingle. I know you’ve walked by it at the drugstore, but if you haven’t tried it, it’s good. And it’s only $5.

BUT recently, I fell 1000% in love with a natural lip color on Instagram, that has the most PERFECT hue. Like, perfect. I actually wear it every day, because it makes my face look more alive and I get excited to put it on (yep, it doesn’t take much, folks). It tints your lips, rather than coating them, and feels like you’re wearing literally nothing, but it looks amazingly beautiful on.

It’s called Bisou Balm, so it makes me feel chic and French too. I wear the Betise color, and am going to buy the Amour Fou. And I definitely plan to dip into Violette’s other French products. We all know the French know pretty much everything about beauty.

Bisou Balm in Betise

For a more dramatic nighttime look, I use a super lightweight Signature Lip lipstick in Vermilion, a warm red. It doesn’t smudge and doesn’t feel heavy, but does make me feel a bit like a sex kitten. A nude favorite is Charlotte Tillbury’s Pillow Talk.

Concealer and Foundation: Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick ($38)

Yes, I’m another one of those cult fans of Merit (nope, not sponsored), ever since their debut. Not because I like to do what everyone else is doing, but the stuff really is good, and it’s clean. And it’s not crazy expensive. I used to use Westman Atelier, which is great, but man it’s pricey.

Merit hits all the notes and makes my makeup routine quick and easy. I LOVE the Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick. I use 2 different colors: a lighter one for under my eyes and eyelids, and a shade darker shade to match the rest of my face…because a natural looking face shouldn’t be one monotone color - it needs a little variance to look really truly natural. I only use this where I need it, not covering my whole face. Then I blend it with this luxuriously soft brush that buffs into my skin. When I want a super lightweight tint with SPF, I use Saie’s Slip Tint, tinted moisturizer.

Cheeks: Sun Melt bronzer ($32) / BeachPlease Cream blush ($20)

Yep, tried every product under the sun for cheeks, in search of the most natural sun-kissed look. Under my cheekbones, I use Saie’s viral cream-balm bronzer, Sun Melt. And then for the rosy glow, I’ve experimented with maybe 20 different ones and landed on Tower 28’s BeachPlease Cream blush or Flush Balm on the apples of my cheeks, and continue a little of it all the way onto the bridge of my nose (where the sun hits). I look like I just returned home from vacation, rested and sun-kissed, which is exactly the vibe I’m going for!

Mascara: Merit’s Clean Lash Lengthening Mascara ($26)

I’ve tried allll the mascaras. The $60 ones, the $5 ones, and am currently a fan of Merit’s Clean Lash Lengthening Mascara. It lengthens and lifts beautifully, and doesn’t ever smudge, which is big for me with my hooded eyes. And it’s clean too. Readers on Hilary Kerr’s post mention Maybelline’s The Falsies, which I want to try for a more dramatic nighttime look.

Brows: Westman Atelier Brown Defining Pencil in Slate ($38)

Eyeshadow-liner 2 in 1: Solo Shadow ($24)

I don’t wear any eyeshadow unless I’m headed out on the town. Then it’s the Solo Shadow as a soft smokey liner near my upper and/or lower lash line and use a brush to blend it.

Liquid eyeliner: Ilia Clean Line Liquid Eyeliner ($28)

For a little more drama, sometimes I’ll sweep Ilia’s Clean Line Liquid Eyeliner on my lash line for a sultry French cat eye. It’s the best I’ve tried and glides on perfectly. It’s clean too.

My whole daytime makeup routine takes me a little over 5 minutes, so it’s perfect for people-on-the-go like me!

FACIAL CARE

cleansing oil ($42)

foaming cleanser ($29)

toner ($36)

exfoliator ($125, a small jar is $42)

nighttime moisturizing cream ($70)

serum ($195)

SPF 50 and moisturizer combo ($50)

Now, to take off said makeup and get bare-faced for bed, I have 2 different routines, depending on how much time I have to devote to my skin. Most of the time, it’s just this Vitamin B Enzyme cleansing oil with antioxidants, that I have used for years. It melts away makeup and smells amazing, and I use it with this reusable makeup remover pad or a washcloth and warm water.

Then followed by a toner, whatever eye cream I have on hand, and this wonderfully calming and deeply moisturizing cream. Natural herbal scents are BIG for me and really influence how I feel, so it’s important that I love that aspect too.

Let’s talk eye cream. I have tried every eye cream on the market, and I feel like they all work the same. UNLESS you have one that you swear by…and are willing to let me know in the comments! (Please, please! These old eye sockets need some help).

In the morning to prep my skin, all I do is either a bit of toner or a splash of warm water, and my favorite SPF 50 and moisturizer combo that smells fresh and protects and nourishes my skin during the day.

My longer 20-minute facial cleansing and age-defying routine

Other times when my face needs some more TLC, I will do a more thorough routine that feels luxurious, which is as follows:

Step 1: Rub in Vitamin B Enzyme cleansing oil on my face with fingers, wipe off with a warm wash cloth.

Step 2: Apply Easy Does It Foaming Cleanser and wash off for a more thorough clean. Then a quick 5 minute red light treatment.

Step 3: Next, I apply this Microderm Instant Glow Exfoliator, and ohhh it’s quite literally a facial in a bottle. My skin is instantly smoothed and glowing from the chemical and physical exfoliant combo, but still gentle. I could just stop my routine here. I use this stuff a couple times a week and it’s ridiculous how good my skin looks after. I do a quick sweep of this micro needling tool over my face to get the next few products really soaked into my pores and to increase collagen production. On the days I don’t use the exfoliator, then I use this peptide serum.

Step 4: Now that my face is free of any dead skin and can really absorb products, I apply this luxurious collagen sheet mask with the retinol-alternative bakuchiol to get my face nice and plump.

Step 5: Probably my most worshipped product in this lineup, the cult favorite Vintner’s Daughter Active Botanical Serum, is culty for a reason. It’s pricey but lasts forever and quite literally has transformed my skin. Plus THE SMELL, MY GOD it’s good. I know, it’s a splurge. But you gotta splurge somewhere and this one is worth it.

Step 6: Whichever eye cream I have on hand. I’ve tried a bunch. They’re all fine and seem to work the same. But again, if you’re holding out on me for your favorite one, please mention in the comments!

HAIR

I naturally have those coarse, puffy and somewhat frizzy strands with lots of flyaways (aren’t you jealous?). And I have a lot of them. The only things that keep them in check is my little arsenal:

shampoo and conditioner (from $29)

If you can splurge a bit on your shampoo/conditioner, may I recommend Prose. It’s customized to your hair type and weather where you live (whoa, next level). Fussy? Sure, but the best hair is what we’re going for here, amiright?

hair mask ($55)

A couple times a week, I do a hair mask and this one is amazing. It’s thick and luxurious and has lots of nutrients.

leave-in conditioner ($29)

The best I’ve tried so far for extra detangling and smoothing.

style-prep smoother ($35)

I need all the smoothing help I can get, and this one smells incredible and does the job.

blow dry mist ($66)

The best de-frizzer mist I know. Kinda pricey, but YCOHO and it’s the best. Spray it on right before you blow dry and say goodbye to the puff.

blow dryer ($599)

I used to get frequent blowouts at the Drybar, but when the pandemic hit, my husband bought me a…Dyson Air Wrap (yep, you knew it) and my at-home hair has never been the same. I’m sorry to report it’s as good as everyone says it is. And it’s saved me loads on professional blowouts, so I feel the price is justified.

dry shampoo ($39)

I only wash my hair a couple of times per week, so dry shampoo is a must. I’ve tried at least 12 different ones, and this one truly makes my hair feel and look the cleanest and has a pleasant scent. Plus the bottle lasts forever. A good runner up is this one if you don’t want an aerosol, and the smell on this is perfection.

sleep hair cap ($85)

Do you need a fancy silk hair cap that makes you look like a 1950’s housewife while you sleep? YES you do. If you have crazy flyaway hair like mine, that gets wild during slumber, that is. I brush my hair, then twirl it around into two little low buns and shove it up in this cap and somehow awaken to soft, ready-to-go hair with the perfect amount of wave in the right places. I don’t know how, but it works like a charm every time. It’s weird. Literal morning lifesaver. (Disclaimer: this cap paired with a teeth night guard isn’t the cutest way to say goodnight to a husband though).

BODY

deodorant ($20)

I’ve used Salt and Stone deodorant for 5 years and I still love it to pieces. The scents, the odor protection. You won’t smell like baby powder or sporty detergent, but rather bergamot, hinoki, vetiver, neroli, basil or black rose and oud. They are sexy and fresh. I’ve gifted these to friends for Christmas (is that weird?), because it’s one of those luxuries that you didn’t know you needed until you have it.

razor ($10)

PSA: Billie razors are better than Flamingo, Venus or any of those others at Target. Just take my word for it.

scrub ($48 for a big tub)

Many scrubs work about the same, but I like this one because of the natural scent, and it’s ultra nourishing. It feels like a mini trip to the spa when I use it, and I’ll take as many spa feels as I can these days.

bath salt ($10)

No need to go super fancy here. I love Pursoma bath salts, and while you can buy expensive versions on other sites, Target carries a big herbal salty bag of eucalyptus-mint, or lavender, or ginger for a little over $9. It incorporates essential oils, so no fake herbal fragrances here. Pair this with a tub of that Osea body scrub, a face mask and mug of detox tea and bam, you’ve created a high end spa feel at home.

body/hand lotion ($40)

Mango butter, Kokum butter, Moringa oil, Borage oil, avocado oil, coconut oil. You can also use it as a hair mask or to smooth ends, as a cuticle treatment, and on your face too. Plus it’s great for babies. Need I say more? I have 3 jars of this around the house.

And that’s what I use for beauty/hair/body. If you want to see all the products in one spot, head here. Sooo curious if you’ve tried some of these, and what you think. And dying to know what items you’d choose if You Can Only Have One!

Jot ‘em down in the comments for others to see…

And if you have a sec to like this post too, that would mean a lot! xx