This post has been one of the most requested posts I’ve ever been asked to write and it took me a long time because I’ve felt hesitant sharing — I am NO makeup artist but I’ve been taking really good care of my skin lately and been harnessing the power of a 5 minute beauty routine that works for everyday life (including mom life!) I stumbled into the natural beauty world after our second miscarriage and it’s changed the way I look at products and made me somewhat of a voice when it comes to more natural solutions in the products that I use.

I’ve been testing natural make up products for a LONG time to try and figure out what actually works, what I love, and what my go-tos are and I’ve been hesitant to share, because I know people feel strongly about how some of these products are sold. Whenever I recommend something or back a product with my name, I always test things for months before sharing because I really stand behind what I share.

I’ve been doing Instagram Live’s while doing my makeup in the morning lately (mostly since it’s usually the only extra 10 minutes I have in my day) and while I am absolutely no make up artist, I am passionate about finding better products for my world. After our fertility struggle and doing tons of research about the products I use on my skin, I realized that my makeup bag was the last to make the shift to a more natural approach. It took me some time, I tested a lot of duds, but I’m finally ready to share my recommendations.

So let’s kick this off with the transparency we wish we saw on our beauty labels and let you know that some of these links are affiliate links (note: I’d share these even if that wasn’t a thing but I teach y’all to get paid for the work you do, so I’m following my own advice after sharing these for months without any links intact!) Purchasing any of the products listed via my links will not charge you any extra money, just think of it as a referral bonus for me to keep on trying new things, testing clean beauty products, and passing along the gems for you.

Cool? Just wanted to throw that out there since nothing feels worse than wondering if someone’s being honest or getting paid to talk about something.

I wanted to hate this

I really wanted to hate these products because I’m no stranger to the DM’s telling me to buy them… I always felt sleazy when someone tried to slide into my DM’s with links to their products without really asking me what I was looking for or what I needed, without taking the time to hear me and instead trying to convince me. I went so far is to fly under the radar and ordered most of these products directly from the websites so that no one could hound me down and try to sell me more.

I can promise you this: my feed will not become one giant make up Ad, I will NEVER slide into your DM’s unless you ask me a question that I can answer and I will never, ever sell you the “business” opportunity behind the products. That’s not why I am doing this. I will just do little round-up posts when/if anything changes but I wanted a landing page so when someone asks me my faves, I have a list with full and honest explanations, plain and simple.

I am sharing these because I truly love them and while I do get an affiliate commission for some of the products linked below, I have been sharing them sans links through DMs for months upon months whenever someone asks what I use and knew it was silly to miss out when these are the exact products in my makeup bag. Don’t ever worry that you’ll be sold to by me beyond my true recommendations – that’s not how I roll.

Face makeup

Hydrating Foundation: I have tried just about every “clean” foundation out there and I’ve liked some but never LOVED one… until this one. I remember the first day I tried it, I texted ten friends to get it. It was the first foundation that was buildable (meaning more coverage for where you need it) and it gives an air-brush finish that actually lasts all day. I have not found a product better than this, dare I say it’s life-changing?

Concealer: Postpartum life has me struggling with hormonal breakouts on my neck and jawline and of course, I need a hand with those bags under my eyes on the mornings following the nights when Coco decided to hang out at 3AM.

Setting Powder: This brand sent me some of their natural makeup to try and I really love this setting powder. It compliments the foundation and concealer above and helps make sure my face isn’t too shiny while helping hold the makeup to last all day! You can use JENNA10 to save 10%. I love this setting powder!

Runner Up: Multi-Action Moisturizer: I really do like this for covering up any blemishes and think it’s an awesome more affordable option for clean face makeup plus it has an SPF in it. I don’t know if I was just one shade off but I felt like I needed to still mix it with one of the above options to match my shade and the coverage I was looking for but it’s still an amazing option.

Cheeks, Bronze, Highlight

If I had to leave the house in 5 minutes, I would do face makeup (the ones listed above) and then throw on some blush and bronzer and call it a day… that’s really what I’d choose. I know some of y’all are mascara girls, but give me a little dimension, a little bronze and I feel pulled together enough to leave my humble abode.

Bronzer: I’m a Minnesota gal who craves sunshine but wears a LOT of SPF so bronzer is my BFF to capture that glow without the harmful rays. A little of this goes a long way! I usually dust under my cheekbones, my hairline, my temples, the sides of my nose, and my jaw to not just add warmth but a little contouring!

Blush: I was recently watching an Instagram makeup guru talk about how bronzer and blush are like the instant facelift and to not skip these steps — so, sign me up! A little rosy cheek is a necessity in my book and for the ten seconds it takes to achieve it, it’s worth the step! Just a tiny bit on the apples of my cheeks and voila!

Highlighter: This premium highlighter doesn’t look like you just put a bright streak of makeup on your cheeks. It catches the light without looking too obvious and I use it on my cheeks, the inner corners of my eyes, my cupids bow, and right at the tip of my nose. It’s beautiful and so easy to apply (my fave!)

Eyes

Liquid Powder Eye Tint: This classic sheen shadow is my ultimate fave – The copper bronze shade is the perfect blend for mixing it up each day based on what I’m up to or whatever sort of look I’m going for. Crafted with skin-smoothing horse chestnut flower and antioxidant-rich magnolia bark extract, it’s literally a weightless treat for my eyelids!

Brows: Okay, people ask me about my eyebrows all of the time (and yes, they are au natural) but I do help them out a little bit. I use this brow pencil which is perfect for filling in the areas that need it. Believe it or not, but my brows are actually pretty coarse so I only use this if I’m doing a really light makeup to accentuate my eyes more.

Mascara: I wanted to love Beautycounter mascara but I just didn’t…. I don’t know what it was about it but I felt like it always smudged or it didn’t totally coat my lashes as well as others and so mascara is the one area that I still haven’t found a perfect non-toxic option for which is a bummer. I am just ordered a tube of Juice Beauty mascara and I’ll report back soon!

Lips

Lip Balm: It’s no secret that my fave lip balm is Primally Pure and I have it ever iteration and have them planted all around the house, my car, the diaper bag, my purse… you name it, I can probably pull out a tube of this and this is my go-to from sun up to sun down for chapstick.

Lipstick: If I made a list of “questions I get asked on Instagram daily” my lip colors would be up there! I love adding lipstick each day which makes me laugh because I used to tease my mom who would always use the rearview mirror to brighten her lips before we went anywhere… now I am turning into my mother! A pop of color on your lip makes you look alive, I swear!

Where to start with natural makeup

My three favorite brands that I’ve tested and shared above are: Crunchi, W3LLPeople, and A’Del Natural Cosmetics. It honestly was hard to figure out what I loved, what didn’t work for me, and where to really start in order to make the shift.

It’s overwhelming when you really start digging into all of the natural beauty world. You might feel like I did and want to grab a big trash bag and throw everything away – I know that’s tempting – but what I would recommend is just start small. Finish the products you have so you aren’t wasting them and then when you run out start to make better swaps. For me, I felt really passionate about transitioning the products that sat on my skin so my face makeup was the first swap I made and it took me awhile to find the combination that gave me enough coverage.

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Want more all-natural non-toxic beauty recommendations? 

Click here to see my favorite skincare products that I swear by