My Favorite Everyday Beauty Products
By the time I hit almost fifty, my approach to everyday beauty products completely changed.
I stopped chasing every new beauty launch.
Not because I stopped caring about skincare or makeup. If anything, I probably appreciate quality products more than I ever have. But somewhere along the way I realized I wasn’t looking for more products anymore. I was looking for fewer decisions.
For years I assumed beauty, and honestly wellness too, required constant upgrading. There was always another ingredient to research, another serum to compare, another routine that promised to work even better.
Eventually I realized I wasn’t actually enjoying any of it. I was just creating more work for myself.
These days, I want products that quietly earn a permanent place in my routine. The ones I reach for automatically because they simply work. These aren’t necessarily the trendiest products in my makeup bag.
They’re just the ones I’ve bought enough times to know I’ll probably buy them again.
1. My Go-To Brown Mascara
L’Oréal Paris Voluminous Balm Mascara (Brown)
Mascara is probably the beauty product I’m least interested in experimenting with. Once I find one I like, I want to stop thinking about mascara altogether.
Right now that’s L’Oréal Paris Voluminous Balm Mascara in Brown.
It gives me enough volume to define my lashes without looking overly dramatic. I don’t want my lashes to walk into the room before I do. I just want them to look a little fuller and a little more awake.
And the brown shade makes a huge difference for me! As a natural redhead with fair skin and freckles, black mascara can sometimes feel harsher than I want. Brown still creates definition, but it blends into my coloring in a way that feels softer and more natural.
Another bonus is that it doesn’t flake halfway through the day, which is surprisingly harder to find than it should be.
I also appreciate that it contains a high percentage of naturally derived ingredients. When I looked it up in the Yuka app, which I use as a guide, not a religion, it scored 83/100. For a mascara I can pick up at Target, that’s a pretty easy yes!
2. The Hair Clips I Use Almost Every Day
Kitsch Creaseless Clips
If you’ve ever seen me coaching, writing, running errands, or showing up on Instagram, there’s a very good chance my hair is in a ballerina bun. And somewhere along the way it quietly became my signature look!
I usually wash my hair, let it air dry for a while, twist it into a bun, and get on with my day.
The only problem? Those little pieces underneath always seem to escape.
And that’s why I love these Kitsch Creaseless Clips.
I originally bought them thinking they’d probably sit in a drawer with every other hair accessory I’ve convinced myself I needed. Instead, I use them constantly. They keep the back of my hair in place without pulling, without leaving dents, and without making me feel like I’m wearing something uncomfortable all day.
They’re one of those purchases that never felt exciting enough to tell anyone about. Until I realized I was reaching for them almost every morning!
Sometimes the products that improve your routine the most are the quiet ones.
3. The Lip Balm That’s Always Within Reach
Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm
This one isn’t glamorous.
Which is probably exactly why I love it.
There’s almost always a tube of Burt’s Bees somewhere within arm’s reach. One lives in my purse, another stays on my desk, there’s usually one in my makeup bag, and I’m fairly certain another one is rolling around somewhere in my car!
Living in Southern California, dry lips are pretty much a year-round thing, so lip balm isn’t something I think about occasionally.
I use it all day.
My favorite versions are Pink Grapefruit, Coconut & Pear, and the original Beeswax. I tend to rotate between them depending on my mood, although Pink Grapefruit is probably the one I reach for most.
And since you’ve probably noticed by now that I like checking things in the Yuka app, I looked this one up too.. It scored 98/100, which made perfect sense once I looked at the ingredient list. It’s simple, effective, and doesn’t try to be anything it isn’t.
Honestly, that’s exactly what I want from a product these days.
What I Think This Is Really About
When I first started writing this post, I thought I was writing about mascara, hair clips, and lip balm.
But the more I sat with it, the more I realize that’s not what this post is about.
I think it’s about getting older—not in the sense of giving up, but in the sense of trusting myself a little more. (How about that?!) There was a time when I genuinely believed there was always something better waiting around the corner. A better product. A better routine. A better version of me if I just kept searching…
Looking back, I can see that mindset showed up in a lot more places than just beauty. It showed up in Motherhood. It showed up in work. It showed up in perfectionism. There was always one more thing to fix before I could finally relax.
These days, I’m much less interested in perfect. I’m interested in what actually works. I want products I genuinely enjoy using. I want routines that make my mornings easier instead of more complicated. Honestly, I’ve started realizing that the smallest acts of self-care often make the biggest difference. And I want fewer decisions! (Can I get an Amen?!)
Maybe that’s one of the unexpected gifts of getting older.
Slowly realizing that simplicity isn’t settling. Sometimes it’s confidence or experience. And sometimes it’s finally trusting yourself enough to stop searching.
Shop This Post
If you’d like to try the products I mentioned:
👁️ L’Oreal Paris Voluminous Balm Mascara
💋 Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm
✨ Kitsch Creaseless Hair Clips
🌸 Browse My Beauty Favorites I Actually Buy Again
Some links may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I genuinely use and love.
She is the creator of The Motherhood Setup, a framework for understanding how the Motherhood Fantasy, Good Girl Conditioning, and Invisible Labor collide to leave so many Mothers overwhelmed. Her work asks what changes when we begin to make the invisible visible, Count the Work, and recognize Motherhood as both a joy and a job.
Explore Dr. Dowling's work on modern Motherhood
- Do You Need a Life Coach—or Just One Really Good Coaching Session? - Oct 5, 2026
- Decision Fatigue: Why Your Brain Feels So Overloaded - Sep 28, 2026
- Good Girl, Bad Mom: For Every Mom Who’s Ever Felt Imperfect - Sep 25, 2026