Confession: I wear makeup when I’m camping!

by Rori Greene

Published Jul 12, 2019

Working at the Beautylish HQ in San Francisco means that I spend my weekdays surrounded by tons of amazing products and then I spend my weekends getting myself to some of the most beautiful natural wonders of California. It may sound like a disconnect — but while some people may want to go full-Thoreau in the wilderness, I don’t think ditching your beauty routine entirely is required to be in great outdoors.

In fact, one of the last camping trips I went on was with a group of awesome women I met through Trail Mavens. I’ll admit that I was a little nervous that they might think I was too ‘girly’ or not ‘tough enough’ if they saw me putting on makeup, but my fears were unfounded. No one judged me and we ended up talking about skincare routines around the campfire. No one’s beauty routine, or lack thereof, should ever keep them from enjoying the beauty of nature.

As long as you leave no trace, bring what makes you feel good and don’t let anyone make you feel guilty about it! Here’s my beauty-while-hiking breakdown.

When I wake up among the redwoods in Mendocino, (and after a cup of coffee), I reach for products that won’t make a mess, that are easy to apply, and that have a maximum impact:

It Cosmetics CC Cream with SPF 50+: It evens out my skin tone and lasts through my sweatiest hikes. When it comes to sun protection, I find it performs just as well (or better) than any standalone sunscreen I’ve used.

A defined brow helps me look put together in my cliff-side selfies. Hourglass Arch Brow Volumizing Fiber Gel is super easy to apply—I hardly need a mirror—and the range of shades means I can find the best match to make my brows pop in a natural way, (my shade is Warm Blonde).

I finish with a swipe of COOLA Tinted Mineral Liplux SPF 30 in Nude Beach – I have sensitive skin, so mineral sunscreen is a must, even for my lips! This has a higher SPF than most lip products and provides a bit of color, so it’s always in my pocket when I’m outside.

Just because I put on some makeup doesn’t mean I’m not hitting the trails hard during the day. After hiking up cliffs in Big Sur, it takes some effort to recover when I get back to camp:

I may skip showers, but I still want to take off my makeup and a day’s worth of trail dust! The 100 ml size of Bioderma Sensibio H2O is perfect for travel. Plus, a couple cotton rounds are easy to dispose of—pack it in, pack it out!

As tired as I may be after a day outside, it can be tough to get a good night’s sleep in a tent. Mixing a Moon Juice Dream Dust Sachet into my campfire cocoa helps me drift off under the stars so I’ll wake up as bright-eyed and bushy tailed as the wildlife around me.

Before I crawl into my sleeping bag, I brush out my wind-blown hair, use some R + Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo to keep the sweat in check, and put my hair in a bun for the night. The result in the morning is textured waves that look fresh (even if they don’t feel so fresh).