The EastCoaster

By: Sophia Cossitt-Levy

Much to my dismay, I have never been a morning person. I’d love to be the type of person who wakes up at 5 AM and goes for a run or hurries off (in an aesthetically pleasing way, of course) to pilates as the sun comes up. Instead, my runs happen in the evening, and I go to pilates and other assorted workout classes at 4:30 PM at the earliest. However, with my summer internship that starts at 9 AM, I have been working on becoming more of a morning person. So, welcome to my morning routine – my not-a-morning-person-morning-routine. 

Photo: Pinterest, ts_dary

My alarm goes off at 7 AM. It’s a full twenty minutes before I need to get up, but this is the goal. I need time to get my bearings, recognize that the day is starting, and finish waking up. My dad, who is my fellow night owl, and I frequently refer to this process as “defrosting.” I saw the term on an Instagram post, and it made so much sense that it stuck. My alarm is the radio, so I’m often listening to some of my favorite songs or a funny conversation between radio hosts, which I think is a nice way to start my day. I also check the morning report that my watch sends me. It lets me know how I’ve slept, my energy levels, the weather, and my fitness goals for the day. It’s a recent purchase that I’m thoroughly obsessed with. 

Photo: Pinterest, Yandaa_N

Once it’s time to actually stand up, I have to brush my teeth before I do anything else. It makes me feel a little bit fresher. Then, it’s time for breakfast. More often than not, my mom and I have breakfast together. In this case, she makes us scrambled eggs with veggies and herbs sprinkled in. We have sides of toast and either roasted potatoes or another vegetable that’s growing in abundance in her garden. Being that I’m not a fan of coffee (shocking, right? You’d think I’d be addicted), I drink iced black tea mixed with lemonade instead. 

On the mornings that we don’t have breakfast together, I boil two eggs in my egg cooker—the most genius contraption that I own. You can boil eggs, poach them, or even make an omelette with it. I like to boil them so that the yolk is still a little runny and then slather some butter on a bagel. Depending on my mood, I’ll put some vegetables on the side. I really should eat more of them, but every now and then, they don’t feel like breakfast to me. 

Photo: Pinterest, nazarenamedina_

After I’ve eaten, it’s time for my favorite part of the morning: my skincare routine. Anyone that knows me knows I enjoy researching skincare products and am very selective about what I use. For example, I strongly favor products without fragrance, simply because my skin doesn’t need the extra ingredients that come with a fragrant product. I also pay close attention to the ingredients in my products and how they interact. Anyways, I love my skincare routine, and you’ll rarely catch me skipping it. The last time I skipped it was when I arrived home from a music festival at 2:30 AM and went straight to bed instead.

In the mornings, I use either CeraVe’s Foaming Cleanser or Byoma’s Creamy Jelly Cleanser. I use the Niacinamide and Zinc serum from The Ordinary and follow that up with my favorite summer moisturizer, Versed’s Dew Point Gel Cream Moisturizer. You’ll never catch me slacking on sunscreen, and my current favorite is from e.l.f. It’s the Suntouchable Woah Glow SPF 30. If you’re a fan of Supergoop, this is an excellent dupe, and you can find it everywhere, but check out Marshall’s and T.J. Maxx first, because I often find it there for $7.00. 

Photo: Pinterest, miss_ninii

I only wear a little bit of makeup. I use a lengthening mascara from Lancome, Pixi’s On the Glow blush in Fleur, and their On the Glow SuperGlow highlighter in Petal Dew. Whoever came up with the cream blush on a stick is a genius. The product lasts forever, and I’ve found that I have excellent control over how much and where it goes. Lastly, I use the pH matching flower lip balm from Winky Lux in the shade pink. 

Photo: Pinterest, Loletta77lola

After skincare, it’s time to get dressed. I tend to dress up slightly more than the dress code at work calls for, simply because I’m an intern who doesn’t want to accidentally slack off in any way, shape, or form. Then, I pack up my bag, grab a muffin and granola (so that I’m not hangry before I get home for lunch), and check the traffic on Waze App. My internship is about a twenty minute commute with varying traffic. Sometimes, I leave immediately, choosing whatever playlist pops up first on Spotify. Other times, I sit and carefully craft my music for the car before driving off. Regardless, by the time I leave, I’m (mostly) defrosted and excited for the day ahead.