Although my beauty cabinet is filled with quite a few other lovely makeup products (read: toys), somehow I always reach for particular tried and true products when I don’t want to think twice about what I’ll wear that day.
These items also happen to be what I currently have in my travel makeup bag. They work well for me, and you can see they’re well-loved (I’ve hit pan on a few items, and that Benefit Instant Brow Pencil is starting to look like a deluxe sample, haha).
LORAC PRO Palette
A beloved palette of mine! The top shades are matte, and the bottom row is shimmer. It has every shade I would need for an everyday look, and the quality is lovely. The thinness of the LORAC PRO Palette makes it ideal for travel. My absolute favorite is “Gold” – it’s more of a bronze gold, and it makes my blue eyes pop.
Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Liquid Foundation
This Chanel liquid foundation is an ultra-light skin-perfecting hybrid fluid. It’s not a full-coverage foundation, but it also doesn’t make me look and feel as heavily layered as others (which have their time and place for special events, etc.). Over time, you realize it’s more beautiful to let a few flaws show through your skin rather than create a complete blank canvas with something that is very opaque. I wear this most days I choose to wear foundation in shade 40 Beige.
NARS Blush in Orgasm
I’ve gone through countless NARS Blushes in the naughtily-named ‘Orgasm‘ shade. It’s a peachy pink with a bit of shimmer. I can wear it with almost any lip color and eyeshadow combination without it interfering. The newer ‘Super Orgasm‘ sounds like something I’d want to try next.
Dior Diorskin ‘Nude Glow’ Bronzer
I love this bronzer so much! The packaging is so glam; the polished metal is cool to the touch, and the traditional Dior quilt design on the exterior is so chic. It also comes with a cute kabuki brush that actually works well with the bronzer (see above). I wear 007 Mocha and use it for contouring.
Chanel Le Volume de Chanel Mascara
I reach for this mascara the most out of the ones I currently have. It’s definitely in my top 3 or 4 of all time. And it’s not just good because of the Chanel name – it earns its worth! The Noir color is richly black, and it applies well in just one coat. The brush has long and short bristles to deliver volume, like the name suggests.
L’Oreal Lineur Intense Felt Tip Liquid Eyeliner
Liquid eyeliners are my favorite, and I’ve been doing a cat-eye for years. You could say it’s my signature look. This one by L’Oreal has a felt tip; they’re the easiest to work with, in my opinion, to get that straight line on both sides. I chose the rich Carbon Black (shade 690), which dries to a somewhat matte finish and doesn’t smudge after it sets. Overall, it’s a drugstore win.
MAC Paint Pot in Painterly
There’s no shimmer in this long-wearing paint pot, so that makes it ideal as a base for eyeshadow. I can skip eyeshadow primer when I use this.
Bobbi Brown Corrector
A long-time favorite, I use the corrector version of this Bobbi Brown concealer in ‘Bisque’ under my eyes. My grandma gave me my dark undereye circles, so a good corrector instantly helps me look more awake.
Dior Addict Gloss
Every Bond Girl needs a Dior lipgloss this pretty in her purse! Every time I take mine out to apply, I feel that little bit of extra glam. I have 863 Incroyable, a sparkling fuchsia. It was so hard picking just one! This Dior gloss also makes a great “wow” gift.
Benefit Instant Brow Pencil
I need two things in my eyebrow pencils – one end with the color application and the other with a spooly brush to diffuse that color for a natural look. The Benefit eyebrow pencil has both, which makes me reach for it when I’m in a hurry. Who wants to use two tools to achieve the same look when you can have it all in one? It glides on easily and leaves a natural powder-like finish.
MAC Lipstick in Twig
Their lipstick made MAC famous. If you’re looking for a very wearable pinkish nude, MAC’s Twig is for you. I picked it up at the MAC counter a few weeks ago and have been using it ever since as my main nude. It’s a satin finish, which is more wearable for everyday than matte finishes. It’s just so pretty! There’s no simpler and quicker way to boost your mood than with a swipe of lipstick.
Brushes
I use the Real Techniques Buffing Brush for foundation (although the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Liquid Foundation can be applied with clean fingers as well), the Sonia Kashuk brushes for bronzer contouring and eyeshadow application, and the Chanel travel blush brush (sold out, similar here) on an almost daily basis. I’m actually in the market for a better contouring brush, though, since mine is not quite as soft as I’d like it to be. Sonia Kashuk is still a great option, especially for eyeshadow application.
UPDATE: I did a post on my makeup brushes here.
