HEYYY All!  It’s Friday [my most favorite day] and I am excited!  I was ready for this weekend on Monday 😉  There’s just something super hard about going back to work after being in “vacation” mode for two weeks…am.i.right?! 

Well I am thrilled to be sharing my everyday, holy grail make-up products with you today!  I seriously am not quite sure what my life [or my face ;)] would look like without them.  Okay, maybe that’s dramatic, but just get the point that I swear by each and every one of these!

HEADS UP: You can click on any of the products in the board above to shop! 

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream: First things first, if I don’t have a good base under my make-up, it does not look as good when I’m done.  I have the weirdest skin, I guess you could call it combo [extremely dry, especially now in winter, and I don’t get “acne” but I do have the worst hormonal cystic acne] and I need a good moisturizer that combats the dryness, but doesn’t leave my skin oily and so slippery that my foundation is sliding all over.  This is my answer.  I love that it comes in the tub (for my bathroom), and the little tube (for travel).  I bought the little tube first to try it out [it’s only $12!] and then bought the tub and used the tube for travel.  [Sidenote: I use this moisturizer at night because I need something heavier, however it is too heavy for under my make-up]

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation [shade 1N2 ‘ECRU’]: YES PLEASE.  This stuff is my lifesaver.  It covers up my cystic acne and lasts all day long.  No, I am not joking.  I used to have the worst problems with my foundation “cracking” or wearing off in spots, or just plain not lasting at all. This stuff even stays on through my workouts (I am not “that girl” that works out in make-up, just saying, when I do have it on, it stays on…haha).  It comes like the photo above with the gold cap, and you have to “pour” it out onto your hand before applying.  I just could not stand that (I feel like it wastes so much product because you alway just dump too much), so searched and searched and I finally found a pump top that fit [no joke, the girls at Nordstrom thought I was a crazy person].    This pump fits perfect!  I squirt 2-3 pumps on to the back of my hand and apply it all over my face/neck with this brush.  You do not need a thick coat, but I wouldn’t say I apply it super thin either.  [Tip: Keep the pump and use it on each new bottle…no reason to throw it away!]

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer [shade NW20]: Truth be told, I found the above foundation primarily because of this concealer.  By the end of the day, all of my foundation would have worn off, and I would look like a raccoon because this stuff was still perfectly “on.”  The foundation now stays on just as good as this concealer.  It doesn’t wear off and really hides my dark circles/redness around my eyes that I get in the mornings.  I apply it with a damp BeautyBlender all over my eyelid and under my eye.  The shade I use is just a touch lighter than my skin tone [it’s much lighter in the summer], and so it kind of is a “highlighter” as well.

L’Oreal True Match Pressed Powder [shade n3 ‘Natural Buff’]:  For some reason I have had the hardest time finding a powder that doesn’t look “powder-y.”  I was out of town and needed one right away, walked into Target and bought this one.  Ironically, I don’t have anything bad to day about it.  The first time I ran out, I went to Sephora to try a different one [I tried this one], and I hated it.  I ran to Target and picked up another..haha! There is nothing “miraculous” about this stuff, but it does it’s job, and it’s like $10.  I use this amazing brush to apply it, which is also less than $10!

NARS Bronzer [in “Laguna”]: About 5 years ago I bit the bullet and bought this bronzer.  No joke, I just ran out about two months ago.  Sure, the price tag is hefty, but there is no way you would spend less over time on a drugstore product.  I love the dark color and it has just the right amount of “shimmer” without being at all glittery.  I apply it with this brush (makes life so easy!) right under my check bones up by my ears to about midway through my cheek [“carving’ out my cheekbones].  I also use this brush to dust it along the frame of my face, throughout my hairline and around my jawbone, down onto my neck.  I then blend it all in with the powder brush I used above.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit: This contour kit is amazing, but I don’t use it everyday.  On shoot days, out to dinner, or to events when I do a bit more to my make-up is when I use it.  It is pretty simple to use [you don’t have to be a highlighting/contouring expert] and the colors are all matte, which I LOVE.  This brush (that I also use with my bronzer) makes the contouring process so much easier.

NARS Blush [in “Orgasm”]:  This is a great pink/peach shade with a tiny bit of shimmer.  I apply it to the apples of my cheeks lightly.  I am not the biggest blush fan, but over the years I have found this one to be my favorite and the most natural looking.  I have had the same one for about 2 years and it is still about halfway full.  I apply it with this blush brush. And, if you want an inexpensive way to try out both the blush and the bronzer I use, they make a travel combo that’s only $24, here!

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz [in “Taupe”]: If you are one of the many [like I was!] that have never done your brows, welcome to the club.  Once you start, you will never stop and totally will feel naked if you leave the house without doing them!  It makes the biggest difference in your overall look.  If you’re like me, I am sure you aren’t all that into the “drawn on eyebrows” look [come on, you totally know what I’m talking about ;)].  This little pencil makes it look so natural.  I apply it in short strokes to mimic little brow hairs and fill in the gaps and just make my brows look more full.  There’s a little brush on the other side of the pencil that I run through to just blend things a bit more.

Urban Decay Naked Basics Eyeshadow Palette: Love this eyeshadow palette for everyday and travel use.  It is [almost] all matte colors and is the perfect range of shades.  I use a mix of two of the light colors (“Foxy” & “W.O.S.”) all over my lid, use “Naked 2” in my crease, and “Faint” only in the corner.  Sometimes I use “Venus” as a highlighter under my brow bone.  I love taking this palette on vacation because it really minimizes how much I have to pack.  Taking 10 single shadows is totally a pain, but this one palette can be used to make day or night time looks [just increase the dark shades for night time!]

Stila Stay All Day Eyeliner [in Black]: The tip on this “pen” makes applying black liner precisely so much easier.  It really lives up to it’s name and “stays all day,” without awkwardly wearing off in spots or smudging.  I love pot eyeliner, but this one is just so much easier and creates much finer and more precise lines.

Diorshow Lash Plumping Serum, Covergirl Lash Blast Fusion [in “Very Black”], & Diorshow Mascara: I know, I know.  Excessive.  Three different mascara products everyday may seem like too much, but it works best for me!  This primer is one of my favorite things, and honestly makes any mascara go on better.  If I had to choose between using a high-end mascara or using this primer and a drugstore mascara, I would for sure choose the drugstore.  I first apply the primer, then the Covergirl Lash Blast (my favorite drugstore mascara), and then the Diorshow.  The Diorshow is a more”dry” formula, which is why I feel like it is best last and really thickens/lengthens my lashes as it coats the mascara I already have on.  It is also the one I use on my bottom lashes.  I put the primer both on my top and bottom lashes; I put it on the bottom so that the mascara stays on and doesn’t create that “dark circle” throughout the course of the day.  To apply, I wait about 30 seconds in between each different coat, and only apply one coat of each (otherwise it gets too clumpy).

A little “trick” to getting your mascaras to last longer: when you feel like they are starting to dry out, add 2-3 drops of Visine to the tube, and you’re good to go for another 2-3 weeks!  I do this with all three of those products!  Also, try not to “pump” the brush in and out of the tube because it really shortens the life of the product.

Whew!!  That’s it!  I know it seems like a lot, but in all my everyday make-up routine takes about 15-20 minutes.  It’s not “light,” but still not heavy, and I feel comfortable going anywhere from work to a dinner date with Daniel in it.

What are your favorite products that you just can’t live without?!  I would love to hear and try them out!  Let me know if you have any questions about any of the products I use!  Have a Happy Weekend!