I’ve had a few questions about what makeup I wear on a regular basis, so I thought it might easier to do a post and show you everything at once!

I’m pretty low-maintenance when it comes to makeup. I stay away from most foundation and cover-up unless I’m doing something more formal and need my skin to look more uniform. (Instead of foundation, I usually wear a tinted moisturizer with SPF, but recently ran out of one I wasn’t too thrilled about and am on the hunt for another. If you have any recommendations, please let me know!)

I tend to keep my makeup simple: neutral eyeshadow with a bit of shimmer in beiges and dark browns (sometimes blue or green too); black, navy or gray eyeliner, mascara and lip balm. If I have time, I’ll apply some blush or bronzer. If I have even more time, I’ll use a skin brightener/highlighter on my cheekbones.

Here’s what’s in my makeup bag right now:

1. Almay Oil-Free Makeup Remover Pads, $8 - I wear a lot of eyeliner and mascara and finding a good makeup remover is like finding the holy grail. These pads are also great for getting specks of makeup off your cheeks or touching up migrating eyeliner during the day. (These are also good if you wear contact lenses.)
2. sibu Beauty Sea Buckthorn Replenishing Night Cream, $35 - I’m starting to pay more attention to what I put on my face at night, but I still want to keep things as low-key as possible. This night cream leaves my skin bright and clear in the morning, and combined with a bit of eye cream, it’s quick and easy to apply before bed.
3. C.O. Bigelow Magenta Mint, $7.50 - This magenta gloss comes out much lighter than it looks in the tube, but I love the light pink color and the peppermint smell.
4. Carmex, $4 for a 3-pack - I’ve been using Carmex for so long that I don’t remember when I first picked up a tube and got hooked. When I played the flute, I needed a good chapstick to help keep my lips moisturized through a 2-3 concert that also wouldn’t be too sticky or oily and this was perfect.
5. C.O. Bigelow Blueberry Rose Salve, $5.50 - The original rose salve is great, but I recently got this blueberry version too. The tin is so cute.
6. bareMinerals 100% Natural Lipgloss, $15 - You really can’t go wrong with any colors of this lip gloss. One thing to note: it is more or less exactly the color on your lips that you see in the tube, so don’t go grabbing a dark red thinking it will go on a sheer pinkish tone.
7. bareMinerals Blush, $18 and bareMinerals Eyeshadows, $13 - I love these eyeshadows so much. I’ve tried tons of brands over the past few years in every price point you can imagine, and these are the first that blend beautifully AND come in gorgeous, wearable colors. The bareMinerals blush is easy to blend as well, and comes in dozens of flattering colors.
8. The Body Shop Shimmer Eyeshadow Quad - The Body Shop doesn’t sell this quad anymore, but it’s one of my favorite eyeshadow sets and I’ve had it for years. (That’s probably not good, but I can’t part with it.)
9. bareMinerals Flawless Mascara, $18
10. Rimmel The Max Volume Flash Mascara, $7.50 - The combination of these two mascaras can’t be beat. I apply the bareMinerals mascara first (it’s volumizing) and the Rimmel second (it curls my lashes perfectly). 
11. Rimmel Soft Kohl Eye Pencil, $4 (in navy & black), bareMinerals Big & Bright Eyeliner (in dark brown & black), Maybelline Define-A-Lash Eyeliner in Slate Gray, $5 - I use all these liners, depending on what color eyeshadow I grab or what look I’m going for. The Rimmel kohl pencils are great for smudging, while the bareMinerals pencils are more precise. The Maybelline eyeliner is the perfect shade of charcoal gray.
12. Benefit Cosmetics Moon Beam, $24 - Apply a dab to your cheekbones and near the inner corners of your eyes (don’t get it in your eyes). It makes you look more awake and a little “glowy.” 

Do you use any of these products? What’s in your makeup bag?

For Halloween, I wanted to do a really smoky, black eye because it was the next best thing to the black eyes that the demons sport on Supernatural.

Here’s how I did it:

1. I used Maybelline’s Cool Effects Shadow/Liner in Black Frost all over my eyelid, up to my brow bone. I blended the edges with a small eyeshadow brush so it wasn’t a harsh line. I winged out the edges a bit and made sure to put a lot in the crease, as it is a soft pencil—and the first place it would start to rub off would be in the crease and on the outside corner of my eye.

2. I then took my Rimmel eyeshadow quad in Smokey Noir and used a larger eyeshadow brush to apply the blackest color all over my eye, blending outward to make the winged part more defined.

3. For eyeliner, I used L’Oreal’s Extra Intense Eyeliner on my upper and lower lashline, as well as on the inside of my lower eyelid, which, by the way, you shouldn’t do if you’ve been sharing your makeup. Make sure to disinfect the tip of your eyeliner before doing this, and keep the point a bit dull.

4. To finish, I put on some mascara (I like Rimmel’s Lash Maxx).

5. I used a bit of bronzer on my cheeks, but not too much—I was supposed to be a demon, after all, and then used a little bit of concealer and pressed powder under my eyes to make the black makeup stand out even more.

Like I said to Sam last night, I wish I could get away with wearing this everyday!

Sara’s post yesterday for Bon Marche got me thinking…I used to love The Body Shop! Why don’t I shop there anymore? I guess it faded after I started buying more drugstore makeup from Target and finding specialty items at stores like Sephora and ULTA.

So, I checked their website and (amazingly) they still sell one of my all-time favorite eyeshadow quads I own. I’ve had this quad since 2005 (full disclosure, I have a hard time throwing away makeup) and still use it occasionally because although I used it nearly every day for several years, it still looks barely touched. This stuff is built to last.

The colors are really universally flattering, and the bit of shimmer looks really beautiful on, without being too shiny or sparkly. The colors blend together easily, and you can make them look as natural or as dramatic as you want.

I’ve labeled each color above with a number to show you how I use it.

1 : I apply #1 all over my eyelid, from my lashes up to my brow bone. Don’t forget to put a little bit on the inside and outside corners of your eyes!

2: I blend two all over my eyelid itself, focusing on the outside corner of each eye.

3: #3 is the darkest color in the palette, and I put this liberally in the crease of each eye, along the lash line and sweep it out to the outside corners.

4: You can stop there, but if you want more drama, I add a bit of the ultra-shimmery #4 right along my lash line and blend it into #1 up to the brow bone.

Finish the look with a bit of blush or bronzer, mascara, eyeliner (if you want!) and a soft pink gloss.

P.S. You can also use the eyeshadow wet, so if you have a small, slanted eyeliner brush, dampen it and use the #3 color to apply the shadow as liner along your lash line.

The Body Shop Shimmer Cube “Warm”, $22 (in stores only)

This morning I tried out an eyeshadow and a mascara that Napoleon Perdis sent me to test. I’m an admitted skeptic when it comes to cosmetics: I know what I like and I’ve used the same products for years. I also have a predictable routine that revolves around eyeliner, mascara…and not much else.

Although the eyeshadow (below, $22) was more bright than I usually wear, I liked the texture and the color consistency from packaging to eyes. (Nothing makes me more angry than a highly pigmented shadow that goes on clear.)

But, it was the mascara (below, $25) that really won me over. Their Mesmer-Eyes Mascara (cute name) initially applied a bit goopy, but once I brushed it through, my eye lashes (as you can see in the picture) were just insane. So long, in fact, that they kept hitting my sunglasses this morning. I got asked by a stranger if I was wearing fake eyelashes. Insanity!

I still have a few Napoleon products to try and a fun giveaway coming up too, so keep watching! :)

If you, like me, are tired and showing it, this eyeshadow will help. It won’t solve the dark circles and it won’t wake you up the same way coffee will, but it will make your face look a little brighter and your eyes a little more sparkly. And sometimes that’s really all you need to make it through the next hour and the hour after that.

Almay Intense i-Color Eyeshadow, $5