Makeup

This is my makeup bag. It is filled with products, some of which I use reliably and some of which I don't.

This, on the other hand, is the full complement of products I do use on a "regular" makeup day.

I start with Pore Professional, the primer from Benefit. It does the job super well, but it is super expensive. Not quite as expensive as the Smashbox primer I used to use, but still, I feel like I'm putting gold on my face.  I read in Real Simple that L'Oreal has a decent primer for about a fifth of the price.  Is that true? 

Then I use Erase Paste (also from Benefit, a trend that will continue) as a "foundation" of sorts. I mostly use it to cover up zits, the red area around my nose and cheeks, and my sometimes dark circles. I sleep more than any other adult I know, so the dark circles rarely come, but occasionally they do.

I use the tiny spatula to get the Erase Paste out, then I put it on the super cheap latex sponge and smear on the necessary blemishes.  Voila.  Instant perfection.  Then I smear, especially at the jaw line, to make sure I don' t have one of those mask lines. I am super cool like that.

Before I do my eyeshadow, I use Stay Don't Stray eyelid primer (by Benefit). Benefit used to make an awesome eyelid primer called F.Y. Eye, but they stopped making it and replaced it with this inferior product.  It's awful packaging, I always use way too much, and I can't tell how much product is left, causing me to RUN OUT on the day of a big presentation.  Suck it, Benefit. Don't mess with success.

I use the Big Beautiful Eyes by Benefit shadow for most days. It basically looks like I'm not wearing any eye makeup at all.  I like that. I recently purchased some green eyeshadow at Sephora, though, and I've been enjoying playing with that on days when I have nothing going on in my life.

Cheap mascara. I use it because my sister-in-law does. There's no other reason. Mascara can be so expensive and you have to replace it every two months, so I opt to use the cheap stuff. Will my life be forever changed for the better if I invest in non-drugstore mascara?

I'm still using blush from The Body Shop.  I've been eying the Nars blush in Orgasm, though. Everyone says it's the miracle blush.  Maybe that will be my next big Sephora purchase in another six months when the novelty of the green eyeshadow wears off.

Lip stuff to finish off. Usually I start with a lipstick and then just bring along a tube of gloss to keep freshening it up during the day.  Both of these are Benefit products (Life on the A List for the gloss and Curtsy for the lipstick).

These are the brushes I use just about every day. One big one for blush (and the occasional powder I use on special days).  The small one is used for eyeshadow.  Both of these are from the Sonia Kaskuk Double Duty Brush Set available at Target. I wash them way less frequently than I'm supposed to, but they are hardy and inexpensive and do the job well. 

And that's it my friends. My entire makeup regimen for daily use.  Should I grow up and get myself a decent mascara and blush?  Any recommendations? Products that you can't live without?