We all do it. We see all those pretty make-up shades in the store and we want to try them all. We bring home bags of make-up: lipsticks, eye shadow, and blush. Friends and family gift us with huge make-up sets, eye shadow collections, and cast-off lipsticks. Some of these choices work out, but a lot of it ends up in drawers, cabinets, closets–or the bag they came in.
While experimenting with make-up can be fun, we really don’t need a thousand different make-up choices. If you’re looking to streamline your collection to one little make-up bag, or if you’re going on a trip and don’t want to carry your make-up in a full luggage set, read on. Here are ten make-up essentials that will carry you from day into night.
One Foundation, One Make-Up Essential: This is the beginning of every make-up regime. If you have a good complexion and just want even color and smoothness, go for a tinted moisturizer. Laura Mercier’s Tinted Moisturizer treats skin and fine lines, while adding a bit of color. Rated highly by both Allure and InStyle magazines, and with color tones ranging from porcelain to walnut, this product can be an essential part of any woman’s make-up collection. For the budget conscious, there are also very good tinted moisturizers available from Neutrogena and Kiss My Face Make-Up.
For heavier coverage without clogging pores, I’ve always found CoverGirl’s Clean Make-Up foundation to be the best. Water-based and with different formulations for different skin types, it glides on smooth and is long-wearing. It is an excellent make-up for sensitive skin and never causes over-drying. There are fifteen shades, from ivory to sable.
One Concealer, Two Make-Up Essentials: For touch-ups of discoloration or blemishes. Most brands now have good liquid concealers that work well as an overnight healing application, as well as offering concealing protection during the day. Liquid concealer make-up goes on light and smooth and blends well. The pen-style applicator tube unfortunately doesn’t contain a lot of product, so it can get a bit pricey to keep up with, but you’ll be pleased with the smooth finished results.
One Eye Shadow, Three Make-Up Essentials: For me, face make-up boils down to two ranges of colors–pink tones or peach tones. Regardless of your skin coloring, there are make-up hues in pink or peach that you can wear. If you’re wearing pink or blue or purple, pink toned make-up works best. Wear green or brown or peach, and go with peach-toned make-up.
Physician’s Formula Baked Collection is one of the best solutions out there to cutting back on those mounds of make-up. Each eye shadow case contains three shades, one bright and two warm. Apply them dry for light day coverage. For dramatic, deeper eye shadow colors for evening (and excellent staying power) run water over the applicator and apply the make-up wet. These dual action make-up collections, with the perfect range of colors, can bring your eye shadow pile down to just one case.
For blue eyes, I highly recommend the Baked Gingersnap eye shadow collection. With deep rosy pink, rich bronze, and deep chocolate colors, you can have the perfect make-up for your coloring as well as every outfit. For green eyes, go with Baked Sweets eye shadow, which includes a great contrasting lavender color. Brown-eyed women should enjoy Baked Spices eye shadow, with bright peach and warm brown tones. Any woman that enjoys the smoky look can use the Baked Smokes make-up collection and its charcoal eye shadow hues.
One Blush, Four Make-Up Essentials: The same rules go for blush. Blush should look as natural as possible, so an array of colors is not necessary. Sugar has a Blush and Bronzer make-up duo that works well for every occasion. Use them separately to complement pink or peach toned looks, or use them together for the perfect sun-kissed appearance. With a combo make-up case like this, you can once again limit that pile down to just one container.
Two Mascaras, Six Make-Up Essentials: I prefer to have two mascaras, both in black. Women with light hair and eyes should try a brown, or brown/black shade for day so lashes don’t provide so much of a stark contrast. A good light mascara for day is Almay’s One Coat Nourishing Waterproof Mascara. It separates lashes and doesn’t smudge; it’s great for those with contact lenses and sensitive eyes as it never irritates.
For evening make-up wear or striking day looks, I enjoy Rimmel London’s Extra Super Lash Mascara. The color is “black black”, so you know it’s going to be extra dark and dramatic. It goes on heavy and lengthens lashes considerably. For sensual smoky make-up looks, try applying just to the outside corners of your eyes to add lift and a little exotic flair.
One Powder, Seven Make-Up Essentials: Several make-up brands now have multi-hued powders that mimic the skin’s natural combination tones. Skin looks more radiant and natural, rather than flat and uniformly bland. An excellent example is Physician’s Formula Pearls of Perfection Multi-Colored Powder Pearls. It’s a loose powder that comes from mixing several different shades of make-up powder pearls. It gives a flawless, richly toned finish to any complexion. There are three varieties: light, medium, and dark, to suit any coloring.
Two Lip Glosses, Nine Make-Up Essentials: Gloss works well for day and evening looks, and is a nice subtle counterpoint to dramatic eyes. There are a variety of shades available, but once again, all you need are one pink shade and one peach. Both Ulta and Neutrogena have an excellent line of rich glosses that don’t dry out lips. Don’t be afraid to get a little sparkle in the pink shade, but keep the tones neutral. Those with darker complexions should go for deeper rose and reddish-brown colors.
One Red Lipstick, and we have Ten Make-Up Essentials: Every woman should have a good red lipstick. True red is difficult to pull off, so most women should find a red that harmonizes better with their overall coloring in the burgundy or reddish-brown families. Those with darker complexions can go with brighter and more dramatic colors. Paler women might want to try a red gloss or lip stain, that adds color without overpowering their other features. The idea is to look sexy, not cartoonish.
Ten make-up essentials that work for every woman. Most times you’ll find that you have one lip gloss or one eye shadow that you wear most frequently, despite all the other make-up you own. Wear what make-up looks good on you and forget the rest. Save experimenting for your nail polish colors…
Make-up products listed here can be found at Neutrogena, CoverGirl, Physician’s Formula, Almay, Ulta and Sephora.
