Fashion for everyone

i get a lot of questions ~ in the comments and via email ~ about my makeup routine, so i thought i should open up my beauty bag and let you all in on my face painting practices. for starters, here is all the waxery i wear in a day:


{clockwise from left: cargo bronzer, mac powder, prescriptives mascara, julie hewett blush, vichy concealer, revlon lipgloss, bobbie brown eyeshadow, revlon eyeliner, drugstore brow liner}

let's break it down, shall we?


my 'under painting' begins with mac's studio fix powder foundation. it is light, seamless, and never flaky or cakey. i've been wearing it as long as i can remember, and have never been tempted to change. for undereye and spot coverage, i use vichy dermablend concealer. my dermatologist recently recommended this product and it is a miracle! it seriously gives you a photoshop face.

i fill in my eyebrows with a generic drugstore pencil. when selecting a color, i suggest going one shade lighter than your natural brow tone (mine is called 'cougar brown' ~ LOL!). this helps achieve the look of a naturally full eyebrow. i then brush a bit of cargo bronzer over my cheek and brow bones, and rub a spot of julie hewett's rosie into the fullest part of my cheeks. on a nonchalant day, this is often where it ends...

...but more often than not, i like to layer on a few extras...


any professional makeup artist will tell you to play up your strengths. i was born with big bulging eyeballs, so that's where i focus most of my makeup endeavorlies. for my skin tone, bobbie brown's velvet plum eyeshadow palette takes care of nearly every occasion. i like wearing one color over the whole eyelid and sweeping a slightly darker color across the outer corners of my upper lash line. for casual occasions, i layer the first two colors, for dressier days, the second two colors, and for evening i use the last two colors. when i really want to make a statement, i run a line of revlon color stay liquid liner across the upper lash line as well. it's as easy to use as a ballpoint pen!

every look is finished with a sweep of prescriptives lash envy volumizing mascara, applied to the top lashes only. never, ever wear mascara on your bottom lashes. trust me, it is not a good look.

now i don't know about you, but i've never been very good at keeping lipstick inside the lines, so i save it for special occasions. if ever there appears to be color on my mouth, i owe it to revlon's super lustrous lipgloss in pearl plum. it looks darkish in the tube, but once i put it on it transforms into a slightly more saturated, shinier version of my natural lip tint. i tried a TON of different products before i found this perfect fit.



i love accentuating my mood with scent, and have at least 25 perfumes on my dressing table. many of my favorites are actually men's colognes! most days, i wear two layered together {in keeping with my general mode of dress, i guess}. right now, these three are my mvp's:

{left to right: juicy couture, chanel allure homme, prada amber pour homme}

besides cosmetics, there are a few other products that i rely on to maintain my mug:

morning and night, i wash my face with patricia wexler's exfoliating cleanser {not pictured}. afterward, i moisturize with nars lipid support skin cream. this combination keeps my skin pretty clear, but when blemishes appear, i treat them overnight with md skincare's spot treatment. in the wintertime especially, i constantly keep solar oil and chapstick on hand to prevent my cuticles and lips from drying out.

and that's what works for me! i am by no means a beauty expert, just a girl who after a LOT of trial and a LOT of error has figured out a reliable routine, with room in it to play around. what works best for you?