Below is a guest post from my fabulous and makeup genius friend, Autumn. Take it away girl:
You’re beautiful the way you are. Remove the highlights, the nail polish, the teeth whitener, the shoes, the make-up and you are who you were meant to be – natural, beautiful, you. When I want to enhance who I was born to be – play up my eyes, cheek bones, skin, I turn to these top five start-my-day, beauty boosters. Add these five products to your make-up bag and you might just find yourself tossing everything else to the curb:
1. Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion: I use this $24 fragrance-free moisturizer every day on my face and neck. After breaking up with a number of other moisturizers that left me feeling itchy, oily or claustrophobic, I found this one and I’ll never have another. It’s perfect in every way. My one piece of advice would be to avoid the “gel” version of this product – stick with the lotion and your skin will glow. The bottle lasts me a good six months, using daily so you’ll spend the cash up front but enjoy it’s lifespan for quite a while.
2. Loreal True Match Naturale Mineral Foundation: For around $14, you can get great coverage that rivals the Bare Essentials BareMinerals line that will cost you quite a bit more.
mascara brush you’ll ever encounter and your lashes will thank Mr. Dior for this one. At a whopping $24, you’ll get a lot of bang but will spend quite a few bucks. I’ve also found that an inexpensive but similar alternative is Rimmel London Max Volume Flash for around $7.
4. NARS Blush in Orgasm: This blush lives up to its scandalous name by being my absolute favorite make-up find of the decade. The peachy-pink, shimmery blush is my go-to all year long. It works on many skin tones and is very concentrated – just one pass of your cheek will do. For $27, it’s definitely a splurge, but the color is picture perfect, it lasts all day and the product itself lasts for a long time because you don’t need to put much on to get that peachy-sun-kissed glow. I’ve been wearing this same blush since the mid 2000’s and I’m not planning to switch it up any time soon. For those adventurous ones out there, there is also a Super Orgasm version. More sparkles, more fun.
5. Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler: There is no substitution for this bad boy. This is the one and only eyelash curler I trust not to tear my lashes out or leave an unsightly crimp in the arc. Previously sold at Sephora, this silver beauty is not sold in U.S. stores anymore but you can purchase it online for $19. It’s well worth the high price tag. I promise.
I truly believe that in the world of make-up the cliche less is more is completely true, which is why you don’t see eyeliner, eyeshadow, lipstick or lip gloss here in my top five. A good moisturizer, foundation, blush and mascara are all you need to enhance your natural beauty and leave you fresh-faced to take on another day. Invest (and indulge!) in some of these make-up bag staples to take your morning routine to another level of beautiful.
