a few of my favorites: makeup

So, I've never been super into makeup. I wear it, yes, but I never really invested my time (and money... oh boy, makeup is expensive) until recently. I'm a bit addicted because putting on makeup is a lot like painting! Since I dropped out of art school, I haven't done much of that so makeup has become, dare I say it, kind of... a hobby for me? I'm by no means great at it but I do enjoy experimenting quite a bit! Since I changed up my daily routine, I've gotten lots of questions about the products I use so here are a few of my favorites:

The Scent: I love Daisy: Eau So Fresh by Marc Jacobs because it's light and yet somewhat sultry. It's perfect for a day in the office or a date night. I often find myself sniffing my wrist or hair just for a little whiff whenever I'm wearing it.

The Tools: I don't use many fancy things, just a blush brush, an eye shadow brush, a smudge brush, and this scary-looking contraption called an eyelash curler that I don't even know if I'm using it correctly. The curler and smudge brush are from Target, (e.l.f.) the blush brush from Mary Kay, and the Eyeshadow brush from Sephora. 

The Base: I start out with Boots No7 matte foundation. I just use my fingers because I think that they do just as good of a job as those little squishy sponges but without all of the waste. I then use bareMinerals matte powder. For a concealer, I use this stick from Sonia Kashuk. (available from Target) And, most importantly, I use NYX's eyebrow kit for the brows. (I love this because it comes with a primer and two brushes!)

The Eyes: I've been obsessed with Too Faced's Summer Eyes palette. The colors are a perfect mix of bright and neutral and fit into the 70's vibe I've been going for. Stila's All Day liquid eyeliner is FANTASTIC. It's really hard to get off at the end of the day which is great for me because I've been known to accidentally wipe off my makeup on an occasion or two. NARS has an amazing lengthening mascara that's been doing wonders for me also. Also very hard to remove, which is more of a good thing than a bad one in my opinion.

The Lips: My lips are one thing that I obsess over. I HATE when they're dry so I'm constantly applying this Mentha Lip Shine from Co. Bigelow Apothecaries. It works amazingly-- it gives a little tingle and as an added bonus, is minty fresh. For an evening look, I get a little greedy with the pout. I've got pretty full lips but I like to go for the exaggerated look and this plumping gloss from Sexy MotherPucker gets the job done. To top it all off, Yves Saint Laurent's classic lipstick in Pink Lingerie is the perfect shade of pink and doesn't fade. 

The End: At the end of the day, before I crawl into bed, washing my face with these Cucumber Towels is a treat. They do a great job of taking off all of the makeup and are cool and refreshing. MMM perfect. They really smell just like cucumbers. (By the way, they're not edible.)

What are some of your favorite products? Let me know in the comments below, I'm dying to try some new ones out! 

xo,

e.m.