My Counter

In order to properly establish trust with someone giving advice, you have to know exactly what they're packing. In other words, here is a list of makeup in my arsenal.

Face-

1- Pure Argan Oil*

2- Estée Lauder DayWear Sheer Tint Release (tinted moisturizer)

3- Yves St-Laurent Touche Eclat #2 (fair skin with yellow undertones)

4- Rimmel Sun Shimmer Bronzing Compact Powder in Medium Matte

5- Benefit High Beam Highlighter

6- Annabelle Blush #48 (sort of a dusty rose colour)

7- NARS blush in Orgasm

Mascara & Eye Liner-

1- Smashbox Hyperlash Mascara**

2- MAC Powerpoint Eyeliner in Permaplum and Stubborn Brown

3- MAC Eye Kohl in Costa Riche

4- Marcelle Waterproof Eye Liner in Purple Rain

5- Rimmel Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Liner in Perfect Plum

6- Maybelline Eye Liner (it's almost sharpened down to the quick so I can't tell you the type or the colour but it's a lovely cappuccino brown with gold that I've almost run out of)

7- L'Oreal Liner Intense in Carbon Black (liquid)

Eye Shadow-

1- Sephora Colorful Mono Mat No. 03 (pale muddy grayish-brown)

2- Smashbox Eye Shadow in Cabernet

3- MAC Veluxe Pearl Eyeshadow in Twinks

4- Annabelle Suedine (very much like the Sephora No. 3 but a little more gray and with a lot more shimmer)

5- NARS Eye Shadow in Ondine

6- Maybelline High Pearl Eye Shadow in Silken Taupe

6- MAC Paint in Bamboom

7- Maybelline Color Tattoo in Pomegranate Punk

8- Stila Eye Shadow in Rain

9- Maybelline Expert Wear in Night Sky

9- Jean-Coutu Pharmacy brand, Personelle in Cappuccino. (For those of you outside QC, Jean-Coutu is a Quebec-based pharmacy that has their own house brand of all kinds of products. I first bought this colour years and years ago when I was poor, had no job and lived at my mom's house... okay I was 16... but still... I LOVE this colour! Like the name says, it's a gorgeous brown with gold flecks. SUPER nice with green and blue eyes)

Lips-

1- Burt's Beeswax lip balm (original mint, so soothing)***

2- MAC Cremesheen Cream Cup Lip Stick

3- NARS Lip Gloss in Chihuahua

4- Rimmel Lip Gloss (the colour name rubbed off the tube so I can't tell you the exact name but it's a goldish-rose colour)

5- Smith's Minted Rose Lip Balm

Tools & Extras-

1- Standard eye lash curler (don't remember where I got it from)

2- A collection of different brands of brushes: All-over powder brush, blush brush, concealer brush (tho I never use it), crease, smudge, all over shadow etc.

3- Quo Makeup Remover Wipes****

4- Q-Tips!

*Pure Argan oil is very good to use if your skin is dying for moisture. I typically use it when I get out of the shower (all over my face, eyebrows, lips and neck) - and especially on a cold winter night after I've taken my makeup off. You have to be careful not to get any into your dry hair around your face or it will make your hair oily. Allow for at least 30 mins for the oil to be fully absorbed my your skin. If you don't want to use the oil I would suggest a very light face cream, with no added perfume. A well moisturized face is ESSENTIAL for looking your best (besides a smile of course!)

** The Smashbox Hyperlash Mascara that I've listed is about $24 plus tax at my local beauty shop. Isn't that a ridiculous price to pay for mascara?? Well, I have sort of a unique problem with my eyelashes as they are very long and more on the thinner side. So I need to use a slimmer wand than the normal big bushy bristly one that most company's offer. I used Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara for a long time, and only switched to Smashbox because it had no Parabens and it's good to switch it up once in a while.

*** Although I've listed only Burt's Bees Wax as the only un-tinted lip balm, I seriously have lip balm of all different brands available to me wherever I go. I have one at work, one in my jacket pocket, one in my night stand, one in my purse, one in the bathroom... you get the idea. There is nothing more uncomfortable than chapped, dry lips. Use it before you put lipstick on and it will act as a primer and the lipstick will go on smoother. It's also good to have regular lip balm with sunscreen in it as the sun is no friend to your pucker!

**** Quo is a Shopper's Drug Mart/Pharmaprix brand. I believe no one outside Canada will have access to these but I'm sure there are alternatives. I used to use Boots No. 7 Makeup Remover Wipes but I prefer the Quo ones as the wipes are softer and there is more makeup remover liquid per wipe rather than just a few soaked ones and the bottom of the pack.

We all have the crappy pharmacy brand makeup and the I-Spoiled-Myself-On-This-One makeup, but at the end it all comes down to quality over quantity. Sometimes the cheaper brand works perfectly, and other times you have to spend a little more to get a nicer result. Before you go out and buy yourself a $60 tube of lipstick, look on the web for consumer reviews (Sephora, Total Beauty) as it is probably the best and least tainted advice you'll get.