My Must-Have Makeup

So, on those mornings that I actually wake up in time to do a full face of makeup... it's one of my favorite parts of the day.

I LOVE doing my makeup because I can't be doing the laundry, or my grad school homework, or the dishes, or lesson planning or sending emails or checking my phone or even thinking about those things.

Because honestly, i'm not that good at makeup...  and I NEED to FOCUS on what i'm doing.

I'm gonna start with my favorite part of my makeup routine... EYES! I always do my eye makeup first because I usually make a mess of the rest of my face. If I do my foundation AFTER my eyes... problem solved.

Mascara: Urban Decay Troublemaker and Mary Kay Lash Intensity
Do I do this first? Well... no. But it's the one product I wear every. single. day. EVEN when i'm rocking  a "natural look". Think of a mascara... i've tried it. My lashes always get clumpy or are practically invisible. Troublemaker by Urban Decay and Lash Intensity by Mary Kay are my ride or die picks. Ulta has Troublemaker on sale for $15 right now and i'm legit panicking... I feel like I should buy them all in case it gets discontinued! Grab one while you still can.


Concealer: Tarte Shape Tape (Light)
Before I even think about eyeshadow, I create a base with my favorite concealer. I  cover my lid as well as my undereye with a thin layer. This stuff is AMAZING for covering dark circles and doubles as an eyeshadow primer. Win-Win!

Eyeshadow: Too Faced Chocolate BonBons 
and Tarte Tartelette In Bloom
I have collected quite a few beautiful eyeshadow palettes, but there are a few that I reach for time and time again. They are of course... neutrals. Chocolate BonBons has some really fun pink shades that I like to add to bring some color into a look. When I want to add a little sparkle, i'm obsessed with the coin shade in my Armed and Gorgeous Jaqueline Hill palette from Morphe.

Seriously though, lately I've been having the most fun scouring the shelves of Marshalls and TJ Maxx for steals on high end makeup. I have tried tons of well known brands, and have narrowed down my routine to a list of must haves that I can't do without.

Primer: Mary Kay Foundation Primer 
To start, I'm in love with Mary Kay's primer. It is a pore filling primer, which sounds bad. It's not, I swear. Its light and easy to apply and evens out the texture of your skin, so your foundation goes on smoothly, but doesn't clog your pores.

Foundation: BECCA 24 Hour Ultimate Coverage Foundation (Vanilla)
I'm OBSESSED!!! Sometimes, when I want to add a bit of a dewy look, I add a tiny bit of the BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector, in Rose Gold.

Setting Powder: Airspun
I'm in love with this setting powder. I've tried all of the high end ones... and I always come back to this. It stays on ALL day and is less than $6. Can't beat that price.


Setting Spray: Pearlessence Rosewater
Honestly my VERY favorite setting spray is  Rosewater. It works great and its affordable and good for your skin. There are tons of brands out there and I always find it in the skincare area at Marshalls. Mario Badescu has a variation of this that I also love!

Highlight and Contour: Morphe 8L Lo-Fi Sculpt and Shimmer 
Take the word contour with a grain of salt... I can't figure that out no matter how hard I try. But highlights? Give me ALL of the highlights.

Lippies: Jeffree Star Liquid Lip Gemini and Hi, How Are Ya?
I'm a Gemini... and this shade is my absolute FAVE. It was also a gift from my favorite human. Hi, How Are Ya? is for those going out, feeling bold nights and it never fails to make me feel like a million dollars. I love liquid lipsticks and Jeffree Star's are definitely the best ones I've tried. For Only $18... they're a steal.