HGTV has a show and David Letterman has his list, so why shouldn’t I have a top ten of my own to celebrate my 10th year as a member at NaturallyCurly.com?
10. Perfume
All my favourite scents have one major thing in common – bergamot (which is the scent of Earl Grey Tea”>. For day, I love Perry Woman from Perry Ellis and for night, Nu from Yves St. Laurent.
9. Olay Regenerist Daily Regenerating Serum
The only non-prescription commercially-available skin care product that has been proven to actually reduce wrinkles – and not just the “appearance” of them. This product is relatively inexpensive and leaves your skin feeling soft and refreshed.
8. Eye Shadow
I’m going to try to keep this from sounding like an advertisement for MAC Cosmetics, but I do have three filled 15-pan palettes, two of their large pots, a 6-pan eye shadow palette, a dozen pigment samples and two full-face palettes with different colours. Mulch, Naked Lunch and Mystery are the colours I reach for most often. When I’m not wearing MAC, my favourite colours are NARS Cairo, Stila Kitten, and Carol Baker Visage African Violet.
7. Brow powder
Powder brow fillers are so much easier to use than pencils – Smashbox Brow Tech in Auburn sits in my stash. I use a tiny flat square brush to apply it in small strokes.
6. Eyeliner
I think I look naked without it. While I will line my upper lids with an angled brush and a powder most of the time, I smudge pencils on the lower lids. My go-to colours are MAC eye kohl in Teddy, Prunella, and Blooz or Bonne Bell in Midnight Bark, Slate or Aubergine.
5. Maxine’s Mop
Don’t buy makeup brushes from makeup companies; go to the art supply store. The brushes are the same and cost a fraction of what the makeup-specific one does. My indispensable eye shadow brush is Maxine’s Mop from Loew-Cornell. Series 270, made from goat hair, the ¼” and 3/8” are a necessity to me – I have 6 of each and 4 of the ½” size.
4. Benefit Lemon Aid
For me, this has proven to be the ultimate eye makeup primer. It goes on drier than a liquid and makes my eye shadow last through the day; even during a Great-Lakes-humid summer day!
3. Liquid foundation
I’m just not convinced that mineral makeup is the right way to go; especially as I approach my 50th birthday. Liquid foundation, applied with my fingers, gives me the polished, not overly-made-up look I like for every day – and it doesn’t settle in my wrinkles!
2. MAC Viva Glam V lipstick and lipglass
In the makeup world, the acronym YLBB describes the perfect lip colour for you – Your Lips But Better. Five years ago, my favourite makeup company produced the perfect neutral brown-pink shade that matches my own lip colour. And they came out with a matching lipglass, too.
1. Sunscreen!
You knew I was going to say that, didn’t you?
UV radiation is the most aging thing in existence. Not only does sunscreen help me look 15 years younger, it also helps protect me from the skin cancer that runs on my father’s side of the family.
