Makeup! I love it, I use it every day, but I would not consider it my area of expertise.
Before college I rarely wore anything other than mascara and gloss, but I was lucky enough to be thrown into the same orbit as a girl who became one of my closest friends. She is what I would comfortably classify as a cosmetics expert. Every Friday when classes were over the girls in my dorm would begin to get ready to go out. They would turn up the speakers, turn on their flat irons, and line up at her door to beg her to do their makeup. Some people have a talent and a passion for cosmetics which elevates what they do to a plane beyond simply striving to look their best, and allows them to create a new work of art every day.
I do not have that passion and talent, but I benefited from being in the vicinity of someone who does. My friend taught me few tricks (she gently instructed me to contour before I knew what contouring was), and whatever holes were left in my basic cosmetics education have generally been filled by the steady tutelage of pinterest.
Through every other experiment I have conducted, two things have remained the same: my basic daily foundation (BareMinerals, which I really can’t ever imagine forsaking), and my blush. My attitude toward blush was basically that if it wasn’t broken, why fix it? Then, a few weeks ago I was inspired by an article I read about coral, and I examined my makeup ritual more critically. I’ve been using the same Covergirl blush since high school, and though I once attempted to make the switch to a BareMinerals product, the result was essentially the same… and Covergirl was less expensive (in my experience Covergirl is an incredible value for the price).
Still a great buy for around $5 at any drugstore!
Covergirl’s Iced Plum, a shade I have happily used for years
Well no more! I stopped by Sephora the other day and snagged a fabulous blush from NARS, a brand many of my friends swear by. To be honest, at $29 I consider it a splurge for a blush, but it’s high-quality product that I know I’ll use every day. “Torrid” is much brighter than my previous blushes, and perfect for summer! Sephora calls it “coral with shimmer.” They appear to be out, but it’s still available at Lord & Taylor.
NARS Torrid: My favorite new product!
I LOVE IT! I would highly recommend this color, but even if you are not on the market for a new blush, break out of your comfort zone and experiment with something new. Even if that something is small, you have to start somewhere!
Personally, I’m ready for suggestions. What’s your favorite blush or cosmetic product?
Modern Effulgence 