Most days (as in 355 days a year or more) I wear no make-up. Not a dusting of powder. Not a hint of eye liner. Not a touch of lip tint. Typically, I do my Origins Wiel face routine (wash, eye cream, moisturizer) with a bit of ROC retinol for the eye bags and a dab of Aquaphor to the lips and I am good to go. But when attending special events calling for special outfits I do enjoy trying to do something special with the colors and contours of my face. This mega weekend I will turn to the following favorites. 

Eye palettes by Smashbox. Undoubtedly the best pigment around. Doesn’t cake. Doesn’t flake. It will dust a bit when applying (I use MAC brushes to apply) the the Smashbox fan brush is ideal to brush away any excess. For simplicity they will group colors into shades that work together but I am obsessed with the versatility of their special addition palettes. The small ones are great for air travel when one is trying to minimize the load (this trip was a local road trip so I grabbed my entire home make up back and brought it along!) 

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Blush by Nars. The world only needs super orgasm’s shimmery almost iridescent pink  tone but Nars has other blush colors as well that are perhaps more suitable for less festive occasions. So while I mostly use my favorite shade, I have 5 others sold as single compacts or in convenient pallets (again great for travel and comes with a few decent but not as good as Smashbox shadows as well).

  
Dramatic eyes by Dior. Years ago I tried competitors but I came back to Dior every single time I tried to see what else was out there. To be honest though I like the effect of the classic DiorShow I really dislike the smell. But, I love the effect of DiorShow Iconic and it doesn’t have a weird smell. I use regular for the upper lashes and waterproof for the corner and lower lashes. Finally, when I am in the mood for an ultra glam look, I run a coat of DiorShow black over the lashes and color in the sparser areas of my brows with the Dior universal brow pencil.