makeup; moisturizer – Thoughts Along Life's Highway

And by magic toolbox, I refer, of course, to the toolbox of wonders used by most of us modern women – the Makeup Bag!

I thought I’d share some of my absolute favorite products today – things I don’t ever want to run out of and usually keep “backups” just in case I run low.

Moisturizer: My newest favorite is Alba Botanica moisturizers. I have such sensitive skin and I find it hard to find something that doesn’t irritate my skin instead of moisturizing it. I stumbled on this at the drug store one day and LOVE it. I’ve tried both the Jasmine & the Aloe versions. Love them both. The Aloe one is lighter (good for summertime heat) and the Jasmine one smells heavenly. Love them both.

Foundation: I am hooked on the ones by Cover Girl – you know the ones? The ones that have the Olay moisturizers? Simply Ageless. They are nice. Stay on all day. Not too heavy, although I rarely wear foundation in the summertime anyway (it slides off in this Southern heat) COVERGIRL and Olay Simply Ageless Foundation

Powder: I’m in love with Clinique’s compacts. I use the SuperPowder Double Face makeup as powder most of the year, and then in the summertime I use it as my foundation/powder. Love the coverage. (and it doesn’t irritate my skin)

Blush, Eye Shadow: I am in love with Bare Escentuals’ eye shadows, blushes and bronzers. I love that they last forever, they have a TON of colors and they stay on all day long. They also have fabulous brushes. I usually buy their brushes and they are very high quality and last forever. I think I haven’t bought a new make up brush in four or five years. They are great and easy to care for.

Eye Liner: Another Bare Escentuals item I can’t live without. LOVE them. They brighten your eyes and last without smudging. I think I have one in every color!

Mascara: You can’t go wrong with the old standby here. I’ve tried tons of different mascaras. They all have pluses and minuses – clumpy, glumpy, crazy brushes, great length, etc. But I always seem to go back to the basics: Maybelline Great Lash mascara. It works. It’s inexpensive. Why not?

Lips: And this is one area where I do diverge quite a bit. I have a few “old standbys” that I use regularly, but to be completely honest, I don’t wear lipstick very much. I work from home. Who is going to see it? I wear it if I’m going out – usually applied looking in the rear view mirror as I drive – and that is about it. The rest of the time I wear some sort of chapstick-type product to keep my lips moist. (Nivea is my favorite here)

BUT, if I do wear lipstick, here are some of the ones I love:

BUXOM by Bare Escentuals. Love them. Love the colors, the minty tingle you get when you wear them, the fact that they are not sticky-icky on.

If I’m going for more color (i.e. a punch of red on the lips) I usually use Bare Escentuals Pretty Amazing. I have this in a beautiful red/rose shade. Love it, although it is a bit gloppy to apply.

Okay, so that is about it for me. What about you? What are your must-have beauty products?