Must-Have Makeup

Since I just did a post on organizing your makeup, I thought I would do a post on must-have makeup, my favorite makeup items and the stuff I pack when I travel! Since I travel for a living, I pack VERY light so only my "holy grail" items get to come with me. Haha! Here are my favorites, if you're interested, YOU should do a post on what your favorite makeup items are and link back here in the comments. That way we can all get ideas too :)

I am a major makeup whore, meaning I buy lots of stuff but very few things I actually re-purchase or use on a regular basis. These are things that have made the list for me!

starting in the top left and working my way around clockwise...

1) Jovan White Musk perfume. My BFF got me hooked on this in high school. I've bought other high end perfumes over the years but I always come back to THIS. The scent is so feminine and a bit vanilla-y and I *always* get compliments on this one. Plus, it's so cheap and you can get it at Walmart.
2) OPI nailpolish. The two colors that always come with me are Linkin Park After Dark (almost black and very chic!) and O'Hare and Nails Look Great (the absolute perfect red - took me years of searching to find this one!)
3) Maybelline eyeshadow in Chai Latte. This palette is perfect for a day look or night look and I think the colors are perfectly neutral.
4) Almay Face Brightener foundation. This is the wildcard. I think it's now discontinued, but I stocked up last year and literally cleaned the store out. I have tried SO MANY foundations because I always want a fresh, dewy look and I hate a total matte finish. Real skin is NOT matte!! :) If you can find this online or on Ebay, I highly recommend you give it a try!!
5) Makeup brushes. I have a ton of brushes but the THREE that I travel with are a blush brush (mine is from Trucco), a fluffy eyeshadow brush (mine is from Kmart) and an angle brush (mine from Mary Kay).
6) Last Blash mascara. This is my go-to mascara. I was so glad to switch to this after years of buying $30+ high end department store mascaras!
7) Lacross tweezers. I try to pluck stray hairs once a week or so to keep up with these caterpillars that think they're my eyebrows. ;-)
8) Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair serum. This, right here, is magic in a bottle. I put it on at night around my eyes and on my forehead and on any blemishes. My skin is TIGHT and blemishes are GONE by morning! My husband has even taken to using it on blemishes because he saw how awesome it is. And this is the man who won't use any products besides Dial soap. This stuff even healed a burn I got from a styling tool. I'm telling 'ya - magic!!
9) Trucco blush in Cherry Pie. I used to use only cream blushes because, again, I prefer a glowing-dewy look but my sister turned me on to this palette and I won't ever go back! I use all 4 colors to contour my cheeks and it gives the perfect fresh cheek. Don't be scared with how "loud" the colors seem! They're really pretty on!

This is my typical toned-down work look on the eye:

So now I want to see what YOU use! Comment here so I can come visit you!

And in response to a question I had regarding my jewelery stand with the bird on top - I got it at TJMaxx. :)

I think I'll do another post soon with packing and travel tips since I'm on the road so much. Hopefully this would be helpful to those of you going on vacation soon or traveling for the holidays!