My 8 Makeup Kit Staples

Over the weekend, I was able to spend time with my two-year-old inaanak. As most parents of small children do, my cousin had brought a number of toys Soleil could play with, in case she got antsy or bored (and we all know how short the attention span of a toddler is). One of the things she had with her was a colorful and kid-friendly makeup palette, with a variety of eye shadows, lipsticks, and glittery cosmetics a budding beauty buff would go crazy for. To my utter amusement, as soon as her mom brought the palette out, my niece started dabbing on eye shadow with a miniscule brush and swiping on lipstick from the tiniest tube of I've ever seen. I was amazed and just a bit shocked that someone so young knew how to put on makeup at all (albeit messily—at one point, Soleil had pink lippie smeared all over her upper lip, while her bottom lip was completely bare)!

Is there something about makeup that is inherent to women? Do our inner Pat McGraths or Bobbi Browns come out of their hiding places the moment we chance upon a beautiful red lipstick or a gorgeous shade of blush? Makeup is one of those things we don't really need a lot of (and I mean this both in terms of our makeup bags and on our faces), but it's also something we clearly can't get enough of. I can practice restraint when I'm in a posh department store filled to bursting with every designer makeup brand in existence because I'd rather spend my money on clothes, but that isn't the case when I'm at a supermarket like Target in the States, where drugstore makeup is plentiful, cheap, and well-made.

Nonetheless, when it comes to makeup, my mantra has always been "simple, fast, and effective": "simple" because I don't really know how to do anything other than the most basic techniques; "fast" because I'd rather spend more time sleeping in or choosing my clothes than doing my makeup; and "effective" because, well, don't we all want to look presentable? With that in mind, I'd like to share the current crop of products I'm getting the most use out of. Want to share your own? Do so by leaving a comment!

(Photo by Martin Walls via sxc.hu)