some must-have cosmetics

I believe in the 80/20 rule.

If I look in my closet, I wear 20% of my clothes 80% of the time.  Or maybe it’s 90/10.  Some of my shoes I actually wear out, while others stay in nice little boxes pulled out for those special occasions.  Five or more years after buying them and they still look brand new.  I have clothes with tags on them still, while others get worn over and over.

Well the same is true for cosmetics.  I have never-opened jars of Shisheido White Lucent Brightening Moisturizer I bought years ago (I wonder if it's still good) and something called Sheer Brilliance by Chanel.  In addition, I have eyeshadows (too many to count) that have been used once.  Lipsticks I tire of.  Blushes I no longer like.  Bronzers that are too dark.  And  loose powder that is too mesy.

I generally believe that if it costs more it must be better.  

For example, I see $79 shoes that look just like Manolos, but those I would not get.  They wouldn't last as long, the  quality of the materials would be inferior, and the craftsmanship wouldn't compare.  

But when it comes to cosmetics, much of the cost goes into the packaging, distribution, and marketing. 

I use La Mer moisturizer, as I am afraid not too.  I’ve been using it for a long time, and I honestly think my skin looks better because of it.  Maybe it would look the same with a moisturizer by Olay, but I am afraid to take that risk.

Recently, a friend of mine who once worked in the beauty business told me about a BB cream, shade medium, by L’Oreal called Youth Code.

I bought it for $11.60 on Amazon.   It’s amazing.  It promises to “illuminate, perfect, moisturize and protect” skin.  I believe it really does.

As for cheeks, I discovered a cream blush called Cheek Butter by Korres (a division of Johnson & Johnson).  I like its portability, creaminess, long lastingness, $25 price tag (at Sephora), and the color called Phila Pink.

Another product I love is a $20 cream by ColorScience that brightens and moisturizes the eye area; it’s called Eye Camouflage.

I have been using this for a while and think it’s fabulous.  In fact, I’ve used a lot of the ColorScience products and think they are all great.  I discovered this mineral-based line in 2005 when I got a facial and the woman who did the facial used these products.  I wore them at Alexander’s Bar Mitzvah and someone who was there thought I’d had a facelift.  Of course I became I convert after that.

As for lipsticks, my favorite is Armani — great consistency, beautiful colors, and perfect packaging.  I particularly love the Rouge D’Armani Sheer, #503 (vintage rosewood). 

Guerlain is also great but too much of the price goes into their garish packaging. Still, l love Gemma 64, rosy mauve. It’s the perfect pink for me.

I usually don’t spend an entire post writing about beauty products, but I thought these were worth mentioning.

Let me know if you have any to add.