does it really make a difference?

I was surprised to hear (on TV, I think) that the average woman uses about 16 products on her face every day. That sounds like a ridiculously high number, so I count.

On a day when I have no plans, I wear only lipstick and maybe a little concealer. But on a workday, for instance, I use more.

Before I put a drop of makeup on my face, there's the prep.

A vitamin C Serum that I bought from my dermatologist and love.

La Mer, which I'm not sure is worth the money, but I'm afraid to stop using.

La Mer eye balm.

And a face brightening product by Burberry called Fresh Glow that I love.

That's 4 products before a drop of make-up goes on my face.

Next, I usually use a BB or CC Cream.

Then my favorite 3-in-1 renewal eye therapy from ColorScience, mixed with my must-have By Terry's Densiliss Concealer.

I dot my face here and there with a great little product called Uncover by RMS to hide any noticeable skin discoloration or redness.

And then put on a shadow primer (Urban Decay).

I'm up to 9 products.

My favorite two shadows are by Ellis Faas, numbers 109 (neutral) and 116 (pale lilac). I usually use only the neutral. Then I'll draw some kind of line using a dark-colored Urban Decay eye pencil and finally, I'll add mascara (which I don't really like to wear as I don't  like the process of removing it at the end of the day)

So that's 12 products.

Then there's the blush. I like a cream or liquid blush best, and switch them out. My most recent favorite is Giorgio Armani's Fluid Sheer. 

Most days I'll add a dusting of By Terry's sheer dual-powder.

And finally, a base lipstick and my new favorite: By Terry's gloss-like, easy to use crayon.

All are inexpertly applied with my beloved (need-to-be-cleaned) Artis brushes (#4, #6, and #7).

16 products (at a minimum, and not including the additional ones I use at night).

The other day I had to run into work. I bump into Jon, a fellow associate. "I'm only here for a minute," I say. I hadn't planned on going in and my face is bare. "Don't look at me," I tell him. "I have on no make-up." 

Jon looks at me surprised and says, "I didn't even know you wore make-up."

Does that mean that I am such an expert make-up artist that I daily create a gorgeous, natural look? 

Or, does it mean that I apply my makeup so badly the result is no different than when I wear none?

I won't venture a guess.