A few weeks ago I wrote about beauty products that are a waste of money. I used that article as inspiration to purge my own makeup case of the things I could live without. Then I started to notice certain products I couldn’t part with. Not because of the brand name or the price I paid, but because of how losing them would affect my beauty regime and the price that I paid. So here’s a shortlist of some products I can’t imagine tossing away.
Lip Liner
Trust me, it took a long time to become a believer myself but you can’t argue with the outcome. Before I started using lip liner on the regular, my nights always ended with the dreaded lipstick ring about the lines of my mouth. Looking like an end-of-shift clown can’t be anybody’s idea of great makeup. Using lip liner keeps lipstick from bleeding onto the skin around your mouth. Plus if you fill in your lips by using the liner to shade them in, your colour will last longer with fewer touchups.
Boob Tape
I can’t be the only female who dons a low-cut or loose fitting dress and suddenly has terrifying flashbacks of Tara Reid on the red carpet with a big smile and a completely exposed breast. Of course, the breast itself was terrifying but the act of having your lady lumps out for the world to see (unintentionally) is a pure nightmare. Instead of throwing out those low cut dresses, invest in good boob tape. All you’ll have to worry about is working up the nerve to rip it off at the end of the night. Or try out Steve Martin’s idea that saliva gets it off real easy.
Top Coat
Another product that I used to go without. I’d give myself a manicure and then wonder why the finish wasn’t as glossy or smooth as my friends’. A newly aquired top coat now not only has my nails looking brighter and shinier but it also helps them dry faster and last longer. With all the new nail art trends going around more and more junk is being piled atop your nails other than a base coat. If you’re one to buy into it, you’re going to need a good top coat to keep all the studs, gems and plastic flowers on those tips.
Liquid Eye Liner
This product is only a must if you wear liner on your top lid. Personally, I love the retro cat eye look and have to say, it can’t be properly achieved with a pencil. A good liquid liner has a short but tapered tip to let you get as close to the eye as possible while still maintaining a crisp line. Press with a cotton Q-tip for a smudged look…the kind you usually get whether you want it or not with a pencil.
Chapstick & Moisturizer
This might seem like a no brainer but trust me when I say a lot of people miss the significance of moisturized skin. The first thing I notice about people isn’t usually their eyes or hair (like the Axe commercial would have you believe) but their skin and as someone who used to have a horrible complexion, there’s nothing I admire more than skin that looks well cared for and that includes lips. Everything else about your look can be flawless but chapped lips and flaky skin will ruin all of it. As much as I advocate the other products on this list, I’ve been walking around makeupless for a couple of weeks now and I find that as long as my skin feels hydrated and my lips smooth, the rest is all good.
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Bianca Teixeira writes about style for Toronto Standard. Follow her on Twitter at @BeeLauraTee.
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