My Top 5 Skin and Beauty MUST HAVES

I get asked every day "What do you recommend". 
So I sat down and thought long and hard about it.

What are the top 5 things every woman MUST have in her skin care/make-up arsenal?

What do I use every day?  What would I recommend to others? What should EVERY woman have for her skin/make-up routine? 

So here we go:

1. Skin Care Cleansing products.  Your skin care regiment is so important. Your skin is the canvas. Dont take care of it, the painting will not be as vibrant. I use Mary Kay 3 step cleansing system, formulated for my skin type.  Twice a day I cleanse, tone and moisturize.  Once a week I add a masque.  If anything, clean, tone and moisturize once a day. MK is not for everyone, I understand that. Find a system that works for you and USE IT.  Your skin will thank you.  MOISTURIZE MOISTURIZE MOISTURIZE.  Try and find a moisturizer that has SPF in it. Oily Skin? Try a formulation specifically for oily or blemish prone skin. Even if your skin cleansing is as simple as a washcloth and water, DO IT.

2. Mineral Foundation.  I was always a cream/liquid foundation girl. Always. You couldnt change my mind to the contrary. I Like them. I Do. But then I had "a moment"...I discovered Mineral make-up.  I use Mineral foundation in my skin tone and blend until I get the coverage I want.  It stays put. It is a natural SPF. It makes my skin look airbrushed and flawless.  I use Bare Minerals. It is AMAZING.  And fork out the money for a proper Buki brush to go with it. regular powder brushes are too loose and wont cover like a mineral brush will.  find a good mineral make-up. You will never look back.  Try Bare minerals. For $60 you get a ton of stuff. I absolutely SWEAR by mineral foundation. Dont just get the cheapest crap you can find off the shelf.  All Mineral Make-ups are NOT created the same. find one that works for you.

3. MASCARA!! If you get out of the house with ANY sort of make-up, it NEEDS to be mascara.  Mascara can turn you from blah to ta-da. A good mascara can make all the difference. It can transform you from looking tired and worn to looking alert and perky.  I recommend Avon Astonishing Lengths  or Avon Super Shock.  You wont believe the difference in your lashes.  i also LOVE Lancome Definicils.  Any one of those will give you excellent results.  Start applying on your bottom lashes first. Then move up to the tops. This will keep you from looking up too much and keep the mascara off your eyelids and on your lashes where it belongs.

4. A good set of Make-up Brushes.  Invest in a set of make-up brushes. They will last you forever and you can apply your make-up so much more smoothly, evenly and professionally. It REALLY makes a high difference.  I got a set of brushes at Sallys Beauty supply. You can get them at Target and Walmart as well. Clean them once a week with warm soapy water, let them air-dry and fluff them up, your brushes will be your friends for a long, long time.

5. Tweezers.  Get a GOOD set of tweezers. Sallys Beauty Supply carries Tweezerman, they are 3.99.

Keep your eyebrows tweezed. Make sure you get those hairs between your eyebrows. Get those hairs that stray from your eyebrows and turn your arches into caterpillars. Your eyebrows should follow the natural bone along the eye. The brow should arch naturally around the middle of your eye. Also, invest in a good brow liner in case you go too long between tweezing or waxing. It can make your eyebrow a little more pronounced and draw attention away from those stray hairs hanging around.

The best time to pluck your brows is right after a hot shower. Make sure you are in good lighting. Pull the skin taut and pluck in the opposite direction on the growth. use an aloe vera gel to soothe afterwards and ward off the red puffies (tell tale pluck symptom).

so those are my top 5 skin/make up must haves. what are yours? What can you not live without?