beauty: everyday makeup

So, before you read a thing, click over to Seventeen, where I was so excited yesterday to be featured on their Style Blog!

Just goes to show that food and fashion are everyone's favorite combination. So, when you're done reading there (and scouting around their awesome blog), here's what I have to say about makeup for everyday.

For the most part, my makeup routine is pretty simple. I have a few favorite products that I use all the time, and rather than experiment and risk looking like a kid playing dress up or a drag queen, I figure it's better safe than sorry.

But I was looking through my older beauty posts, and I realized that I'd never written about my everyday routine -- not the crazy fake lashes or pink eyeshadow, just what I put on when I'm running out for a little shopping or dinner with some friends. There are a lot of days when I don't wear makeup at all (although I never leave home without at least moisturizer with SPF), but when I want a simple, understated made-up look, these are what I reach for.

A good foundation is probably the best thing you can do for yourself, and I'm extremely devoted to Laura Mercier's Oil-Free Foundation. For my eyes, I've already said that I'm obsessed with DIORSHOW mascara, but for shadows, I've been using this Benefit Smokin' Eyes Kit for nearly a year (!) at least two or three times per week. I felt sort of like a dope when I bought it (are smoky eyes so hard that I needed the 'smoky eyes for dummies' kit?), but having everything in one place is amazingly handy. Add a $2 eyeliner pencil sharpener and you're good to go.

My lips are the thing I experiment with the most, but in this post, I'm using Dior Rouge Lipcolor that was sent to me after the Dior.com launch a few weeks ago. I think lip color can be the toughest to match to your skin tone (I never buy anything bright without seeing it in natural sunlight first), but this has quickly become a staple. And to top everything off, I'm still using a Clinique Aglow, which is somewhere between a bronzer and blush, even though it's really more of a summer product. I just love the way it makes my skin look like I've been laying in the sun all day, all without the UV exposure!

On me: Rebecca Taylor dress, Lagi Nadeau necklace (at the Sugarlaws Boutique)!