Favorite Make Up Items

This blog is all over the place...how do you go from Iranian Activism to Favorite Make Up?

A friend prompted me to think about all my favorites...and why I like them, so I thought I would expand here.

Here are my favorite products, and a bit about why I like them.

Urban Decay Primer Potion - regular or 'Sin'

Benefit FYEye (it's a base)

Mac Prep and Prime Eye

Any of these make sure that your makeup looks fresh all day; they all work wonders!

Next, my top picks for different make up items:

Make Up For Ever - Aqua Eyes eye liner pencils...these stay on perfectly, all day. Don't bother buying any other brand with the exception of Urban Decay 24/7 - they also stay put and give you some color variety from MUFE (though MUFE carrys a huge selection of colors!).

Urban Decay - Liquid Eye Liner. This goes on easy and again, stays put. Great colors. I like Oil Slick, Honey, Smog...basically all of them.

Also in Urban Decay - Cream Shadows in Whipped, and Suburbia - these can also be used as a base or stand alone. They are very pretty, and soft, and apply well.

Mac - where to begin:

• Blush - Sunbasque, Springsheen, Well Dressed, Plum Foolery - really all Mac blushes are wearable by most skin tones.

• Eye shadow - whew, there are too many. If I had to choose 5, Vanilla, Soft Brown, All That Glitters, Cork, Satin Taupe, and Sketch...ok that is 6. Then woodwinked, Naked Lunch, Honesty, Twinks... These are all neutrals. There are myriad shades and collecting them becomes addicting (a warning:-) If you like to collect, purchase the 15 slot palette and buy the pro palette form shadows - $13 ea.

• Paint Pots, in Painterly, Indianwood, Constructivist, Rubanesque, Frescoe Rose - used as a base or as a shadow. Love these.

• Mineralized Blush - Gentle, Warm Soul

• Mineralized Skin Finish Natural - Medium

• Mascara X - Dk Brown and Black

• Dazzleglass lip gloss - Get Rick Quick, Roman Candle.

• Lipsticks - Rose Romance, Gam V, Glam VI, Sophisto

• Studio Sculpt concealer - NW25 for face

Mac can be ordered online, from their website which frequently offers free shipping to Canadians - a bonus. www.maccosmetics.ca. Mac is not that expensive in comparison with other brands...for example MUFE mascara is $28, Mac's is $14. Not much more than the drugstore brands for around $10. Eye shadow palettes for the 15 slot palettes are $13 ea.

Other brands mentioned in this post are available at Sephora stores or on sephora.com

There was a time when I didn't really have the time or the money to wear much make up, but now it's kind of a hobby and I am learning a lot! There are some talented people on the internet, YouTube and various blogs that share tips and techniques. It's kind of fun.

For example, I learned this tip recently...if you get a mascara gob on your makeup...let it dry rather than try to get it off right away guaranteeing a smudge on your eye make up...once it's dry, it comes right off with a q tip...just flakes off with no smudging whatsoever. Simple.