if it makes you happy.

If you go into my bathroom, turn towards the sink counter & open the second drawer from the bottom, you'd simply be astonished by the amount of makeup it houses. To top that off, some of the stuff in there is really nasty. I have a Maybeline eyeshadow quad from at least three years ago, a broken MAC shadestick in snakeskin, quite the array of empty concealer tubes & pressed powder that I can't even remember purchasing. Sometimes I wish I had the guts to just plow through it all & get rid of, say, ninety percent of the crap in there. I mean, am I ever really going to use the empty John Frieda frizz-ease I was addicted to last year? No, I probably won't, but yet, I feel the need to keep it forever.

What can I do to solve my problem? It's simple. I have to raid through that damned drawer, and keep only the bare essentials, no more. Okay, maybe a bit more, like the tools needed for an attempt at a 'smokey eye', aswell as a bright magenta lipstick to be worn only on very special occasions. But nevertheless, the key is to lose the excess.

The perfeck makeup kit: Benefit Cosmetics Lite SPF 15 Tinted Moisturizer ($30), Make Up Forever Lift Concealer ($21), Smashbox Eyelights Palette ($34), Benefit Cosmetics BadGal Eyeliner ($18), Imju Fiberwig Mascara ($22), Smashbox O-Glow ($26), Bare Escentuals Smoky 'V' Eye Tutorials ($32), Shiseido Fine Eyeliner ($27)& Shu Uemura Natural Brush ($50). Albeit very expensive, admit it, you'd love to have these products in your makeup kit. GRAND TOTAL: $260,00.



And now, for the smaller, more realistic makeup kit: Cover Girl Line Exact Eyeliner ($7), Cover Girl Volume Exact Mascara ($8), Rimmel London All Over Jumbo Pencil ($4), Neutrogena Shimmer Sheers for eyes, lips & face ($8) & Cover Girl Smoother SPF 15 Tinted Moisturizer ($10). Okay so I'm missing a blush, a brush and any eyeshadows for this one, but I simply could not think of any particular item I've wanted, so I summed it up with those. GRAND TOTAL: $37,00.



As for hair, I want to be able to put more effort into it. But of course, it's impossible to have perfect hair without the right tools: and although I do own a hair straightener, I know for a fact that's not enough. Necessary objects: Frederic Fekkai Coiff Perfecteur, Oscar Blandi Jasmine Oil Serum, Dove Sheer Moisture Shampoo & Dove Intense Frizz-Control Cream.



Although this picture was taken before Ashley Olsen discovered balienciaga booties & stopped using shampoo, I think it's a good representation of pretty, healthy hair. I llooove the side-swept bangs.


And last but not least, smooth skin is a necessity. Personally, I'm not one to own a great amount of creams, butters & moisturizers, because quite frankly I'd set them aside one night and never use them again. The regularity of applying lotions never seems to catch on. Nevertheless, I try to apply moisturizer & body butter every now & then to keep my skin looking fresh. Another product I love is Philosophy's Cinnamon Buns, a shampoo, conditioner & body wash, all in one. It also works great as a bubble bath, and cleans and conditions in one esy step (Do I sound like an infomercial right now? I swear it's accidental). I'm longing for Dove's Regenerating Night Cream, and I've been eyeing Bliss' Lemon + Sage Body Butter for a while now, too.



It seems to me beauty products & cosmetics are getting to be more and more costly by the year, but when it really comes down to it, it's worth it. Right?

Zoë.

PS: Watching CSI reruns all Christmas vacation? No no no, if anything, watch House of Carters. Pure gold, I tell you.