Oh how I love you so...

My makeup drawer is pretty standard, assorted eyeshadows, various mascaras, a few types of blush. I honestly wouldn't be too panicked if I didn't have any of it on hand because I am a pretty minimalist gal in that department. I'm that girl that knows she should throw out the 6 year old eyeshadow duo at the back of the drawer but just can't do it because I only used it twice!

But I do have a small number of items I just don't think I could manage without. Pass me the smelling salts if any of these items go the way of the dinosaurs because it would throw my whole beauty regime off (small as it is).

The first 2 are self tanners. Let me start by saying I absolutely LOVE self tanners, but absolutely HATE buying them. It is so hit and miss and everytime I try something new I regret it about 3 hours later when I look like an oompa-loompa. And these 2 kinda started out the same way, or at least the one on the left did.

I am a slightly olive-toned girl, but a really pale one at that. So when I look particularly pastey it tends to have a greenish undertone that resembles someone on their second day of food poisoning (ok, maybe not that bad, but not a cute look). I am not out to get the Jlo glow, just a nice tone that warms up my complexion. So I tried out the Sublime Bronze Sun Splash when I ran out of my last bottle that sadly isn't available anymore. I didn't really like anything about this stuff, it sprays on in a gel form, but you still have to rub it in, then it dried too quickly and left me streaky, and worst of all it is REALLY strong stuff so I looked like a caribbean queen only 2 hours after application. So I ditched it and decided to try the aerosol mist.

LOVE this stuff! A gradual build up over 3 days and I was back to normal. It goes on easy and dries well, but it does have quite a spray so do it in the shower or tub so minimize the mess on your floors. The only problem is that it is pricey and only lasted me about 3 weeks (doing full body). So I came to a compromise, do the mist on my arms and chest and the gel on my face by mixing it with my moisturizer.

It's funny because when we are young we get so interested in makeup and beauty. I can still remember when my mom bought me my first eye shadow and an eyeshadow brush at The Body Shop years ago. But nobody really tells you about moisturizers so I was totally clueless to how much they do for you before applying make up until just a few years back. I absolutely adore my Olay moisturizer with sunscreen. I mix one pump of moisturizer and one pump of self tanner in the palm of my hand then apply every morning. This particular lotion also has some glycolic acid in it and I completely attribute that to the improvement of my skin tone and not having a big zit in years. Plus when you are self tanning regularly I think it is important to keep the skin as fresh as possible.

If you fight dark circles like me (being up 1-2 times a night with a two year old causes a lot of those) you need need need to try this stuff! I would honestly give up chocolate for Bobbi Brown's under eye concealers. I often keep 2-3 different shades on hand to blend better depending on the degree of discoloration under my eyes. I have 1 compact that also comes with the setting powder and then buy the rest in individual compacts since they are a little pricey and I don't use much of the powder. Trust me, you will not be disappointed!

What are your beauty must haves? I need to know if I'm missing out on any other fabulous products!