Trust Me—I'm No Makeup Expert, But I Swear By These Products

Fun fact: I grew up in Beverly Hills, so the first time I ever got my eyebrows done in high school was at the original Anastasia studio. Looking back, I’m not surprised by the brow guru’s rise to fame. After all, before it became a Kardashian-endorsed hot spot, it was a low-key celeb favourite. Anyway, while I don’t get my eyebrows done often anymore, I still love to use Anastasia Beverly Hills products. The brow definer is perfect for easily and subtly filling in your brows.

Brow Wiz is a thinner pencil that’s good for perfecting your brows and filling in any little spots that need correcting.

I don’t use this gel every day, but when I know I’ll be out of the house for a long time or want to make sure my brows stay perfect for an event, I’ll use a tiny bit of it and brush it out with a dry spoolie to get any excess gel off.

Putting makeup on my actual face still scares me a bit, but I basically feel safe using anything Charlotte Tilbury. I love using this Wonder Glow in place of a concealer because it’s sheer and really does give your skin a bright look.

I’m obsessed with these Bar of Gold highlighters. Besides how pretty they are to look at, they give an amazing glow to your face. I use a fan brush to apply it to my cheekbones and sometimes a smaller brush to put in my creases and along my brow bone. 

Like every other girl I know, I'm also a fan of RMS Beauty's Living Luminizer for a sheer, natural-looking glow that doesn't really feel like you're wearing makeup.

Can you tell I have a thing for highlighter? Since it doesn’t require a brush, this one is perfect for keeping in your purse and using on the go. I use it sometimes when I have to go somewhere straight from the office and want to refresh my face.

Before washing my face, I always take my makeup off with these wipes first to make sure I don’t have anything left over. I’ve been using these for years and think they’re very gentle.

I’ve been using this mascara for a while now, and even though I’ve tried countless others, this is the only one I keep buying every time it runs out.

I don’t use eye shadow often, but when I do, this is one of the only two I've come to like. All the shades are pretty sheer, so it almost looks like you don’t have anything on (in a good way). 

For a subtler look (that's better for the day), I sometimes use RMS's eye polish in Myth. It takes two seconds to apply with your finger and has a really nice metallic taupe tint to it.

My go-to eyeliner is actually a similar colour from Nars, but since it seems to be sold out, I asked our editor Erin Jahns to suggest a similar shade. She swears by this one from Marc Jacobs Beauty, so I trust it’s a good find. I like brown eyeliner for day-to-day because it’s much subtler than black.

Once in a while, if I do feel like having my eye makeup look more dramatic, I use a very soft layer of this black eyeliner by Charlotte Tilbury.

I love this eye-makeup remover because it actually leaves my skin feeling more hydrated. This is another product I’ve been using for around five years, and I have never found anything worth switching for.

Call me basic, but I’m obsessed with my Glossier Gen G. I’ve been using it pretty much since it came out. I’m not a lipstick or lip gloss girl, so this is really my lip colour for everything. It can be sheer if you only apply one swipe, but you can also layer it for more colour. Crush is the only shade I wear.

Lip liner is still a relatively new thing to me, but this is the first one I’ve used and really liked. I have a colour that’s very close to my Gen G, and I use it when I want more of a defined lip. It’s good because the brush lets you soften the lines so it’s not overly dramatic.

Most of the time when I have my nails done (both hands and feet), the colour I pick is OPI’s Malaga Wine. It’s such a flattering colour, and I’ve found that it’s dark enough for winter but still light enough for summer. The other good thing about getting the same colour every time is that I have a bottle of the polish at home, so I can always fix it if it chips.

I recently started using this topcoat from Essie’s long-lasting line with every manicure and have really seen a difference in how long I can go without my nails chipping. I recently bought one and bring it with me to the nail salon in case they don’t have it.

I’m terrible at doing my own nails, but every once in a while, if I don’t have time to get them done and really need a fix, I use this colour from Sally Hansen at home. It’s tinted pink but very sheer, so it’s pretty much impossible to mess up. I apply two layers and it instantly looks like I got a manicure.