6 Make-Up Must-Haves Every Woman Needs To Know About

When it comes to make-up, every girl deserves the right to feel pretty.

Now there are plenty of products out there for a girl to choose from in this day and age. For me, however there are certain products that I have found to be the holy grail when it comes to make-up must-haves.

1. An amazing go-to eyeliner.

For the longest time, I absolutely REFUSED to try liquid eyeliner. It seemed messy, hard to use, and just overall like a hassle. That is until I was visiting my best friend in California, and her roommate insisted I give this eyeliner a try. It’s liquid, but also technically not. It’s a felt-tip eyeliner from Milani Cosmetics called “Eye Tech Perfection.” That name is no lie. This eyeliner is legit perfection. It goes on smooth and is pretty easy to apply.

Now I am not the greatest at drawing a straight line, but that’s okay because just use a little make-up remover in the spots where you messed up and you are good to go! It stays on all day, through work and even through the gym! I swear by this eyeliner now, and will probably never go back to using a pencil. Pencil eyeliner usually irritate my eyes, so for a long time I didn’t wear eyeliner. But no more! I wear it every day now and I have to say that this eyeliner is literally a gift from the heavens.

2. A reliable mascara.

Mascara can be finicky. I’ve known a lot of mascaras, and can say if you don’t pick the right one, you will be looking like the bride of Frankenstein – or worse. Running mascara is terrifying, but clumpy mascara is unacceptable, end of discussion. It took me forever to find a mascara I could truly rely on. It actually happened on accident. My mother bought me some make-up from Sephora one holiday, and it was an eyeshadow palate and a few other pieces (including this mascara) from tarte cosmetics called “tarte to go™ deluxe lights, camera, lashes™ 4-in-1 mascara.”

That was it, I had fallen in love. It didn’t run, smear, or clump. Plus, the first time I wore it, one of my friends asked me if I was wearing fake lashes. It’s that good, no joke. This is another product I swear by, plus the company is pretty awesome too. They don’t test on animals and care about the environment and healthy products. So not only do they have a great product, but they’re a great company too – I call that a win-win.

3. A natural eyeshadow.

Now don’t get me wrong. I absolutely love wild colors and wild looks. Experimenting with different eye shadow colors is one of my favorite past-times. But for a more sophisticated day-to-day look, I tend to lean more toward a shimmery color with a more natural tone. My favorite is Natural Mineral Coconut Eye Shadow in “Treasure” by Pacifica. Not only do I love this eye shadow, but this company is Cruelty-Free as well, and the company’s products are 100% vegan. Again, yay for healthy and guilt-free make-up!

4. The perfect pout.

My friends, I am terrible at keeping my lips looking nice. I always find a way to ruin them. lipstick and lip gloss is hard for me. One of the best ways I’ve found to combat this problem is by wearing color-tinted lip balm. The one I’m currently using is NYX’s Butter Lip Balm in the shade “Ladyfingers.” It’s lightweight and pleasant-looking. If it starts to wear off? No problem, easily reapply! You might not even need a mirror if you are a pro. Now I love lipstick and lip gloss as much as any girl. However, for someone like me who is always on the go and needs something flexible, easy to apply, and reasonably durable, this is what works best.

5 & 6. The tools for flawless nails.

More than one ingredient goes into this equation. For flawless nails you need two things; a good top coat that will keep your nails look sleek and perfect for as long as possible, and a killer color.

5. For my Top Coat, I used to use OPI’s for as long as I can remember. But while at the drug store, I could not find any OPI, so I looked through what they had and picked the best they had to offer; Revlon’s Extra Life™ No Chip Top Coat. And guys, not to get preachy, but this top coat has converted me and made me a true believer of a long-lasting manicure.

6. When it comes to Color, I try not to stick to the same shade every week. If I did I would get really bored very quickly. Over the years of experimenting with different colors, I have found a few of my absolute favorite shades in a few different nail polish brands.

My first love will always be “Cajun Shrimp” by OPI. I got it once when getting a manicure on a family vacation and then went immediately to the store to buy it when I returned home. It’s such a fun summer color. Not quite red, not quite orange, but that perfect hard to find shade between the two.

One of my newer discoveries, courtesy of ipsy (as are a few other products on this list – which, by the way, I highly recommend), is JulieG Nail Color’s “Damsel” (by Jesse’s Girl Cosmetics). It is literally the perfect shade of pink. It’s bright, it goes on easy. One of the best things about it is that you don’t even really need more than one coat to get the full effect, even though rule of thumb in my house is to always do two coats.

Another color I love (which is coincidentally another Pacifica product) is “Red Red Wine.” Not only is this the perfect Fall shade, but it’s also a good shade if you are looking for a mature, professional color to give off the vibe that you are an adult who has their life together (I mean, if you’re into that sort of thing). Plus, their nail polish is 7 free.

The most recent color and company I’ve fallen in love with is the shade “Elegantly Wasted” By Trust Fund Beauty. Purple is my favorite color, and this shade might just be the best of all. Not only is their nail polish cruelty-free, non-toxic, vegan AND 7 free, but the company’s whole theme is just fabulous. Their nail polish names are so clever that I just ran down the list looking at the different nail polish names and their corresponding shades. Then I bought several of them, and I have no regrets. I couldn’t help it. I wanted my nails to look gorgeous and rich. You should definitely go check their page out, it’s worth a look!