Eye Must Have These

Eye makeup is one of those things that feels like I've been trying to master for the better part of the past few decades. It all started with mascara when I was a young girl, mostly because I discovered early on that blonde eyelashes do nothing to make eyes standout on a pale complexion. Later in life, sometime in the college years, I began to dabble in eyeliner. It definitely took awhile to get the hang of pointing a stick towards my eyeball and not jabbing the tender tissue that's pretty vital to my vision.

From there, I branched into the colorful world of eyeshadows and have built a vast collection that I'm rather proud of (Mr. Cush would just roll his eyes if I mentioned this in front of him). My daily go-to shadows are Mac's Malt and Jest (peachy tones), but as fall rolls in, I'm slowly alternating that pairing with Mac's Quarry and Shale (purple tones).

Although my eyeshadows might change depending on the time of year, I have found three staple items that are always in my cosmetic bag: creamy white shadow, black liner (pencil) and mascara.

I picked up the NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk at ULTA and added it to my routine several months ago. The pencil is incredibly creamy and doesn't pull or tug at the delicate skin upon application. This is the first product I apply to my eyes, and I only use it in the inner corners. There's nothing really precise about this step, but I basically kind of blot it in using my pinky finger. The goal of this is to brighten the inner corners, and it makes your eyes seem just a bit farther apart. This is followed up with whatever eyeshadow you're using and it blends very naturally.

After I've applied my eyeshadow, I sharpen my eyeliner to begin with a fine point. This helps get the liner as close to my lashes as possible. (The goal of eyeliner is to make your lash line look fuller, so why wouldn't you want it touching your lashes?) The Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Perversion is my absolute favorite because it's pigmented and creamy. If you have oily eyelids, it might not be best suited for you because it could run a bit, but it stays put on me lids all day with the help of some Urban Decay Primer Potion.

(Another trick to 'pushing' the liner closer to your lashes is to use a MAC 212 brush and run it over your eyeliner right after you've applied it smooth it out and 'spread' it into your lash line.)

Finally, mascara can make or break any final look. As much as it pains me to shell out $$$ on mascara, it's been my experience that some higher-end mascaras are better at achieving my desires of long, thick, full and black lashes. I've been pretty hooked on YSL's Shocking for a few months (picked it up at Nordstrom during a buy-two-mascaras-get-one-free sale), and would say its worth the hefty price tag. My other favorite mascara is MAC's Haute and Naughty Too Black Lash, and I'd have no problem going back to that to save $10.