It feels like forever since I did a newsletter on the contents of my makeup bag, those makeup essentials that I come back to when I need a look that I can count on. I hope you enjoy this little peek into my "putting on my face" kit.

Even though it's not makeup, I would be remiss not to mention what I do to prep my face before adding color. These days it's Juice Beauty gel cleanser in the morning and cream cleanser at night, together with a mixture of three of their treatment serums: clarity (to prevent breakouts), wellspring (anti-oxidant) and liquid calm (for redness or irritation). For moisturizing, I was using Juice Beauty's Abundance cream, but I just ran out so I am back to another favorite: Better Botanicals Dandelion Moisturizer.

After moisturizing, I always put on foundation or tinted moisturizer. The staples in my bag of late are Sonia Kashuk Hydro-Tint SPF 15 and Trish McEvoy Natural Tint Foundation Oil-Free. I choose the Sonia Kashuk tint on days when my skin looks pretty good and I just need a little coverage and a nicely moisturized glow. It comes in several very natural looking skintone shades (I use light) and has a smooth texture that spreads and blends onto the skin effortlessly. I apply about half a pump to my fingertips and dab it on my skin, then rub it in like a lotion.

I happened upon the Trish foundation in a moment of retail therapy weakness at Nordstrom, and it's turned out to be a great foundation for everyday wear. Because Natural Tint is oil free, I have to moisturize my dry skin well, and blend the foundation quickly because it sets quickly on the skin, but I still like it for its buildable but still natural-looking coverage. On those days when I have a bit more to hide, this is the one I choose. I discovered after several weeks of use that it goes on best with a damp makeup sponge; pour a small amount of foundation on the back of your hand and dip the damp sponge in for just the right amount of coverage and a little extra blending time.

When I was color matched at Nordstrom, I was unfortunately matched to a tester of a shade that Trish no longer makes (I think it was Natural Beige), so I had to buy Light Beige instead.

If my skin has any blemishes or undereye circles, my concealer of choice, to be applied after foundation, is Prescriptives Camouflage Kit Full Coverage Concealer. I reviewed this kit as part of my favorites of last year and I still use it every day without fail. You get two creamy, complementary shades, a pressed powder, and two brushes in a slim mirrored case.

Being a cosmetic magazine editor (as I consider Cosmetic Connection an online magazine), you might think that I am constantly wearing the latest in color. In reality is that for my own personal use, when I'm not testing something new, I like a subdued palette. In my makeup bag these days you'll find MAC Powder Blush in Well Dressed (a perky bubble gum pink), Stila Cabana Girls Eyeshadow Trio in Banana Daiquiri (wearable cream, taupe, and dark brown shades), Blisslabs Blisslids eye shadow in Gold Flutter (fabulous alone with a little liner), Blisslabs Lidstick in Amber (a coppery brown), Vincent Longo Eye Pencil in Brown, and BeneFit Mascara in Black (though it's not my favorite but I use it anyway). Once in a while I mix it up with Stila Cabana Girls shadows in Strawberry Daiquiri (the more pink and purple set), but that's as lively as I go. I barely ever wear lipstick on a regular basis because frankly I tire of applying and reapplying all the time. Even the ones that are long wearing never quite last as long or as fresh-looking as I'd like, and I feel like I am constantly checking in a mirror to see how much is left. Better Botanicals Ajowan-Lime Ayurvedic Lip Therapy is typically what I have on my lips.

I hope you enjoyed this peek into my makeup bag. If anything sparks your interest and you'd like to learn more, here are some resources for the products I mentioned:

• Juice Beauty: Sephora.com, The SkinStore.com, and JuiceBeauty.com, as well as by phone at 888-905-8423
• Better Botanicals: BetterBotanicals.com
• Sonia Kashuk: at Target stores (Target.com has some products but not the Hydro-Tint)
• Trish McEvoy: Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus
• Prescriptives: Gloss.com
• MAC: MAC Cosmetics and Gloss.com
• Stila: Stila Cosmetics, Sephora.com and Gloss.com
• Bliss: Blissworld.com
• Vincent Longo: Sephora.com
• BeneFit: BeneFit Cosmetics and Sephora.com

I hope you enjoyed this issue of The Cosmetic Report!