One 'n' done

I don't know if I should be proud or ashamed to admit this, but I have a lot of makeup. Salon brands, indie brands, bargain brands, drugstore brands, you name it. When we cleaned out the bathroom cabinets for some bathroom renovations in March, my huge makeup train case, my brush case and everything else went into my office. That's not counting the stacks and stacks of mineral pigments on the shelf by the bathroom sink or the "Can't live without" items over there, like blush and concealer.

I have a lot of make up.

Which, considering my normal morning makeup routine, is really sort of odd. I think I've mentioned before that I'm not a morning person, and instead of popping out of bed, bright eyed and bushy tailed at the thought of putting on a fresh, exciting face of makeup, you *might* get something vaguely resembling human conversation out of me - if you're really lucky and I don't want to KILL ALL HUMANS for getting up at Way Too Damn Early for a Night Owl Body Clock. You can ask Joey how often THAT happens.

So, what do I do in the twenty minutes where I'm ambulatory but not yet human?
I rinse my hair (I shower at night, but don't wash my hair every time. Too much shampoo is not your hair color's friend), wash my face, dry my face, dry my hair, apply Yes to Blueberries Intensive Skin Repair Serum, run some styling product through my hair, blow it dry, wash my hands, apply Metrocream to treat my rosacea, go get my clothes, apply perfume/deodorant, get dressed, wash my hands again, apply Stila's SPF 30 tinted moisturizer in Light, wash my hands some more and put on my jewelry for the day.

That's on a day when I don't put on makeup. For someone as lazy as me, that's still a hell of a lot to do between getting out of bed and leaving for work. And it's made me realize something - I am not cut out for multi-step, multi-shade eye looks.

I've tried. I've really tried. I absolutely adore the looks, but I just can't do it on a regular basis. Also, since switching to cream eyeshadows a few months ago, I've found that I really prefer their texture and staying power, even though I'm a sucker for pretty loose mineral shades, such as Shiro Cosmetics' new Science Collection. I mean, COME ON. It's gorgeous eye colors based on Portal. There's no way I could resist that.

Still, most of the time, I find myself reaching for one of my new go-to shades in cream eye shadow, putting on some mascara (Cover Girl's Lash Blast Fusion for preference - more on that later) and calling it good. If I want to get crazy, I might put on eyeliner. 'Cause - you guessed it - I've got a lot of eyeliner.

So, with all that explanation under your belt about my laziness and incompatibility with both mornings and more multi-step processes to get ready in the morning, here's my list of my top used cream eyeshadow shades:

1. Estee Lauder Double Wear Pink Pearl - a low-key shimmer, creamy soft beige pink.

2. Makeup Forever Aqua Cream in #16, Pink Beige - much more visible shimmer, soft beige pink that's less pearly and more pink than EL's Pink Pearl.

3. Benefit Cosmetics Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow in R.S.V.P. - This is a very soft champagne shade that's very brightening. GREAT for when you aren't feeling your best.

4. Benefit Cosmetics Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow in Flatter Me - This is a much softer tan than a mauve.

5. Benefit Cosmetics Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow in Get Figgy - This is a darker shade than it shows on the Benefit site, but it's a nice soft heathered purple.

And there you have it. My exciting makeup routine, all laid out for you.