Products I Wouldn't Want to Live Without

It would be impossible to give these goodies up!

I'm a serious beauty junkie, so there are tons of products that I love.

However, there are a select few that stand out as being so good that I don't have anything else in my collection that performs the same way or gives me the same results. 

These are the products I wouldn't want to live without.

(Obviously, I could... if I had to... but I really hope that I never have to try.)

I guess some might consider them holy grail items, but I'm not sure that I think all of these are the greatest products in the world.  They're just the greatest that I've tried so far (with one exception).  In my mind, there's a distinction. 

Here’s my list: 

MUFE  HD Primer

Makeup Forever HD Primer – Okay, at this point, I'm just as sick of writing about this product as you probably are of reading about it, so I'll just say that this is the one holy grail item in my collection. Enough said.

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream

First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream – This is another product that I feel like I've mentioned a hundred times, so I'll just direct you to my skincare or Febuary Favorites posts to see why I love this moisturizer so much. 

MUFE HD Foundation in Shade 110

Makeup Forever HD Foundation (Shade 110) – I’ve talked about the difficulty that I have finding foundations that are light enough for my fair skin before, so when I find one that works, it always feels like a miracle. But Makeup Forever’s HD Foundation doesn’t just match my skin well – the formula is one of the best I’ve ever tried. It feels lightweight on the skin, but it offers medium buildable coverage that works day or night. And it looks beautiful in photographs too. 

The Balm Nude'Tude Palette

Nude'Tude swatches: top row (l to r) - Sassy, Stubborn, Selfish, Sophisticated, Sexy, Serious; bottom row (l to r) - Snobby, Stand-offish, Sultry, Schitzo, Silly, Sleek

 The Balm Nude’Tude Palette – I’ve talked about this palette in my Balm post and my neutral shadow palettes post, so it’s no secret that I love it. I could probably choose any of the Balm palettes in my collection, though, because their shadows are just heavenly.  They’re smooth, creamy and totally blendable.  And they last like you wouldn’t believe. (The other day, my schedule got a little disrupted so I wound up running after I already had makeup on.  Would you believe that my Balm eye shadow lasted through six hours of regular wear *and* all the sweat worked up by running several miles?  I couldn’t believe it myself, actually)  If I could only keep one of the palettes, the Nude’Tude would win because I know that I’d be able to come up with a look for any occasions with all those pretty neutral/naked shades.  If you’re thinking about getting this one, do it.  You won’t regret it. 

Laura Mercier Mineral Powder SPF15

Laura Mercier Mineral Powder swatches: Tender Rose & Soft Porcelain

 Laura Mercier Mineral Powder SPF 15 – When your skin has a habit of getting dry and flaky, it’s tough to find a powder that works for you reliably. The Laura Mercier Mineral Powder does that for me. It’s technically a powder foundation, but I often use it as a finishing powder over tinted moisturizers or lighter foundations for extra coverage. Instead of looking powdery or cakey, this stuff gives my skin a really pretty satin-y glow. I have two shades – Tender Rose and Soft Porcelain. They’re both very light, but the Tender Rose has pink undertones and the Soft Porcelain leans more toward the yellow end of the spectrum.

Revlon Lip Butters

Revlon Lip Butter swatches (l to r): Creme Brulee, Creamsicle, Peach Parfait, Fig Jam

 Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters – They are a ton of lipstick and gloss shades in my collection that I really wouldn’t want to live without, but when I was making this list, I tried to stay away from specific colors because the shades that I love might not work on everyone. Instead, I thought about lip products in terms of formula alone, and I realized that of all the lipsticks and glosses I’ve got, the Revlon Lip Butters just feel and look too good for me to do without. They offer the perfect amount of color for everyday wear, but you can build them up when you want a more intense look for evening. I like how glossy they are too. But really, it’s the unbelievable way that they feel on the lips that makes them such rock stars.  They’re moisturizing and smooth, without being the least bit sticky.  I only have a handful, but I suspect that there are a few more I “need”. My favorites are Creme Brulee, Peach Parafit, Creamsicle, and Fig Jam.

Sigma Sigmax Brushes (l to r): F84, F86, F80, F82

 Sigma Sigmax Kabuki Brushes – It’s taken me quite a while to find the right brushes for putting on foundation and cream products, but now that I have, I’d never want to give them up. Sigma’s Sigmax Synthetic Kabuki brushes are pretty much perfect. First of all, they're super soft and don't shed at all. Second of all, they’re dense enough to spread foundation, cream blush, etc, but they also buff in the product at the same time for a flawless, even look. And because they’re synthetic, they don’t eat up your foundation or blush either. My favorites are the flat kabuki (F80) and round kabuki (F82), but the angled kabuki (F84) works really well for cream blushes. 

Retin-A – I mentioned Retin-A in my skin care routine post too, so I won’t go on too much about it here. It helped get rid of the moderate acne that plagued me in my mid- to late 20s, and it has continued to keep my skin smooth and clear since. It can make my skin dry and flaky at times, but I find those issues a small price to pay for results that I get. 

What are the products that you wouldn't want to live without?