I often post about a product I’ve tried and when I talk about how it worked for me no matter what the verdict is I always get a DM or two that says “but what did you really think?” Now, I really don’t mind DM’s, as a matter of fact I love answering individual questions, but Listen Linda…This is the Real Chic life for a reason. I really only post things I like (I’ve tried things that I didn’t like and I didn’t post about them) and I only work with companies that I feel are doing something that resonates with me. I know it’s easy to get lost in the world of online reviews and content creators but I and a lot of the people I know say No a lot. Typically I am good with that. Sometimes I will see a project come to fruition that I passed on and feel a little regret that I’m not posting about some brand that a bunch of my friends said yes to when I said no, but I have to be true to me and to you. In that same vein, I hope you like all the same things that I do but you may not and that’s okay too. But, please know that if I say I like it I really do!

Now, back to beauty, I was telling someone the other day about how much I love the trio Match Stix by Fenty Beauty. “Why don’t you post about those?” she said. You should post the beauty stuff you really use all the time and love, not just the stuff you try. Okay I said, so while I think there is a lot of value in trying new products (I just did a great skin reset that I wouldn’t have even known about if StriVectin hadn’t asked to partner with me) I do realize there is also value in sharing things that are tried and true-meaning I use them all the time. So I am going to share the 6 things that I have to have in my beauty bag.

Fenty Beauty Foundation-If you have been around awhile you have heard me write about foundation before. Typically it has been my quest to find the perfect one. Finding a good match is tough for most women, and it can be even harder for women with brown skin as not all companies have a good range in darker colors. Two maybe three shades of brown are typical. The fairer shades might have 5-7 choices. We all know that isn’t nearly enough to get a true match no matter what end of the spectrum you are on. So along comes Fenty with 40 shade ranges from Nicole Kidman to Grace Jones. When I say I love this stuff I am not even exaggerating. It provides medium coverage, doesn’t transfer and doesn’t break me out, and I don’t have to make myself fit into a shade. My shade fits me perfectly. I am 410 for reference. Speaking of reference hold on to that last line because at the end I am going to show you another cool thing you can do with your Fenty shade.

The Match Stix Trio-this is my favorite thing for making up a face. I could honestly skip foundation altogether and only use this trio if I really had to. It includes a concealer, a highlighter, and a contour stick. I love that in the premade kits it comes ready to go and takes the guesswork out of knowing which colors you need in those three items. The other good thing is if you are familiar with concealing, highlighting and contouring you can customize your trio. Concealing, contouring and highlighting seem a little scary or odd if you haven’t tried it but there are some great videos on the site that show you how it’s done. I had no idea what I was doing until I watched the videos but now I  can do all three in under 5 minutes. I don’t do this every day but I know a lot of people do-Rachel Hollis author of Girl Wash Your Face shared her everyday makeup look which included contouring but I don’t really see a need for that as my life isn’t quite as glamorous as hers. I do use it whenever I am going out or shooting pictures.

A plum, red and nude lipstick-my favorites are MAC Rebel-I wear this color every day for work, MAC Ruby Woo-This is my favorite-I wear this color every time I go somewhere special or shoot pictures, and Tom Ford Deep-I wear this color during times in between work and special nights out.  I collect lipsticks so I have quite a few but I always say that I really only really need three. Interestingly enough I just saw an ad by Maybelline where they have come up with 7 lipsticks- a variation of a red, a plum and a mauve that they say works on 50 different skin tones. It’s called Made For All where one shade of each of those colors works on everyone. I haven’t tried that yet but the ad looks pretty impressive.

Nars blush-I wear blush every day. I love how it brightens up my face. I like how the colors Orgasm and Outlaw give me a healthy glow. They even work with a no-makeup look because they look so natural.  Nars is known as the blush authority and I think they have earned that reputation. What I really love is that their colors really do flatter many different skin tones. If you haven’t already picked up on it I love beauty inclusivity.

The other two items might not actually be beauty items but I think they make you feel beautiful and that ultimately is the whole point right?

A nice scent that works for day or night-I love an all-purpose perfume. One that works well for day and night. I love Sage and Sea Salt by Jo Malone- it’s described as a fresh aquatic scent and I was gifted Scent of a Woman by Prai Beauty and love the way it smells even more than the gorgeous crystal bottle that it comes in. It’s a romantic blend of bergamot and orange blossom and said to give your mood a confidence boost. These two are my go-to’s; although I have several fancy high- priced scents I don’t find them to be as universally wearable.

Hoop earrings-I am a diamond studs kind of girl. I don’t like having to think too much about jewelry, but throwing on a pair of hoops suddenly ups the feel-good look good factor. I think every woman should own a good pair of silver or gold hoops. This pair from Chicos works with everything!

Okay, now back to that Fenty shade I was telling you about.  Nubian Skin has nude shoes that actually match your Fenty Foundation shade so you can find your Fenty number and it will translate that into which shoe is a perfect nude for your skin type. How cool is that?

So, that completes my must-have items (the nude shoe things is just a bonus). I’d love to hear what you really have in your beauty bag.

Until Next Post,