This past weekend, I went to Las Vegas with my girlfriends to celebrate my birthday in style. I had the opportunity to do their make-up, talk about make-up, and share tips with them. I am going to share with you some of the must-have items in my make-up bag. This entry is kind of like a bunch of product reviews too, I guess.

Over brunch, one of my friends asked me what I considered the most essential make-up tool and I [and even another friend] easily replied with eyeliner. I’d have to say, though, that concealer is pretty much tied with that. Everyone has their own opinions, so I’ll tell you why I chose eyeliner and concealer.

Eyeliner can do a lot of things. For me, it completes the look (heck, it can even create the look). Have you ever seen somebody with eyeshadow on and no eyeliner? Their eyes just look bare, like something’s missing. Eyeliner can do a lot of things. I think that if you find a nice color, it can double as eyeshadow, a lip liner, and even as an eyebrow pencil (I know I sometimes use my eyeliner for this purpose). When I started using make-up, this was only one of two things (besides foundation in a compact) that I religiously used. I think that eyeliner, when applied correctly, makes you look more alive. The same goes for concealer too. The eyeliner that I’ve used for years is Almay’s Eyeliner in Black Brown. It doesn’t smudge and it stays, so I don’t have to keep re-applying it. I use Black Brown because it looks more natural than Black. Another reason I use it is because whenever I used to wear Black, it always seemed to be out of stock, so I’d have to resort to Black Brown, but I got used to it and I like it.

As for concealer, to achieve a more natural look, skip the foundation and apply concealer to spots that need it the most, for example under your nose, where it tends to get red, and under your eyes. You don’t need to go crazy using it. I’ve tried a few concealers and hands down, I am in love with M·A·C’s Select Cover-Up. I love the way it blends so smoothly. It doesn’t dry up and cake up unlike other concealers that I have tried. Unless I find something better, this is my HG (Holy Grail) concealer.

Moving on, one of the most important things to have is primer. Primer is a product that helps your make-up last a long time and it prevents creasing. After this weekend, my friends now know just how valuable it is. For my eyes, I used to use Urban Decay Primer Potion (UDPP) for a while. I had read a lot of good reviews on it. It worked for me, but one thing that irritated me was the fact that it stuck like glue (at least on me; on some people, it works fine). Once I put eyeshadow on, I had a hard time blending it. Then, I heard about L’Oréal De-Crease, so I checked it out. It has a little less product in the tube than UDPP, but it was also less than half the price and I had no problem blending my eyeshadows. Thus, I found a better, cheaper, HG primer for me. Gotta love that! Tip: Apply this on your lower lashline to prevent eyeliner from smudging and giving you raccoon eyes.

With all this talk about make-up, it’s time to talk about removing make-up. My mom had gotten a sample of Clinique’s Naturally Gentle Eye Makeup Remover years ago. I tried it and fell in love. It removes make-up so easily and it really is that gentle. I wear contact lenses and sometimes accidentally get this product in my eye and it’s fine. The trial size lasted me several months. I’m sure the full size will last years. It’s definitely worth its price, let me tell you. I apply this with Q-tips before washing my face and afterwards too, to make sure I removed all of my eye make-up.

So, these are some of my make-up staples. Sometimes you’re lucky and find your HG right away and other times, it takes some trial and error. Just find what works for you and what doesn’t.