Two Beauty Products I Cannot Live Without

I admit it. Carly Simon wrote the song about me. Just kidding, but I am vain. I spend at least two hours a day on makeup application and hair ritual just to sit in the house and write. The hardest thing about this article is picking just two must-have beauty products. I have cabinets, drawers, makeup bags and an entire vanity that my husband built, dedicated to my morning beauty ritual.

Well, the "if you were stranded on a desert island" scenario seems to work for some people when asked to narrow down their possessions, so, I thought that I would try it.

If I were ever stranded on a desert island, the first thing that I would hope and pray made it to shore would be my foundation. My search for the holy grail of foundations was expensive, long, and hard fought. I tried minerals, and discovered that they do not last long enough. Some high end foundations were greasy, and seemed to slide off of my face. Then, the day of revelation came. I was in our local drug store on the day that they were having a buy-one-get-one sale (my favorite kind) on Maybelline products. I took a deep breath and shelled out the $15 for the Instant Age Rewind liquid foundation, and chose the compact creme to powder version for free. The next morning, I tried the compact and was immediately disappointed. It did not seem to blend, it just sat on my skin waiting for an opportunity to slide off.

After the failure of the compact, I went through my cleansing and moisturizing regime one more time. I then proceeded to blot and blend the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind liquid foundation in Natural Ivory onto my face. I was in heaven. It took a minimal amount of the product to get full coverage, and it was not heavy or greasy. Add in an SPF of 18 to protect me from the desert island rays, and a price under $20, and I had found the foundation love of my life. Another great thing about this foundation is that the product that ends up in the lid makes for a great concealer.

I realize that on this desert island I can use ashes from my (wishful thinking) campfire to smudge around my eyes for liner, so the next in line, can't do without beauty product is my Maybelline Great Lash Big Mascara. I have always been a huge fan of mixing and matching mascara to get lashes that are full, long, AND thick, but Great Lash Big does all of these things in one pink and green tube. I buy it in Blackest Black for less than $10. It makes my lashes bold, long, and smudge-proof, so I know that I will look my best when my husband comes to rescue me from my latest desert island fiasco.

Both products that I have listed are available at most drug and department stores as well as online at www.maybelline.com.