So we all know that I love my beauty products and I write about them all the time.  But I’ve never done anything like this before!  The lovely Ryane of Ryane Zamora Beauty nominated me, so here goes!

1. Do you remember your first makeup item?  My aunt got me glow-in-the-dark orange sparkly nail polish that I was totally crazy about, and my other aunt bought my a little clear purple purse with some lipsticks and purple body glitter that I carried around with me at school when I was about 9.

2. Describe your perfect mascara. Have you found one that fits your specifications?  My lashes are blonde and kind of short when I don’t use RapidLash.  I love L’Oreal Voluminous Butterfly and Too Faced Better Than Sex mascaras.  Any mascara I use has to give me long-lasting, voluminous, Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast At Tiffany’s lashes.  

3. What kind of coverage do you prefer from foundation?  When my skin was really bad, I needed a lot of coverage from foundation, so I used Sephora‘s Perfection Mist Airbrush Foundation.  I still love it, but now I use Bobbi Brown‘s Skin Foundation Stick and only need to use a little under my eyes and to cover some acne scars.

4. Favorite high-end brand?  Nars for their Audacious lipsticks and Bobbi Brown for my face makeup.

5. Favorite drugstore brand?  Maybelline.  They make great concealer and some of the best mascaras in the game.

6. Is there any kind of makeup you can’t leave the house without?  Mascara.  Otherwise, I look diseased and baby-faced with my baby blonde lashes.

7. What is your most cherished beauty product?  My 4711 cologne.  It’s been around since the 1700s, comes in a gorgeous bottle, has the most amazing fresh smell, and it’s what my mom wears too.  My favorite thing as a little girl was when she would dab a little on my wrists so I could smell just like her.

8. How often do you shop for makeup?  Too often!

9. Do you have a “beauty budget” or you spend freely?  My definition of a budget is that I buy drugstore beauty as well as luxury.  But I really should be better about spending so much.

10. What type of product do you buy the most of?  Either lipsticks or mascaras.  Always looking for those holy grails!

11. Do you avoid certain ingredients in cosmetics like parabens or sulfates?  I try to use cosmetics that use natural ingredients and as few chemicals as possible, especially for my skincare.  I buy some of my products at Whole Foods, like my Trilogy Rosehips Oil that I put on my face before bed.

12. Do you have a favorite place to shop for makeup?  Amazon or Sephora.  The girls at my local Sephora all know me and are so sweet about hooking me up with lots of extra samples and discounts.  Amazon usually has products for a bit cheaper than in the stores!

13. Do you like trying new skincare products or do you keep a certain routine?  When my acne was out of control, I tried so many different products.  But now that my skin is getting really good, the only thing I really like to change up is my sheet masks.

14. Favorite bath and body brand?  I love Johnson’s Baby Lotion for my body and Lush’s bath bombs for relaxing baths.

15. Do you like multifunctional products like lip and cheek stains?  I have Nars’ The Multiple in Orgasm for an on-the-go product, but other than that I haven’t tried any.  I prefer good individual products when I don’t need to multitask.

16. Are you clumsy in putting on makeup?  Thankfully, no.  Since I had to teach myself how to do makeup (my mom barely wears any) I had some embarrassing years of too much eyeliner and bad at-home self tanner.  But now I’m very happy and confident in my ability; and all my friends always want me doing their makeup too!

17. Do you ever consider taking makeup classes?  I would really love to.  I’ve actually been thinking about going to school to become a makeup artist.  It’s one of my passions.

18. What do you love about makeup?  I love how it can make you feel.  It can transform you, cheer you up, hide you from the world for a little while, and sometimes make you feel like your best self.  Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of days when I wear little or no makeup, but I have so much fun putting on my face.

19. Dramatic or Natural Makeup look?  Natural.  Most days I want the no-makeup look, especially now that I have clear skin.  It is really fun to do my whole face up, but it feels more special to only do it on occasion.

20. Worst makeup-related habit?  I used to self-tan at home and I wasn’t very good at it!  There was an orange year in high school, but thankfully, my best friend was even worse at it so no one really noticed my gaffe!