It’s been a while since my last Holy Grail post (July 2013). Although the point of a Holy Grail list is finding the best products for you—which means there shouldn’t be another Holy Grail list—I think I’ve found and whittled down my own list to reflect my very best finds.

There are some categories that lack a product, but that just means that I a) like to play around when it comes to that part of my makeup, b) don’t wear it all that much (e.g. mascara), c) have many favorites, but no ULTIMATE.

About Base

• Primer — always and forever the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer. I’ve tried a shit ton and while I enjoy them all, this is my favorite, go-to, most reliable one.
• Bases — for foundation, my favorite is the Ellis Faas Skin Veil* which I have in S104L. I think it makes me skin look great, but I rarely wear it to the office because I prefer a lighter base for stress-heavy days. That’s where the Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint comes in. I honestly didn’t expect much from this, but it improves my skin’s appearance without seemingly doing much. I have it in Medium, though they’ve expanded the range to 5 shades, I think.
• Concealer — I’ve got two favorites: the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer (I use Ginger, but it sometimes feels to pink/orange) with which I have a love-hate relationship though I think I’ve tamed the beast, and Ellis Faas Concealer* which is less pigmented, though is easier to manage.

Other Face Stuff

• Powder — my favorite is the Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Anti-Aging Pressed Powder—my go-to for setting + touch-ups—though lately, I’ve been mainly using the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder. I use Dim Light everyday to set my concealer + sunscreen and Radiant Light as a bronzer for my cheeks. My favorite is still Mood Light, but this palette is most convenient for everyday, on-the-go use.
• Blush — Favorite Blush is the Kjaer Weis Cream Blush in Abundance. I wish I had more but I’m not made of money. This is the perfect shade for me, though, thank God.
• Sculpt — Okay, so I gave an eh review of the Kevyn Aucoin Sculpting Powder in Medium but spending time away from it and coming back to it made me realize just how great of a product it is. So now, I’m like, over the moon and shit. It’s true love, basically.

Eyes and Lips

• Brows — For brows, I’m like the K-Palette evangelist, but I mainly use the powder part of the 2Way pens (pictured, my fave shade: K-Palette 24H Real Lasting 2Way Eyebrow Pencil in 103*). Alternately, I also like using the MAKE Eyeshadow in Khaki* with an angled brush, if I want a more defined brow.
• Eye Primer — Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original forever, but other options are the Wet n Wild x Fergie primer, the Nature Republic Botanic Eye Primer, and the NARS Pro-Prime Smudgeproof Eye Base (good, not my fave)
• Eyeshadow — I’m a hoe for eyeshadow, so I can’t really properly answer this, but if I’m in a hurry and I want an eye look that I know will be good, I reach for the NARS And God Created the Woman palette. Mainly for Alhambra and Galapagos.
• Eyeliner — K-Palette 24H Real Lasting Eyeliner* usually in black, but I’ve recently been loving their BB001/brown black variant.
• Lips — I have so many favorites, but this is just a very reliable shade and formula: NARS Pure Matte Lipstick in Tonkin.

Again, if it’s not here, I’m probably not too fussed about it (e.g. sunscreen, lip balm… you know) or I love way too many to pick beyond these basic ones (e.g. eyeshadow). Also might have omitted stuff I don’t use everyday/often enough to have a Holy Grail for it (e.g. powder foundation, lip primers).

If you have any questions about stuff I didn’t mention or elaborate on here (i.e. tools, specific makeup formulas—like favorite matte lipstick, etc.), please feel free to ask! I might do an updated starter kit in the next few days, now that I have a better understanding of makeup and am living out of a makeup bag, ha.

* Items marked with an asterisk are PR Samples.

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