make my face.

Out of boredom, I decided to put together a nice collage of products I've been digging lately and, as a result, have become staples to my daily beauty regimen.

Below are copies I wrote in the ass crack of morning containing my thoughts on these featured products. Most of what I use teeter on the pricier side of the cost range, but I find that if the product gives you the results you're looking for without having to constantly shell out, for example, $6 on shit lipstick/poor shading, then the benefit lies in what works. However, it always rules to have a secret beauty weapon like a tub of Vaseline guarantee you lifetime results for just $3, so don't go thinking that I prefer to wear price tag over quality results. This philosophy also applies to the way I shop for food, clothes, accessories, and electronics, and I think a smart consumer should adopt a similar mentality.

Anyway, I always find these show-and-tell review posts to be both informative and entertaining, and I'm a beauty junkie - so why not? Hope you feel the same way too.

Vaseline rich conditioning petroleum jelly in cocoa butter, I put this on my face. No really, I do. After putting on Clinique's moisture surge gel, I glaze a very thin layer of Vaseline to seal the gel in. Might as well swim in a vat of some catastrophic oil spill with the birds, right? Ever since I took this risk (because countless beauty forums have warned that this whipped oil could make you break out, while handfuls have debated otherwise), I have experienced little to no break outs since - and this is coming from a former high school pizza face. This is good news because now I can have my youthful, moisturized face for another 40 years!

Bumble and Bumble surf spray, I don't like to blow dry my hair and I've recently embraced my hair's natural, tropical waves. (Equator genes.) A spritz of this stuff on slept-on washed hair transforms me into Texan bombshell Erin Wasson. It comes in a small bottle and has a pretty steep price tag, but it's literally the only hair product you need in your cabinet... okay, aside from a bottle of a light, leave-in conditioning cream and overnight repair cream.

Smashbox eyeshadow in Brazilian Bronze, high pigmented, sexy brown smoky eye appropriate for both day and night wear - just put on a heavier amount for the night life. I'm a sucker for versatility in my make-up, especially if I'm spending money out of the butt for it. Every chick needs brown eyeshadow, and this is one of the best (in my opinion.) This brown shadow is insane with cat eyes, so when the two combine your eyes become twinkling mysteries of the soul. Hubba hubba.

Rosebud strawberry lip balm, once again, let me stress versatility here. Rosebud is so dewy and thick that not only is it fantastic for the driest lips (ahem, like the girl behind these words), but as I discovered from the advice of model Chanel Iman, it's also great for a cuticle quick fix. If you really stress over how your cuticles look, this is an instant softener - just try to shake off the resulted strawberry scented fingers. I guess you can opt for the original, scentless balm, but don't you want to add a little flavor to those kissable lips? I also like Rosebud because it's not one of those asshole companies that packages the balm in those irritable tubes that are designed to be lost. It comes in a classy, relatively large tin can so it's easy to stash and hold onto. I also realized that this shit lasts FOREVER. I bought my tin in mid-July last year and 10 months later, it still has plenty of balm. The $7 is actually a STEAL.

Tom Ford Black Orchid, this is without a doubt my favorite perfume of all time, with Viktor and Rolf's Flowerbomb trailing at a close second. According to the Sephora copy, the sultry wood and fruits used in this scent work to bring out the "skin's natural perfume." I couldn't agree more. Black Orchid doesn't sit on top of your skin, but instead lightly radiates from it - if that makes any sense. I'm a huge fan of wood notes because it's so seductive, Hollywood, and classy, so it's no surprise that the concoction made by Mr. Hollywood/GQ Motherfucker himself, Tom Ford, is within that realm. I get friends who despise perfume complimenting me on this scent, and I swear this is the secret weapon to attracting some class act men and scoring first dates. Only one spritz is needed (it's STRONG) to benefit from this love potion.

Diorshow by Dior in Black Out, Asian women are cursed with short, stubby lashes that are near impossible to accentuate. Unfortunately the most effective mascara for my lashes are highway robberies. If I can afford to phase out of the cheap Covergirl Lash Blast mascara (okay for me, but everyone seems to be all hoplah heelah about it), then I steep for Estee Lauder's Projectionist High Definition Volume. Unfortunately Sephora doesn't sell Estee Lauder, and unfortunately I want to reap the benefits of being a Beauty Insider, so I gave this Dior mascara a chance. This stuff lengthen, thickens, and separates to an effect that's as close as I can get to Twiggy. That's A+ in my book.

Bare Minerals in warmth, mineral make-up is a tricky monster. If you're allergic to/experience some unusual reaction to it, products like Bare Minerals would probably make your face go wild. Otherwise, if you are a once-pimpled/oily skin face like me, then you'll find that your skin does improve with each wear. The warmth bronzer is great because it's heavily pigmented but easy to control. I just lightly sweep it on my forehead and nose, then put a heavier layer on my cheekbones to give my face depth. I'll get a sun-kissed glow without the risk of becoming a leatherface. (Pet peeve, ladies. It is not sexy.)Whatever you do, DO NOT use the Bare Minerals primer because it mysteriously screws up your complexion and enlargen your pores. You certainly don't want holes big enough to fit caviar balls.

Make-Up Forever Rouge Intense #49, you're looking at one big lipstick junkie. I seldom wear gloss; instead I constantly slather on lipstick. I've always wanted to go dark, and haven't done so until last winter when my lovely friend/music enthusiast/Billboard's Editorial Assistant Jill Mapes insisted that I buy this stick of MUF Rouge Intense. Now I owe her a beauty buy suggestion.

This shade strikes a good balance between making you look too washed out or too much like some underworld clown. With the right amount of confidence, poise, and baddassness, it can give you a look that's as sultry as MAC's inimitable Russian Red shade. (#1 lipstick... maybe until I can afford to try the Tom Ford lipstick line, which my former internship had the luxury of doing so at the line's launch party.) I've mustered up the courage to wear this shade out in broad daylight while running errands or grabbing lunch with some friend. I loved this plum color so much that I want to start a collection of darker lipsticks in all shades of the color wheel. I'm thinking billowy green, day-glo yellow with a cool undertone, blackout blue, and that Anna Sui black lipstick. Thank God my cool complexion complements my darkened soul.

Jokes and praises aside, my problem with MUF is that although it's HEAVY in pigment with a fantastic color variety, it dries up your lips like sea salt. I'm constantly touching up with lip balm, get the color on my balm and fingers, clean up, put on another layer just to shortly go back to square one. Too much for me. Although I do like the colors, I may do a quick ditch for a better alternative when the opportunity comes. I also own the MUF Rogue Intense in #28 (nude with a faint pink undertone) and #36 (shocking fuschia pink, seriously rules, similar to Nicki Minaj's on the cover of V Magazine), so I guess I put it on myself to suffer through dry lips.

Do you have any personal favorite products in mind that you're willing to share? Wondering what else I can recommend to the best of my knowledge? There's a comment box for that reason.