I am a beauty product hobbyist. I am not an expert. I cannot answer questions about skin types or what order one should do a 10-step regimen. I have no idea how to find your perfect shade of anything. But! I love to try things and so I try lots of things and definitely have opinions about favorites (and what is worth your money).

So here I am, presenting a list to you of my personal favorites, after years and years of testing. I’ll amend this post as need be. Every single item on this list I have paid my own money for. None of these are sponsored or gifted or anything like that. However, this post does contain affiliate links.

Some of the hair and makeup recommendations have been staples for years, but most of the skincare recommendations are new in the last 2 years or less (with the exception of moisturizers, because I’ve always used moisturizer at the very least). I didn’t start any kind of real skincare until my late 30’s, and I pretty much regret that.

If you want to learn more about skincare, go listen to Ep 14 of the 10 Things To Tell You podcast with my guest Jamie Golden. It’s a super great introductory course to skin stuff.

A fairly comprehensive list of my favorite skincare, makeup, and hair products and tools:

SKIN

Cleansers

Neutrogena acne stress control scrub. I don’t use this daily or anything, but my skin does tend to react to hormone and stress flareups, and I always come back to this. It smells a little chemical-y, but it works.

Aveeno Positively Radiant makeup wipes. I can go ahead and admit it now that for most of my 30s, when I took my makeup off it was with wipes alone. I was just so lazy. I don’t use wipes nearly so much now, but they do come in handy while traveling or when I’m taking off a lot of makeup and need some extra help. These are still my favorite for fragrance and efficiency.

Clinique Take the Day Off Balm. I was skeptical of the balm method, but it is definitely less messy than splashing water all over the sink. When I started to use this, it made washing my face every night much less of a pain in the neck.

Mario Badescu Glycolic Foaming Cleanser. I picked this up in a pinch once at a hotel gift shop when I’d forgotten to pack cleanser and I liked it right away. It’s a little harsh for me for daily use, but I like it once a week or so. The foaming part is nice. Like a child, I feel like I know exactly where it cleaned and then when it’s completely washed off.

Amore Pacific Cleanser. This is my favorite skincare brand, period. But it’s super pricey, so I wait until the regular Sephora sales to stock up and then I still won’t use it every day. But if I could stomach the price, this would be my daily cleanser always.

Serums/Masks/Acids

Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial. I use this once a week and it is the most effective thing I’ve ever tried that takes off the layer of dead skin and randomness that builds up after a week of potions and makeup. It feels like a fresh start every time.

Drunk Elephant Vitamin C Serum. I’ll be honest, my skin doesn’t love vitamin c serums. It always flares up red for just a second. But there’s not doubt that it brightens and firms. I don’t use it every day, but several mornings a week.

Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair. This was my first foray into retinol and I highly recommend starting with this great line. I tried the creams but ended up preferring the retinol face oil. It causes a little flaking, but I don’t mind it.

Sunday Riley Luna sleeping oil. I graduated from the Neutrogena to this, mainly because I bought it as a Power Couple Duo with Good Genes and really really like them together. The Luna sleeping oil is blue. Don’t let that freak you out.

Sunday Riley Good Genes lactic acid. I heard people talk about this for years before I really got into skincare and took the plunge on it. (Again, I bought it as a Power Couple.) Now I have the full size and I get the hype. I use it in combination with the sleeping oil at night a few times a week, and then before moisturizer sometimes in the mornings.

Peter Roth eye patches. A seat mate introduced me to these on a long flight! (How generous of her, I realized later.) The skin around my eyes is so thin and gaining fine lines by the second. It’s best to keep that area hydrated and these do an excellent job of that.

Moisturizers

Aveeno Positively Radiant daily moisturizer. This is my go-to in the summer when I will go days and days without makeup or fuss. This not only moisturizers with SPF, but it evens my skin tone and brightens everything, which is why I feel okay without any other makeup on.

Amore Pacific Hydra-gel. Again with the Amore Pacific, I can’t stop. I always try to keep some of this on hand, it’s my favorite for under makeup. It has a very light consistency and lovely smell. Did I mention I just love this brand? There’s a creamier version I sometimes splurge on for the winter, but at about half the price, I've moved to the

Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream when I need a thicker moisturizer. This is VERY heavy and I would not recommend for acne prone or oily skin. Because my skin gets so dry in the winter or when I’m overall dehydrated (which is frequently), I love how this can transform my face overnight. But don’t use too much of it.

Clinique Moisture Surge. What a great daily moisturizer. This thing is a workhorse that does a great job day or night. Not too light, not too heavy, I can count on this no matter what shape my skin is in, or whether or not I’ll be putting on makeup for the day.

Charlotte Tilbury Magic Eye Rescue Cream. I had pretty much given up on dedicated eye creams, because I couldn’t see that they would do anything differently than a nice moisturizer. (In fact, I would often use a little dab of the Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream around my eyes as an “eye cream” because it’s so thick and luxurious.) But then on a whim I tried this one from Charlotte Tilbury and I really do like it.

First Aid Ultra Repair Cream. This is just what it looks like: for repair. I’ve used this after a sunburn or after I’ve had a weird reaction to another product. It’s very healing and soothing, but not for daily use. I do like to have it on hand and have used it even on my hands when needed.

Living Libations Best Skin Ever. A massage therapist introduced me to this brand (I get it on amazon) and I have now been using it faithfully for years. I use it right before I shave my face (true story) or when my skin is feeling tight or finicky, since the soothing oils never ever cause a reaction of any kind. It’s also an excellent price for the amount of product and what it does.

Primers, Foundations, and Concealers

YSL Touche Eclat All-in-One Glow. This is my current favorite daily wear foundation. It’s a step up from a tinted moisturizer, but it’s not quite a full on foundation. It makes my skin look so glowy (but not shimmery, just like bright and youthful, like a grown up dewy). TIP: the shades look a little weird right when you put them on, but then they settle in.

Georgia Armani Luminous Silk foundation. This is a gold standard foundation and I save this one for when I want to look extra great and I use a foundation brush or beauty blender to put it on. It just has a beautiful finish and makes it look like it’s all my skin and not the makeup doing the heavy lifting.

IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Foundation (available at Ulta only). This formula is heavier - it really is full coverage - but it is BEAUTIFUL. It’s a bit too heavy for my regular daily use, but when I want to cover a bit more, I’m always surprised as how nice this turns out. This brand’s very popular CC Cream never worked on me (it looked chalky or something) but this is an extremely hydrating finish.

MILK Hydroprimer. My friend Jamie Golden turned me on to this one and it is now an easy favorite.

MAC Cosmetics Studio Fix. I started wearing this in high school, and it’s still an old favorite. I don’t wear power foundations too often now, because I think they’re aging on my dry skin, but when I’m in a super hurry and need to throw something on my face, this is always what I reach for. I also keep one of these compacts in my car for portable (non messy) touchups during the day.

Benefit Porefessional primer. This really does help with the ever-widening pores on my cheeks and nose. A little bit goes a long way.

Tarte Shape Tape concealer (at Ulta only). I’ve still yet to find a holy grail concealer, but this is what i’m using currently. It works REALLY well, but I wish it were just a smidge lighter in formula.

Eyes and Cheeks

Loreal Voluminous Mascara, original formula, curved brush. This is MY FAVORITE PRODUCT of life. Like take-one-thing-with-you-on-a-stranded-island item. I’ve used it for 25+ years, and I’ve tried designer brands that couldn’t hold a candle to this baby. Favorite, favorite, favorite, for under $10.

Marc Jacobs gel eyeliner. I have this in 3 or 4 colors and I just think it does a great job. Easy to apply (I’ve never mastered liquid eyeliner), stays all day, and looks pretty. I am no expert in this area in particular, but when you find something that works great, why stray?

Benefit Gimme Brow. I’m kind of new to the eyebrow game, but as I somehow went from taming a unibrow to shedding every hair off my face, I need some real help here. This is like brow gel for dummies. No learning curve, looks natural.

Urban Decay eye shadows. I like eye palettes, but I usually end up only using one or two colors regularly, so awhile ago I wised up and started buying just the small eye shadows that are much easier to tote around and last forever. This is my favorite, in the shade Virgin. I wear it allllll the time.

NARS the multiple in Orgasm. I keep this in my car in my emergency makeup kit. It has a lovely shimmery finish without looking like glitter. And the colors seem to be universally flattering.

Benefit Dandelion blush. This is another product I’ve been using for years and years because it’s so pretty on, but I do wish it had better packaging. I hate the cardboard square shape, but this gives a very natural glow.

Lipstick and lip gloss

NARS Velvet Matte lip pencil. If I had to choose just one makeup brand, overall it would probably be NARS. I like so many of their products, but I am especially enamoured with their various lipsticks. The velvet matte lip pencil is my favorite. I have it in SO many colors, but the most flattering for me is Sex Machine. I wore it on my wedding day! (And still wear it at least once a week 12+ years later.)

Charlotte Tilbury lipstick. I just discovered the famed Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks last year, but they quickly became a favorite. They are nicely pigmented stay very well (and also wear off well when they do, no flaking, this is important!). I have Pillow Talk (of course), Velvet Underground, and The Queen (pictured, my favorite).

NARS Audacious lipstick. Different from the velvet matter formula, but also just so nice. My favorite shade is called Anna, a soft rose pink that look sophisticated without being too understated.

YSL Rouge pur couture. Not every color has worked for me, but I really like the rouge vermillion and I love the creaminess and the packaging.

MAC Cosmetics lipsticks. I have lots of these I’ve collected over the years. My favorites are Viva Glam II (shown) and Rebel (probably my signature color).

Fenty Glossbomb. I have this is two shades and it is so nice to give a little glow over all the matte lipsticks that are so popular now. I also wear these alone when I want to look a little pulled together without much effort.

Okay, that’s it for now.

I imagine I will add and rearrange this list over time, but it is nice to have a lot of my beauty favorites in one place. I hope you found something that will make you feel pretty.