These recently launched cream eye shadows from Armani are amazing.

The colors are divine. The formula feels like silk and dries instantly. The pigment is rich and buildable. The staying power is impressive. (Especially with a little help from my favorite eye shadow primer.)

I bought a the plum-tinted Senso, but the line features twelve beautiful colors, ranging from straightforward neutrals to brilliant washes of spring-ready emerald and navy. Wear them alone or combine them with your favorite eye shadow palettes. You can’t go wrong.

You will love these whether you’re a pro or if you tread gently into the boundaries of makeup.

I love this lip kit as much as I love actual chocolate. I want to make sure you understand what this means.

Not to be competitive, but to know me at all is to know that I can crush you in any chocolate challenge. I have what I consider the ultimate trifecta of chocolate skills:

Capacity: I can bake the chunkiest chocolate chip cookies and eat you under the table.

Skill: I can ID grades of dark chocolate through scent alone. I can pluck chocolate morsels seamlessly out of any pastry or ice cream tub.

Speed: I can “sample” and categorize a large box of bonbons standing at my kitchen counter in under two minutes.

My addiction attachment to chocolate is like a gift or a curse, depending on the day.

So when I say I like Jane Iredale’s lip glosses as much as chocolate, we’re talking about a category all-star: color, consistency, and quality. Not to mention scent and packaging. The warm, wearable brown shades can take you from day to night. A light dab of any color reads like a nude on the lip. Layer it on and you’ve got a gorgeous bold lip that’s less shocking but just as statement-making as a bright red or orange. I like to call it a neutral-bold. As someone who really doesn’t do a bold lip, this is my go-to. I’ve been wearing the colors non-stop for weeks.

Beautiful bonus: Jane Iredale is a very special brand that has partnered with the amazing Living Beyond Breast Cancer organization for the past six years. It is also dedicated to animals and the environment. Read about what they thoughtfully call their inner makeup here.

When it comes to under eye care, I believe more is more. I’ve added this convenient roller-ball situation to my handbag for pick-me-ups throughout the day (you can apply it over makeup)—but it’s really genius first thing in the morning under makeup. Packed with anti-inflammatory arnica, the light, fast drying formula truly does a little something-something on-contact for puffiness.

YSL is making a strong showing in my makeup bag these days.

Two words about this product: HOLY SH*T.

Last week, I went to Bergdorf Goodman for refills of my beloved Charlotte Tilbury makeup. When I saw one of my favorite makeup artists, Tommy, at the counter, I asked him for a little pick-me-up. My skin has been so dry and dull thanks to a prolonged summer cold and the necessary medication I’ve had to take to kill it. I have never really had dry skin and it’s been a doozy.

Tommy used this gel-like balm to clean and prep my skin. I was instantly soothed by its gentle floral scent. And my face felt happy—that’s the only way I can describe it.

I’ve been using this truly miracle balm for the past week as an overnight recovery mask. My dry skin is gone. GONE! No longer does my foundation dry into cracks. Dare I say my skin in dewy?

This amazing product comes in a huge, luxurious glass jar that you can dip into as a makeup remover, cleanser and balm for dry skin anywhere (think elbows and heels). I am seriously impressed and obsessed. If you love oil cleansing, you’ll love it. If you’re looking for an easy mask, this is it. And it’s still so much more.

The cream-to-oil balm is loaded with potent antioxidants, vitamins and floral extracts. Here’s the eloquent down-low from Charlotte Tilbury’s website:

• Enriched with organic Sea Buckthorn Seed Oil, a pure, natural oil that stimulates micro-circulation and enhances epidermal renewal for refreshed and smoother complexion.

• Cranberry seed oil removes the stresses of the day by intercepting and dispensing of free radicals in the skin and is high in essential fatty acids to keep skin moisturized.

• Floral accents of rose hip oil and camellia oil regenerate, restructure and hydrate the skin, delaying the signs of ageing.

• An effervescent vitamin mix: nourishing Vitamin A helps improves skin firmness and smoothness, energetic Vitamin C is able to promote collagen activity for more youthful skin and anti-oxidant Vitamin E moisturises and fights free radicals, boosting skin luminosity.

• Extracts of Frangipani, the symbol of eternity, form a soothing, purifying and hydrating comfort-blanket on the skin.

P.S. The Charlotte Tilbury makeup I bought.

My mother may or may not be prone to overreaction, but when I was 10 and in the heat of a nail-biting USTA tennis finals match, she called a time out. She thought I was overheated, on the verge of a heat stroke. My face was that red. She made me change my shirt, sit in the clubhouse and drink Gatorade. My cheeks calmed down but I lost the match.

I haven’t really played tennis since the days of my idol Tracey Austin, but I still get super flushed when I work out. I didn’t even know I needed a face spray until I found this White Tea Facial Mist. I tried just a few spritzes after a workout and, almost instantly, my face started to calm down. Within a few minutes, the redness started to dissipate, likely due to the white tea extract, soothing aloe and chammomile. The formula dries in quickly and is like a light veil on your face, soothing and hydrating. It’s not at all oily or heavy. The scent is mildly floral, but in an aromatherapy sense, not in a perfumey way—it’s divine.

Right now I’m enjoying using this as a post-workout refresher, and it’s also nice at the beach or the pool on a hot day. I think I’ll also use it during the fall and winter to rehydrate, maybe before makeup or my evening skincare.

Made by the wonderful Neals Yard Remedies, it’s organic and suitable on all skin types.

I decided this blush deserved its own post because every time I wear it—or post a photo wearing it, I get asked about it. And I pretty much wear it everyday. It’s my go-to, my all-star.

So here are the deets:

It’s a peachy-pink powder blush that’s part of Tom Ford’s permanent collection. It’s bright but blendable. Not too peachy and not too pink, with no shimmer or sparkle.  It seems to look great on everyone. My blond friends, my more olive-complected friends. It’s like the universal wonder blush.

I’ve been patting a little bit of this Tom Ford illuminator on top lately and loving the look—my own brand of subtle strobing, if you will.