My friend R. has a Ph.D and a sky-high IQ, but is something of a beauty dummy. (I say this with love!) Like many girls who haven’t been practicing their smokey eyes since the womb, R. is simply at a loss when it comes to beauty products, and will meander from one makeup counter to the next, confusedly touching all of the shiny palettes and tubes before giving up and leaving, muttering to herself she doesn’t need makeup, anyway. The environment and age and life take their toll on all of our faces, and a little foundation and bronzer can go a long way toward making up look not only brighter and prettier, but also more professional. A recent article in the New York Times. (no, not that article!) addressed the notion that wearing makeup and trying to look your best isn’t a matter of pure vanity, but of job security and career advancement, too. In much the same spirit, R. asked me to accompany her to Sephora for baby’s first makeup lesson. Our purchases:

Bare Escentuals Bare Minerals
Bare Escentuals Warmth All-Over-Face Color
Fresh eyeshadow trio in Chamomile
NARS eyeliner pencil in Black Moon
Lancome Courbe Virtuose mascara in Black

All of the above products are designed for maximum impact with minimal effort or expertise. BE Warmth is a great product for people who are scared of bronzer, NARS’s eyeliners glide on without any fuss, and Courbe Virtuose is the only curling mascara that I personally have ever found to work. I was particularly impressed, however, with the Fresh eyeshadow trio, which is a foolproof combination of good-for-day-or-night neutrals, and only cost $32.

I initially advise R. to buy NARS eyeshadow duo in India Song, since the colors are equally wearable, but of course it’s only two shadows for $31, so we decided on the Fresh trio. Now if only I could persuade her to let me post before and after pics on the blog…