Our Everyday Makeup Essentials


In an effort to get a little more personal around here, we thought it would be fun to step outside of the box and do a beauty post. Because what’s more personal than knowing the products we put on our face each & every day?!

We call ourselves rookies in the home/DIY world, so in the beauty/fashion world….we’re like the water boys. Heck, we’re lower than the water boy. We’re such newbies when it comes to this stuff, that we don’t even have an official title.

But it’s still fun to dish on your favorite products, so today we’re going to dive into our everyday makeup essentials.

Casey’s Everyday Makeup EssentialsMy everyday makeup essentials

Out of the two of us, I definitely wear more makeup than Bridget (such a natural beauty that one…), but I will say that I’m no expert when it comes to beauty products. Far from it! I’ve spent much of my 20’s in front of the camera as a TV reporter and certainly picked up a few tips and tricks on what works (& doesn’t work!) when it comes to my makeup. So my makeup has gotten better, more natural, and more me over the years.

Here are some of the makeup items I love and wear just about everyday…My everyday makeup essentials from mascara to makeup remover

BB Cream: This is a new one for me, but I am loving it. Don’t ask me to tell you the difference between a BB cream and a CC cream (over my head), but I love that this Bobbi Brown BB cream is very lightweight. I put it on and instantly my complexion looks evener.

Undereye Cream: I’ve blogged about this stuff before, and let me tell you it’s a lifechanger. It hides dark circles instantly and makes me look refreshed and awake. I’m not a fan of the packaging (sometimes it’s hard to get any out & other times a ton comes rushing out. Grrrr), but once you get the right amount out of the tube, it’s perfection.

My everyday makeup essentials to wear to weddings

Bronzer: I’ve been using bare minerals since high school and I still love it! I keep this bronzer in my bag with me all the time and swipe some on whenever I need a little color in my face.

Powder: I was introduced to this powder back when I was on TV, and have used it ever since. If you’re even a teeny bit shiny on-camera, you’re gonna look like you’re sweaty. #notcute. So you want an even matte look on your face. That’s where this powder comes in. I force Bridget to use it whenever we take pictures or do a video, and she has converted to the powder side!sharing my everyday makeup essentials and lipstick

Lipstick: I picked up this lipstick (in the color “tulle”) for our wedding, and now use it just about everyday. It’s slightly darker than my lips, so it doesn’t look like I’m wearing a ton of lipstick when I have it on. I sometimes put lip balm on, then this lipstick, and call it a day!

Eyeliner: I recently started wearing liquid liner, but black eyeliner pencil will always have my heart. I wear just about any brand, and love having a nice sharp point when applying it.

Eyeshadow Palette: This palette of browns/neutrals/shimmers is amazing. I put the lighter colors across my entire lid, and then use a darker shade in the crease. Love the natural looking colors with a hint of shimmer and shine!

Mascara: I have pretty long eyelashes, and I love how this mascara helps define them. It separates each lash and doesn’t give me those dreaded clumps.

Eyebrow Pencil: I did an entire post about my eyebrows, so I won’t go into too much detail here. But I do use this pencil every.single.day and I think it makes my face look much more pulled together. If you’re not using an eyebrow pencil…consider it!

Ponds Cold Cream: I remember being a little girl and watching my mom take off her makeup at the end of the day. She always used Ponds Cold Cream (the one with the green lid), so I’ve always used that as well. It’s my favorite and I’ve never used anything else. I simply swipe it all over my eyes, use a tissue to wipe off my makeup, and then wash my face with cleanser. It gets all of my makeup off without drying out my skin.

ย Bridget’s Everyday Makeup Essentials

I have to say, I may just be the worst candidate ever to provide advice on this topic. I’m of course willing to share my daily routine (if you even care), but I do want to leave you with the disclaimer that I have NO clue about makeup, I don’t take care of my skin nearly as much as I should be (that’s terrible, I know), and I’m the one that really needs to be getting advice rather than giving.

Bridget's makeup essentials are shown here. Everything from mascara to lipstick to eye liner.

Growing up I didn’t wear an ounce of makeup (like nothing) until at least my junior year in high school. At that time I started wearing a little eyeliner and mascara and since then, my routine hasn’t become much more complex than that. Some women have this amazing talent to go into their collection of makeup and wear different “looks” for different events… those gorgeous women amaze me. Me…. that’s not even close to my reality. I can probably fit all of the makeup I OWN in a sandwich bag and no matter what the event, my makeup will probably look pretty much the same. Here are my go-to’s (take it for what it’s worth, which isn’t very much):

Bridget loves to wear mascara because she has very blonde lashes. Here she is in full eye makeup. Find out how she gets this look for her eyes!Mascara: I have very light eyelashes (like close to blonde) so if I’m not wearing mascara it often looks like I don’t have eyelashes. This means that if I have any makeup on at all, I for sure have mascara on. Surprisingly I have tried a few mascaras, even some expensive ones, but I like this cheap one (I get at Walgreen’s) the best.

Mascara primer (only for special occasions): I only put eyelash primer on for special occasions, it’s not usually a part of my morning “work makeup” routine. When I want my lashes to look extra long, volumized, or separated from one another, I put a coat of this clear mascara on and immediately follow that with my regular mascara. I don’t want to suggest it makes a dramatic difference, but every little bit helps, right?!

On special days Bridget wears mascara primer to get that extra long look on her lashes. Eye Liner: Like I said, I don’t know anything about makeup but I do know that I LOVEEEE this eye-liner. My mom, sisters and I all use this liner, we get it at Macy’s and are very loyal to this product (more so than any of my other makeup brands). I like this liner because it’s not a pencil but more like a marker, if that makes sense. The liner comes in a few different colors, goes on so darn easy and does a great job staying on throughout the day (well at least from my experiences, I guess I don’t have much to compare it to though?).

Bare Minerals Bronze as Blush: I use Bare minerals blush on my cheeks to give me a little extra “color” … especially since I’m extra pale ALL. THE. TIME. I like it because it doesn’t feel like I have make-up or a heavy layer of anything on my face.

Bridge occasionally wears a little bit of blush, and always wears a bright lipstick that looks great with her pale skin and blonde hair!Wet ‘n Wild Lipstick: Again, this is another cheap product (think $1.97 cheap) but one that I really like. Lipstick is pretty much the only “change it up look” I have in my makeup arsenal. The two different looks? Makeup including bold lipstick OR makeup without wearing lipstick. Dramatic right?! I love this brand because it’s cheap and actually stays on pretty well considering the price point.

Concealer Stick (only when necessary — aka baggy eyes): If I’m rocking extra bags under my eyes or have a blemish to cover up, I use a tiny bit of this concealer. This stick lasts a long time because I do not consistently use it and a little bit goes a long way.

Makeup Remover: I like this makeup remover because it’s not super oily. I only use remover on a q-tip getting off little bits of makeup that smudged while I was applying it. I don’t really use it to take off all of my makeup because I usually do that by washing my face at night with soap + water.

Q-Tips: These are an essential part of my makeup routine. I dab the q-tip with makeup remover and remove any of the mascara or eyeliner that may have gotten around my eyes. I really don’t think I could do my makeup without these lifesavers.

Bridget&Casey


The Year of Casey

Hey there!

Iโ€™m Casey Finn, the voice behind The DIY Playbook. I’m a Chicago gal teaching you how to design, DIY, and maintain your home…by yourself! Learn more about me right here.