I sort of have an obsession with finding the perfect lipgloss. And my problem with that, of course, is that I've already found the perfect lipgloss---or at least the perfect lipgloss for me---and while you think I might just be able to stop there and embrace this state of perfect lipgloss-ness, it turns out that I can't. I have to keep looking. I have to keep buying. I have to keep "just popping in" to Target and Sephora in the offchance that I might find something to best the perfect lipgloss. So far I haven't, of course. But I've come pretty darn close.

I am not a morning person. I never have been, and a full-time job (for which I leave quite early) and two small children have done nothing to change that. All that those factors have done is force me to become more creative with my morning routine so I get the MAXIMUM POSSIBLE NUMBER OF EXTRA MINUTES blissfully nestled in my so-comfortable-it-should-be-illegal-or-at-least-heavily-regulated bed.

I'm not the type of woman that takes a long time to get ready for work in the morning. Long showers? Not my style. Taking time to use a comb and put every hair into place? You must be joking. Spending more than five minutes on my makeup? Forget it.Any time a girlfriend of mine watches me get ready in the morning (you know, all those sleepovers I still have at my age!) she comments how fast I work on my face. Truth is, I have few products and can't be bothered with that slow-motion beauty routine. If I can't put makeup on in a reasonable amount of time, I'd rather not wear any.

Here is the classic holiday fashion dilemma: you've got a long shopping list of family and friends and co-workers and teachers, a budget that has to cover all of that and more, and no extra time in your jam-packed schedule. But you're also invited to more than one party, and you would love to have something special and fun to wear. The temptation to buy a new dress is hard to resist, isn't it? But I have a better alternative.Change your makeup. Simple, fast, and easy to do without breaking the bank.

Do you think that eyeshadow application is an art form that can only be mastered by those impossibly chic women who are already good at everything? Wrong! Applying eyeshadow is ridiculously easy - anyone can do it, and it's fun - really! All you need are the right tools and a willingness to play.

With the exception of mascara and lip gloss, I tend to be pretty loyal to my beauty products. When I find an item I love, I stick with it for eons. I mean, I used the same brand of concealer for TWELVE YEARS. It was the first "fancy" (i.e., department store) cosmetic that I ever purchased, and while I tried other brands afterwards, I never found anything that worked better than my beloved Prescriptives Camouflage Cream. Until now.

Earlier this year, I attended a gathering for Mom-bloggers called Camp Baby, put on by the fine folks at Johnson and Johnson. Our final morning, we were treated to a sample-a-thon from many of the brands that we’d learned about during the presentations the previous day. Armed with an envirosac and the promise that J&J would pay to ship home any goodies, I hit the tables with a vengeance.

I was shopping for the holidays last year when I first saw it, and I'm not embarrassed to say that as I reached out my hand to grab the package, I gave the kind of excited squeeeee! that's not generally heard coming from a supposed grown up. It was a tube, all nicely packaged, of Bonne Bell Dr. Pepper Lip Smacker; the very same lip gloss I'd fallen so hard for in the late 1970s. My heart was kind of, well, racing, actually, as I stood in the checkout line with my rediscovered love. Would it be as good as I remembered? Did they dare to mess with the formula?

I have oily skin, which is a mixed blessing.  At 40, I have very very few wrinkles (all that oil apparently helps prevent them) but by 3:00 pm most days, I'm mopping up a slick that could solve the energy crisis (forget drilling in ANWR!  I've got your oil RIGHT HERE).  I'm constantly looking for ways to tame the shine and keep my face looking matte and fresh without caking on a lot of extra gunk.  Blotting papers are great, except they don't do anything to hide the wee flaws that only I can see.  I need a little coverage and a lot of absorption.  Is that too much to ask?

When the September fashion magazines hit the newstands, I get this urge to change my makeup. It's still summer, of course. But I'm starting to think fall.The thing is, just as my wardrobe is not ready for a silk dress with a long purple cashmere cardigan, striped hose, and black patent leather peep-toe mary janes, so my face is not ready for full-on cold weather makeup. I'm not ready for real foundation, powder, and lipstick. It's too heavy and serious and done looking.

I've had a busy summer, one that has left me choosing between sleeping enough and getting things done. Inevitably, I choose getting things done, and so I am constantly tired. But I hate looking like I'm constantly tired because that's just one more reminder that I am barely getting things done -- please tell me I'm not the only one running this treadmill? Okay thanks!Since sleeping more doesn't seem to be an option, I've been faking a wide-awake look lately, which is simpler than you might imagine. Two steps, actually: eye liner and mascara.

If you asked me what one beauty product I could not live without, my answer would have to be CO Bigelow's Mentha Lip Tint. I discovered this little tube of Heaven for My Lips by way of my sister. We were at our Mom's house when I had reached into my purse for my lipgloss. The lipgloss was missing. "Here, use mine." she said, as she handed me the lipgloss.