In My Makeup Bag

I think even people who love summer have to admit that it's not a great time of the year for wearing makeup. Well, actually, people who don't like wearing a lot of makeup might disagree with me; if you prefer to just swipe on some mascara and lip gloss, summer's a great time of the year for makeup. Personally, I keep my makeup gun set to "whore," so I get annoyed when all of my hard work just slides off my greasy, shiny face.

One of the things that I spend the most time and effort on is my skin. It's not that I have really bad skin, but I'm so fair, and it's so sensitive, that every little thing seems to make a mark. I have issues with redness, and every time I get a pimple I'm left with a red spot for weeks afterward. I also have quite dark under eye circles as well, no matter how much sleep I'm getting.
I used to just stick with foundation and concealer and call it good enough, but recently I've stepped up my game a little bit. It's nothing crazy, but good skin is the base of any beauty look, and it's also a marker of good health, so it makes sense to put a little more time and effort into making it look as good as it can.
The first product that I've added to my arsenal is E.L.F. Mineral Infused Face Primer.

I've tried primers before, including the highly rated (and highly priced) version from Smashbox, and I wasn't all that impressed with it. They didn't really seem like they did anything, frankly; my makeup didn't go on any better or last any longer, so shelling out extra money for them just seemed like a waste. E.L.F. products are inexpensive and generally pretty good, though, so I thought I'd give this green guy a go to help combat my redness, and I am so happy that I did. Although the green tint doesn't have a huge impact, the primer goes on incredibly smoothly, and makes my skin feel like velvet. I've definitely noticed a difference not only in how long my foundation lasts, but how much I have to use to get good coverage. I've used the primer every day since I bought it, and I like it more every time.
Another issue that I'm doing more to deal with are the dark circles I get under my eyes. I already used concealer on them, but it just didn't get the job done. I felt like I had to really cake the concealer on to get good coverage, but that's a bad look in its own right. This pastel yellow HD Concealer from NYX is the stuff dreams are made of if you're a pale person trying to cover up dark circles.

I just dot it on my under eye area and gently pat it in, and, like magic, most of the darkness is just gone. I then use a concealer brush (also a new purchase) to get a tiny bit of my regular concealer into the inner and outer corners of my eyes. It's pretty amazing what a difference it's made. I'd recommend it for anyone is fairly pale and has dark circles; if you're on the darker end of the spectrum, you'd want something that's more in the orange or salmon pink family.
Another product from NYX that I'm a big fan of is their Primal Colors Powder in Hot Red.

I grabbed it on a whim with thoughts of using it for Halloween, but it's actually surprisingly versatile. It's very pigmented, but just a tiny swipe of it gives me a very believable flush. I also patted it onto my lips after applying red lipstick, and it gave me a great matte texture and extended the wear of the lipstick.

This photo from Saturday shows my makeup, including the primer and concealer. Those two are definitely becoming staple products for me, and the best part is that they've really improved how my makeup goes on and how it works without completely emptying out my wallet.
So, do you guys have any great new products you're really excited about?