Do you ever leave the house with no makeup. Or, what would be the bare minimum you could do with? For me, its always been eyeliner and lip gloss. While I may still look a little rough, at least with these,  I can go out not feeling completely naked.

Must have makeup varies depending on who you ask but most agree on one thing. It all starts with genuinely cleaned skin, not just splashed with water. A good skin care regimen is essential . And if you are over 30, plan on exfoliating daily to get rid of dead, dry cells and bring back the brightness.

According to one of New York Cities most prominent makeup artist, here are some must haves: bronzing powder, mascara and lipstick. She stresses the importance of not forgetting the eyebrows. Your brows frame your face, if they look polished and defined, you can actually get away with much less makeup.

Here’s another tip our from the same makeup artist. Apply your bronzer from the decolletage on up. At her studio, they use this technique on every celebrity and socialite that walks through the doors. You can contour the face by using a fan brush on the cheekbones, chin and bridge of the nose. Bronzer warms the skin and brightens the eyes. To minimize a larger nose, use a concealer over the bridge and bronze on the side to soften the angles. And, don’t forget the blush- a touch of it adds the right hint of color.

I now have a whole new respect for bronzer. Prior to writing this, I used just a bit on my cheeks. Looks like I have to buy some different brushes and rethink what I’ve been doing.

My new makeup must haves are bronzer, eyeliner and lip gloss.