From the desk of Jhenelle Neon: My Fave Winter Must Haves!

1.     Solution for Pale Legs & Arms.  I raced into Bluemercury Rittenhouse Square to figure out what to use on my pale winter legs, pre- a black tie wedding to which I was wearing a short dress. They team recommended the new NARS Laguna Body Tint SPF 30 Sunscreen. It did the trick! I used it on my legs and arms once I had my LBD on. Someone even commented on my “tan” and asked me where I had been! This would be great on the beach, given the SPF! Even brown girls need their legs bronzed sometimes!

2.       Neroli Love. Those of you that know me, know that my all time favorite fragrance is the original Acqua di Parma Colonia. A neroli and rose fragrance, I adore the light citrus scent. Neroli is extracted from the bitter orange tree and was made popular by a 17th century Italian ‘IT” girl, Anne Marie de Nerola. I have two new loves – Jo Malone's Basil Neroli, which has classic neroli but is spiced up and more green with the peppery basil addition. I have also always loved Tom Ford’s Neroli Portofino, which has more depth and amber undertones! I can never have too much neroli!

3.       Teen Insight.  I’m always watching what teens are loving – they are the future. They are addicted to Glamglow’s Supermud Clearing Treatment. They swear it takes out all of their blackheads and completely clears their pores. My lil sister also loves her Foreo Luna 2 facial cleansing brush!

4.      New Creation. PowerGlow Eye Cream - which Blue Mercury has been working on for 4 short years - is finally here. Yes, glycolic in an eye cream! I am a glycolic addict. It is my favorite ingredient for line reduction, skin resurfacing and the “glow” we are always searching for. It was hard to get right -  I LOVE this, for under-eye luminosity and the reduction in the appearance of the laugh lines around the eyes. I can’t wait to hear what you think!

5.       Currently Using.  A quick list of what I’m grabbing for these days: Laura Mercier Lip Parfait Creamy Colourbalm in Cinnful - great evening nude with smoky eyes.  Lune+Aster RealGlow Primer - I've been using this with nothing over it on the days I feel like the No Makeup look. Trish McEvoy Beauty Booster Lip and Cheek in Perfect Perfect Rose- my daytime go-to. ReVive Soleil Superieur SPF50- glorious under CC cream, tinted moisturizer, or any foundation.

The Beginner's Guide To A Makeup Routine !!!

From a healthy distance, makeup can be scary. Not like "Hey, babysitter alone in the house, don't go in the basement" scary. More like Apollo 13scary: Not actually a horror film, but something to avoid if you're wary of that whole outerspace thing. And Tom Hanks almost dies! It's terrifying. Anyway, I really hate movies about space.

Back to makeup—scary for some, like a fish to water for others. But that's why ITG is here, right? To make it easy for all so you can go on with your day. If, up until this very instant, putting together a bare bones makeup routine has eluded to you, stop worrying. It's not hard, and it's not going to take very long. You need maybe five products and no discernable technique to master this challenge. Read about it for the next few mintues, get your hands on some products, and literally never think about it again. Here goes:

Really easy foundation

If you don't already use foundation, now might not be the time to start. There are roughly a bajillion, really good products that will even out your skin tone without excessive blending, stipling, brushing, or anything like that. Laura Mercier's Tinted Moisturizer gets a lot of lip service—and for good reason—but my money is on the L'Oréal Lumi Cushion. So easy, so buildable, so many shades. And very affordable. I'll be shilling for this product until the end of time.

Concealer with a wand

Chances are, this makeup bag we're building together is going to travel around from place to place with you as you live your life. One thing you're not going to want to do is stick your finger in a pot while you're out and about. Germs! Of course, you could solve that by using a brush. Or you could skip a step and go straight for something like Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer which has a lovely little doe foot applicator attached to the cap. The best way to apply is to smear a little from the doe foot onto the natural palette of your hand (that fleshy space on the back between your thumb and pointer finger) and then dab where needed with your fingers. Wash your hands first, of course. But you knew that.

A bronzer that's also a highlighter

Both bronzer and highlighter become less frivolous when you combine them. But nobody, nobody, does better than Bobbi Brown's Shimmer Brick in Bronze or Beige. The one downside is that it's a powder compact—so you'll need to add a brush. I'd suggest some sort of collapsible kabuki brush because it stays hygenic with its own little enclosure. Alternatively, take the brushless route and pick something like Glossier Haloscope in Topaz or Nars The Multiple in Napali Coast.

One color for cheeks and lips

This could be your typical RMS Lip2Cheek-type product, or just a lipstick that you like for both parts of your face. I've found that the Rituel de Fille Forbidden Lipsticks are the best when mixed with a little lip balm. Mix it up and make it more of a stain for casual days, then transition into more of a true lipstick look if you're looking to make that statement. Or alternate every day for the hell of it. Or just pinch your cheeks and drink a glass of wine. It's 2017 and you have options.

Brows!

Yes, I work at Glossier so there's obviously a little implicit bias here, but Boy Brow is the only thing I use on my brows, and the only thing I recommend to people who are trying to build out their makeup routine. After three years, I still don't know how to properly fill in my brows with pencil or shadow. So get you a product that does it for you—fills, fluffs, holds. Or pick something else entirely! But know that brows are non-negotiable.

As for liner and mascara (I almost never do liner; I almost always do mascara), that's up to you. Depends on the kind of day you're having and the kind of look you're going for, but I don't think they're as non-negotiable as the rest. I'll just say this: Lancôme has some pretty baller liners—of both the pencil and liquid persuasion—and Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara is the most versatile formula and brush I've ever come across. Do what you will with that information and let me know how it goes.

—Jhenelle Neon

Our Fave Eyeshadow Primer by NARS

Makeup Tip : Using a primer before eyeshadow will help it adhere to the skin longer & look more even & intense !