Face oils are an essential part of my too-many-steps-to-count skin care routine. I love them because they're so simple to use -- you rub three drops between your palms and pat your hands over your face -- and they work well with all my other serums and creams.

My current oil obsession is Nude ProGenius Omega Treatment Rescue Oil, $68. It's a blend of about a dozen different oils and extracts, the most fascinating of which is bakuchiol, an ingredient from India that acts like a natural retinol to improve skin's texture. ProGenius is also loaded with antioxidants, omegas and vitamins A, C and E -- yet it sinks in fast and feels weightless. It does so much, I might even skip another step or two.

For years, my go-to makeup look has been cat-eye liner. Sometimes it's a kitten flick; sometimes it's dramatic. The difference, however, is rarely a choice: A thick cat eye is usually the result of a slipped hand and overcorrected line.

So when I found out that Smashbox was releasing a special cat eye kit, I had to have one, and the Smashbox New York Cat Eye Kit, $54, is even better than I expected. Nicky Hilton created the concept -- she apparently loves the cat eye look as much as I do -- and you get a liner, mascara and shadow trio tucked inside an adorable feline pouch.

All the products are great, but the liner deserves special mention. It's the new Smashbox Photo Angle Pure Pigment Gel Liner in Jet Black, and it's like a gel liner in a pot except it comes out of a pointed, rubbery tip. It's superprecise, the color is almost impossible to remove (in a good way) and it's inky black. Now, my cat eye line is exactly how thick I want it every single time.

Dry texturizing sprays have been making waves (pun intended) for a while. They add cool, beachy texture with a hint of dry shampoo grip. Joico Hair Shake Liquid-to-Powder Finishing Spray, $17.99, takes it a step further. It's a powder suspended in a liquid (you have to shake it before you use it, hence the name Hair Shake) that you spray on dry hair. It adds volume and texture, but the effect is more plush than crunchy, dry or sticky. It makes my waves look big and full instead of stringy and flat -- no heat required.

When I travel, I often forget makeup brushes. Knowing this, I intentionally pack makeup that's easy to apply with my fingers, and cream or gel blush is an obvious choice. But it's not foolproof -- many are stain-like, and you have to move fast or you end up with pink fingerprints on your cheeks.

Pur Minerals Chateau Cheek Stain, $26, is this travelling cream blush lover's dream. On one end, there's a jelly-like stain you can dab directly onto your cheeks. On the other, there's a compact brush for blending. It's so easy to get just the right amount of color evenly distributed, and as long as you have the blush, you'll always have the brush.

I have freckles (that dermatologists have shamed me into believing are sun damage), so I'm a sucker for any and every brightening product. When Glamglow, the maker of the best-selling scrubs at Sephora, introduced Glamglow Flashmud Brightening Treatment, $69, I couldn't get it on my face fast enough. It's a mask and scrub in one -- you use it to exfoliate then leave it on as a mask -- and it contains natural clays and botanicals that brighten dark spots. I noticed an immediate difference -- my skin looked more reflective and felt so much smoother -- and it's become part of my Sunday evening at-home spa ritual.