When I first started wearing makeup, my routine consisted of foundation, loose powder and red lipstick–it was the 90s and I was thirteen, what do you want from me?

But that’s all over now. I mean, I still wear the bronzer, but I’ve reincorporated the translucent loose powder and my makeup is all the better for it. And still pretty dewy.  Considering the way it keeps makeup in place all day (no, seriously!), absorbs oil, and minimizes the appearance of pores, I can’t believe I went without wearing it all these years. I guess I thought that it would give me too much matte texture, but if you apply it with a large powder brush, you can really control it.

My technique is to give my face a light dusting after the bronzer but before blush and eyeliner in order to increase the staying power and true color of both. Because of its moisture eradicating super powers, a quick sweep of powder on the eyelids before you let any liner or shadow near  ‘em will eliminate the smudges and makeup build-up in the creases. Yuck, I hate when that happens.

Another trick is to powder your lips before applying lipstick, which makes lipstick last and last. It’s also a good tool if you’re going for nude lips–just dab a little bit of foundation on your kisser until you get the fleshiness you’re going for and then lightly powder. You’ll be amazed at how long the effect will last.

Top to Bottom: LORAC Face Powder for the Face $28, Clinique Blended Face Powder and Brush, $18.50, Shu Uemura New Face Powder, $32

While LORAC isn’t insanely expensive, it does set me back $17.50, so you can imagine my delight when I caught sight of Revlon’s new Limited Edition Pinch Me Sheer Gel Blush. At around $12.00, Pinch Me seemed like a good deal, and the “Cheeky Cherry” hue it comes in looked like a close match to LORAC’s “Sheer Luck.”

The Verdict: I think I’m going to keep paying the extra 5 bucks to LORAC. The Revlon blush was less messy than the LORAC, which comes in a roll-on bottle that can be unruly at times, causing too-much-at-once application, but that wasn’t enough to convince me. The consistency of the Revlon was too gelatinous for my taste, and it seemed like the jelly texture caused the pigmentation to be barely visible. It also made it difficult to build color, and I’m not the type to pack it on, so if I couldn’t get the color I wanted, that’s saying something.

All told, I think I can live with Revlon’s Pinch Me until it runs out, but I won’t be going back for more. I prefer the thinner consistency of LORAC’s formula and the deeper color. I do, however, appreciate Revlon’s effort, and I hope more mass-market brands start making and perfecting cheek stains.

LORAC Sheer Wash Lip & Cheek Tint, $17.50

Exfoliating your face is a beauty must if you want vibrant skin since a good scrub will remove dead layers of skin, minimize fine lines, and make your complexion glow. It’s a great way to minimize the effects skin-damaging environmental pollutants like smog, which can clog your pores big time. The key is to avoid overexfoliating, which can either cause your face to dry out (wrinkle alert!) or produce too much oil (break out alert!) depending on your skin type.

L’OCCITANE makes a great scrub mud (pictured above) that’s gentle on skin, but you can get away with paying a little less with these great products:

Desert Essence, $7.49, Avalon Botanicals, $8.09, Kiss My Face, $5.56