They say that your taste in music at 15 stays with you forever. Given that Death Cab for Cutie still gives me full body chills, I can believe it. In my case of formative-year psychology, though, the same applies to my makeup routine. It's been the same since high school: some shimmery shadow, eyeliner, mascara and a touch of blush or highlighter if I'm feeling frisky.

Blame it on my bouts of breakouts or my desire to wake up at the last possible second before getting ready for school, but I never cared for foundation—the whole process of finding my shade, figuring out how to apply it without it looking or feeling cakey and then actually taking the time to do it just felt like too much work. (I did try a few times, and besides hating the feeling of it on my skin, always ended up with either the ghostly pallor of a haunted Victorian doll or the copper complexion of a star on Jersey Shore—alas, this step was just never going to be in my skill set.)

I feel the same way about it now in my mid-30s. The ship has sailed, and I refuse to bring a bottle of foundation with me. But that’s not to say that I don’t strive to achieve the best possible canvas for the makeup I actually do love wearing. Instead, I pour my energy into my skincare regimen—much like my companion in bare-faced displays, Pamela Anderson—and I’d like to think it pays off. Here’s everything I use to feel confident in the (facial) nude.

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