Chelsea from chelseadolling reads did the Makeup Book Tag a few weeks ago on her channel, and even though I think it’s a tag that lends itself better to YouTube than blogging, I don’t care! I love makeup and thought this tag sounded like a lot of fun, so here we are.

I also recommend checking out Emily’s video on her channel, BookswithEmilyFox. Chelsea’s video reminded me that I saw Emily’s video way before I ever considered starting a blog. I wanted to give her a shoutout because I actually found BookTube and the whole online bookish community through Emily. I was (and still am) a huge fan of her makeup channel, BeautywithEmilyFox, and of course I had to check out her book channel when she announced she was starting one. And more than a year later, I have my own blog!

Primer: Pick a book that left a lasting impression on you

So I actually don’t wear primer. I’m currently using a sample of Bobbi Brown’s Vitamin-Enriched Face Base as my morning moisturizer, and supposedly that has priming benefits and is supposed to help with makeup application and longevity, but I can’t say I’ve noticed that it’s made a difference. I think this is the kind of product that I’ll use when I have a sample, but that I won’t purchase myself.

As for the book pick, I read The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis last year, and I would definitely say that book left a lasting impression on me. It’s the story of a teenage girl who murders the man responsible for raping and killing her sister, and I can’t tell you how many times since reading this book that I’ve said to myself “the main character in this book needs an Alex Croft to destroy the rapists.” It’s definitely stuck with me (earning a spot on my favorite books of 2017), and I highly recommend it.

Foundation: Pick your favorite first book in a series

I’m actually super lazy in my makeup application, which is why the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Stick is the perfect choice for me. I literally just swipe it across my face and blend it in. It’s an expensive product, but it works really well for me, and I like how easy it is to adjust my coverage depending on where I think I need more, though to be honest, I generally just go for a light layer. I buff it in with the Bobbi Brown Full Coverage Face Brush, which is a ridiculously expensive brush, but I think it was well worth the splurge. It pairs really well with the foundation and does a great job of blending it in.

As for my favorite first book in a series…that’s tough. While the first book is important and draws me into the world, what usually makes me love a series is how the story continues to grow with each successive book. I think I’ll go with The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins because what drew me to the series so much was the Hunger Games itself, and that was something that just couldn’t be replicated in later books. I do like where the story went in Catching Fire and Mockingjay and I love the series as a whole, but The Hunger Games just holds a special place in my heart.

Concealer: Pick a character you wish you could get rid of

I actually don’t really use concealer! Any dark circles I have are light enough that I don’t think undereye concealer does an awful lot for them, plus I’ve never been able to get it to look natural. And as far as covering any blemishes or discoloration, lately I’ve just been rubbing a thick layer of my foundation stick on one of my fingers and patting it in. It’s not perfect, but it cuts down on a lot of the redness without making it too obvious that I’m trying to cover something up (or at least, that’s what I’m going for).

As for a character I wish I could get rid of, this maybe isn’t fair because I didn’t think this the first time I read A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, but upon rereading it, I desperately want Tamlin to go away and for the story to progress to A Court of Mist and Fury already. I know, I know, the second book wouldn’t be so amazing if it weren’t for the events of the first one, but I don’t care, I just want Rhys!

Powder: Pick your favorite last book in a series

So my makeup routine is actually pretty minimal, which means that I don’t use powder. I have a sample size jar of the Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder, but unscrewing the lid and tapping a little bit out is enough of an extra step that it just irritates me, so I rarely pull it out. Plus I can’t say that I personally notice that powder makes a difference in my makeup, so I’m not sure I would bother even if I had a pressed powder.

For the book pick, you’d think after I complained about it being too hard to pick the first book that it’d be super easy for me to pick my favorite last book in a series, but I just tend to view series as a whole and not individual books! So this is still hard for me. I suppose I’ll go with Morning Star by Pierce Brown. I think the Red Rising series got progressively better with each book, and by the third one I was on the edge of my seat and ripping through it because I was so desperate to find out what happened and there were so many plot twists that I never saw anything coming. It was a really, really good read and a strong conclusion to an excellent trilogy.

Eyebrows: A book that you think everyone should read

I’m currently using the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Definer for my brows. I’m mostly just looking to darken them a bit (my brows are so fair they’re practically invisible), and I thought the larger shape of this pencil would help fill it in a bit faster. But I actually kind of prefer the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz, so I think I’m going to go back to that when I use this one up.

If you’ve been reading my blog for very long, you can probably guess my answer to this prompt: Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay. It just taught me so much about being critical of the world around me and being a more active feminist, and I think everyone can benefit from reading it. Plus Gay is just funny, so I think you’ll enjoy the book in addition to learning so, so much from it. If there’s one book I can convince people to read, it’s definitely this one.

Eyeshadow: Pick a book that has your favorite colors on the cover

I love the idea of eyeshadow and have to stop myself from buying a zillion palettes, but the reality is that I really can’t be bothered with it. When I do wear pressed shadows, I prefer one-shadow looks because I have no patience for blending a million colors on my eyes, though occasionally I’ll be adventurous and use two. Lately, though, I’ve been obsessed with cream eyeshadow sticks. You literally just color on your eyelids and blend it out with your finger and you’re done in two seconds. Some of my favorite shades are the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Stone and Dusty Mauve and the Laura Mercier Caviar Stick in Au Natural.

As for a book with my favorite colors on the cover, well, my favorite color is pink, so the Olive edition of Bad Feminist is actually perfect for this answer. Plus, you can’t tell from the cover, but the spine is pink and white stripes, which is awesome and looks amazing on my shelves. Since I already mentioned that book, a good backup would by the naked hardback of I Believe in a Thing Called Love by Maureen Goo. The dust jacket cover is great, but the naked hardback is hot pink, and I want all of my naked hardbacks to come in that color! It was such a fun surprise when I first held the book in my hand. I also want to mention the Penguin Clothbound edition of Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen even though it doesn’t have pink on the cover because I really love the light blue and red combination. So pretty!

Eyeliner: Pick a dark and mysterious book

While a lot of days I’m happy to skip eyeshadow (though that happens less often now that I have a collection of shadow sticks), I pretty much always wear eyeliner. My two favorites are the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner and the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil.

If you haven’t noticed by now, the name of the game for me when it comes to makeup application is quick and easy, so the Urban Decay pencils are great for that, though I don’t think all of the shades perform the same. I personally love the shades Smog and Mushroom to add a little definition and shimmer while generally keeping a softer eye look.

But Bobbi Brown’s gel eyeliner is definitely my preferred eyeliner. I struggle with a lot of pencil liners, and liquid liner is just not happening, so even though using a liner brush is an extra step I would usually avoid, I’m able to get it closer to my lashline and it lasts longer than if I just use eyeshadow as a liner. With the gel eyeliners, I like using something like Black Scotch, which has a bunch of gold glitter in it, and applying it really heavily and then using my finger to smudge and soften it so you can really see the glitter, but Sepia Ink is probably my go-to eyeliner, either in a regular line or a soft, slightly smoked one.

The perfect pick for a dark and mysterious book is totally Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire. This book was just an eery, mysterious story that read like an adult fairy tale, and I absolute loved it, I think even more than the first book in the series, Every Heart a Doorway. I’m really enjoying these books and it’s so refreshing to pick up something so short every once in a while, and I definitely recommend them to fantasy readers.

Blush: Pick a book that has a cringe-worthy romance

Blush is by far my favorite piece of makeup, and I have way, way too many of them to pick from. I just love all of the different shades of pink and coral, and there’s something about swirling a brush in it and applying it to your cheeks that’s just so fun for me. While I really like going brush free with most of my makeup, I tend to stick with powder formulas when it comes to blushes. Some of my favorites include the Bobbi Brown Blush, especially in the shades Desert Rose and Apricot, and the Laura Geller Blush-n-Brighten, especially in Tropic Hues. I’m also a fan of the It Cosmetics CC+ Ombre Radiance Blush in Je Ne Sais Quoi, the Clinique Cheek Pop in Pink Pop, and the Nars Blush in Orgasm.

Rather than waste time talking about cringe-worthy romances that I don’t like, I’m going to change the prompt and pick a romance that I love. And I say that specifically because I want an excuse to talk about The Hating Game by Sally Thorne in this post. I just read it last month and I’m so, so obsessed! I love a good hate-to-love romance, and the chemistry between Lucy and Josh was amazing. I flew through that book because, even though they obviously end up together at the end, I was desperate to watch their story unfold because I was so invested in them as characters. I’ve been reading a lot of good romance lately, but The Hating Game set the bar super, super high.

Highlighter: Pick a book that brightens your day

Highlighter is another product that I can’t really be bothered to apply in the morning. They’re really pretty and it’s hard to resist buying a bunch of them, but I just don’t wear them. Plus I feel like it’s way too easy for them to go over the top. When I do wear highlighter, though, I’m really impressed with the Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder. It just gives a really nice, soft, subtle highlight that I love. I really should make more of an effort to use this product because it’s so, so pretty.

When it comes to a book that makes me happy, honestly, you can pick a romance novel, any romance novel. They’re just such a great refresher for me between some of the heavier things that I read, plus they’re just a great escape and a lot of fun. But there’s also something about a really fun contemporary YA that you just fly through, and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han definitely came to mind for this prompt. It’s just such a fun series and I loved getting to know the characters and seeing them grow and it just makes me want to squeeze something because it’s so cute. They’re great reads if you’re looking to brighten your day.

Mascara: Pick a long book

While I wear mascara every day, it’s a product that I never actually purchase. I’ve just accumulated so many sample sizes through gifts with purchase or by using my Sephora points, and a sample size literally lasts forever. Right now I’m using a sample of the It Cosmetics Superhero Mascara that I got as a birthday gift from Ulta, and I like it, but I’ve noticed it flakes a little bit on me by the end of the day. It’s little enough that it’s not a dealbreaker for me and I’m going to keep using the tube for a while, but I’m not sure I’d ever purchase it. Probably my favorite mascara is the Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara. It’s pretty natural looking, and I have no problems with it flaking or rubbing off easily.

As for a long book, I’m currently reading Grant by Ron Chernow, and I don’t think it gets much longer than that. It’s 959 pages without footnotes, and it’s not small pages that you can flip through quickly like in Harry Potter. It’s really big pages with lots of tiny font, and even though I’m a pretty fast reader, it takes me an hour to get through one chapter. And there are 43… Because it’s nonfiction, it’s something that’s easy for me to put down and come back to, but I don’t want to still be reading it in December. I was originally planning to try and push myself to finish it this month, but my friend Holly from my book club asked if I wanted to buddy read the rest of it together, and of course I said yes, so I think the two of us are going to stick to a slower pace and just enjoy the book. I know I’m complaining about the length, but it’s incredibly well researched and written, and Grant is a fascinating person. I’m really enjoying this book and definitely recommend it to history buffs.

Lipstick: Your favorite book kiss

Lipstick is a product that I’ve only become interested in recently. My lips tend to dry out really easily from wearing anything other than tinted lip balm on them, so I definitely don’t wear liquid lipsticks, and I don’t really even wear full coverage traditional lipsticks. I’m also not a big fan of lip gloss, so I don’t bother with that either. But I’ve realized I can wear sheer-coverage lipsticks, so I’ve been accumulating tons of them lately! My favorite brand of lipstick is definitely Lipstick Queen. They have lip products for everyone, but they make a bunch that I can apply sheerly and wear without worrying about them drying out my lips. My favorite lipsticks are Lipstick Queen in Hello Sailor, Medieval, Mornin’ Sunshine, Saint Mauve, and Jean Queen, as well as the It Cosmetics Vitality Lip Flush 4-in-1 Reviver Lipstick Stain, which is an almost clear balm that gives a really pretty pink stain to the lips. I’ve used it so much that my bullet is almost gone and I bought a backup the last time it was on sale at Ulta!

Ok, asking me to pick my favorite book kiss is not at all a fair question. I really focus more on the couple and their relationship when I’m reading rather than their actual kiss, so while I’ve read some really good ones over the years, I can’t name any off the top of my head. I’m sure I’ll come up with the perfect question to this prompt after I publish this (or when someone reminds me of the right choice), but in the meantime, I’m going to go with a classic and say Ella and Char’s kiss at the end of Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. It’s one of my favorite books of all time and after everything Ella’s gone through and she *spoiler alert* breaks her curse, I think she deserves to kiss Char and live happily ever after.

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I could go on about the books and makeup mentioned in this post forever, but I’m going to cut myself off and call it a day since this post is already getting plenty long! Please feel free to continue the conversation in the comments, though! I’d love to hear about some of your favorite makeup and what your favorite types of products are, or if you prefer to skip makeup altogether.

I’m happy to share any deal-finding tips I have for the makeup products mentioned in this post, because there’s absolutely no reason to pay full price for them, though I should qualify that my knowledge is mostly U.S.-based. Just drop your questions in the comments!

And I’m not going to tag anyone, but definitely do this post if it sounds fun for you and link your post below so I can check it out!