Electra Lane was created because I wanted to demystify makeup for normal women who don't get their inspiration from flamboyant YouTube stars (not that there's anything wrong with that - they are extremely talented and likable, but their looks just aren't going to cut it in my day-to-day routine). Almost every woman who has been in my makeup chair, while they love having their makeup done, in reality just wants to know how to do her own makeup for every day circumstances, then how to pump it up for a night out. In fact, many women I know are too busy to apply daily makeup, but they still want to feel pretty.

My answer was to start a blog that (hopefully) speaks to that demographic, but an incredible resource and guidebook has just arrived on bookshelves:

Lazy Perfection: The Art of Looking Great Without Really Trying by (makeup artist and makeup brush connoisseur) Jenny Patinkin will rock your makeup world in the best way. Whether you're a busy mom, never learned how to put on makeup, and/or just want to refresh your look, this book is for you. And, she conveniently lays out different "tracks" you can follow - simple, sophisticated and sexy - based on your overall personality and/or you makeup needs for the day.

Patinkin goes through how to purge your makeup bag, shop for new makeup, and what exactly you need in your personal makeup kit (and, of course, how to apply it!). With all the overwhelming, and sometimes confusing, beauty products available, I love having this road map.

After you order or pick up Lazy Perfection I can't wait to see your revamped makeup kit, so please tag me on Instagram @ElectraLane! I thought I'd kick things off by showing my current Lazy Perfection kit, and next week I'll show you my LP-approved every day look, so stay tuned.

A quick note - I'm not taking the time to add links to the products listed below because, frankly, I'm not getting compensated. If you have specific questions, please feel free to email me (Jessica@ElectraLane.com), but most of these items can be found at Sephora, Beautylish.com or your local drug store.

Brushes

Jenny Patinkin takes all of the guesswork out of choosing brushes with her curated kits, so Google where to find them if that's something that interests you.

Foundation and Concealer - my fingers!

Blush - Wayne Goss Air Brush - it's limited edition from Beautylish.com, but the #14 brush is also incredible and will be back in stock soon

Highlight - any fan brush - I love this Sculpting Set from Real Techniques, I purchased mine for $11 from Amazon, and you get great, budget-friendly blush, bronzer and highlight brushes

Bronzer - MAC 168 angled brush

Shadow Brushes - the Wayne Goss Eye Set, which has five brushes, but all you need is a pencil brush, a fluffy brush, and a couple of crease brushes (like MAC 217) - one for the crease and one for blending

Brows - Anastasia Beverly Hills 12 because it has a small angle brush on one end and a spoolie on the other

Makeup

Primer - Laura Mercier Primer - Protect for sunscreen; Becca Backlight Priming Filter for a luminous base (sometimes I'll mix them)

Eye Primer - Make Up For Ever Lift Concealer

Foundation - MAC Face and Body mixed with primer as a tinted moisturizer; Armani Luminous Silk for photos; IT Cosmetics CC Cream for everything else

Under Eye Corrector - Becca Under Eye Brightening Corrector - you don't need this unless you get really dark circles

Concealers - Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer for face and REALLY heavy duty under eye coverage; IT Bye Bye Undereye Illuminating for under eyes; Make Up For Ever Lift Concealer for brightening (the same one I use for shadow primer)

Powder - Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush (pressed); RCMA No Color Powder (loose)

Bronzer - NARS Laguna, but let's be honest, there are a million amazing bronzers...just do what works for your skin tone

Highlighter - The Balm Mary Lou Manizer

Blush - I don't have a ride-or-die, but anything by NARS is worth the investment - Sex Appeal is a favorite

Four Eye Shadows - Cockwise from top left: Soft Peach and Bengal by Anastasia Beverly Hills, New York and Galapagos by NARS

Liner - MAC Smolder (black) and Teddy (brown) for pencils, Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner for gel, and Urban Decay Blackout eye shadow for powder

Brows - MAC Brun eye shadow and a clear brow gel

Mascara - Maybelline Falsies in Blackest Black

Lashes - Ardell Medium Individuals, Demi Wispies strip, KISS clusters

Lip Liner - MAC Subculture

Up to Four Lip Glosses - Marc Jacobs Enamored gloss in Sugar Sugar, any NYX Butter Gloss (but I love Creme Brulee), NARS Turkish Delight and Charlotte Tilbury Seduction

Up to Six Lipsticks - This is a bitter topic because my favorite NARS Lip Laquer in Chelsea Girls, a stunning gloss/lipstick hybrid served up in a pot, was discontinued. I'm stretching my stockpile as long as I can, but nothing has measured up - even the Chelsea Girls gloss NARS came out with to "replace" it. It's darker, thinner and just not the same. SO I'm including NARS gloss in Chelsea Girls as a favorite lipstick...but I'm not happy about it. Other favorites include Charlotte Tilbury Valentine and Nude Kate, and MAC Snob and Hue.

Tools

Kevyn Aucoin eyelash curler; Beauty Blender; tissues; Almay Oil-Free Makeup Removing Sticks, pointy Q-Tips; powder puffs; Tweezerman Tweezers; DUO clear lash glue; two sharpeners, one for lip liner and one for eye liner

In Conclusion...

Get the book, read the book, change your (makeup) life. CHEERS! - JY

Images c/o Sephora.com, Beautylish.com, MACcosmetics.com, Amazon.com, thebalm.com, drugstore.com, CharlotteTilbury.com, Jessica Yost