OK, splurgiest first: for a while now, I’ve been using this bronzer from By Terry, and the crazy price is worth it to me because it works perfectly with my skin tone, and that’s tough to find in a bronzer. It also goes on super-creamy.

And now the cheapest: these makeup remover wipes from Neutrogena, which truly do get off everything, and aren’t the least bit greasy.

I only use self-tanner on my legs, because they are so damn pale, and seem to get more that way with every passing year. And I splurge a little on my brand—these tanning towelettes from Dr Dennis Gross. I like towelettes because they dry faster and are more mistake-proof than lotion, and I like this particular formulation because it’s natural-looking and goes on satisfyingly dark. Added bonus: it doesn’t smell funny.

I learned about Kiss Me Heroine Make Long And Curl Mascara in this fun article about the best Japanese drugstore finds you can buy on Amazon, and had to bite. It turns out that most American mascaras are not a true black, but rather a sort of grey-black, and that Kiss Me Heroine is the blackest of the black. It took forever to arrive, but when I tried it yesterday, I was amazed: yes, it truly is a very black black, but it also extends and curls like nobody’s business.

Here’s the mascara I’ve been using—and adoring—for the past couple of months, ever since one of the ladies behind the counter at Bigelow told me it was her favorite in the store: Rilastil Cosmetic Camouflage. It comes with a very thin wand, which helps deliver blessedly clump-free lashes, and if you hang in there and apply a few layers, it looks really pretty and a touch dramatic.