After piling the kids into the car and taking them in for their quarterly haircuts, I struck up a conversation with the receptionist at my kids’ salon. It’s an adorable independent salon, one that employs really talented stylists and for just a few dollars more than the bargain-cut chains, the kids get actual hairstyles, rather than just a cookie-cutter chop job. As we chatted, eventually conversation turned to work, and when I told her about Beautypedia, her face lit up.

“So what’s your favorite product? You know, the one product that you couldn’t live without?”

I hesitated. Perhaps it was being put on the spot, but I honestly couldn’t think of one. I managed to evade the question long enough for her to launch into her own exaltation of mineral makeup (really?), but her question—and my lack of an answer—got me thinking.

So when I returned home I surveyed my makeup. Sure, there are several products that I love deeply: M.A.C.’s Powder Blush in Dame, Prescriptives’ MotorEyes Mascara, Paula’s Choice Constant Color Gel Eyeliner in Earthen, Cover Girl’s Sassy Mauve Outlast Lipstain. But none of these products, no matter how much I adore them, no matter how often I use them, could really be called my “you-complete-me” product. And then, I glimpsed my brushes.

As I reached for them, it hit me: I love my brushes. They are the one indispensible part of my makeup routine. It doesn’t matter how exquisite the eyeshadow, how silky the powder — without my brushes, I may as well not even bother. They’re the only aspect of my makeup that is truly irreplaceable, and that’s why I treat them with lavish care. Every Sunday night as I get ready for the week ahead, I wash my brushes and lay them out to dry for their Monday morning call. Sometimes during the week, I pat them lovingly, or brush them against my face just to feel their softness.

I have a complete (and then some) set of professional-quality brushes that I’ve pieced together over time, but within that set, there are a few that I simply cannot live without. My Trish McEvoy #32 Eyebrow Brush and #21 Large Laydown (I have big eyes that really appreciate the brush’s fullness); Paula’s Choice Eyeliner Brush (it’s tiny and perfect for subtle-lining of lower lids); and my Bare Escentuals Full Coverage Kabuki (at first this was quite bristly, but over time it’s opened up and softened remarkably). These are brushes that I absolutely rely on to make me beautiful every day, no matter what product I’m applying.

But my baby, my little sweetie of a brush has to be Trish McEvoy’s Powder Blush Brush. It’s so dense that it always picks up just enough powder, and is cut in such a way that glides right under my cheekbone. The best part – and I honestly cannot say this about any other cosmetic product – is that I literally get happier every time I reach to use it. Now out of everything that a makeup product can do for you, what could be more beautiful than that?