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?

As many of you know, the cosmetics industry doesn’t love me and most companies treat me and my team like pariahs. While they send most beauty reporters gifts along with products it is a rare occasion that they even return my team’s phone calls. Given our work that‘s completely understandable and we rarely take offense (okay, sometimes we take offense, especially when the attacks are personal but that is the exception, not the rule).

Occasionally, there have been cosmetic companies that have not only been cordial and helpful but have gone out of their way to provide us with an abundance of information and access to their chemists, research, or product development managers. Olay, Neutrogena, once in awhile L’Oreal and a few others have been terrific. But now I want to add Trish McEvoy Ltd. to the list for going above and beyond to help us with the upcoming edition of Don’t Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me!

McEvoy’s company has been nothing less then respectful and patient with my team. Their responses are epic in scope, forthcoming, thorough, and on every level cooperative and generous. Wow!

Geri Emmett, Vice President of Marketing and Product Development, sent us this email message along with an extensive update of their products: “We are so lucky that we’re a small company, and that Trish is still our owner. Everything we create is with Trish’s direction and touch, and we are incredibly lucky that Trish’s husband is a dermatologist and that we have a Skincare Center here in New York City, from where our skincare collection is developed. As you know, we continue to come out with new, exciting, innovative launches season after season, and we look forward to sharing them with you!”

This from a company higher up that knows we don’t like all of their products. Trish McEvoy Ltd. is a company that believes in what they are doing and is beyond reproach for transparency. So from our hearts and work schedule, we thank you Trish McEvoy Ltd. more then we can say!

Before I came to work for Paula, I spent several years working for various cosmetic companies, usually at the department store. For the most part, I enjoyed it. I taught myself how to do makeup, and developed a loyal clientele of regulars who requested my advice on what to purchase or how to apply it. But whether I worked at stores in the Midwest, south, or northwest United States, one thing was constant: women shopping for a new lipstick routinely gravitated toward colors that were similar if not nearly identical to what was already in their purse or on their vanities.

Here’s how the average scenario went: a woman approaches the counter with determined gusto and surveys the lipstick tester unit. I greet her and offer assistance, to which her response is that she’s “looking for a new color”. After a few questions to narrow down her preferences (creamy, matte, sheer, bright or muted colors, etc.) I make some suggestions. Sometimes that worked, sometimes it didn’t. After some frustrating experiences, I began asking women to show me the lipstick they use most often. It was almost always a pink-brown shade or a nude color. That’s fine, but then why, if you’re shopping for a new color, did they end up choosing something barely different from what they routinely wear?

I’d suggest going lighter, darker, more shimmery, pinker, or even (horrors!) trying a red tone, almost always to no avail. I have spoken to many women about this over the years, including those in my family and personal friends. None of them could give me a reasonable explanation for why they shop for a new lipstick color and end up purchasing the same type of shade they’ve always worn. So I have my own theory: the novelty and excitement of shopping for a new lipstick, that one shade that will give you an added boost and make people take notice (for the better) is just too irresistible. It gets women to the cosmetic counter, but when it comes time to select a truly new color, they back down and stick with what’s safe.

Perhaps they don’t want to leave feeling they’ve wasted their money (nowadays a department store lipstick can set you back $23 or more) or perhaps common sense prevails and they rationalize that what they chose is different enough to work, and hey, they really will wear it. Maybe that’s why free gifts with purchase are so popular: women can spend the qualifying amount on a product they’re certain they like and will use, yet still have the impetuous fun of trying new colors without the financial commitment. As for me, I learned that if I only suggested “new” colors that were slightly different than what the customer typically wore, she’d leave happy—and I’d have my commission and, more than likely, a repeat customer!

Did You Know? According to a survey conducted by Estee Lauder, more than 80% of women own at least one tube of lipstick; Women over the age of 35 use lipstick more frequently than younger women; Paula’s favorite cosmetic lines for those looking for gorgeous red lipsticks include Revlon, Lorac, Vincent Longo, and Trish McEvoy.