Dear Face Time, We’re about the same age (I’m also in my early 50s) so I’m wondering: Which products do you actually buy yourself? Do you have any secret favorite products that you haven’t shared? Like what’s in your makeup bag? Inquiring minds want to know! — Nosy but Nice

Dear Nosy but Nice,

It’s funny you ask, because I was just the other day looking through my makeup bag and realizing that, maybe for the first time in my adult life, I’ve actually got my routine down to a tight edit of items that not only work (meaning, they’re effective) but also work particularly well for me.

I am a super-low-maintenance person, at least beautywise, especially considering what I do for a living. I prefer a natural, even messy look; you won’t ever see me with a sleek blowout or in a full face of foundation. I have never once in my whole life double cleansed. I need my makeup, hair and skin care to be as easy as possible or I won’t use it. I want products that feel good on my skin and make me look like I’ve put in just enough effort to seem “pulled together” without taking up a lot of my time. When I choose the items I use every day, it’s always because they’re effectively solving a problem for my 52-year-old face better than other products I’ve tried. My goal is always to keep things as affordable as possible, but I’ll pay up if something is just that good.

Here’s most of what I currently have in rotation, a real murderer’s row of best-in-class beauty, especially if you’re over a certain age.

• For a few years there, concealers were becoming a cakey disaster for my drier, older undereye skin, settling into fine lines and making the area look crepey and frankly a little gross. Then I found this serum-concealer hybrid from Trinny London, which is infused with hydrating hyaluronic acid, has a thin-but-not-too-thin texture and an excellent, easy-to-match shade range. I apply it with a brush after moisturizing the area and it definitely covers the dark circles and makes me look more awake.

• A second concealer rec, but since this one is $6, I feel I must include it! I first learned about this color-correcting under eye concealer while editing an interview with Bethenny Frankel who swore to my colleague Marie Lodi that it really works for erasing dark circles. Since I often look like a sad ghoul, I bought it and, while you do need to use it with a bit of moisturizer, it does indeed do exactly what it says it will.

• IGK Good Behavior Frizz & Flyaway Hair Taming Wand is a godsend if you have naturally frizzy hair or secretly (or not so secretly) gray hair that gets a little wirey up top. I don’t usually blow dry my hair but once it air dries, a brush or two of this at the roots gives me all the polish I need.

• Lips thin as we age which is why I use this fantastic Jones Road Lip Pencil to overline them a bit and make them appear more, um, robust. There are for sure less expensive lip liners out there but I like the way this one glides on and how it really lasts.

• Earlier this year, I tested more than a dozen popular mascaras but this $10 one from Maybelline still tops my list. It’s lash thickening, lengthening, not stiff or crunchy and it never smudges or flakes.

• I haven’t worn powder eyeshadow since the Obama era but these $6 cream-shadow pencils from E.l.f are an ideal replacement for giving my lids a little color and shimmer but not making me look like I’m dusty.

• I’m including the entire name of the Violette_Fr Lip Plume Moisturizing Feather Matte Lip Whip because it accurately describes this unique and magical lip stain better than I ever could. It’s heavily pigmented, but not severe looking. The colors are gorgeous matte, but never drying. Long-lasting without settling into lip lines. 10/10, no notes. I’m on my fifth tube.

What's the best makeup for wrinkles? Does retinol work? Ask Jennifer Romolini anything, as the kids say, and she'll answer with straightforward, expert-backed advice. Submit questions in the comments below, on social @yahoolife or email [email protected].