I wore all of my products, and the day went off without a hitch. I did have to reapply my lip color more than the Armani gloss, but that wasn’t such a big deal.I cursed myself for not picking an eyeliner to go in this bag. Even though I try to get as close to the root as possible with my mascara, it still doesn’t mimic the tightline effect I’m used to. Since I didn’t want to deal with reapplying my lipstick, I skipped it, and walked around looking like I was wearing zero makeup. This isn’t very Maria.I had my first official meltdown. Why? Because the weather was cooling and a bright red doesn’t match my fall feelings. I started fantasizing about the makeup looks I’d try once this torture was over — especially after being at an H&M event and seeing all the gorgeous, dark hues. Suddenly, my monogamous relationship with red lipstick didn’t seem so exciting anymore. I wore all of my products, but loaded up on the luminizer on my eyes. It made me look like I was hungover, which was right on-trend.Wore all my products, but skipped the lip, because ain’t nobody got time anymore. I don’t love that lip gloss. It comes off immediately, whether I’m drinking a coffee, eating a sandwich, or just talking too much. But there was a glimmer of hope. I had my first day of shooting my beauty show on Refinery29’s YouNow channel, so I used that as an excuse to pop on a bright lip. Hey, my audience needs some pizzazz!I had a date this night, and before I left I was standing in my bathroom in my underwear sweating because I had no idea what I was going to do with my makeup. I was sick of this challenge. Defeated, I pulled out my mascara wand, and was suddenly inspired. This brush pulls out a ton of pigment on the tip. But instead of wiping off the excess, I dabbed it onto the back of my hand. Then, I took an angled eye brush, dipped it into the pigment, and used it to sketch on a cat-eye. It worked brilliantly. The consistency was just like that of a pot gel liner, so it glided on seamlessly. Plus, my date said he dug my eyeliner. Score!Armed with my new “eyeliner,” I lined my eyes in black and loaded up on mascara for a cool '90s look. Then, I mixed my luminizer with my concealer and tapped it on my lips. I felt like Liz Phair, and was mad at myself that I hadn’t come up with my liner trick earlier.Final day, and I couldn’t be happier. To celebrate, I used all my products, and tightlined my upper waterline with my eyeliner trick. I planned on wearing a dark-purple lipstick the next day. I was excited.I got majorly knocked off my high horse with this experiment. I figured that, since my makeup look is fairly minimal, I could get away with an on-the-cheap routine. But makeup is kind of like eating at a buffet. If you have every food imaginable laid out in front of you, after a while you’ll narrow down your favorites. But, take all the other options away except for your favorites, and you may find yourself salivating over something you never thought you’d want. Like blue lipstick.I was lucky to pick all the products I enjoyed. (Except the gloss.) I’ve used the mascara and concealer in my routine since, but have tossed the lip gloss and the luminizer. I’m happier with my fancier items. This experiment taught me that a little extra cash does get you better products in certain cases — like lipstick and luminizer. But, the one thing I will never not use is my little eyeliner trick — especially when I’m in a bind.Truthfully, I think this experiment made me want to wear more makeup. After wearing red lipstick for what felt like 100 years, I’ve been cycling between a deep burgundy ( Smashbox’s Be Legendary Lipstick in Screen Queen ) and a haughty plum ( NARS Be Audacious Lipstick in Liv ). I’ve even started contouring my nose and cheeks. If I had a makeup budget, I’m not sure how I’d do with it — especially considering the fact that I love playing with colors and looks. I give props to people who keep things tight money-wise in the cosmetics department, but I’m happy to be blessed with a job that nurtures my ever-changing beauty looks.ScandalEyes Retro Glam Mascara, $4.07, available at Walmart True Match Super Blendable Concealer, $8.99, available at Ulta Color Elixir Lip Color in Signature Scarlet, $7.19, available at Drugstore.com Born to Glow Illuminator in Sunbeam, $7.50, available at Nyx Cosmetics