Childhood is calling. There’s something about the newest makeup products these days that reminds me of elementary school art class. From markers to paint brushes to finger painting, the easiest makeup this summer just requires a little dexterity.

Liu Wen gets playfully colorful backstage at Derek Lam's fall 2010 show.

Tokidoki Fantastico Lip Stain.

Tokidoki Fantastico Lip Ink

I’m not a lipstick person and I’m certainly not a lip liner person, and that goes double for the hotter months of the year. And yet nothing is worse than hair stuck in lip gloss. Ew.

But the genius that is Tokidoki Fantastico Lip Ink stains your lips with a soft marker tip and feels like you have nothing on (except for that luscious mango scent and the fact that it has moisturizing panthenol so your lips stay hydrated). It goes on sheer and light, allowing you to layer more for a deeper stain. And it lasts. Wow, does it last.

Available at Sephora, $15.

Hard Candy Powder Keg in Dagger

Hard Candy Powder Keg Loose Eye Shadow in Dagger.

Throw away the brushes and the applicators. Nothing is easier than dab, dab, dabbing with your ring finger.

Case in point. Hard Candy’s Powder Keg Loose Eye Shadow in Dagger is so easy to use, you’re liable to go a little crazy. Spill proof container and applicator deposit just the right amount on your finger, allowing you to dab silky smooth olive green shadow with just a hint of golden sheen on your lid. Dab a little for a sheer sheen. Dab more for a unique, deep smoky eye perfect for summer.

Oh, and the hue looks so good on Asian skin tones.

Available at Walmart, $6.

Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen.

Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen

I may be great at dabbing (cream eye shadow, lip gloss), but anything requiring precision application (nail polish, eye brow pencil) gets a bit tricky. I have a cousin who always has the prettiest, coolest nails — sometimes with just a swipe of blood red on the tips, sometimes with a unique design on each nail — and she always does it herself.

Nail art designs in white.

Sure, it helps if you’re an art major, like she is. But if you’re not, you can always cheat with Sally Hansen’s Nail Art Pen. A fine tip pen lets you draw precise lines and the water-based formula can be corrected with a moist cotton swab without damaging dry nail polish.

Available in eight different shades, and as always, it’s toluene, DBP and formaldehyde free.

Available at most drugstores.

Benefit Confessions of a Concealaholic

Benefit Confessions of a Concealaholic kit.

I’m not usually fan of makeup palettes and kits, especially the eye-cheek-and-lip kind. Before you know it, little bits of aubergine shadow are embedded in your nude pot gloss, and everything becomes one gritty mess.

Benefit’s concealer kit, on the other hand, is genius because now you have everything you need to touch up those blemishes on the go — even a handy mirror built right in.

With mini sizes of their best selling concealing products including That Gal primer, their hard-core Erase Paste concealer, two shades of concealer (for dark circles versus blemishes), a pink concealer for under eyes, a yellow for everything else, and two double sided brushes that get you covered!

Open up the kit and you get step-by-step instructions on how and where to cover. It doesn't get easier!

Available at Benefit, $36.

If there’s one holy grail that I pursue relentlessly when it comes to skincare, it’s the GLOW. Call it radiance, luminosity, a glow from within. I want it all. And I want it all now.

Unfortunately, Glow escapes me. But that does not stop me. In my never-ending pursuit of Glow, I proffer myself as Guinea Pig Number 1. I will try them all until I achieve Glow. Here are some of my latest finds.

Hard Candy Moon Glow

Now, with a name like “Moon Glow,” you can’t go wrong, right? I mean, who doesn’t look good in moonlight, candlelight, or any other light that is one step away from no light.

I’ve finally come to terms with my pale face, so no more bronzers for me. Instead, I turn to Hard Candy’s Moon Glow to diffuse the splotches years of sun baking in the ’80s have left me with. It’s subtle but effective. I sweep it all over like a Photoshop’er gone beserk.

Hard Candy Moon Glow shimmery translucent powder.

Hard Candy Moon Glow, $8.

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Blendable Blush in Winter Glow

Another sort of Glow I covet is the youthful, pink-peachy, sculpted cheeks of so many a model. But as someone with an Asian skintone, it’s hard finding the right pink-peach that gives me a healthy flush, but doesn’t look too clownish.

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Blendable Blush & Highlighter.

The genius of Rimmel London’s blush in Winter Glow is the three tones. Sweep your brush over all three layers for a balanced flush, or focus on one side for a deeper or lighter finish.

Rimmel London Lasting Finish Blendable Blush & Highlighter, $5.

Primed and Ready for the Glow

M*A*C Prep + Prime.

One thing age has taught me — a good primer really is vital.

Yeah, sure, when you’re 19, a primer is waste of time. By virtue of your age, you’re naturally primed and probably have Glow pouring out of your ears. But if you’re not 19, the key to any Glow starts with a good primer. It not only reflects light and gives you a nice airbrushed base, it helps everything else (powder, blush) go on more smoothly, and keeps it there all day long.

Colorescience Let Me Be Clear primer.

For treatment primers, I like M*A*C Prep + Prime, $25.

For oily or acne-prone skin, nothing beats Colorescience Let Me Be Clear primer with salicylic acid, $50.

Sun-kissed Glow

I suddenly found myself on a last minute press trip to Hawaii last month. Which meant that my pasty, sickly legs needed a color boost ASAP. Now, while I may have accepted my official status as a pale face, I refuse to blind the world with my whiter than white gams. I’m just not a sadist that way.

Needless to say, no gradual tanning lotion was going to cut it. So I turned to the sample closet and found Mystic Tan’s sunless tanning lotion.

Mystic Tan sunless tanning lotion and shimmer powder.

I admit, I had some trepidation. After all, I remember Mystic Tan from the 2000s, and Paris Hilton-orange I did not want. I made sure to bring all sorts of tinted lotions and leg highlighters, just in case the Mystic Tan failed me.

I’m glad to report I didn’t use those lotions or highlighters once. My gams were golden and even, just enough to be believable on my otherwise pasty skin. And a week later, the color was still going strong. The best part? No sickly smell. Now that is hot.

Mystic Tan Perfect Tan Holiday Kit (includes the lotion and a bronzing shimmer powder), $29.