Eva Mendes on Her New Make Up Line CIRCA

To Eva Mendes, accessibility in beauty is everything. It comes as no surprise then that the new mommy, actress, singer, and designer added one more title to her list of trades: beauty brand CEO. Mendes launched CIRCA, a new makeup line in collaboration with Maesa this Tuesday in New York City. Mendes presented her new line in Walgreens/Duane Reade in the busy neighborhood of Wall Street.

Tucked behind a curtain in the mega-drugstore, Mendes, the CIRCA team, and the Maesa team debuted the products amidst purple hydrangeas (that matched Eva's beautiful lilac dress) and little sweets.

Mendes spoke briefly about the importance of having a line of makeup that's accessible to a mass market, posing the question, "Why can't you have high-quality products in a drug store? And, why can't a quality product be affordable?" Mendes spoke about her childhood and teenage years, where coming from a lower middle class family, she felt she didn't have the means to afford the products she wanted to use.

"I'm forever that girl, that 12 year old, 15 year old that just didn't have the means. I think we live in such a cool time right now where it's actually cool to be at Walgreens, and I love that I can be a part of it and make something for my younger self," she said.

The line contains products in 133 SKUs in total, for the lips, eyes, and face. Targeted for the multicultural market, the line was inspired by timeless beauty and classic elegance. The products were designed to work for the lightest and darkest skin tones and everything in between, making it accessible to women of all ethnicities. This was especially important to Mendes, who felt that as a young actress, makeup artists had difficulty working with her skin tone because that type of product that fit her skin tone had not been in the market before.

"I can't tell you how important it is to have cosmetics like these accessible at a place like Walgreens for younger people and for people of color," she noted.

This collaboration brought together products that Mendes herself is a die-hard fan of and that she uses on a daily basis. Which brought us to some important information: Eva Mendes' beauty secrets. Mendes likes applying a cream blush horizontally along her cheeks and nose, to de-emphasize a longer face shape and allows for a fuller, rounder shape.

To keep her eyes looking fresh and lively, Mendes applies a top and bottom liner, but leaves just the corners open, allowing for a doe-eyed look. She noted that this is especially useful for those early mornings (we all know them). And finally, to get her luscious lips, she applies just a bit of her line's Illuminizing Glow right above her Cupid's Bow to add a visible pop to them.

Though Eva has recently become a mother, her beauty routine hasn't changed much. And with only five minutes to complete her makeup, Mendes mixes a foundation base with a moisturizer and applies it on along with a cream blush. And for those precious last minutes before running out the door, she quickly applies their eye crayon, which triples as an eyeliner, an eyeshadow, and an eyeshadow base.

Targeting timelessness, CIRCA is a line that lends itself to the art of transformation. You can find the products throughout 3,000 different Walgreens store and online at drugstore.com.

Images: Eliza Florendo