It's been a while since my last "
what's in my makeup bag" post. First, the bag switched. This is the first makeup bag that I've
ever spent money on, and it was only $5 from H&M. I got it in spring when ORANGE was all the rage, and the colour just perked me up. Because there are so many free makeup bags accrued at home from GWPs (gifts with purchases), I never felt the need to buy a bag before. But none of them were the size, design or colour I wanted. It's a small thing, but I was tired of putting up with things I didn't care for, just because they were free. It was a good change to make.
Non-makeup content: Perfume atomizer (filled with
Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Mandarine-Basilic in spring/summer,
Caudalie The des Vignes in fall/winter); mini x-acto knife (lifelong handy habit); Tylenol container filled with half Tylenol, half other pills and vitamins as needed.
Makeup Content:
SilkyGirl BB Powder Foundation (reviewed
here) - Already hit pan on my second compact. It turns out that my sister loves it too, so there's only two more new compacts left between us, presumably one each. She is renouncing the Laura Mercier and Shiseido powder foundations that she used to love and is relying on this also. I'm going to switch to liquid foundation for winter and come back to this in spring/summer when I get extra sweaty and oily again. But this is so super handy. I've taken up the habit of just applying primer on my face and dipping into this for coverage during the 1-hour subway ride to work. (Apparently I don't care to impress anyone at my bus stop. Heh.)
By Terry Velvet Cream Blush in Peach Nude - I might actually hit pan on this. HIT PAN ON BLUSH - O THE ANTICIPATION!!! While I like the idea of cream blush, I find that too many are sticky and dewy on the face. This one goes on velvety smooth and immediately sets to a powder finish. It blends impeccably and seamlessly and I might cry when it runs out since it's not available in Canada anymore.
Annabelle Blush On in #32 Pronto - It's my new favourite (see mini review
here). I don't have a travel blush brush to pack in the bag, so I haven't really been carrying it around... but it's on the list of things to get/do.
MAC Electric Cool Shadow in Superwatt - Reviewed
here. I just love the spongey powdery texture of this shadow. The shimmer looks fantastic on the lid and it's easy to tote around as well as to pat on to the lid without a brush. LOVE.
MUFE Aqua Cream in #15 Taupe - I've really been digging into this pot recently (like, literally) and didn't like it in the past because it sets so quickly that it's hard to blend out. Lately I've been packing this on the lids on days when I wear glasses because a lot of eye makeup looks strangely sexier behind the lens. This is a brownish taupe that looks almost bronze rather than a cool taupe, and I like to apply a wash of it over the lid and add a double layer of it on the outer corners of my hooded eyes and blend with black pencil eyeliner, which produces a unique shimmery dark shade that I should probably devote a separate post to.
MUFE Eyebrow Pencil in #4 Dark Taupe - The shade is a warmer brown than my natural hair, but the next darkest in #5 was way too dark and overpowers my face (that was a few years ago, though - I may need to reassess). I plan on trying out the Aqua Brows eventually, but until then, this pencil works well. I finally conquered my brows and lowered the arch so that the brows are straighter and more symmetrical. It's mind-boggling to me that I stopped doing my brows for a period of 2-3 years, because now I have to fill in my brows every morning with this pencil.
Prestige Waterproof Eyeliner in Black - For CAD$7, it does a decent job. Now that I've spent a few months with it, I find that while it does stay put well for 8-9 hours during cool seasons and does resist removal, it manages to smudge ever so slightly by the 10th hour and will give you the full-blown raccoon eyes by the 12th. Still, it's the easiest liner to apply while in a hurry. Reviewed
here.
Lancome Hypnose Star Mascara in Noir Midnight - I mentioned this mascara in
a recent post and the love is going strong. If you can spend CAD$33 on a mascara, BUY IT. The smaller tip is perfect for getting into the lashes at the inner and outer corner and the formula is flawless. Sooty black lashes in seconds!
Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Plum - I was "saving" this for some stupid reason and decided it was time to start working it down to an empty tube.
See? Progress!
I tend to switch lippies around on a regular basis and try not to carry more than 2-3 in the bag. Pictured are my recent faves:
Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple,
Revlon Colorburst Gloss in Bordeaux and
NARS Pure Matte in Amsterdam.
And there you have it. Everything fits nicely into the bag and it's not too heavy or disorganized. Not shown are hand creams, lip balms, blotting sheets and floss and things like that, which are carried in separate pockets of my purses or kept in drawers at work and home.
I've been wondering lately that, as a makeup minimalist when it comes to actually
wearing makeup, whether it's possible for me to get rid of the rest of my permanent collection and just live on these for the next year or two. And the immediate and consistent answer is always no. No, no, no. Although I may not wear everything all the time, I love having some choices to make and experimenting from time to time as inspiration hits. As always, I drift between "too much" and "too little" without drawing a hard line anywhere. More on that later.
How have your makeup travel bag changed over the years?
