What's In My Travel Makeup Bag

Monday, October 22, 2012

I spent this past weekend away from my house and plan on going to work tomorrow from my mini vacation spot. When this happens, I tend to pack my travel makeup bag much heavier than I would for a day trip, so here is what it consists of...


This is the largest makeup bag I own, it's Betsey Johnson. The only thing I don't like about it is it doesn't have a handle, which would make it much easier to travel with. It's usually stuffed full on my trips. 

 And here is everything I managed to stuff inside of it. From Top left: Naked Palette, Lorac Pro Palette, Sephora Mineral Powder, Laura Mercier Creme Foundation, Toki Doki Bronzer, NYX Blush in Mocha, MAC Fix +, NARS Orgasm Blush, MAC Painterly Paintpot, MAC Dipdown eyeliner (brows), MAC Eyeshadows in Espresso, Bamboo and Omega. Benefit PoreFessional Primer, MAC Concealer and My Spots are Concealed, then various brushes.


I use the dual fiber brush for my Fix + spray because I don't like to spray it directly on my face. The I always take a couple crease brushes such as the Stila one and MAC 217. Then angled brushes for my eyebrows and eyeliner, then a blush brush. 

I chose these products because they make it easy to change my mind about my looks. I always pack a pink/red toned blush and a peach colored one so they will fit with any eye look. The two palettes (Naked and Lorac Pro) have a combination of matte and metallic colors and give a lot of versatility. Even though it's usually the case that I only rock a thick liner and mascara when I'm away, I like being able to have the option to do whatever I'm in the mood for. 

Drug Store Come Up of the Week

Sunday, October 21, 2012


 I was searching some makeup artists and common makeup tags on Intagram the other day (for me those are #ilovemaciggirls, #makeupaddict, and various brand tags) and I came across an artist who posted a flawless fall face which included a thick black liner, bronzer for blush and a deep purple lip that I fell in love with. She stated the color was "Va Va Violet" by Revlon. I found myself at Walmart and checked out the color, it seemed much deeper in the packaging than it did on her lips but I bought it anyway. While I was there I snagged this gem called "Wine Not" by Revlon, and I am much happier with this purchase. "Va Va Violet" is a satin finish and it's not as opaque when you put it on, it has more sheen to it than I'm normally drawn to but I need to play with it a little more. "Wine Not" is a deep burgundy matte lipstick that is now my new staple for fall. I paired it with MAC's "Vino" lip pencil and the combination is one of my favorites. Vino is a super deep pencil and I wouldn't wanna pair it with a lip color that was also that deep, so I love the two together. Here are some pics of me rocking the combo. If you have any fall must haves from the drugstore feel free to let me know in a comment below!






Above: Pics of me wearing the colors one with iPhone front facing camera, and the other with a flash so you can get a better idea of what they look like. For the rest of my face I used Terra Cotta Blush by NYX and the Naked Palette on my eyes. 

Above: You can see the Vino pencil is much deeper, so if you don't want to achieve of look that is as deep as the picture of me above, skip the pencil or just apply it lightly. 

Above: Vino Lip Pencil and Wine Not Lipstick post application :)

Summer Empties

Monday, October 15, 2012





With the heat wave of this record breaking summer lasting well into this October month, I found that I was not burning through my regular makeup products as much as I was my hair and skin care ones. My go to face consisted of primer, concealer, light foundation, blush and mascara, and my hair was almost always in its natural curly state. This brings me to my list of empties for the summer. These are products I loved so much that I used the very last drop, and for the most part I will be purchasing again.

1. Laura Mercier- Mineral Foundation Primer: I've talked about this primer before, and what I loved about using it during the summer was that it has a lotion consistency and didn't feel heavy on my skin. I put this on with a light layer of foundation or tinted moisturizer and I was good to go.
2. MAC-Fix + Spray: On the occasion that I did wear a full coverage foundation during the summer, I wanted to keep my look dewy and less heavy. That's where my Fix + spray came in. If ever I felt like my makeup was looking too powdery or overdone, I just sprayed this all over and it gave me the summer glow I was looking for.
3. Bath and Bodyworks- Black Raspberry Vanilla Body Cream: I actually don't enjoy the feeling of wearing/putting on lotion. I don't like it on my skin and I find myself having to force myself to put it on after I get out of the shower. Fortunately, the skin on my body isn't prone to dryness so I can get away with not wearing lotion everyday. But the smell of this lotion is amazing to me! I felt like the berry and the vanilla was a perfect summer to fall combination, and the formula is silky, so the feeling didn't gross me out like a lot of body creams do.
4. Tresemme Split Remedy Leave In Conditioner: I posted when I started using this in the beginning of the summer and now that the bottle is empty I'm really happy with the results it's given me. There have been countless times that I did not feel like blow drying, then flat ironing my hair and I just wanted to let my curls go natural. So I put this in my damp hair along with a tiny bit of argan oil and I was very impressed. I've also used it by itself and it still works really well, definitely going to purchase it again.
5. One n Only Argan Oil Conditioner: I bought this bottle last October during Breast Cancer Awareness Month and it's taken me a year to get through it. The reason for this is because I really didn't like it. I use their argan oil and it works very well, I just feel like the conditioner fell short. It did not leave my hair as soft as I thought it would and I wasn't a huge fan of the smell. I don't think I would purchase it again.
6. L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara: I have purchased this mascara probably 10 times since I discovered it. It's hands down the best drug store mascara out there and definitely a contender for the best mascara ever. It gives volume, doesn't clump and the wand comes in the normal straight wand or with a bend to help cover all of your lashes. If you're looking for a great full looking mascara this is it.