Sunday, November 3, 2013

My Winter/Fall Makeup Bag


The infamous "What's In My Bag" YouTube (and blogger) tag has apparently gotten a bit of a bad wrap. It's supposedly more fun for the bag's owner, a moment to be an exhibitionist and delight in how bottomless and full-of-crap a purse can be. So I have to admit that I get a strange thrill out of looking at what's in other people's makeup bags...and according to MakeupAlley.com, I'm not alone.

I've posted the contents of my makeup bag before, but I actually rotate said contents two or three times a year. And I altered the innards enough for fall/winter--and added enough new-ish, stand-out products--that I thought another post was due. I also decided to add up the rough cost of everything in my makeup bag, just for funsies...and for a bit of post-Halloween terror.

Fair warning: plenty of gold and sheer red ahead! Who am I to overturn a classic cold-weather combination?


1. Clinique Airbrush Concealer ($19.50) in Fair, a sheer-coverage, slightly pink-toned concealer that's nice for just lightening up my dark circles. I've had it for going on two years now, and the paint is almost completely worn off.

2. One Hand Washes the Other Solid Perfume ($5.00) in OMG Flowers!, a Flowerbomb dupe. I always try to have a perfume with me, but because I'm petrified of having a smelly spill in my makeup bag, I stick with these solid scents.

3. Clinique Super-Fine Liner for Brows ($16.00) in 01 Soft Blonde. This pencil is a bit too light and golden for my tastes--Shu Uemura Seal Brown remains my ultimate pick--but it's small, light, and very creamy. This makes it great for a quick brow fix on the go.

4. Skindinavia Setting Spray, mini-size (free). Skindinavia gives away these adorable travel-sized bottles constantly, making their already wonderful product an even sweeter deal. I depend on Skindinavia to keep my makeup from looking heavy, powdery, or overly matte.

5. Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Intensive Moisturizer for Face (free). Another sample that has served me well. While it's certainly not my FAVORITE day cream, it gets the job done in a pinch. It also doubles as a luxurious hand cream.

6. L'oreal HIP Balm in Luscious (discontinued; $9 when available). It's a shame that they discontinued this balm, because it looks beautiful on top of berry lipsticks and sheer red stains. Mine is depotted in to a small NARS sample jar.

7. Becca Beach Tint ($25.00) in Watermelon. Still my all-time favorite beach tint because of its versatility! I swap this guy out if I'm wearing a very different blush color for a special event, and I'm worried about it fading, but beyond that, it's Watermelon all the way. It just works so well with almost every look. I technically got this full-size from a sample service, but I'm including the price because it's one of the few things I decided to keep from that $50 sample box.

8. Anastasia Clear Brow Gel, mini-size ($10.00). The best brow gel I've tried! It smells horrendous, but it keeps my brows in place without making them glossy or tacky. A friend sent me three more of these travel-sized tubes as back-ups, and I couldn't be happier: I'm not exactly rolling in the dough right now, but I hate imagining my makeup without it.

9. Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow ($19.00) in RSVP. A perfect, universally flattering gold shade in a formula that applies like a dream and stays put for hours. This smaller jar was part of a set, but I included the price for the full size because I've repurchased it about 2 times already.

10. Estee Lauder Sumptuous mascara, mini-size (free). God bless free mascara samples, especially when you end up loving the formula! This mascara is layerable, which is one of the reasons why I love it.

11. Christian Dior Eye Show (limited edition; $32.00 when available) in Undressed Beige. A lighter, more champagne shade than Benefit's RSVP, this mousse-texture shadow contains incredible shimmer that doesn't budge--a rare feat for eyeshadows. Trust me, I usually hate shimmery shadows because the freakin' things flake all over my cheeks. This product is different, and I really wish they'd make the formula part of the permanent line.

12. Too Faced Shadow Insurance ($20.00). My go-to eye primer for years, I use this on both my lids and my undereyes to prevent my products from creasing.

13-15. Tools, just in case! The mirror was a gift from my friend, and the little lip brush came with an OCC Lip Tar. The Lip Tar didn't work out, but that brush was certainly nice enough to stick around.

16. Laura Mercier Lip Stain ($20.00) in Mulberry. This deceptively tiny pot packs quite a punch. The Laura Mercier stains are both comfortable and long-lasting; Mulberry stays on my lips for a good 4-5 hours before I experience any fading. It's also a surprisingly flattering red-brown shade, suitable for a wide number of skin tones and just perfect for fall. You can build the product up for more intensity without caking it on.

17. Aquaphor Healing Ointment ($4.50). Aquaphor is by no means my favorite lip balm, but it's definitely in my top five. It works well under or over lipsticks and can double as an ointment for dry elbows or abused eyelashes.

18. Paula's Choice Barely There Sheer Matte Tint ($17.00) in Level 1, Fair/Light. My new favorite tinted moisturizer, although I may have to switch it back out for the Tarte if my skin lightens up to N5 again. This product has a high level of SPF as far as tinted moisturizers go; it also provides decent coverage, is weightless on my skin, and provides light, demi-matte coverage. Totally diggin' it.

And the total comes out toooooooo! *drumroll*

$197.00

Lord, that is unexpectedly and embarrassingly high. Granted, I swapped for a lot of this stuff and/or bought it over a number of years, but I was expecting something under $100 for an emergency, gets-thrown-in-my-bookbag kit! Ah, well. It is what it is! And besides, it certainly is a pretty collection that's worth its weight in gold.


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