What's In My Makeup Bag?

I store all of my makeup collection in some acrylic drawers from Homebase but I keep the stuff I tend to wear on a daily basis inside my makeup bag. I bought this from MAC a few years ago & it's still going strong. It is the signature medium rectangle bag. It's a good size as it can hold a lot of stuff and has a separate pocket to keep my brushes in. I tend to keep far too many things in here as I like to have a little bit of choice when it comes to what I'm gonna use that day. I would clear some of the products out but I just like too many things! Anyway here's a little peak at some of my most used makeup products.

Dr Jart+ Water Fuse BB Cream / Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation / Laura Mercier Foundation Primer
By Terry Touche Veloutee / Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer / Bobbi Brown Creamy Corrector
Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer

I keep a couple of different base products in my bag to use depending on how my skin is behaving & how much time I have to get ready. If I have time I prefer to use the Laura Mercier Silk Creme applied with a Beautyblender. If I'm running late a blob of the Dr Jart BB cream mixed with a tiny dot of the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer helps to even out my skin and hide some of my blemishes & scarring. The BB cream alone is far too dark & sheer for me so adding the Sensual Skin Enhancer lightens it up & adds a bit more coverage. I use a few different concealers but tend to just go for some of the Bobbi Brown Creamy Corrector under my eyes most days.

Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch Primer / Illamasqua Naked Rose Blusher / NARS Deep Throat Blusher / theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer / MAC Omega Eyeshadow / Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette

As well as the Laura Mercier Foundation Primer I also keep the Clarins Instant Smooth one in my bag. The Clarins primer is better if I want to hide my pores & smooth over my skin so I use this one more often. I love blushers & have tons in my collection but the ones I've been using most are NARS Deep Throat & Illamasqua Naked Rose. They're both nice peachy pinks that add a much needed burst of colour to my complexion. My go-to highlighter is theBalm's Mary-Lou Manizer, I recommend this product for anyone who wants a highly metallic sheen to their skin. It's one of the most pigmented I've tried & really makes my skin glow. I use the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette every day as it's a great selection of neutral colours that are ideal for day or night. If I fancy using a powder to fill in my eyebrows I opt between the shade Naked2 from this palette and MAC's Omega eyeshadow.

Givenchy Noir Couture Mascara* / MAC Clear Brow Set / NUXE Reve De Miel Lip Balm / Lancome Hypnose Doll Eyes Mascara / Benefit They're Real Mascara / MAC Fling Eye Brow Pencil / Anastasia Granite Tinted Brow Gel / Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara / Beaute Girlina Weightless Lip Creme / L'Oreal Carbon Gloss Superliner / Revlon Strawberry Shortcake Lip Butter / Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion / MAC NC15/NW20 Pencil
LORAC Front Of The Line Pro Eyeliner / SUQQU Eyebrow Liquid Pen

I have four mascaras in here which is probably overkill! At the minute I like to layer the last dregs of my Lancome Doll Eyes mascara with Benefit They're Real mascara and then use the Clinique mascara on my bottom lashes to stop them smudging. I didn't really like They're Real to begin with but it's starting to get better as it dries out a bit. Still clinging on to the Lancome one though! There's some more eye brow products here depending on how I want them to look. I love brushing on some of the Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel when I don't have time to fill them in properly. I have lip products galore but I tend to go for the Beaute Lip Creme or Revlon Lip Butter as I do love a nice pink lip. I use the L'Oreal Superliner to do my regular cat flick but the LORAC one is amazing for really thin lines. I use this to fill in any tiny gaps, neaten the end of the flick & sometimes I draw on bottom lashes with it a la Twiggy. And I can't go a day without using my MAC NC15/NW20 pencil on my lower lash line to brighten up my eyes.

Real Techniques Buffing Brush / Real Techniques Contour Brush x2 / Real Techniques Setting Brush / Sigma Tapered Highlighter Brush / Real Techniques Brow Brush / Laura Mercier Double Ended Eye Brow Brush / MAC 239 Brush / MAC 222 Brush / MAC 219 Brush / MAC 227 Brush / Tweezerman Tweezers / Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler

I keep a few essential brushes in here but often dip into my brush pots when I'm getting ready. I typically apply foundation with a Beautyblender (but I keep that in a separate jar) or the Real Techniques Buffing Brush. I always keep two of the Contour Brushes in here - one for blending concealer & one for applying blusher. I use the setting brush with some loose powder to set under my eyes and the Sigma brush to apply highlighter. There's two angled brushes in here but they're quite different, the Real Techniques one is better for lining my eyes with black eyeshadow & the Laura Mercier one is my favourite eye brow brush. The bristles are a lot stiffer so it works a lot better. I also keep several eyeshadow brushes in here but I probably use the MAC 219 the most as I like to apply some brown eyeshadow under my eyes with it. Finally I have my tweezers & eyelash curlers, total essentials for me & you can't get better than Tweezerman & Shu Uemura.

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September Favourites

HD Brows Kit
As everyone knows these babies were sent out in the September GlossyBox. I was so happy to receive this item as I've wanted to get an HD Brows treatment for ages now. I got sent Foxy which is meant for brunettes but as my eyebrows are naturally so dark I can just about get away with using the ash shade in the bottom right corner. The other colours in the palette are far too warm for me. I would've preferred the one for blondes but oh wells. The powders are highly pigmented and last all day. You need a light hand to apply this as its so easy to overdo your brows. I don't really rate the little brush that came with the kit as I think a firmer brush is required to really do your eyebrows properly. This really is a great little kit though, well worth the GlossyBox subscription fee. As long as you get the right set of shades for you then it'll work perfectly and if you don't, they double up as some rather lovely matte eyeshadows.

Sigma F80
I'm sure everyone has already read about a million reviews of this brush, after all thats what made me want to purchase one myself. I bought it mainly to apply my Illamasqua Skin Base foundation with as I wanted to see if there was anything that would blend it better than the MAC 187 brush. This certainly makes the application a lot quicker and makes it look even more flawless than usual. I love dense the bristles are which makes it really good for buffing in makeup. A great partner for a great foundation.

Aveeno Cream
Finally cracked what was causing my eczema to flare up: our leather sofas! Apparently there was some kind of spray used on certain leather sofas which can cause eczema & rashes in lots of people. So I've made sure theres always a throw on top to protect my legs with & as well as using my Neal's Yard Stellaria cream I started using this Aveeno Cream. It contains Collodial Oatmeal which is really good for moisturising anywhere on your body. It has also helped to fade the scarring of where the rash was. I love the smell of it too.

L'Oreal Professionnel Serie Expert Silver Shampoo
I try a hell of a lot of different silver shampoos in order to keep my hair as white as possible. I always find that if I leave them on for too long they end up toning my hair pink or purple. This one is the holy grail of silver shampoos. It doesn't make my hair turn any colour other than proper silver. It costs about a tenner so its a bit more expensive than some of them out there but it works so much better. If you want really white hair, this is the one to get.

Charles Worthington Salon At Home Strength & Repair Kit
I only bought this because Boots were selling it for £13 instead of the RRP of £20. My hair has been coming out loads lately & its starting to feel a bit fine. I think its because the bleach is starting to take its toll. I figured that maybe this could help. It contains some hair repair oil, 4 shower caps, shampoo & conditioner, so theres enough there for 4 applications. You cover your hair with the oil & put a shower cap on top. Then leave it for about 10 mins or more if you want it to penetrate deeper. You then wash your hair with the shampoo & conditioner which you leave on for 5 mins. It leaves my hair feeling really soft, strong & thicker too. The amount of hair I lose each day has noticeably decreased since I started using this treatment. I think once my pack runs out I'll be buying another box but I'll probably buy it now while its still on offer.



Chai Tea Lattes
I am a total Starbucks addict & find it hard to walk past one without going in for my usual grande caramel macchiato. If I eat in I always get a cinnamon roll & an equally sweet chai tea latte. However there are no Starbucks in Huddersfield (I know right, what fresh hell is this?!) so I have to get my fix at home. Pretty much every supermarket sells Drink Me Chai's Spiced Chai Latte and it is amazing. If you've never had a Chai Latte before its basically like normal tea but with sweet spices to give it a nice kick. Its so similar to the one Starbucks do but super cheap. I like mine in a massive spotty Emma Bridgewater mug.

Crimbo Haul

I know Christmas was quite a while ago now but my mum and sister got me some stuff in New York that I wanted to show you as well and they only got back a couple of weeks ago. First of all heres some stuff I've bought myself lately:


Liz Earle - I went to the new Liz Earle shop in Leeds because I was desperate to try Cleanse & Polish after reading so many reviews on the stuff. It definitely lives up to the hype. The limited edition tin is really cool. I love the toner I got too, it feels really refreshing on my skin. I also got the Bust Treatment because having a baby is not good for your boobs! Not tried it yet, but I'll let you know how it goes ;)


Yankee Candle - I really wanted wanted one of these massive candles after watching one of Fleur's videos. I totally fell in love with the strawberry buttercream one in Clintons, it smells delicious. It reminds me of the birthday cake body butter I got from Dylan's Candy Store a couple of years ago.


Sigma Brushes - I ordered these on Black Friday because they had free shipping. I really wanted some brushes for contouring my face. Unfortunately they sent me the large powder brush instead of the tapered face brush and I had to pay more money for it afterwards because of their mistake. Bleh. Although I like the brushes I'm not gonna order from them again. I didn't like my experience with their customer service.





MAC - I was quite excited for the Cham Pale collection and was tempted to order the special highlighting powders but when I tried them instore, I didn't really like them. Instead I just got the NC15/NW20 & I Get No Kick pencils. I love both of these, perfect for the waterline without looking too fake. I also got Harmony blusher for contouring as recommended by Pixi2woo and Amber Lights & Naked Lunch for my eyeshadow palette.



Bow Satchel - So this is the fake Miu Miu Vitello Lux I ordered off ebay. I'm not very impressed with it, it was a bit of a waste of money, so it might end up back on ebay. Its too hard and looks very cheap. I also got this weird coin purse free with it, at least that made me lol.

On to the stuff I got given:


Marmite Mug - My friend got me this epic mug! I love Marmite, I always add a thick layer of the stuff to crumpets and toast. Now I can drink hot marmite in my mug too :D


Bones - My boyfriend got me the Bones season 1-5 box set. So excited to finally watch it all!



M&M Pillow - Last time we went to New York I got the massive Reese's Peanut Butter Cups pillow so this time my mum got me the M&M one from M&M World. Its so soft and lovely to stroke. She also got me loads of American sweets such as Lifesavers, Tootsie Rolls & Cookie Dough Bites. Yum!


Sephora - My mum knows how much I love all the stuff in Sephora. I didn't ask for any of these, she just has fab taste. I got By Terry Touche Veloutee which is the best concealer ever. Its like Touche Eclat but about a million times better. Theres also a mini Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb, Lorac liquid eyeliner, Marc Jacobs Lola rollerball, mini Nars Orgasm Illuminator & two random Sephora nail polishes. I've been using the Orgasm Illuminator every day since I got it and it looks amazing on my skin. It gives your cheekbones a beautiful peachy pink highlight. Its a wonderful product.


Chanel Bag - Okay its a fake but what a good fake it is! Its really soft, well made and looks just like the real thing. Plus my mum haggled with the seller so she bought it for the grand total of $20! Thats like 12 quid! Love love love this bag and love love love my mum :)