Disclosure - Paul & Joe and Clinique items are PR samples
Hello! Hope everyone has had an enjoyable Christmas and you're looking forward to 2011. I'm staying with my parents this week and I've packed light - all my clothes, books, laptop and toiletries were crammed into a single backpack for the trip. The picture above shows the contents of my makeup bag. It might look like a lot to some people, but I had to be really strict with myself to get it down to just 10 items.
Left to right -
Too Faced "Flatbuki" brush. This was a GWP and is very slimline - that's the main reason I chose it. It's Taklon, not too densely packed but very soft and well-shaped.
Revlon Vital Radiance angle brush. This is for brows. It was a bit of an expendable choice, this one - I didn't want to pack my more expensive angle brushes in case the bristles got squashed out of shape. This has natural bristles which are quite rigid, but it's fine enough to define brows well. (This is now discontinued but can be found on eBay.)
Clinique High Lengths mascara. We received this as part of Clinique's Holiday collection 2010, and I've been using it as my day to day mascara. I like it a lot, although it was a bit eclipsed for me by the gorgeous
Strawberry Fudge palette from the same collection. It has a curved comb brush which I really like. It's a good mid-weight mascara that can be worn lightly or built up with a few coats for dramatic looks.
GOSH Velvet Touch eyeliner in Hypnotic Grey. I have pretty much every shade of Velvet Touch available. These are exceptional quality, offering smooth application, vivid pigmented colour and rock-solid wear once set. They're only £5 each too, and compare well with
long-wear pencils twice the price. Hypnotic Grey is a metallic dark charcoal colour.
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer. This is hands down my favourite concealer.It blends well, lasts well and is a good match for my skintone. I would happily pay more than the £3.99 pricetag for this product. The fact that it's so cheap to replace makes it great for travel.
MAC Mineralize blush in Dainty. This is my daily default blush, and has been for some time. It's a dusty mid-pink with a slight shimmer. It's very natural and goes with most looks. Kind of unremarkable, but reliable and good quality.
Urban Decay Primer Potion. Surely needs no introduction.
Illamasqua Eye Brow Cake in Motto. Discovering this shade was an epiphany for me. I'd all but given up on finding a brow colour that would work for me - everything else had a reddish tone that looked totally garish on my skin. This ashy grey-brown (see pic below) does the job nicely, and the compact has a mirror in the lid which is very handy for application.
Ruby & Millie Eye Color in Beige 840P. This product really deserves a whole post to itself. It's been in my collection for many years and I've never found a taupe to rival it. It's got that magical blend of brown, silver, mauve and grey that brings out green and blue eyes perfectly. It's also buttery soft and wears like a dream. Ruby & Millie have a few gems in their range, and this one is the crown jewel. Here's a swatch -
Paul & Joe powder compact. Good quality powder is good quality powder, and this is excellent - finely milled and not too drying. But the reason I chose this to bring away with me is the crescent of pearlised powder on one side, which doubles as a highlight for eyes and cheekbones. The mirrored compact is also very sturdy and durable.
You might notice a lack of lip products - that's because I keep a small task force of lipsticks and balms in my handbag at all times anyway. Currently, Lanolips is my balm of choice, with a selection of NYX lipsticks.
Tell me - what's in your makeup bag when you travel?
