I've never been one of those girls who likes to carry huge handbags for a number of reasons. The first is that I hate how easy it is to lose your things in a big bag. Items that should be close at hand - a wallet, hand sanitizer, your mobile phone - get lost among a barrage of things that you don't really need to be carrying around on a day-to-day. (One of my friends recently went through her bag looking for pawpaw ointment and found a scientific calculator and a stuffed teddy in her bag; she studies visual arts and has no children that I know of.)
The second reason is that I don't like the shoulder pain that comes from a small bag with a shoulder strap, let alone a hefting tote filled with items superfluous to my daily life. For that reason, I made the conscious decision to streamline everything I carry.
As someone with a little bit of a beauty addiction, it can sometimes be hard to limit the things you carry with you. I've often been sorely tempted to throw my bottle of Fix+ in my bag (just in case I get cakey during the day!) or a pair of false lashes. Instead, I've limited myself to 9 key items that I know will come in handy, instead of merely taking up space and causing annoyance.
b collection by bloom is a diffusion line by one of my favourite Australian cosmetic lines,
sold exclusively in Target stores. This palette of concealers is small and efficient, with a green concealer (perfect for those like me who experience redness around their nose and the corners of their mouth), a yellow concealer (which, when mixed with one of the three skin coloured concealers, is perfect for hiding any darkness under the eyes) and a highlighter that creates a beautiful, candle-lit glow that's simultaneously shimmery and subtle. The quality of the product is amazing if you're not shy of a creamy concealer, and the product is high coverage but blends.
Garnier Skin Naturals Caffeine Eye Roll-On
Two years ago I was living with my best friend L and noticed that she had it in her makeup bag. I didn't pay it much mind again until a few weeks ago, when I started becoming paranoid about dark shadows under my eyes in photographs. At that point I went out and purchased this product and, for now, it is my primary weapon in the war against dark circles. I apply this after my foundation and blend with a
Gorgeous Cosmetics 016 brush or my
Body Shop foundation brush during application of my makeup at home, and then re-apply as needed, blending using my fingers.
I bought this concealer pen on a whim while shopping in Aldi with my mum two years ago. I was intrigued because it seemed to mimic the YSL Touche Eclat highlighter pens that I'd been reading about for years in fashion and beauty columns. After trying it once, I become an avid fan (and if the YSL pen is anything like this, I'll be trying it by the end of the year!) and now buy in bulk whenever the pens are in store. It conceals blemishes like no other product I've ever tried, blends naturally without any extra effort on my part, and adds dimension to the face when applied on the cheekbones, underneath and above the brows (which, double whammy, makes messy brows look perfectly plucked within seconds) and in the Cupid's bow.
I was always a fan of a matte face but this summer I've been all about the dewy complexion. I'm using this Stila liquid luminizer until I can get my hot little hands on Benefit's High Beam but so far I've been impressed with how well it complements my [fake] tan.
I won't even talk about the fact that I carry a travel-sized bottle of
Cedel Extra Firm hairspray with me, purely because it's not the best product on the market. It does, however, smell like dance recitals and can make your hair look delightfully shiny under certain lighting.
I am a stickler for scents and wear the same ones over and over again. In summer it's
Verbena by L'Occitane during the day and
Japanese Cherry Blossom by The Body Shop at night. Unfortunately, I'm often running from day time activities to night without making a pit stop by my vanity and, rather than tote a bottle of perfume around - following a disaster last year that involved a brand new bottle of
Verbena, my favourite handbag and my passport - I like to carry a solid perfume around. This one smells minty and fresh but has enough of a musky undertone to carry me through the evening with panache.
ulta3 Eyeshadow Palette in Storm in a Cup
As a creature of habit I tend to go for a neutral brown smoky eye during the day but, as I mentioned before, you never know when you're going to need to change up your look. I like to carry this eyeshadow quad with me just in case as, with a white eyeshadow and three shades of grey (one of which could pass for black under certain lighting), it has everything I need in order to create a quick smoky eye on the go using my fingers. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this quad as ulta3 is, to all intents and purposes, a thoroughly nondescript brand sold in chemists Australia-wide. These shadows have good pigmentation however, and are easily blended with both fingers and a brush.
Other blushes have proven bulky to carry with me and difficult to apply on the run. This particular blush is an incredibly flattering shade for my skin tone and adds just the right amount of colour.
Lancome Juicy Tube in Lychee
Simply put, this is my favourite lip gloss. While I'm not a fan of the sticky consistency (and, come to think of it, neither is my boyfriend), the colour and flavour can't be beat. A gorgeous lip gloss suited to any outfit or occasion.
What's in your makeup bag?
xo, CK
