What's in my makeup bag!

WARNING: Loooong post ahead. LOL!

It is a fact that until recently I didn't feel the need to carry in my purse a makeup bag! I just did my makeup in the morning and all I carried with me was a lipbalm.
That changed radically one day at work: while washing my hands I glanced in the mirror and I saw a washed out resemblence of myself staring back to me! What had happened to my blush? To my strategically positioned highlight? Where did everybody go?
So, that day I decided to have with me at all times a little something for touch-ups on the go. 
 
The easy part was to make up my mind, the tough part was to actually make it happen, because I don't want to carry too many things with me since all my purses are moderately sized. 
That puzzle was solved with a little improvisation and it actually works for me just fine.

So, enough said, let me show you!

First item I wanted was a makeup bag and I decided to get this Mac one - €29 (€21,75 on a 25% discount) because:

• the size was ideal for my purses
• the black material is discreet enough (for work) but not boring
• it has an inner pocket that's perfect for little things

Next thing I wanted to carry with me was my Mac Careblend pressed powder but the included sponge/applicator applied too much product on my face and I needed a brush to blend it out. Instead of that, I got an Ecotools retractable brush - €11 from Ebay (very decent brush, soft and doesn't shed) and every morning, when I do my makeup, I dab it lightly in my Careblend and put the brush in my little bag. This way, I don't have to carry with me the Careblend compact, and I use what's on my retractable brush for a touch up.

Next item I wanted in my purse was concealer (just in case I need it) so I put a little of my Benefit Erase Paste in a jar and I use it with a little brush that I had from a free Sephora brush kit.  Also, Mac Fix+ is a necessity to me because it refreshes and hydrates my skin.

The puzzle to me was how on earth I could manage to have with me something for highlight, blush and contour, without having to carry all these separate compacts. The tougher one was blush, because I had to carry with me a different blush almost everyday (depending on what I had put on in the morning), but I also have a few in pan form in a Mac palette (not something to have in my purse!).

So, instead of going crazy over this I decided to think outside of the box and the result is simple and fuss free. That's how:

• I put in good use a Mac 4 pan empty eyeshadow palette that I already had
• I looked at my eyeshadows and chose one that would do for highlight but I wouldn't miss from my eyeshadows palette. Crystal Avalanche was the winner (I don't use it that much since I got Creamy Bisque, I also have a Korres one in a similar shade).
• next I wanted an eyeshadow as a contour. I chose Moleskin from my stash but I'm thinking of buying Omega or Kid because Moleskin is limited edition and I want to keep it for my eyes.LOL!
• last but not least I chose two eyeshadows from my stash that I could use for blush: Passionate because it is a cool pink shade and Free to Be because it is warmer. This way, I don't have the exact shade of blush that I wore in the morning but I have something to refresh it that matches with the rest of my makeup, in cool tones and warm as well. Both eyeshadows didn't get much use from me as eyeshadows, but I really love them as mini blushes on the go!

Here's a swatch of them all. It is heavy because I wanted to show you the colors, it goes without saying that when I actually use them to refresh my face makeup I use the lightest possible amount on my brush.

Here's my little highlight-contour-blush palette

So, what I basically do is that I buff the Careblend on my face and then I use the same brush for contour and blush (for the highlight I use my finger). Then I spray my face with the Fix+ and I' m done.

Next thing that I carry in my makeup bag is a lipstick and lipgloss. I rotate these everyday, depending on what I used in the morning.
For instance, yesterday I wore Sweet Eve After lipcreme and Show Me! lipglass (both Mac pro longwear), here they are

The last thing that I always carry with me is not makeup related but a necessity to me and that is a hand creme. Currently I have the EOS one (€12 on Ebay) because I love the packaging, it's like a little pebble, very slim and purse friendly!

Here's my makeup bag once more

I'm totally satisfied with the above configuration since this way I manage to have with me everything I will need for a touch up in a very compact and low volume way.

What makeup item do you always have in your purse?