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?

Mac 15pan Palette: Basic Shades

I am always mesmerized by videos on YouTube about mac 15pan palettes, categorized by shades (neutrals, pinks, blues, etc) and I decided to make a palette of my own.

The hard part is that I wanted to limit myself to one palette, because:

• the eyeshadows are quite expensive (obviously!)
• I don't find it practical to have 2-3 palettes around me to complete a look.
• I dont't need similar shades because I don't think everyday people (as opposed to make up artists or professionals in general) notice slight variations of shade or color intensity or shimmer or whatever.
• I don't need all the colors available, it is so easy to change the hue of an eyeshadow just by sweeping another color on top!

So, after a lot of time online, seeing swatches, watching videos, reading blogs, etc, I made a sort of "pattern" and I based my palette on it. Of course there are a lot of eyeshadows that I didn't like when I actually swatched them in my local Mac store, and a few others that were not in my plan but caught my eye!

So, this is my (one and only - at least so far!) 15pan palette:

The "pattern" is quite simple:

• one row with cool (?) shades,
• one row with warm (?) shades,
• one row with the rest.

And vertically:

• highlighters in the first column
• midtones (eyelid colors) in the second column
• shading colors (crease) in the third column

As you can see, the first three columns are all natural shades, the last two columns are all colors.

There are two "basic" shades missing and that is a pure white and a pure black and the reason I don't have such shades is because I don't use them that often.

Highlights:

Cool - Crystal Avalanche is desribed as white with reflects (VeluxePearl)
Warm - Short Shorts (limited edition from the Surf Baby collection) was not on my list but I loved it! I think Nylon from the permanent line is an alternative shade.
Brule is described as soft creamy-beige (Satin).

Midtones:

Cool - Pink Venus is described as washed pink (Lustre). It looks lovely in the pan but the color payoff is minimal.
Warm - Honesty is described as pewtered bronze (Lustre). I don't know why I picked this and minimal color payoff here too!
Satin Taupe is described as taupe with silver shimmer (Frost). It is my latest aquisition, I haven't even tried it on yet! The main reason I got it is because I like taupe color in general and I thought I should try out this (very famous) shade! 

Crease colors:

I don't find flattering (on me) too dark colors, that's why I chose medium shades, not too dark, not too light.

Cool - Scene is described as muted blue-grey (Satin).
Warm - Espresso is described as muted golden brown (Matte).
Smut is described as muted black with red shimmer (Velvet). To me it looks like an in between color and I use it when I want a little more intensity.

Colors 1:

Cool - Passionate is described as real mid-tone red (Matte). When I got frustrated with Pink Venus I went overboard and purchased Passionate, it actually is a very pretty color and when used with a light hand the result is quite lovely. I usually use Passionate as a base and Pink Venus on top for the shimmer.
Warm - Expensive Pink is described as pink with duochrome (Veluxe Pearl). I really love this color!
Sun Blonde (limited edition from the Surf Baby collection) was also not on my list but I loved it too! I think Gorgeous Gold from the permanent line is an alternative shade.

Colors 2: 

 

Cool - Moon's Reflection is described as blue w/white pearl (Veluxe Pearl).

Warm - Swimming is described as hi-shine sea green (Lustre). Althought this is a Lustre too, the color payoff is a lot better than Pink Venus.

Aquadisiac is described as deep sea turquoise (Lustre). This one has the best pigmentation amongst all my Lustre eyeshadows. It is also the first ever Mac eyeshadow I purchased, I just love it!

Please note that "cool" and "warm" are relevant terms, according to the way I see the colors, so what seems warm to me someone else may categorize as cool, etc!  

What is your most reached for eyeshadow?