What's in my makeup bag 2015

The last time I wrote one of these blog posts was back in October 2012. Had I have known it was that long ago, I would have done this sooner.

Quite a few of the products have changed and since 2012 I have ditched the BB creams and powder and opted for a single foundation instead. There's an obvious distinction between summer and winter makeup too and it seems that I currently have a bareMinerals and Benefit obsession, but rather than babbling on, here's what I've been storing in my makeup bag in 2015 so far...



Rimmel Wake Me Up Make Up Foundation (£8.99/30ml) has actually been my go-to foundation for a couple of years now and I find it really hard to steer away. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't last the longest but it is great at giving skin a real boost in the mornings. It's super light and does give skin an instant flawless finish. I like to apply mine with a slightly damp makeup sponge (No7 Flawless Finish Sponge).

Benefit BADGal Lash Mascara (£17.50) is a product I received as a gift at Christmas. I'll admit, it's not really my mascara of choice but it's in my makeup bag as a backup and great for popping into your handbag on a night out.

Benefit Porefessional Primer (£22.05/22ml) I absolutely love this product but tend use it quite sparingly, on top of my makeup to stop any particularly greasy areas. This product is a true gem!

bareMinerals Original SPF15 Foundation (£22.50) is probably my most favourite foundation, ever, ever, ever! I was introduced to this around five years or so ago, by a PR friend who insisted that I give it a whirl. Despite being totally anti-powder, I was converted and I've re-purchased ever since!

Benefit Posietint (£22.50) is a bit of an undecided product for me. I like the idea of a tint but hate the shade and therefore, it gets used very rarely. If anyone wants to recommend any other tints with a slightly less than luminous shade, please let me know in the comments below.

Benefit Erase Paste Concealer and Highlighter (£18.45) is another product that I love which is great for masking pesky spots. Although the shade is slightly too dark for my skin tone, dabbing over with a sponge and setting with a little powder blends this concealer perfectly. 

Estée Lauder Advanced Time Zone Age Reversing Line/Wrinkle Cream (£54/50ml) is currently my moisturiser of choice. I recently blogged about this fab product and explained why I will be sticking with this it for some time. 

bareMinerals Stroke of Light Eye Brightener (£22) was a product that I received as part of the bareMinerals Flawless Future Collection. To be honest, I find highlighters a slight waste of time (someone please tell me how to use this product more effectively) but I keep it in my make-up bag just in case. If you would like to read further, you can do so in my blog post here. 

bareMinerals Frame and Define Brow Styler (£13) is great for a quick fix. Although there isn't much else you can say, the brush on the end is perfect for taming unruly brows. 

Maybelline Lash Sensational Lash Multiplying Mascara (£7.99/9.5ml) I don't want to say too much about this product, because I will be reviewing soon in my Mascara Monologues series. Maybelline claims that this product contains their first "layer reveal brush to capture the tiniest of lashes you didn't know you had" as well as claiming to volumise and define the look of longer lashes. Keep your eyes peeled soon...

L'Oreal Paris Touche Magique Concealer (£8.19) also took pride of place in my makeup bag in 2012 and providing L'Oreal doesn't discontinue it, it will very much remain as my go to concealer for another three years. 

Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream (£25.50) this is a little sample pot I picked up off the internet, because I wanted to see if eye creams were worth the hype. Honestly, no they're not but it makes me feel better about myself knowing that I'm at least one step closer to minimising future wrinkles. 

Benefit Brow Zing (£24.50) a gift from my sister after she swore that this was the best eyebrow product to ever exist on the planet. It's pretty good, doesn't smudge or run and relatively easy to use. Because the brushes are quite small, it's a little fiddly, but nothing you won't get used to after a while. Shades are very limited however, the lightest of the three I find is quite dark for me. 

Rimmel Glam Eyes Liquid Eye Liner (£5.29) I have been using Rimmel's liquid eyeliner since white eyeliner, on the eyelid, coated in brightly coloured eye shadow went out of fashion in the early noughties (if you were born in the late 80s, you will remember this dreadfully embarrassing fashion statement in secondary school). As much as I have tried gel liner, pen liner and pencil, nothing gives that super sleek line like a liquid liner, which is why it is still very much one of my must-have daily makeup products. 

Revlon Colourburst Laquer Balm (£7.99) in my bid to wear more lip products, I purchased this. I suffer horrendously with dry lips in the winter and the Triple Butter Complex has been brilliant at allowing me to wear a lip colour, without drying too much. I would definitely recommend for anyone who wants an easy, daily colour to wear. 

Benefit "That Gal" Brightening Face Primer (£20.25) aside from Porefessional, this is my other favourite primer but instead I apply this to the whole of my face to act as a base. It smells a little like bubblegum, which makes it slightly more fun to wear and really helps makeup stick. 

La Roche-Posay Targeted Breakout Corrector (£9.50/15ml) I blogged about this product back in February in my Best Beauty Products for Blemishes post and raved about how quick-acting this was at diminishing blemishes. This is still a favourite product of mine a year later. 

Max Factor Masterpiece Transform Mascara (£9.99) I have been using this mascara for some time. My favourite part is the brush - it's small which means it coats all of those tiny lashes you usually miss and perfect for bottom lashes too.

Maybelline Line Refine Expression Soft Kohl Liner (discontinued) your pretty standard black, pencil eyeliner which I believe, might have been discontinued. Not a huge wow product - what you see, is what you get. 

Eco Tools Bamboo Domed Bronzer Brush (£9.99) I really like Eco Tools make up brushes mostly because they're quite natural. They're 100% cruelty-free, the handles are made from bamboo and the bristles are extremely plush. They really are a lovely brush to use and don't cost you the earth to purchase!

So there we go, there are a lot of products in my makeup bag at the moment. I'd love to see what you keep in your makeup bag, so please leave links below! 

bareMinerals: a Flawless Future Collection

If you are regular reader of this blog then you will know how much I adore bareMinerals make-up. So imagine the squeal that left my mouth when I recently discovered a fabulous offer on Feel Unique (via Money Saving Expert).

Now, I have never purchased a ‘group’ of products like these. It has been the occasional item here and there, so the whole bulk buy is new to me and also one of those things where I will plan on using every single item, when in hindsight I won’t. Needless to say, I absolutely love them.

I won’t talk too much about the Original SPF Foundation because I have previously spoken about it here, but the other products are also great. To start with the Clear Radiance All-Over Face Colour is great for giving complexion a quick boost. During winter we start to lose our natural summer glow and this is great for giving skin a subtle hint of radiance without looking too overdone.

Secondly, the Frame & Define Brow Styler (in Universal Taupe) is just your simple eyebrow pencil. I really, really like this product and its all down to how slim the nib is. I usually use a well-known Benefit eyebrow product, but often find the brush really hard to work with, so the Brow Styler from bareMinerals is perfect, plus the colour is a very good match too – I have mousy brows so finding a colour that isn’t too dark is often quite difficult.

I’m not really a huge fan of highlighters. They’re one of those products that I know are important, yet I’m really unsure on how to use them (note to self: must YouTube) and therefore they end up sitting in a drawer until they’re ready to be thrown out. I imagine the same habit will follow with the Stroke of Light Eye Brightener. bareMinerals claim to immediately brighten and defuse dark shadows around the eye area, as well as reducing the appearance of fine lines over time. Now, as much as I want to believe this, I’m not sure I can. I thought this was what eye creams and concealers were for, but we shall see.

Now the Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss (in Go Getter) is, by far, the most impressive product in this collection. I usually HATE, and hate is a very strong word, lipgloss – they’re sticky, slippery and disappear within minutes and trust me, I have tried a fair few. I put this to the test at the weekend. I was drinking and eating and it did a real good job of staying put and I only reapplied on a couple of occasions. The colour is nice too, a subtle pink that can be worn anytime – day or night.

Now, I really don’t want to discuss the last product, Flawless Definition Mascara too much because I will be reviewing it in my Mascara Monologues series. But I will let you into a little secret – it got me more excited that the gloss. So keep your eyes peeled soon.

All of these bareMinerals products can be purchased from www.bareminerals.co.uk or www.feelunique.co.uk. Prices are below:

Original SPF Foundation £25
Clear Radiance All-Over Face Colour £19
Frame & Define Brow Styler £13
Stroke of Light Eye Brightener £22
Marvelous Moxie Lipgloss £16
Flawless Definition Mascara £16

Eyebrow threading

I've wanted to get my eyebrows threaded for a long time and so, for the past month I have been growing them. I've never had my eyebrows professionally preened, so I wanted to start a fresh. One month later - mega bushy brows.

Stupidly, I forgot to take a photograph before I had them done. But here's the finished look...

...and I absolutely love them.

Unfortunately I have rather sparse and sometimes curly eyebrows (my hair is straight, explain that...), which makes it hard to give them any shape and definition. But after I had them threaded, I found it easier to define with an eyebrow pencil (not seen here.)

For anyone wanting to get their eyebrows threaded, I most certainly recommend it. I wouldn't say the experience is painful as such, but just imagine plucking out more than one hair at a time - that's how it feels. The session only took 5 minutes, literally walk-in, walk-out and done.

It cost me £10 for an eyebrow re-shape at BB's Brow Bar in Peterborough.

You could also check out Jane's post on eyebrow threading for a fantastic before and after shot.