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! 

Post holiday beauty haul

Okay, so the holiday blues have officially set in. This time two weeks ago I was enjoying a cocktail on a sun lounger overlooking the Gulf of Thailand. Humph! So in order to cheer myself up, I took a trip to Boots to buy some much needed items.

Now while I was in Thailand, I had the opportunity to try some authentic coconut oil. Although a little smelly and by this I mean not at all like coconut, I decided that I had to buy some once I was home, which is why I picked up Garnier Ultimate Blends The Sleek Perfector Oil. I’ve really been into the whole the Argan Oil thing and I’ve heard positive things about coconut oil, so I thought it was best to jump on the bandwagon before it left without me.

Now that we’re well into July and I figured what a perfect opportunity to ditch the blusher and replace with a gorgeous glowing bronzer. Problem being my dog ate my bare Minerals brush so I was after a quick replacement. After toying between Real Techniques and Eco Tools, I finally opted for the Eco Tools Domed Bronzer brush. My reason? Because it was bigger – it was that simple.

Now this is where I get to the essentials. Nivea Daily Essentials Refreshing Facial Cleansing Wipes, a really boring product that I re-purchase at least twice a month. Writing that has reminded me that I must find a more eco (and purse) friendly make up remover. Secondly, a new mascara. In my quest to find the perfect mascara (you can follow the Mascara Monologues here) I obviously opted for something new - Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara. More about this in the next instalment of the Mascara Monologues soon, so keep your eyes peeled!

Despite not purchasing much, I came away feeling a little better that I wasn’t sat in 35 degree heat and sipping on a mango daiquiri. I guess the sunny British weather will keep me distracted for some time.

Please leave links below for your latest hauls. Or if you have any recommended products, I’d love to hear those too.

L'Oreal Nude Magique BB Cream

 

I love a good BB cream. In fact I pretty much adore them, I don't know how I ever survived without them. Whether you wear it on its own or as a base, they're perfect for giving you an even skin tone without looking caked on.

My first experience with BB creams was one of the first to be launched in the UK - Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector. It was a lot thicker and creamier than I expected, but offered a great introduction to the new product.

Recently I discovered L'Oreal Nude Magique BB Cream. Packed with smart pigment capsules, it comes in a lighter than light purple formula that can't be felt on the skin.

When first felt on your fingers, the cream feels slightly grainy, but once massaged into your skin it transforms into a very subtle, light foundation, with the grains almost melting onto your skin. Don't let the purple colour put you off. The purple pigments help to brighten dull or sallow complexions, which is why I've found it perfect for using under my powder.

I have been completely won over by this product and overwhelmed at how flawless my skin looks after its been applied. Considering it comes in a much smaller tube too, it lasts a fair amount of time.

Available from most drug stores or supermarkets.

GOSH Limited Edition Spring...

If you’re a fan of GOSH then you'll be pleased to know they're introducing a new limited edition range of nudes, just for Spring. With gorgeous floral packaging, it makes a change from their trademark black which can sometimes get overlooked.

The collection will brighten up any make-up bag and comes with two current nail varnishes, Miss Mole and Miss Sweety, both are £5 and two current lipsticks Cappuccino and Nougat at £6.49 each.

The whole collection is available from Superdrug stores from mid February.

Jelly Pong Pong Pillow Pout

I first heard of Jelly Pong Pong a while ago - back when those Girls Aloud ladies did that TV show, Passions of Girls Aloud. Nicola was creating her very own make-up brand and roped in Jelly Pong Pong for help. A few years later I noticed they had a stall at the Clothes Show Live and had to pick up a few bits - i fell in love with their bronzer instantly! Since then, I haven't heard much about them, until I saw this...

Pillow Pout is a lip butter that nourishes your lips and acts as a treatment too. Part of the Petal Perfection collection, which also contains a highlighter (Gossamer) and a cheek stain (Flower Cream), is due to go on sale in March.

At the moment, Pillow Pout only comes in this Fuscia shade (which can be a little bright for some of you) but I have been told there are plans to expand the collection, so no doubt there will be more lip colours available - so watch this space.

Pillow Pout is going to be priced at £9, which isn't too bad for a lip butter and treatment in one. For other Jelly Pong Pong products visit www.jellypongpong.com

Bare Minerals Prime Time Brightening Primer

When it comes to make-up primers, there’s often mixed reviews. Some make-up artists swear by them, others will disagree. For me, I’m still not sure – some work, some don’t, it’s as simple as that.

I recently got my hands on a new primer range from Bare Escentuals - Bare Minerals Prime Time Brightening Foundation and Eyelid Primer, due to be released in February 2011. The range consists of a brightening foundation primer and a brightening eyelid primer.

The Prime Time Brightening Foundation is claimed to be an innovation because it simply contains a face brightener and primer in one. With combined light reflecting pearls too, it helps brighten your complexion as well as giving your skin a satin finish. I will admit I haven’t yet tried this on my face, but after applying it to my hand, it did feel silky soft.


The eyelid primer is available in two colours – original and pearl (right) and it’s fantastic because you can get away with wearing it alone without any eye shadow. I also applied it to my hand in the morning and was surprised to see that it was still visible later on in the evening.


Both products come with added Vitamins C and E and are formulated without any preservatives, oils and fragrances – great if you have sensitive skin. If you suffer from having an oily t-zone like I do, then the face primer is useful because it says it absorbs excess oil from your skin too.

You can get the foundation primer for £19 and the eyelid primer for £16 as of February 2011, from Bare Escentuals boutiques in selected department stores and online at
http://www.bareescentuals.com/

Small print - PR sample

Boots No7 spring collection...

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending the Boots No7 Spring collection launch. Created by makeup artist and creative director, Lisa Eldridge, the collection has been inspired by 1960’s St Tropez and boasts a beautiful range of colours. Unlike renowned No7 products, this collection comes complete with gorgeous packaging too.

For me the Lipstick in Brigitte, Beautifully Matte foundation and Gel Eyeliners stood out the most. I’m a sucker for a pink lippy and a black eyeliner and not to mention still on the search for an affordable foundation too. I’ve never tried a gel eyeliner before, so I’m looking forward to trying this one out.

This collection is available in Boots stores from 26th January until 22nd March 2011.

Accessorize your makeup bag...

I’m a huge fan of Accessorize – always have and always will be – but my purse strings pull tight when they see I’m about to spend £20 on a necklace I’ll only wear a handful of times. So hearing that they were introducing cosmetics to their stores, I was eager to have a look.

The whole range has been divided into five different collections - Je T’aime, Illusion, Rock Star, Exotic Brights and With Love – all of which are reasonably priced and beautifully packaged too. Having had a look, the ones that stood out for me were the Eye Dust pots (£3) and the With Love Bronzing Block (£7), both of which are almost identical to well-known Barry M and Benefit products.

The Accessorize cosmetic collection is available in store (larger stores only), online at www.accessorize.com and in selected Superdrug stores only.

Starry eyed surprise...

Having worn 17 as a teen, I always feel a little nostalgic when presented with one of their products, which is why I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the Starry Eyes Trio eyeshadow. Available in a range of colours, each set is perfect for creating the smokey-eyed look.

Neptune, the most dramatic of the four comes with a deep purple, metallic gold and dark grey shade, for an exotic twist on the smoky eye trend.

Starstruck is more traditional with intense black, metallic and lighter grey shades that will suit any hair, eye and skin colour. For a less intense look, opt for the two lighter shades instead.

For a green goddess look, go for Galactic which comes with khaki, champagne gold and rich green colours – great if you like to make a statement.

Lastly is Moondust, a mixture of two blue shades and a lighter white colour. For the perfect party look line your top lashes with the dark blue and blend with the lighter blue and silver.

All for £4.99 each, these are great for the festive season and a must-have for any girl’s makeup bag.