What's In My Makeup Bag? | TRAVEL EDITION 2015

As you may know from my previous post, I'm currently on holiday in the South of England- in South Devon to be precise. As I am travelling, I tried to downsize my makeup as I didn't want to be lugging too much away with me. So today, I'm going to show you the contents of my travel makeup bag which will show you some of the bits I had to take away with me as I couldn't be without them. Also, just a side-note I will be taking brushes with me but I haven't included them in this post, you can see my most used face and eye brushes here and here- I shall be taking those with me.

1. Benefit Porefessional Primer

I must admit when I first tested this I didn't love it, I wasn't a huge fan of the silicone texture so it went to the back of my makeup storage. I gave it a go again and I love it- it doesn't reduce the size of my pores by a huge amount but it definitely makes my makeup stay on a lot longer. This will be great as i'm likely to have my makeup on early morning through to the evening!

2. L'Oreal True Match Foundation

This has pretty much been the only foundation I use for a good year now, you can see a review here. It's a light liquid formula with a medium coverage which is buildable, this is also the perfect match for my pale skin. It has a satin finish and although i'd prefer a dewier finish for the summer, that can easily be achieved by mixing with my moisturiser for a more natural glowy finish.

3. Seventeen Phwoarr Paint Concealer

Recently I've been choosing this over the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer as this covers my dark circles like no other. This is also great for covering blemishes but must set using powder, I keep my powder in my bag for on the go touch ups which is why it wont be mentioned here. This will be great while travelling to cover those dark circles due to lack of sleep and early mornings.

4. MUA Pressed Powder in Shade 4

I don't use this to set my makeup, I use this to bronze up my pale skin and also sometimes use it to contour. This is only £1 so you can't go wrong really! I'm super pale so this will be great for faking a sun kissed glow when the weather is likely to be a little miserable. I'm writing this in advance so fingers crossed for nice weather!

5. Sleek Blush in Rose Gold

This is currently the only blush I own, I mean I have a load of other cheap ones but this is my go-to! It's a dupe of NARS Orgasm and is a beautiful shimmery coral. This helps to put colour back into my face and the shimmer also works as a highlight- a perfect two-in-one product!

6. NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Yogurt

I was going to take my Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Pink Gold but I use that quite a lot and this often gets neglected so I thought i'd take this in a hope that i'd start to use it. This is a gorgeous copper, slightly pink shade and looks so pretty as a base for eye shadows.

7. W7 In the Buff Eye Shadow Palette
This is a dupe for the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette which is why I bought it as I didn't want to splash out nearly £40 on a palette I may not use that often. I've also done a review on this palette here, I absolutely love it which is why I chose to bring it away with me despite being much larger and less travel friendly than my other palettes. I love this for the few matte shades, they're my go-to!

8. Benefit Roller Lash Mascara
Love this mascara! It seems to be a running theme here but I've also done a review on this mascara, here. I mostly review products I love just so I can rave about them, hence why i'm bringing them all with me. This separates my lashes and lifts them, making them so fluttery which is perfect for everyday wear which is why it's coming with me.

9. Soap and Glory Brow Archery in Brownie Points

I know there are two called Brow Archery, but this is the double ended one with a pencil at one end and a almost felt tip pen at the other end. I love the pen side for outlining my brows and filling them in with little hair like strokes. The pencil end is also great but I must be much more light-handed with it other wise it's a little too dark for me. My brows stay on all day with this, hence why I will be bringing it with me!

10. Lip Balm, Lip Liner and Lipsticks

Ok, I haven't downsized too well on this section, I just love lipsticks.

I've gone for the Nivea Hydro Care Lip Balm with SPF 15, purely because it has SPF in and I don't want to burn my lips- ouch! I've only chosen one liner as it's pretty much the only one I use, this is the Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lip Liner in Rose Quartz which looks beautiful alone but also pairs nicely with a couple of the lipsticks I've chosen. And finally for lipsticks I've chosen two of the Avon Color Trend Lip Stix in Foxy Fuchsia and Reddy To Go, a Natural Collection Moisture Shine Lipstick in Rosebud- my go-to and finally an MUA Lipstick in the shade Bare. 

And there you have it, I've tried to downsize a lot but I know i'm taking more than I need. If it fits in my makeup bag then why not eh? I'll be back on Wednesday with a Q&A and TAG so keep your eyes peeled for that, especially if you left me a question on Instagram. If you'd like to keep up with me and see what i'm up to whilst on holiday i'm @xtracesofmythoughts on Instagram. Would love to see you there!

WHAT MAKEUP PRODUCTS CAN'T YOU LIVE WITHOUT?

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What's In My Bag | Summer 2015

What's In My Bag posts and videos seem to be very popular, I guess it's because we're super nosey? I know I am! I've never done one of these posts before so I thought today i'd rummage around my bag and show you what I carry on a day-to-day basis- lets get started!

The lighting is a bit odd here, apologies for that!

My current bag is pretty basic, it's this white almost grey, double pouch with a strap that can be worn across the body or on one shoulder. When I say double pouch, it's simply like two clutch bags stuck together, therefore giving you more room but also looking pretty cool if I do say so myself. This was from Primark around this time last year costing around the £6-£8 mark. I'm sure if you pop in you'll find something similar though!

1. Purse

This again is from Primark, I've probably had this nearly two years now though- it was only £5 and it's lasted me well though I could probably do with a new one now, I've got my eye on you Ted Baker.
My purse contains various store cards including Boots, Superdrug and Tesco, my ID and Organ Donor card and very little money. Usually there is just loose change and receipts lying at the bottom of my bag- but i'm definitely not the only one right?

2. Sunglasses

Despite the British summer, we still sunglasses to protect our eyes. These again are from Primark last year but had a sticker on stating they have 100% UV protection- amazing for a pair that only cost me about £3!

Apologies for the quality of this picture, this was taken on my tablet so that I could include my phone in the picture as I take my pictures on my iPhone.

3. Phone

To be quite honest, this is rarely in my bag and almost always in my hand- lets be real? I have an iPhone 4, though i'd love the latest iPhone, i'm not too bothered as I've had no problems with this(touch wood) so i'm sure it'll last me until I finally cave and buy a new one. The case I currently have on is very Autumnal but I like it, I found this on Etsy.

4. Keys

Of course, I have too many key rings for one key but i'm hoping to have a car key soon(wishful thinking Aim, wishful thinking). The two blue camper vans are from gift shops in Dawlish and Cornwall- I've never been to Cornwall myself but my sister picked this up for me to go along with my other. I can't remember where I got the big silver heart but the silver spade was in my stocking(from Santa aka my parents) and the purple stone was another gift from when my sister went to Tenerife, apparently it has healing properties!

5. A snack

This is just in case I get super hungry and don't have time to stop and get food. I've had these Party Rings in my bag for a good while and I noticed they were nearly a month out of date when taking this photo- they're no longer in my bag and are in the bin, sad times. I also usually carry chewing gum around, gotta keep fresh.

6. Makeup Bag

My makeup bag is from Avon, I love the print and it's faux leather so can be wiped down if it gets a little dirty. I actually have little makeup in here, but this makeup bag is like Mary Poppins bag as in there I have:

-Powder and a brush to keep the shine at bay

-Maybelline Baby Lips and a Natural Collection lipstick in Rosebud
-Mirror, this one is from Sighh Designs

-The Body Shop Madagascan Vanilla Flower mini perfume, this smells amazing!

- A comb

- Hand sanitizer, hand cream and a nail file

-Tampons

And finally 

-Tablets, usually paracetamol and Kalms.

7. Tote Bag

In Wales and I think England may do too, but we charge 5p for a carrier bag in shops so to avoid the 5p charge for a bag that dissolves in the rain, i'm looking at you Primark- I take this just in case, though being canvas it doesn't keep the things dry but they're handy nonetheless. 

And that's what I carry in this bag, admittedly there would be a lot more junk if I featured my large Zara tote but another time maybe! 

What are your handbag essentials?

Let me know!

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