Disclaimer: This post has absolutely nothing to do with sewing or crafting. I'm traveling for work this week which means taking a forced (and much needed) break from nursery prep. So while I'm holed up in my hotel room in Miami watching Adventures in Babysitting, I thought I'd write about one of my other little pleasures in life - makeup. I have drawers full up makeup at home, but when I travel I always try to bring only my go-to products. Here's what I brought with me:
From top left:
1) L'Oreal Tanslucide Naturally Luminous Powder in Translucent - I use this interchangeably with Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil. I put it on as the very last step before I put on mascara. It's really lightweight and helps control shine throughout the day.
2) Tarte Natural Beauty Cheek Stain - I put a very small amount of this on with a foundation brush after foundation and before powder blush. The color is perfect for fair skin... it matches the color of my cheeks when I've been working out.
3) Laura Mercier Hydra Smoothing Gel Mask - This isn't an every day product, but I always bring it with me when I travel to rehydrate my skin after flying. A salesgirl at Nordstrom turned me on to this amazing mask just before my wedding, and now I use it any time I have a big event or when my skin is looking particularly dull.
4) Bare Escentuals bareMinerals Matte foundation in Fair and Fairly Light - I started using bareMinerals when it first came out several years ago but wasn't a huge fan of how cakey it looked by the end of the day. After trying a lot of other foundations since then, I recently went back to bareMinerals - but this time with their new Matte formula. It's SO much better. I use the Fairly Light all over, and the Fair as a concealer. I love how it looks and feels on my skin, it stays matte throughout the day, and doesn't cake up like the old formula did. Plus it doesn't feel like I'm wearing a lot of makeup, which is always nice.
5) NARS blush in Deep Throat - Dear NARS, please never ever stop making this blush. Thank you. Sincerely, fair skinned girls everywhere.
From top left:
1) Maybelline Expert Eyes Brow Pencil in Blonde - Finding a natural looking brow pencil when you have light eye brows isn't easy. I've tried a ton of brow products (powders, waxes, pencils) from both expensive and drugstore brands, and this is the second most natural looking one I've found. The best one is by Cover Girl in Soft Blonde, but I can never find it anywhere.
2) Bare Escentuals Prime Time lid primer - My eyeshadow always gets creasy if I don't use a primer, and while I prefer Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion, there's no Sephora in downtown Portland where I can buy it so this is the next best thing.
3) Maybelline Line Stiletto liquid liner in Brownish Black - I just started using this but am liking it so far. The applicator is easy to use and the liner stays put. Can't ask for much more than that.
4) bareMinerals Flawless Definition Volumizing mascara - Best mascara I've used in a long time, maybe ever. 1 coat is great for every day, and 2 coats looks like I'm wearing false lashes. Either way, it doesn't budge during the day, doesn't end up on my brow bone, and comes off super easily with eye makeup remover.
5) MAC Eyeshadow in Blanc Type - I use this from lash to brow as a base for my other shadows. Nothing special, really... just what I've always used.
6) Stila Eyeshadow Quad - I have no idea how old this is, definitely a seasonal palette, but the gold color inside is perfect so I dread the day it finally runs out. I think the closest color they make right now is Sparkle.
7) Maybelline Cover Stick in Ivory - Again, under eye concealer is another one where I feel like I've tried them all and I always come back to this oldie but goodie.
8 ) bareMinerals Big & Bright Eyeliner in Chocolate - I use this on the inner rim of my lower lids. It's just so-so, but I haven't made the effort to replace it. I'll probably go back to MAC liner in Teddy once it runs out.
From left to right:
1) L'Oreal Colour Juice in Cherry on Top - I love these Colour Juices. They're just like Lancome's Juicy Tubes, but less expensive. This color is great on it's own but I usually pair it with lipstick or liner.
2) Bobbi Brown Lip Color in Soft Rose - I was a pinkish nude lip color wearer for a long time, but have recently started embracing wearing a slightly brighter lip. This color is what I wore for my wedding and it looks pretty much how it sounds - a nice warm pink. I was never really big on lipstick because I felt like it dried my lips out, but this one is actually fairly moisturizing.
So there you have it... it probably seems like a lot, but the whole routine takes me about 10 minutes from start to finish. We'll see if I can still swing all those steps after the kiddo's born. :-)