Hi There!
How’s the beginning of the year been treating you so far? Good I hope!
In my case, the start of the year has been somewhat busy and I have just returned back to the city from a week long stay at the beach.
So today I dumped out the contents of my makeup bag so I can share with you a couple of things that have been proving quite useful while I was away!
Here’s a little peek.
As you can see i’ve changed my makeup bag, yet again. This time I swapped it for a very light weight, black Ferragamo version which basically was free. It’s the Qatar airways travel pouch from my last trip. The case can be wiped clean and is pretty sturdy and most of all it’s the lightest makeup bag I have ever owned! Which means… I get to stuff it with even more product without it weighing a tonne!
What’s inside?
As always i’ve got my Chanel mirror and Hakuhodo lip brush in there, staples. In addition, this time I also have a brow brush, also by Hakuhodo which I use with my Tri Brow palette by Make Up Store. The Make Up Store brow powder is a new addition to my stash. And is great for speedy brows. In the event I don’t have time to whip out my Anastasia Brow Wiz, this is my next best option. On it’s own it doesn’t give me a perfectly defined brow as I do have rather patchy brow hair which also is very fine! But when i’m running late, i’d rather have presentable brows than no brows at all!
In the event you do have rather neat groomed brows without too many bald spots and you want some extra definition, a brow powder will be your friend. It’s easy to use and gives your brows a very natural finish.
On regular days I use my Anastasia Brow Wiz to fill in bald spots and give the ends of my brows a bit more definition by using the darkest shade in my Make Up Store Tri Brow. It really defines them well and gives the illusion on a fuller, more youthful brow.
Next up, lips. I haven’t got any lipsticks in there. Mainly cos I don’t wear lipstick while i’m chilling at the beach, unless it’s dinner of course and I whip out a bright orange.
The three products I relied on were the Tom Ford Rose Crush Gloss, my very first Tom Ford gloss, Tarte Blissful Lip Surgence lip gloss that came in a Sephora lip kit set, (I never really went out and purchased this) and my holy grail lip balm, the Ettusais Lip Essence. In fact I’m just reapplying it right now.
The Tom Ford lip glosses truly are hard to beat. They are non sticky, highly pigmented (as far as lip glosses are concerned) and long lasting. Rose Crush is my most used colour and it goes really well with medium tanned complexions. I highly recommend this.
The Tarte Blissful gloss is a sheer peach coral shade. Smells like sugary vanilla and does a good job of keeping the lips hydrated. I enjoyed this gloss, although for some, the smell could end up a bit overpowering.
For skincare, I relied on my Crabtree & Evelyn handcream in Caribbean Island Wild Flowers & the Kiehl’s Ultra Light Daily UV Defense SPF 50 PA+++.
Truth be told, I packed this C&E handcream for it’s very beach appropriate, fresh smell and pretty packaging with the coral motif. There I said it. However C&E is in fact one of my current favourite hand cream formulations as it’s hydrating, yet non greasy. It’s a good medium between my heavy La Mer handcream and other lighter options like the L’Occitane ones.
The Kiehls sunscreen on the other hand was as essential. I use this for my arms and chest, hence why I have it in this lager size. For the face I strictly rely on my Avene one which has SPF 30. I don’t take that around in my makeup bag as I never reapply my sunscreen on my face. Bad I know. But I do liberally apply the Kiehl’s one on my arms every 2-3 hours or so. It’s a nice light texture and doesn’t have that god awful, typical, old-school sunscreen smell.
Next up two perfume samples I carry for touching up. My favourite between the two, Guerlain Aqua Allegoria in Manderine Basilic. I love the fresh zesty fragrance of this and pairs well with humid, sweaty weather. I plan on purchasing the full size when I go back to Singapore next week.
The other newer addition was the Giorgio Armani Si Perfume. Something a little too sweet for my liking, but it came in my travel pouch so I let it be there.
Last but not least, two essentials. Oil blotters by The Body Shop (a must in this crazy humidity) and a mini deodorant spray by Sephora. Normally I would stock up on the Sephora Deodorant Wipes. They are easy to carry in your bag and great for a quick freshening up midday. I picked up the spray this time around as I believe it was something new at Sephora SG. Since i’m yet to use this, can’t tell you anything except that it will fit into your tiniest of clutches, no problem :-)
So that concludes my ‘What’s in my bag’ mini post! I hope you found it a useful read and discovered something new.
Wishing you a great start to the week AND new year, Michelle.
