What's in my makeup bag? - Products that I'm currently using!

What's in my makeup bag?

As a beauty blogger, I've tried so many different products over the years. At some points I had about 20 or more foundations at the same time, and was trying so many things and finishing none of them. Since my little break off from blogging, I've cut down on trying so many new things at once, and I'm finding myself repurchasing the same things over again - things that are reliable and that I love!

So, for the past several months (or more), these have been my staples!

MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation - I've gone through around 3-4 tubes of this so far, and I've been re-purchasing this foundation as soon as I run out. It has a solid medium coverage, and it's my go-to when I want my makeup to last on hours on end. It really does last me till the time I want to wash my face, and I don't find that it breaks apart or separates by the end of the night. I do prefer this over MAC's regular Pro Longwear Foundation, but I do like that one as well. ($33)

NARS Tinted Moisturizer - This is my go-to day wear foundation. The formula is creamy and moisturizing and it provides an SPF of 30, which is great for when you're out and about during the day. The coverage is light, but buildable, and evens out the skintone nicely and gives a fresh, clean look. A little expensive for a daily wearing tinted moisturizer, but for now, I'm loving it and I'm getting low on my second tube. ($44)

Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer - It wasn't love at first sight with this concealer, but after using it regularly, I've grown to love it. As I'm getting older, I find it much more difficult to find a concealer that doesn't age me or give me the "tired eye" look, and I find that this one doesn't accentuate dryness or fine lines. A definite winner in my book, and one that I will repurchase as soon as I run out. ($25)

Urban Decay Naked Concealer - Along with Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer, I like adding a layer of this concealer on top before I blend the two together. These two concealers work really well as a team, and I love how light and blendable this concealer is. It's a great one if you are looking for a pigmented concealer that doesn't have the density or weight of a standard (heavy) concealer. I like using this concealer in a lighter shade to brighten my under eyes. ($28)

Beauty Blender - I can't live without my beauty blender. I use it every day to apply my concealer, and I use a separate one to set my concealer with powder. It works more beautifully than any brush. ($20)

Tarte Peaceful Amazonian Clay Blush Review, Photos, Swatches!

Tarte Peaceful Amazonian Clay Blush

Tarte Peaceful Amazonian Clay Blush ($26) is described as a soft, nude-peach with slight shimmer. I'd consider it more of a medium rosy, coral-peach. When I'm a bit fairer, the color is more rosy, whereas when I'm more tan, the color is more vibrant and coral and pulls a bit orangey. With my warm, yellow undertones, most peach blushes turn somewhat orange on me (which isn't particularly a bad thing). I wouldn't consider it to be in the Nars Orgasm or MAC Springsheen family, although by the looks of it in the pan, it looks like it would be very pink-toned. That pink however deepens on the skin and gives more of a warm, rosy/flushed look.

I'm around the MAC NC30-NC35 coloring, and I like it on me. It's a pretty Summery shade and livens up my complexion. If you can't get enough peach blush, you might like this one. You have to make sure to use a light hand because the brush picks up quite a bit of product and it's very pigmented and can get bright/intense quickly. A stippling brush may be your best bet for light application.

Tarte Exposed Amazonian Clay Blush Review, Photos and Swatches!

Tarte Exposed Amazonian Clay Blush

The Tarte Amazonian Clay Blushes were all the rage since their early launch in 2011, and have earned a spot on many bloggers "favorites of 2011" beauty products lists. Infused with natural clay of the Amazon River and naturally baked by the sun, this nutrient-rich blush benefits all skin types and is long-lasting (supposedly 12 hours).

They are available in several shades (12 on the Sephora website, with four of them being new shades) from nude, light pink, bright pink, coral, etc. I own Exposed, which is the most natural shade of the bunch and one of those no-brainer products you know you can rely on for every day.

Exposed is a soft, neutral brownie-pink with a slight rosy undertone, that never looks orange. Although it looks matte in the pan, it does have a few shimmers, but are barely visible on the skin. Many compare it to MAC Blushbaby, Nars Douceur or Nars Madly; I own Madly and Blushbaby, and although I find them similar, they are actually quite different. Madly is a warm peachy-bronze with a hint of pink & shimmer. It's warmer & shimmery, and almost looks orange when compared to Exposed. Blushbaby and Exposed are more comparable. What differs on my cheeks is that Blushbaby looks slightly deeper and is more rosy (red) whereas Exposed is softer and less ruddy.