What's in my makeup bag?

I haven't done a "what's in my bag" in a while, so I thought I'd do a quick run though of all of the junk I currently have in my makeup bag. It's kind of a fun way to show you the products I'm enjoying right now!

The stuff I use changes all of the time, but the stuff I always keep in my bag are products that are easy to use (don't require much work to get it right) and never seem to fail me. In other words, my "go-to" products.

I have many go-to products (most are listed on my favorites tab) but I can't cram them all in one little makeup bag. ☺

For reference, I don't carry all of this with me in my handbag - I've included a list of what I do carry in my handbag at the bottom of the post - which is only a few things!

Continue reading to see all of the products in my bag...

Step by Step Smokey Taupe Eyeshadow Tutorial!

Smokey Taupe Eyeshadow Tutorial

One of my favorite eyeshadows is MAC Satin Taupe. It's a really pretty frosty taupe (gray brown) that looks great with a variety of looks. It looks amazing paired with brown and burgundy - One of my favorite ways of wearing it is by applying a dark brown base to my lids and layering Satin Taupe over top, to intensify and slightly deepen the color, then apply a soft golden brown through the crease, and a reddened brown through the outer-v. The burgundy mixed with the taupe almost gives off a slightly mauve/plum tone that really brings out the green in my eyes. 

I'll be doing just that in this tutorial, but I'm making the look a bit more dramatic by adding black eyeshadow and liner. 

To make this look more daytime appropriate: The black shadow, liner and faux lashes are what really intensify this look, so for something a little lighter and more wearable during the day, skip step 7, 9, 10 and 12. You really don't have to line your eyes at all (I wear this look often during the day without liner), but if you'd really like to, you can opt for a dark brown liner for the top lash line.

Products Used:
Nars Smudeproof Eyeshadow Base (used in step 1)
MAC Constructivist Paint Pot (used in step 2 and 3)
MAC Satin Taupe Eyeshadow (used in step 4)
MAC Soba Eyeshadow (used in step 5)
MAC Handwritten Eyeshadow (used in step 6)
MAC Carbon Eyeshadow (used in step 7)
MAC Crystal Avalanche and Nylon Eyeshadows (used in step 8)
MAC Retrospeck Eyeshadow (used in step 8)
YSL Eyeliner Effect Deep Black Faux Cils Cream Liner (used in step 9)
Covergirl Lash Blast Mascara (used in step 11)
KKCenterHK False Lashes #ES A562 (used in step 12)
Lorac 3-in-1 Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil (used to line my waterline afterward - for reference, I would not recommend this liner)

*Notable dupes for Satin Taupe: Wet n Wild Nutty Color Icon Single Eyeshadow ($1.99), NYX Iced Mocha Single Eyeshadow ($4.99), Covergirl Tapestry Taupe Eye Enhancers 1 Kit Eyeshadow ($4), E.L.F Moon Dust Custom Eyes Eyeshadow ($1). (Prices will vary based on location)

Brushes Used:
Generic Concealer Brush (used in step 2, 3 and 4)
ELF Studio Contour Brush (used in step 5)
MAC 219 Pencil Brush (used in step 6, 7 & 8; cleaned & used for the inner corner only. I used my fingertip for the brow bone highlight)
Coastal Scents Synthetic Fine Liner Brush (used in step 9)
Coastal Scents Small Detail Brush (used in step 10, to drag the liner upward and smudge)

Misc:
MAC Quite Natural Paint Pot was used to fill in my brows

MAC Paint Pots Overall Review with Swatches and Photos! (pic heavy)

MAC Paint Pot Overview

MAC Paint Pots ($17.50) are MAC's take on Cream Eyeshadows. They are versatile products because there can be several uses for them. You can wear them alone on the lids, as a liner, as a primer or as a base color for powder eyeshadow/pigments.

A highly pigmented eye colour that goes on creamy but dries to an intense, vibrant finish. Long-wearing, colourfast. Creates seamless coverage without weight or caking. Blends smoothly over the lids. Cream-based, can be mixed with M·A·C shadows and liners.

MAC Paint Pots are available in nine shades: Bare Study, Soft Ocher, Painterly, Rubenesque, Indianwood, Groundwork, Constructivist, Quite Natural and Blackground. I own all of them, except Blackground and Soft Ocher. (None of which I have posted reviews for in the past, so I thought it'd be a good idea to gather them up and review them together.)

MAC releases limited edition shades every now and then in some of their collections, but the actual permanent collection is quite small and lacks much color. All of the colors are fairly neutral. MAC did have many more colors in the past, but almost all of them became discontinued and they never filled the void with replacement/additional shades.

Continue reading for individual reviews and swatches

NYX Natural Xtreme Lip Cream Review!

NYX Natural Xtreme Lip Cream

NYX Xtreme Lip Cream ($5.99) is a "liquid lipstick" - it has the coverage of an opaque lipstick, but in a creamy lipgloss form. It delivers intense, long-lasting color with a shiny finish.

I just reviewed Nude Peach Fuzz in the previous post, and now I'll be talking about the other color I have, which is the shade Natural.

Natural is a light, pinky-beige nude. It's a shade that'd work best on light to light-medium and medium skin tones. It may look too pastel on darker skin tones, but those with darker skin tones may like this lip gloss to mix/tone down dark and/or bright lip colors. For reference, it's not as light as MAC Myth Lipstick - it's much more wearable. I'm around MAC NC25 right now, and it's not lighter than my skin. (See swatch at the end of the post) In my opinion, a must-have if you're a fan of the nude lip.

NYX Natural Xtreme Lip Cream on my lips