I know I'm a bit late for this post, I am really sorry. I honestly wanted to get this published before school started, but I genuinely didn't have the time to do it. To prove it, I am typing this like a mad woman, on a very late Thursday evening, bordering on Friday morning. I suppose I have some 'splaining to do, which promise I will, on another post later this weekend!
Now let's get down to why you need to have this starter kit in your life regardless of your age, makeup experience, profession, and/or style. Since I moved out of the Uni's dorms, I really haven't had much of an organizational scheme/place for all my makeup, among other beauty tools. It was (it isn't anymore!) divided between my bathroom sink cabinet, under my bed, next to my TV, in a backpack, or in my "makeup bag". Getting ready in the morning, or for the day, was bloody hell! I hated it, took me ages, and as much as I love makeup, I dreaded having to get ready! It was that bad!
I knew this fall semester would be quite hectic for me, since during a stroke of genius, I decided to take nine credit hours spread across three courses this semester, one of which is a graduate course which means it is really hard, teach (two)-three hour lab sections at the university every week; accept two new kids for Spanish tutoring twice a week, sometimes three times/week; continue my lab research which spills into very ungodly hours and days; and somewhere find the time to shower, eat, and sleep. I knew I had to do something about all my chaos, and soon!
I got to my trusty Google, searched and searched deep and thoroughly for vanities, organization ideas, videos, how-to's, etc.
I finally came across a beautiful shelf from IKEA, that has been very popular among fellow bloggers.
Some bloggers kept it as a shelf, others added legs to make it into a vanity table, and I, being the creative free spirit that I am, decided to go a step further. I decided that the IKEA dimensions of the shelf, which to a normal person would be quite reasonable, and since I am the furthest thing from normal, were not going to suffice, but I still wanted to have the look of the vanity table, only larger, much larger. After speaking to Mom, I found out one of her friends, who is in the construction business, would be very likely to custom make one for me! I was so excited, I immediately scheduled a lunch meeting with him, and sure enough, got him to agree to make me one to my very detailed and demanding specifications!
Whilst I haven't received it yet, I can tell you it is going to be fabulous!! This, however, led me to the concept of this post, The Essentials. While my vanity is being built, and since I am most certainly NOT a morning person, I really needed to get it together, and come up with a makeup bag containing the very basics for an everyday look, where I didn't have to hunt through every corner of my bedroom, and bathroom to find that very small stub of eyeliner that makes my eyes look like stars! Just kidding, I already have eyes like stars! Haha, I wish..! I immediately wrote down what "bare necessities" meant to me, and came up with this:
- primer
- foundation
- concealer
- setting powder
- blush
- highlighter
- eyeshadow
- eyebrow powder
- mascara
- lip balm
- lip gloss
- buffing brush
- fan brush
- blush brush
- angled brush
- Alcohol
At this point, you may be thinking this is too much for the basics, and you may be right. This is just what I need. You may need lots less, or a bit more, and this is where it gets fun! This is only a template to be used as guidance. If you don't use something on my list, take it out! If you use something, and it is not there, put it in! Have fun with it!!
Let's get down to the meat and potatoes, so to speak, of this kit.
Let's begin with primer, shall we?
During my recent, and quite massive haul from Ulta, I purchased the travel size of the Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer Light. I thought I had a good deal, it is quite compact, and you get 12ml for $10, not bad! Primer, check!
Next up, foundation.
I absolutely love the Maybelline Fit Me product line. You can't go too wrong with the shades (I use #220), offers buildable light to medium coverage, doesn't clog pores, no fragrance, a beautiful dupe for the Tom Ford one, allows your skin's dewiness to gracefully peak through, and the price is just absolutely wonderful. You get 30ml for $7.99, and sometimes Ulta do a buy one get one 50% and you should stock up, or buy the concealer, which is next.
Concealer.
Like I said, I really like the Maybelline Fit Me product line. I love the foundation, but absolutely adore the concealer! Again, you can't go wrong with the shades, I use the #20, or #25, and honestly I can't tell the difference. It is a good dupe for the Tom Ford ones, I think. When used under the eyes, which is where I use it, it brings light and brightness to my dark circles. It doesn't cake, it is a bit buildable, though I don't recommend it, and it is just lovely.
Setting Powder.
I have two choices for you. At this point, I feel I might be hung, drawn, and quarted for metioning the Fit Me powder foundation, but since I use the concealer, and foundation, I figure I should use the powder they are meant to be set with so click here to see it. I use shade #220. The second option, which is quite lovely, and so affordable, is by Essence. It is called All about Matt! Fixing Compact Powder. Love this stuff!! It is brilliant for setting makeup, and keeping you matte for a good 4 to 5 hours, and I have oily skin! I love it. The powder is very white, but it doesn't go on like that. You do need a brush, or pouf because it doesn't come with one, and I haven't tried it with flash photography, though I am sure there would be some flashback, but then again, haven't tried it.
Now that we have complexion out of the way, let's get on with the cheeks, and highlight.
Blush.
I have three different blushes in my bag, and they all get about the same amount of use depending on what day it is, and where I will be. If you want to use only one for the sake of space, I recommend you get the Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush, they have four different shades, but I find I like the Rose the best. I feel this blush gives me the healthiest flush of color, nothing too makeup-ish, but you can build it up, if you really wanted to.
Next up is my Mally Effortless Airbrush Highlighter and Blush Duo in Peach. What I love about this is that it's a duo, and comes with a brush! My favorite is the highlighter, it is the only one I use, and I use it for highlighting my forehead, chin, nose, cheekbones, inner corner of my eye, eyebrow, collarbone, and sometimes even eyeshadow! I don't highlight all of these places at the same time, but it is super versatile!! Love it!! I have dropped this poor palette numerous times, and my highlighter actually split into two. Now, thanks to the very odd mousse yet powder texture of it, I am still able to use it, and it didn't crumble! I know it is a bit pricey, but it lasts really well. I've had this palette for about two, maybe three years and I haven't hit pan yet, nor am I near it, and I do use it quite often. The brush it comes with isn't the best, but it will do the job.
The last one, and I must say, has become a favorite, it's by e.l.f. in the shade Candid Coral. Very affordable, lasts really well, color is nice, and is nicely pigmented.
Eyeshadow.
I have already covered one, aka my highlighter! Next, I have three others in my bag, (four really, but the 4th will come later), also by Maybelline. Such a wonderful brand, really. They are, and this may be no surprise to you since everybody raves about them, the Eye Studio Color Tattoo Eyeshadows in Bad to the Bronze, Inked Pink, and Barely Branded. Absolutely love these eyeshadows for numerous reasons, mainly because they quite seriously last all day.
(Insider story: I wanted to check if they truly would last 24-hours so, one day I slapped it on my lids early morning, went about my day, took off my makeup with the exception of my eyeshadow, which was still perfect, went to sleep, woke up with eyeshadow still intact, washed my face, put on my make up and went about my day. Around 3 or 4 o'clock I got seriously annoyed at my mascara, so I washed my entire face and re-applied it, but before I did, my eyeshadow was still going strong! I would say it is +30-hour eyeshadow, not that I would do it again, it was gross, I admit it!).
They are super buildable, tremendously versatile, you can pair them with each other to create amazing looks, and they don't crease, on me at least. I don't usually use eyeshadow primer, which is why I didn't include one, but I really like the one from Essence, it is very good quality for the price. PRO TIP: you can use it underneath your eyes to stop your concealer from creasing, if you have that problem. This tiny bottle will get you through university, I am sure.
Back to shadows, I normally wear the Bad to the bronze, since I find it to compliment my skin tone really well, and gives me almost a smokey eye without having to do a thing other than slap it across my eyelid, ha! The other I use most is the Inked Pink, it gives such a beautiful shimmer, and makes my very dark brown eyes pop! This is something that rarely happens for me, so I was very pleased when I discovered it! Lastly, but certainly not least, Barely Branded. I typically use this on mornings where I've had a bad night, or I am feeling particularly unfabulous, which judging by the time right now, tomorrow will be one of those days.
Eyebrows.
As you all know from my Eyebrows Post, I love my MAC palette. I've had it for years and years and I haven't hit pan, nor am I anywhere close. It is super tiny and looks like this, though they don't sell it anymore. Sorry. For this bit, just toss in whatever you normally use! As you can see from the picture linked, it comes with a nice matte vanilla shade, which gives us eyeshadow number four. Ha! Crafty, I am!
Mascara.
For mascara, I use two depending on my mood. Either the Maybelline Volum'Express The Falsies Mascara in Blackest Black. I've been using this mascara since it came out, and really love it. I also recently discovered the Rimmel Lash Accelerator Endless which you can get from ASOS. I've been testing it out, and really like it so far, particularly the tiny brush, which is a huge contrast from my Falsies wand.
Lips.
For lip balm, I have raved about it so much I am not going to anymore, but it is the Trader Joe's Virtuoso. For lip gloss, I've been using the Avon Glazewear in Tickled Pink. I also have in my bag a stick of the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains in Sweetheart. That is my absolute, all time favorite, apart from Honey!
Lastly, but certainly not least, brushes.
In my opinion, this is the most important part. Take this for example, even if you have the most expensive foundation, blush, eyeshadow, etc., if it is not applied correctly it will look like crap, and you will, trust me, look bad. While I was, and still am, a big advocate for applying foundation with my fingers, I believe I get a much better coverage and finish with my Real Techniques Buffing brush, or Expert Face brush depending on my needs for the day.
INSIDER INFO: since I decided I was going to get to the bottom of my skin's situation, and since I am clear, for the most part, I want to keep it that way! What I do, before and after every use, I decanted 70% Isopropyl Alcohol into a tiny spritz bottle that I also keep in my bag, and spray all my brushes before using them, and again once I'm all finished. I know, this is terrible for the brushes, but good for my skin. If you actually take care of your brushes, this really wont matter.
Note to self: post on that later!
Moving on, fan brush. I like to use this Fan Brush by Eco Tools for setting my makeup. It's so soft, that I really don't bother being too careful about disturbing my foundation underneath. It is a good substantial size, so, so soft, and just beautiful! For blush brush, I am still experimenting with the RT Duo-fiber Face Brush, and the RT Contour Brush. Honestly, as much as I love these two brushes, I just don't love them for blush, and they aren't meant to. So, I believe I will be purchasing the RT blush brush, and will make sure to report back on that. Finally, the RT Angled Brush which I use for my brows! Not much to report there, I really like it for just that, I don't know if I would use it for eyeliner, as I find it is a bit too thick for that task. I really love it for brows, though!
So there you go! A bit of a lengthy post, but in my opinion, worth every last coma, period, and minute spent linking items. I really need to find a better way to do that, it is very laborious!
Oh, and I did forget to mention that I either keep this bag in my bathroom, or carry it around with me all day if I just don't find the time to do my face in the morning before leaving. Yes, I am that bad in the mornings.
Thank you so much for standing my babbling!
Much love,
Mireya G.
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