Because I have such a ridiculous amount of makeup, I usually go through all of it every month or so to rotate between products. I seriously think I own more makeup than anyone else out there (though I'm sure some of my fellow beauty bloggers are right up there with me!) This is the only way I can maximize the use of all my fab products.
The holiday season is super important, makeup-wise, for me. I like everything to be a bit more shimmery and dramatic.
So, here's an inside look of my holiday makeup bag! Since the list is pretty long (what? I'm obviously makeup obsessed!), so I bolded the very most important for those of you who don't want to go down a crazily long list.
Enjoy!
- L'oreal Studio Secrets Magic BB Cream ($12.99) -- I waited a while to actually give BB cream a go, but I absolutely love it! I apply it before anything else and it leaves my skin looking amazing. I don't usually need foundation when I use it--everything looks fresh and even.
- Vapour Organic Beauty Atmosphere Soft Focus Foundation ($48) -- I don't really tend to wear foundation. But when I do, this is what I use. It's a little pricey, but is the best foundation out there. It feels so lightweight on my skin, blends amazingly, and lasts all day long.
- Pixi Correction Concentrate Concealer in Brightening Peach ($15) -- Love, love, love this concealer. The peach in it really helps to cover up any under-eye circles I've got going on and is perfect for spot treatment. The creamy formula covers without looking cakey. I also use it as an eyeshadow primer.
- ELF Studio Transculent Matifying Powder ($6) -- This powder is awesome for days when my skin looks a bit on the oily side, or when I need to cover up any spots without drawing attention to the area.
- theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer Luminizer ($20) -- This stuff is amazing. Not only is it a great illuminating face powder; it's also fab as a light eyeshadow for under the browbone and on the inner corner of the eye. It brightens up the face and gives that "glow from within" look. Also it's very well pigmented, so you get a lot of bang for your buck. I've had this powder forever, use it almost daily, and I still have tons left.
- Illamasqua Powder Blusher in Excite ($26) -- This isn't a well-known brand in the states, but our friends across the pond created this fantastic brand; once I tried it, I became obsessed with a lot of their products. The blush is great. This particular shade works for all skintones and really mimics the color that most cheeks get when you're actually blushing. Very pretty.
- Hard Candy Single & Loving It Eyeshadow in Flirty ($9) -- I love Hard Candy's comeback! I loved all their crazy nail polish colors in the '90s, and all of their new makeup is amazingly awesome. This eyeshadow comes in tons of colors, which are all great, but this particular light pink is really pretty. There's a bit of shimmer to it, and just brightens up the whole eye. Bonus? You can use it as a face illuminator too!
- ELF Mineral Eyeshadow in Golden ($7) -- This is another pretty, light shadow. It's very pigmented (as are all their shadows). I especially love to use it on the inner corners of the eye when I'm doing a brown smoky look. It's packs on the shimmer, so I tend to save it for nighttime.
- Sonia Kashuk Eye Shadow Quad in Paris at Night ($13.69) -- All the quads are great, but these hues are really perfect for the traditional smoky eye. It includes a silver shimmer, two metallic-ish silver/grey, and a matte black shadow.
- Clinique Colour Surge Eye Shadow Duo in Coffee Shop ($19) -- If I'm going for a neutral brown eye look, this is what I use. The ligher shade is a good base and the darker hue is nice for definition without being too dark. It's perfect for a natural, daytime look.
- Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Midnight Cowboy Rides Again ($15) -- A really pretty light brown (almost taupe) that packs on the shimmer. Takes a natural eye look up a notch. I like to add it over my daytime makeup if I'm going out for some extra pizzazz.
- L'oreal 24 Hour Infallible Eyeshadow in Continuous Cocoa ($8) -- This is a dark brown, perfect for doing a brown smoky eye, or to use as liner. It really does last all day (though I'm not really one to try it out for the whole 24 hours haha).
- L'oreal 24 Hour Infallible Eyeshadow in Perpetual Purple ($8) -- The perfect purple. It makes my green eyes pop everytime I wear it. It's a nice bright shade that isn't too crazy for daytime, but can also be built up for a night out.
- L'Oreal Paris HiP Studio Secrets Professional Concentrated Shadow Duo in Showy ($3) -- I really love this duo. Now's a good time to try wearing brighter colors (especially at holiday parties) and the beauty of this particular duo is that it can be used as a sheer wash of color, or built up using both colors to create a bolder look. Surprisingly, these colors actually look good on almost anyone.
- L'Oreal Paris Voluminous Mistake-Proof Marker Eyeliner in Black ($5.50) -- This stuff really is mistake-proof! IU love the look of liquid liner, but even with my ridiculous makeup obsession, I still have some difficulty applying it. In marker form, it applies super easily. I love wearing it slightly winged-out with a bright red lipstick for a cute party-ready look.
- ELF Essential Waterproof Eyeliner Pen in Midnight ($4.50) -- Same idea as L'oreal's eye marker, but in a really pretty dark navy color. Blue liner used to be a faux pas after its stint in the 80s. But it's back and better. This particular shade really is a "midnight" hue; that describes it perfectly. At first glance, it looks like a normal black liner, but the blue makes your eyes look brighter and the result is gorgey.
- ELF Essential Waterproof Eyeliner Pen in Purple ($4.50) -- The same idea as above, but the purple is a bit more bright. It also sets off my green eyes really well.
- Clinique Cream Shaper For Eyes in Egyptian ($22) -- Clinique's eyeliners are, undoubtedly, the best pencil liners out there. No debate. This particular color is super unique. It's like a mossy green, but with brown overtones. It's a color that I've never seen in a liner before and I absolutely love it.
- Maybelline Great Lash BIG Mascara in Blackest Black ($4) -- Great Lash has always been one of my beauty staples. You can get it at any drugstore and it works just as well as any expensive mascara out there. The newer BIG mascara is just like the classic one, only bigger and better. If I were stranded on a desert island and could only have one makeup item, this would be it.
- Maybelline Great Lash Limited Edition Blink of Blue Mascara ($5) -- Kind of on the same page as the blue liquid liner. It doesn't make your lashes look bright blue, like some sort of crazy person, but it adds just enough blue (a "blink", if you will) to make eyes really pop. Even if I'm not using this particular one, blue mascara is really good to have on hand.
- Hard Candy Lashaholic in Black ($13) -- I actually just bought this and don't know how I lived without it. It adds tons of volume to lashes, and the applicator has little teeth that prevent clumping even if you use a few coats.
- Hard Candy Lash Tinsel in Voodoo ($5) -- SO great for parties. It comes in a handful of colors, but of course the purple is my fave. Even though it's a glitter mascara, this stuff doesn't make your eyes look like glitter central. Rather, this non-chunky, fine glitter just adds a little bling to your eyes. I've also tried the gold hue in my hair--same result--doing a few strands really makes your hair look extra pretty.
Okay, so that's a lot longer than I originally thought...Obviously I don't wear all of this at once every single day. But hopefully it helps you guys get a glimpse into my current makeup world, and maybe even gave you some ideas!