A Peek Inside My Makeup Bag

As a beauty blogger, I often get asked what products I carry with me at all times.  Well, this is actually a tricky question as I often switch out products!  You see, my makeup bag is actually a bit on the small side and there's a good reason for this!  The bigger the bag, the more stuff I carry, making it so difficult to track anything down!  So, I try and limit myself... yes, this is limiting myself!  So without further ado, let me walk you through my current must haves!

First, here's my super cute Kate Spade makeup bag which i scored at Marshall's for an excellent price!  Woohoo don't you just love finding something you love for practically a steal??  Me too!

Ok so here are some of my lip products... from left to right:  Stila Long Wear Liquid Lip Color in Fiery  (warning, once this gorgeous color indulges your lips... it ain't going anywhere!), NARS lip gloss in Wonder (Love this pretty coral & love the texture even more!), and Bobbi Brown Creamy Color for Lips & Cheeks in Pink Truffle (It's no secret that I'm a huge Bobbi Brown fan, but what i love even more, is multi-tasking products... this one does NOT disappoint!).

Here are the swatches!  The top color is Bobbi Brown, the middle color is NARS, and the color on the bottom is Stila.  I love the range of colors stemming from a classic red, to coral-y orange, to a pretty rose, 'cause you just never know what you're gonna wanna wear!  What do you think?

Next are some of my favorite lipsticks... hey, you gotta have options!

 

 

 From left to right, Chanel Rouge Coco in 18 Rouge Noir (To quote the stunning Rachael Zoe... 'it's my day to night situation'!, MAC in Lady Danger (For when I'm feeling bold), and lastly MAC in Rocker (I snatched this pretty baby when they re-released 'candy yum yum, moxie and rocker'.  Hopefully you can too! It's a limited edition). 


I've actually already blogged about this Lip Paint in Rouge A Levres 61 that i picked up at Inglot during my vacation in Curacao.  I'm so in love with this stunning hue... i find myself reaching for it often.  I love the way it feels on my lips!  It's so silky and smooth... love!

 

Here's a swatch!  You can also see it here and here where I'm wearing it in the 'before' picture.

 

 

The next set of products are great for brightening up the eye area.  Very important after a long day, especially if you want to head out somewhere after work and don't have time to freshen up at home.  The first is NARS the multiple in Copacabana.  This is an awesome highlighter but is also one of those multi-tasking products i love so much because you can wear it on your eyes and lips as well.  This particular color is a bit too light for my lips, however, i have dabbed a bit in the middle of my lips over my lip color for some added dimension!  Clever huh?

 

 

This Bobbi Brown cream shadow in Bone is the perfect color for brightening the eyes.  It's matte and it doesn't crease.  I have dabbed this under my eyes when i don't have concealer at hand!  It's puuuurrrfect for this tired mommy!

 

 

OK so can we please talk about how obsessed I am with this Naturopathica eye serum?  OMG i carry it with me everywhere... did you hear me?  EVERYWHERE!  In fact, i need another one for my nightstand!  I blogged about Naturopathica (my new skincare obsession) recently, and i professed my love for this Vitamin K Brightening Eye Serum.  However, at the time, i was in love with the way it felt on my skin, not realizing the brightening effects!  The other day i applied it in front of a mirror and realized that (woohooo), i could wear this and skip my concealer all together!   I may cry when i run out... It's uhhhhh-mazing! 

 

 

 

Here are the swatches... from left to right:  NARS, Bobbi Brown, and Naturopathica.

 

 

 

OK so yes, all these beauty products are essential... however these next two items are always a MUST!  Repeat after me... I solemnly swear to always carry a nail file and a little pill box!  Yes, because have you ever been in a situation where your nail chipped and it's tugging at everything making you want to pull your hair out?  Yes, I know you have... so arm yourself ladies!  I opted for a cute Sally Hansen file.  The pretty pill box was gifted to me by a wonderful friend and I use it to house some headache medicine because... again, mommy of twins (aka twinadoes) hence... headache prevention medicine!

 

 

Here are a few other necessary products i carry with me at all times. From left to right: Melvita Eau Florale de Rose, thank you Birchbox (I splash this on my face to refresh on those scorching hot summer days... it literally saved my life on my flights to/from vacation), Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream, thank you again Birchbox (I use this on my lips, cuticles, hands, etc... great stuff), lastly, Bath & Bodyworks antibacterial soap in Fresh Lemon. I LOVE this stuff and as a mommy of 4 year old double trouble, germs just seem to find us! So I like to be armed with this great product... and did I mention it smells incredible??

 

 

Lastly, it's very important to carry around some cute hair ties and headbands, because you never know when you may need to keep your hair out of your face.  However, you still want to look super cute and not frumpy right?  I love these sleek hair ties (I don't remember the brand, but I purchased them at Target), and I'm obsessed with this sparkly headband!  Yes, i know I'm a mom and should have outgrown sparkles by now, but c'mon... can you ever really outgrow sparkly things?  I think not!  I picked it up at Bath Junkie but I've seen similar at Anthropologie!

 

And there you have it, my makeup bag must haves.  Soooo tell me, what's in your makeup bag?

Thank you SO MUCH for reading! 


Don't forget to become an official follower of FMM!  XOXO Carla

 

Fashion Maven Olivia

So the other day, I blogged about Incoco's nail polish appliqués. A few days later, while strolling up and down the isles of Target, I came across Sally Hansen's version of these appliqués called Salon Effects. I picked out a couple of interesting patterns because I was curious to see how they compared with Incoco's appliqués. When I got home, I quickly applied 'Mad for Plaid' (the pattern I'd picked out). I immediately noticed the texture felt lighter. I applied this print solely on my ring finger nail. For the rest of my nails I opted for a bright pink color to play up the pinks in this pattern. Overall, it's a fun pattern, but I'm not so sure about wearing it on all my nails. It didn't last as long as Incoco's appliqués but worked well for a couple of days. However, it dawned on me... This is PERFECT for my twin girlie girls! Think about it, it's easy to apply and NO DRYING TIME!!! So I decided to give Mia and Olivia a little 'nail polish applique' manicure and loved how sweet it looked on their itty bitty nails! I snapped this picture of Olivia's nails while playing at the park on Saturday! What do you think?