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Showing posts with label Make Up Bag. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Make Up Bag. Show all posts

Vanity Girl vs. Make Up Bag Girl?

Today I went through a thought process that made me think about the differences of being a Vanity Girl (who chooses make-up from her vanity) or a Make Up Bag Girl (who chooses from her make-up bag). It ultimately led to this post being about reorganizing make-up to fit your needs - a bit of a rambly post, but I thought it may help some girls out so decided to post it up :)

I remember when all my make-up fit into one make-up bag, and all my choices were contained in that little space - oh how long ago it all seems ;) And when my collection really started expanding I invested in the infamous WHSmith drawers as a make-shift vanity until I really settled into a home, and since I've got them I've loved how I can scan over my whole collection and pick out of all the possible candidates - as well as never forget about owning a product. I was a Vanity Girl through and through!

I looove the look of this vanity! :) (Image from JPM Design)

However, when I look around blogs, I've realised people write things like "this has been living in my make-up bag the whole month!" or "it replaced x that used to live in my make up bag" - at first I was quite startled. This suggests that some people use both a vanity and a make-up bag to choose their make up from. It took me a while but I realised - some people pick out products that they like from their vanity to their make-up bags, and choose from there. I was like.. "WHAAAAT!" and also a little bit like "WHY?!" (and a little bit concerned at how long it took me to realise..)


Personally I would die from OCD if I knew that not 100% of my collection was in my vanity and that there was even a slight chance I would miss out on the perfect lippy of the day. I firmly stand by the belief that choosing from my vanity allows me to use all my make up - I have never once forgotten I owned a product or not used a product because I forgot it was buried in the depth of my collection.

But then I read a post by Adrienne which made me think - using a make-up bag may not give you a full scope of choice, but it would let you focus on selected products and would really help with 2 things - to really test those products out, or to use them up - both of which I have severe issues with (oh the numerous PR's that have bared with me on this, bless them)! You wont be tempted by other products you are more familiar or comfortable with because you wont see them! Enlightenment.

So I'm starting to think I wanna change the way I choose my make up, simply because my goals are changing - I used to want to get to know my make-up and experiment with what I have. Now, there are quite a few things I'd like to hit pan on/use up, and there are a few items I haven't tested enough to give it a fair judgment. There's also the matter of wanting to change things up once in a while! I have also heard rumours that I will be having a few deathly 10AM classes (I know, lazy student) so I undoubtedly should focus on getting more sleep/doing more work than on choosing my face :P


Really what I'm saying is that changing things like this is a great way to re-organize, both in terms of how you choose your make-up and how to address what you're not liking about your relationship with make-up (yes you may call me the Dr. Phil of make-up.. lol what am I on about). It's so easy to get stuck in a rut or do things that isn't conducive to what your goals are - and reorganizing how you choose and organize your make-up can really help!

So after I write this post, I will be filling up this make-up bag from Glitzy Glam to give this new thing a try :) I'll miss having a different face everyday, and I'll miss having to choose between a pink and a bronze when I really want to wear a peach blush - but I'm sure I'll learn with time - until my goals change again :)

I realise this is quite a rambly post and that I've had a few of those lately, but I quite like posting up internalized make-up debates that take place in my brain from time to time.. any feedback for that would be great :) I also have a hard time resisting posting when I'm really really thinking about it :P So anyway..

How do YOU choose to choose make-up? And why? :)

<3yu

Graduation OOTD/FOTD (& Some Mulberry Lovin'..) :)

I must admit, this graduation was much less emotional than my high school graduation, but it was a day to share my university experience with my parents who was never able to visit me during my time there. I got to see my coursemates who I admittedly didn't spend too much time with bar 2 or 3, and I guess most relevant to my blog is that I got to dress up ;).

Lisa & I :)
Credit: Lisa's Dad :D

Yes, I realise my dress is 90% under the gown - but it's a beige dress from Debenham's, with a really cool collar that was completely lost in this ridiculous gown! The shoes were suede-ish red heels from Dorothy Perkins. I also got my hair done at a lovely hairdressers in Stratford-upon-Avon.

For my face, I went for a natural look, and here is what I wore:

Face:
Illamasqua Rich Liquid Foundation in RF233
Hard Candy Sheer Envy Primer
MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC35
Bobbi Brown Corrector in Peach
Bourjois Compact Powder in 73 Miel Dore
NARS Blush in Luster

Eyes:
Clinique Super Fine Liner for Brows in 03 Deep Brown
MAC Paint Pot in Soft Ochre
MAC Eyeshadow in Patina
MaxFactor False Lash Effect Mascara
UNE SkinGlow Pencil in G07

Lips:
17 Mirror Shine Lipstick in Beehive


BA Sociology Class of '11 :)
Credit: Lisa's Dad! :D


So all in all it was a lovely day - it wasn't sentimental or exciting as it was left way too long after exams! But I had a really enjoyable day, being nervous about tripping, taking photos, catching up with coursemates, and just with everyone there in one place :) My mom, dad and grandma, I assume, were happy to be there, and us four and Ben all went to dinner afterwards at a Chinese which was lovely!


Aaaaaaand, the gift I bought myself, as promised in the previous post.. :)

Mulberry Locked Cosmetic Purse in Oak

My first self-purchased designer brand item :) I've been carrying it around absolutely EVERYWHERE as both a pouch inside a bigger bag, and as a clutch. It fits everything - powder, lipbalm/lipsticks, blotting paper, painkillers, camera, phone - it's REALLY deceiving, and needless to say - PERFECT! :) I'm not sure I'll ever need another clutch/pouch/make-up bag!


I love the little embossed Mulberry logos, but the bird CRACKED me up! To be honest, the buying part was an experience - it was me, stood in the Knightsbridge shop with my boyfriend, uhm-ing and ah-ing. I decided to take the plunge when I realised that if I walked out of the shop without it, I wouldn't be pleased that I saved money - I'd be gutted that I didn't get what I've wanted for so long!

The woman who sold it to me wasn't amazing - she was sweet, but in the process of explaining aftercare, she decided to mention that it was made out of calf skin - who wants to hear that?! I felt like a murderer for about 5 minutes after that, even considering reversing the purchase despite not being an anti-leather person, vegetarian, or a vegan by any stretch of the imagination.

Anyway, after that, the attaching of the unnecessary bird commenced, which very much reminded me of the scene with Rowan Atkinson in Love Actually - I was twitching to not start laughing, as was Ben from what I could tell :P


Despite setting me back quite a bit, I haven't spent a second regretting it. It's perfect, my pride and joy, and something I intend on using and cherishing forever! :) Strangely this has made me want to save, not so much in the way of - crap, I've spent so much, but mostly in the sense that it feels REALLY good to spend money on something you absolutely adore, rather than buying cheap bits and bobs that you may or may not like. And thus commences my saving for my next Mulberry lust.. the Chocolate Bayswater.

Anyone felt like that before? :)

Anyway.. that was a long rambly post! Hope you guys enjoyed it anyway :)

<3yu

What I Took To Malta: Beach/Pool Make-Up!

I'm back! Hello to the new followers, and a big I-missed-you hug to the old! Malta was absolutely gorgeous and the perfect wind-down from 3 years of uni. Ben and I also found out that we have graduated with a 2:1 on our degrees - so it was a great week in general!

Today I'll show you what I brought to Malta - hopefully you can take away what I think is great to have for a beach holiday, in case some of you are off on one soon! We had a 15kg limit so a lot of the stuff were compact :)

Before that, I'll show you some snaps of our week there :) We stayed at the Radisson Blu on Golden Bay, courtesy of Ben's aunt for his 21st - we were there with Gary Neville!

Mokka Bar - We always had after dinner drinks here :)

Our kitchen/dining room/living room - I KNOW! We had a suite! :D

TV in bathtub - very convenient for the Wimbledon season! :)

Golden Bay

The pool

The Malta busses - 54p to the capital! :O

Streets of Valetta

 Ben & I at the Grand Harbour

Honestly, I am struggling a bit with a lack of foundation/powder/concealer to match my skin! I also got my nails done, which was fun - OPI Glitzerland is very pretty! On days where we weren't by the pool or the beach, we went to other places like St. Julian's and Mdina - I think my favourite was Valetta - it is absolutely gorgeous!

On to the make-up!


I bought myself a brand new make-up bag for this holiday, and it's this baby from Glitzy Glam. It is so much fun to come up with your own bag, and it's absolutely massive! You can see more in my June Favourites video :) Anyway, this is great for if you're going anywhere for over a week. It also fitted my brushes, moisturizer, and my mini-shower stuff too.


I brought loads of make-up, but the ones I used were things that gave me the most natural and beachy look - here are the kinds of things I'd recommend to someone who is off on a sunny holiday :)

- NIVEA Stay Real Blush in Shades of Rose
This is a great summer shade because it's like a really tanned pink, so it's very natural and goes with the golden glow of a tan! :) Anything else felt too unnatural and unbeach-like because it was too much of a pop of colour.

- CANMAKE Gokubuto Mascara
Waterproof mascara is a must - this one is also natural, in that it separates and lengthens so it was good for a natural beachy look.

- MAC Paint Pot in Rubenesque
I only wore this in the evening, just to add some colour on my eyes - it's a bright gold with a salmon duochrome, which again compliments a tan, and you don't need a brush!

- UNE SkinGlow Pencil in G04
I didn't really use this too much - it got too light as my tan grew! But it's still a great summer-time product that opens up your eyes and no worries about the black eyeliner melting :)

- Lipice Suncare SPF25
Somehow a lipstick seemed too unnatural, and I felt like with such a dark tan, a natural lip was best. So I used this lipbalm with SPF the most, and the lemon-scent is gorgeous! :)

- MAC Moisture Tint in Medium Dark SPF15
While the Bourjois Healthymix was light and natural enough for a beachy feel, I didn't need a lot of coverage because of the tan and my blemishes were going away with the healthy amount of sun! The SPF was a good reassurance too :)


For the bath essentials, I brought mini-things of my favourite body wash and cleanser - the Bodyshop Grapefruit Shower Gel and the Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish. I also brought the BodyShop Grapefruit Body Butter, which helped a lot with dried out sunkissed skin!

The biggest difference from my usual routine was my shampoo and conditioner - the LUSH Godiva Shampoo/Conditioner Bar. I picked this because 1) it smells amazing and 2) it's a 2-in-1. It is far from the best haircare, and I felt my hair wasn't in the best condition, but it's definitely a good product for holiday :)

So there you go! I had an amazing time, and I'd definitely want to go back to see more of the country some time. The atmosphere, the architecture, the culture - everything was lovely! And I hope you got some good tips for products or what kinda stuff you might wanna bring to your holiday :)


Who else is off on holiday?
What are your beach holiday must-haves? :)

<3yu

What's In My Make Up Bag?

As a student who lives on campus, I'm not often properly out of the house for that long, but I still keep my make-up bag ready to go by my make-shift vanity.


This is my make-up bag from Laura Ashely and I fell in LOVE with it when I saw it. It's the perfect size, pretty pattern, the zipper charms are flowers, and the bottom 2 zippers actually open a place for brushes, including a plastic flap that protects the bristles (to a certain extent). It came with a small round mirror trimmed with the same fabric.


I like to keep products in there that I can use no matter what I'm wearing that day. So here are the contents:

- ELF Complexion Perfection Powder
- CANMAKE Eyebrow Kit
- Eyeko Magic Bronzer in Miami (I think)
- Eyeko Cheeky Colour in Glow Getter
- Eyeko London Lips in Knightsbridge
- Hard Candy Baked Eyeshadow Duo in Peace
- Rimmel Kohl Eyeliner in Black
- Bodyshop Hemp Hand Cream sample
- MUJI Toner in an atomizer
- Versace perfume
- Eyelash curlers
- Some blotting sheets

And I usually stuff in a Denman's portable brush - the ones that are round, and you kinda squeeze the brush out :P Love them. I think out of the list I usually only use the eyeliner, blotting sheets and lip product. And usually I stuff my lip product that I used that day in my pocket so not really out of this make-up bag! :P I enjoy filling my make-up bag though lol..

What do you think is your make-up bag essentials? :)

<3yu