What's In My Makeup Bag

(The perfect gray smoky eye!)

Makeup is such a huge part of my life but it took me a long time to figure out what look best on me though (frosty blue eyeshadow in eighth grade...definitely not a highlight of my makeup career). Ever since I started wearing makeup I have been on a quest to find the best of what is out there. Since I am almost 23, I've tried A LOT of products out there, whether cheap or expensive. It doesn't matter what the price is to me now, I just want it to work as well as it says it will. I am sick of wasting money buying something that doesn't live up to its promises. In the last year, I have been on a quest to find the perfect products to me so I can create the best look for myself. This has involved a lot of trial and error until I learned to do research before hand. The internet has been such a great research tool and before I buy any new product I research it almost excessively. Below are some of my favorite beauty products that I highly recommend!

1. Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer $42: By no means is this cheap. In fact, it's the most expensive foundation I have ever purchased. But it seriously is the most amazing stuff I have ever come across. I have tried both the regular and the oil-free and I have to say I like the oil-free formula slightly better because the consistency is a little thicker and my skin is less than perfect sometimes. This product has been buzzed about for quite some time so I am surprised it took me until this summer to come across it. IT IS WORTH EVERY PENNY, but I highly suggest being able to test it out to figure out your skin color first, as I thought for sure I would be Nude, but turns out Porcelain is the perfect match for my skin. I cannot rave enough about this product. It goes on nicely and stays on all day. I love that it doesn't look like I am wearing anything and just makes my skin look better!

2. Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper $18: While I may not approve of her lifestyle choices, I have to admit this girl knows how to make the best liquid eyeliner. I don't do anything fancy, just line the top of my lashes to beef up my lash line, but I can get the skinniest line that stays all day and doesn't smudge. I love that it comes already loaded in the brush which makes application a breeze.

3. Christian Dior DiorShow Mascara in Black $24: I have tried a lot of mascara's out there and this one by far takes the cake for me. I ALWAYS come back to it. The jumbo brush seems intimidating at first but this mascara gives your lashes a nice dose of steroids. I love the way my eyelashes look when I wear this and dare I say after several coats it looks like I could star in a mascara commercial. I love this mascara so much that it always seems to run out super fast on me. I think my multiple coats has something to do with it. Since it isn't cheap, I always find myself trying to find something else cheaper that is just as good, but alas, this stuff really is the best! Plus, its subtly rose scented which is an extra added bonus. 

4. Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat $40: Once again, not the cheapest stuff out there. This is the most recent addition to my makeup bag and I like it a lot. I use it to touch up the inner corner of my eyes and highlight my brow bone. I also dab it right above the bow of my lips to make the illusion of bigger lips. I don't know if it helps but I will take all the help I can get! It is ridiculously expensive but you only use a tiny bit so it really lasts a long time. It really opens up my eyes and I like that it doesn't look like I am wearing anything.

5. Wet n' Wild Kohl Eyeliner $1: I usually just get whatever I can find at Walmart, whether NYC or Wet n' Wild. They are only a dollar and I love that I can sharpen them as much as I want without feeling guilty of wasting the product, since the stick is so long and costs so little! I like to use it on my inner eyes, especially my top lashes because once again, it gives the illusion of thicker lashes. I like to line my bottom ones when I go out or am looking for a more dramatic look.

6. Mally Poreless Face Defender $37: This stuff is amazing! I have to give a big THANK YOU to Erin from The City for turning me onto this product. I didn't watch the show but always thought she looked good. I came across an interview where she mentioned this product and how great it was at removing shine from your face, especially being on television all day long. I gave it a shot and now this will be a permanent fixture in my makeup bag. It has a really light silky feel to it when you put it on and makes your skin feel ultra smooth. It also does what it says and keeps the shine away! This is a must have product for me to banish the dreaded shiny face in photographs!!

7. Laura Mercier Secret Concealer $22: I really really like this concealer. It has a nice creamy consistency that blends in really well to my skin and helps cover up the stupid blemishes my skin insists on getting sometimes. It covers nicely and only takes a little bit to go a long way.

8. Juicy Couture Couture Couture Perfume $67: I know this isn't technically a makeup product but I think putting on perfume is a key aspect of getting ready. I fell in love with this scent last year and every time I came across a sample of it in a magazine I would tear it out and apply it (you know you've done it!) wishing I had the real thing. Nate gave it to me for Christmas last year in a gift kit that came with the lotion and body wash, so I can smell like it all the time! I also bought the travel size so I can have it with me wherever I go! I think perfume has to be tried on before you ever buy it, since it mixes with your natural body oils and smells different in the bottle than on your skin.

I didn't include this in my pictures but I also have a Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler that I absolutely love! I bought it this Summer to see if it was really worth all the hype I was hearing and combined with the DiorShow mascara, my eyelashes look AMAZING!

I still am on the hunt for the perfect eyeshadow, the perfect blush, and the perfect lip something. Nate won't kiss me if I am wearing lipgloss or lipstick so I am thinking I will need a lip stain that enhances my natural lip color (I'm not really one for bold lips). I have a few products on my list that I want to try out still but since there isn't a Sephora close by until we head back for Christmas, I will just have to wait a little longer on my quest. I wish these products were cheaper, I really do, but I have found you often pay for quality when it comes to cosmetics. In all my research I have discovered that cheaper products usually mean more additives mixed into the product (usually talc) and less pigmentation so you have to use more to get the same results. I would rather spend more money on a product that lasts longer and looks better and is worth it in the long run. I know it is hard to justify spending the money on makeup but these products are really worth it!