What's in my makeup bag?

Dare to Try? beauty bargain deals, instyle and more!

I love a good shopping jaunt anytime, more so when I have errands to run and check off my list.  Recently my trusty, ol' hair dryer from years ago breathed its last hot air.  It stopped mid-drying and it not only shocked me that it just died in the morning while I hurriedly (is that a word!?) dried my hair before work, but frustrated me because I wasn't planning on a broken dryer to  have to replace.

Alas, sh!t happens, and I managed to get to the mall a day after.  I had to make do with a non-washed hair for one day which wasn't too bad I guess.

Okay, i'm not usually a person to believe the 'As seen on TV' ads...As much as I get entertained by the Cham-wow commercial, I tend to not always believe what I see on tv.  When I was browsing the pages of instyle, I saw under their best bargain beauty buys section they advertised this Conair Dryer that is supposedly as good as the professional salon hair dryers (or comparable) because of its AC motor.  I'm not all that sure what the heck it means, but I thought I'd give it a try.

Infiniti Pro by Conair folding Hair Dryer

I purchased it at Zellers for $39.99 plus tax.  Hefty price to pay for a small hair dryer!

I have been using it for the last couple of days and so far so good. 

to check out my review as well as other products I recently purchased...

Revlon Lipstick

Not too long ago I was on the hunt for the perfect nude lipstick that will work with what I usually wear for night time make-up, the smokey eye look.  The make-up no-no is to wear strong lipstick and eye makeup and so since I usually wear the smokey eye look, I thought why not wear simple nude colored lips.

I found this while trying to kill time at superstore one day at the mall.  It seemed peachy enough to just be the right shade.

They've worked out well so far, so if you're in the market for nude lips, try this drugstore brand.  I believe it comes in matte as well as glossy.

Ladies' choice...

Feelin' great at 28!

I had a blast last weekend for my birthday!  All in all it was a great day and night!

It started in the afternoon by gallavanting with my cousin around robson on a sunny--but cold day! We had fun and bought our last minute stuff for that night.  Then I came home to a yummy dinner with the familia, bbq and of course, noodles--it's a must for long life as my parents like to say...then finally, off for some more fun at night with family and friends! loves!

The night started off with alot of waiting (epic fail on Icon promoters for that!) and but when we did get in, everyone quickly go into the party mode.  It also helped that they were playing good music for most of the night!  As soon as my feet and the rest of me defrosted, I was all up for a party!

It was a great night, having my bf, brother and cuz and the rest of the our friends to party with us!  There is nothing more fun that partying the night away with loved ones =)

Awesome night overall, came away buzzin' and had fun with loved ones.

My Outfit:
BEBE tube top
BCBG bandage skirt
BEBE black platform sandals

Aldo leaf necklace
Juicy Gold Bracelet
Aldo Black/Gold square earrings

Nine West Black clutch

My Make-up:

Eyes:

MAC Naked Pigment
MAC Parfait Amour e/s
MAC Indian Ink e/s
MAC Contrast e/s
MAC Carbon e/s
L'oreal Lineur Intense Carbon Black
Maybelline stiletto mascara
NYC eyebrow set
MAC eyebrow gel (clear)

Cheeks

MAC Cham Pale special reserve illuminating powder - rose ole
Nars Blush - Orgasm

Lips

MAC Cremesheen in Fashion Whim

Face:

Revlon New Complexion foundation in Tender Peach
nyc loose setting powder
MAC Concealer - NC30 (forgot which type)

Another year older, not quite wiser lol...to 2011! =)

Everyday Make-up Essentials

I find that my everyday beauty routine is simplified during the weekdays for work and only after hours and on the weekend do I get to be creative!  I have to say, being creative has been much easier lately with some beauty essentials from MAC Cosmetics that I've come to love!

My palette has been my absolute fave since I got it a year ago.

I've been using it for home as well as travel, and it has saved valuable toiletries space when I do take it with me for travel!  I barely buy eyeshadows in duos, trios or quads because all I have to do is buy refills for my palette and away I go!

I technically need 1 refill left to fill the space and I'm done with my first palette! I am thinking of buying another, but don't want to rush too much because buying too many will just end up being a waste of money if you don't use it all!

I love neutrals (as you can clearly see!) and the basis of smokey eyes, black and a dark, shimmery blue/purple almost midnight navy color.

Another essential I use in my daily makeup routine is the MAC Painpots.  It is the newer version of paints, cream shadows used for a base or primer even by itself it stands out!  It helps to prevent creasing and helps the eyeshadows pop.

I use 'Soft Ochre' and 'Rubenesque'

One more essential that I can think of (which by no means is the last) is my lip glosses.  I love nicely glossed lips for a night out--I mostly prefer nude to siren red on most nights.  I am always on the look out for the perfect nude lips to compliment a beautiful smokey eye.  Hence, my mini collection.

I've heard that smokey eye works best when it's the feature of the face, and everything else must not stand out to compete.  A bright red lip with a dark, smokey eye will  just make the look a hot mess, so the perfect nude lip (which by the way, more than one make-up artist has attested to) will compliment without taking away from the smokey eye.  I tend to agree.  It's a beautiful look when done right, not too overwhelming or crazy.

That's pretty much it for my make-up essentials for now...There's always more, I haven't even talked about my MAC Fix plus! lol but that's for next time! =)

Make-up in the spotlight.

I thought I'd take the time out to talk make up.  Ever so often, I get that 'if you were stuck on an island..' game, and the question of what make-up I would take if I ever got stranded on one, and actually I don't know.  It always seems to change...I thought I'd shine a light on my makeup bag and it's contents.  Then maybe I'd figure out what I can and can't live without in the process lol.  Though if you've seen my make-up bag that I take with me everyday, it's going to become obvious why it's so hard for me to take just one thing on an island! lol

To make it easy, I've numbered everything instead of taking a pic of each and every piece on it's own like I usually do =)