Review Tuesday: What's In My Makeup Bag?

I used to hate makeup. I still wear very little makeup and some days none at all but if you're like me, you enjoy getting dolled up now and then. And unless you were blessed with perfect skin(which I was not), then there are days when you need to cover up blemishes or dark circles so makeup can be our best friend.

It can be so disappointing to buy a beauty product only to find that it doesn't work. Spending any amount on makeup (even if it's only $1.99) that doesn't work is still a waste of money, not to mention it's really annoying. And no matter how affordable drugstore beauty products are, if they don't work, they're never a good deal. So I'm going to do a review of a few drugstore products that I have found really work for me.


1. I have been using Maybelline's Dream Liquid Mousse foundation for over a month now and have no complaints about it. I love that it has a pump because it's easy to use, there's no mess and you don't waste as much product this way. It's a medium coverage foundation. It goes on evenly and smoothly giving an airbrushed look. It has such an airy feeling on your face, it blends easily and doesn't streak. It evens out your skin tone without looking like you have a coat of foundation on. I like to keep my makeup as natural looking as possible and this foundation works for me! My shade is Classic Ivory.

2. If you are like me then you are plagued with dark circles under your eyes. (9 out of 10 women have dark circles so we're not alone) I have tried several concealers and the best I have found so far is the Covergirl Simply Ageless Eye Concealer in number 215. It's extremely creamy and easy to blend and doesn't settle into your creases. It brightens up the eye by evening out the skin tone under and around the eye. It's a must have in my makeup bag!

3. It's always a good idea to set your makeup with a powder. It helps keep your makeup in place and last longer throughout the day. Too much powder can make your face look cakey so you want to be careful. I prefer Maybelline's Dream Matte Powder. I like the matte finish, it gives you smooth even-looking skin without that chalky look. My shade is Beige Medium.

4. When it comes to blush, lately I have been trying Maybelline's Dream Mousse Blush in Peach Satin. It's very creamy and blends easily over the apples of the cheeks. It's a very subtle color and gives you a nice natural glow. I sometimes put a little powder blush over it if I want to get a little more intense color, but usually I don't. It looks nice and natural on its own.

5. I don't wear eyeshadow everyday but there are two eyeshadow palettes that are my go to shades if I want to dress up my eyes a bit. If I want to keep my eyes looking more natural I wear Physicians Formula Baked Collection in Baked Sands. These neutral tones have a satin finish and are great for everyday wear. If I'm going out and I want to really play up the eyes then I will use the Covergirl Shadow Quad in Drama Eyes. LOVE this palette for a night time look. 

6. If there was only one makeup product I could use it would be mascara. It can do so much by doing so little. It can turn your tired eyes into glam eyes in seconds. My all-time favourite mascara is Covergirl's Lash Blast mascara. It thickens and lengthens without flaking or clumping giving you full, sexy lashes every time. If you are looking for a waterproof mascara then I would suggest Covergirl's Lash Exact  with hydrofuge. So many waterproof mascaras are dry, flakey and just plain horrible. But Lash Exact goes on like regular mascara and definitely holds up when you need it to but removes easily with makeup remover. It's the only waterproof mascara that I've tried that I would recommend!

 7. Another product that I don't wear everyday, but can really help you look polished is L'Oreal's Lineur Intense liquid eyeliner in carbon black. It gives the eyes definition and if worn correctly can give your eyes a lifting effect. I like this liquid liner because it's easy to apply, and you can make your line as thin or as thick as you like with it. It's long wearing and I haven't had any trouble with it running or smearing like I have with other liners.

 8. Now, when it comes to removing my makeup I like to use Olay Eye Makeup Remover and Anti-Wrinkle Treatment. It comes with a pump, which again, keeps you from wasting product and I have very sensitive skin, especially around my eye area so this works great for me. It doesn't irritate my skin and quickly and easily removes all my makeup while moisturizing my skin. Can't beat it.

9. Another must-have product for me is the L'Oreal Go 360 Clean Deep Cream Cleanser. It comes with a soft scrublett that you put the cleanser on and then rub all over your face. I have very sensitive, dry skin so I was nervous about trying this but it's amazing! I haven't had a single breakout since using this (I've been using it for about 3 months now) and my face feels so refreshed afterward. Jared uses the green one because he has more oily skin and he has had great results too!

10. It's so important to keep your skin moisturizes. It can really help delay the aging process and we all want to stay looking young as long as we can right? Before I go to bed I like to put on Olay Regenerist Night Recovery Moisturizer. It's thicker than a day cream but it's very hydrating and feels good after a long day once you have taken all of your makeup off. It's as though my skin says "thank you" when I put this on! :) I also wear a separate eye and face moisturizer during the day.

Every girl needs a cute makeup bag and I'm a big Hello Kitty fan! :)

I hope this makeup review was helpful. I went through quite a bit of trial and error to find products I like and that work so I hope this saves some of you time, money and frustration. As I said, I am not necessarily a makeup geek, I don't wear a lot of it, but I am a woman and I do like to look nice. I will never claim that these products will make you look like a supermodel (I mean, that should be obvious when you look at the reviewer) But my hope is that you understand that makeup doesn't make you beautiful, but it can enhance your natural beauty. Everyone has beauty inside and there's nothing wrong with trying to have your outside match your inside as long as you always remember where true beauty lies.

Here's a self portrait of me wearing many of the products listed above.

(click photo for larger view)