Back to School Makeup: Your Makeup Bag
Saturday, August 14th, 2010
Allegro Sketch Artist Purse Kit ($4.99) from Target
Back to School Makeup Bags: What do you need?
Now, I know all of us aren’t going back to school in the next few weeks, but I hope that some of the suggestions and advice below are useful for those who carry makeup bags or touch-up kits with them no matter where life takes them!
OIL BLOTTING SHEETS. There are several different brands out there, but my favorite is Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets ($5.99 for 50 sheets). I’m have normal-to-dry skin, but I always find that a blotting sheet can help makeup look fresher after five or six hours of wear. MAC Blot Powder/Pressed ($22.00) is also helpful with blotting and absorbing excess oil throughout the day.
CONCEALER. Keep a tube or pot of concealer in your makeup bag for quick touch-ups or to conceal that pimple that’s just waiting to strike. If your eyeliner has smudged, a little concealer on top will help camouflage and blend it out better than just using your finger. You may find that you don’t wear foundation to school most days, but a little concealer on hand helps combat any surprises that pop-up (ha, ha) during the day. Or if the cutest boy/girl in the school asks you out for a malt at the ice cream shoppe. (What, they don’t do that any more? Well, a girl can dream.)
- For heavier concealer needs, I like TheBalm TimeBalm Concealer
($18.00). For something lighter, I like MAC Select Moisturecover
($16.50). For drugstore options, try Maybelline Cover Stick Corrector/Concealer ($4.69) or CoverGirl Fresh Conmplexion Concealer ($5.29).
FAVORITE LIPSTICK/LIPGLOSS. Either carry the lip products you’ve chosen to worn for the day or one or two lip products that you know work well for you. I like carrying around a single lipgloss in a flattering, semi-sheer shade with lots of peach/gold and maybe a bit of pink in it, because I know it’s a shade that brightens my face but is minimal and natural (Cle de Peau #2 Lip Gloss at $48, for those curious). Lip balm is also a nice thing to keep in your bag!
More must-haves and some tips!
ROLLERBALL PERFUME. This is such a genius concept, because it makes perfume more accessible, affordable, and portable. There are numerous scents on the market, with prices that range from $10 to $30. Of course, if you’re not into perfume, this is obviously a product you’d skip!
ACCESSORIES. For the really prepared beauty buff, keeping a pair of tweezers, hair ties, cotton pads/swabs, and the like are all small but useful items to have on hand. I love Tweezerman’s Mini Slant Tweezers ($15.00) — of which I must have five or six of now. Oh, and a compact mirror!
TO GO SUNSCREEN. Oh, fancy! For those who have longer days and split time indoors and outdoors, I like the towelettes because they’re easy to store when you’re not a regular on the athletic track (if you were, then I would assume you’d be touting around bottles of sunscreen with the rest of your gear!). I actually keep a can of spray sunscreen in my bag, LOL!
- If space/weight is an issue, Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare SPF30 Sunscreen Towelettes
($18.00 for 20) are a good bet. Supergoop! SPF 30 Sunscreen Swipes
($34.00 for 40) are a little more economical, but 40 is a lot to carry at once.
- You can also take some of your favorite sunscreen and put it into a travel container–but remember to keep it tight and use it!
MAKEUP OR NO MAKEUP? I don’t personally carry any makeup with me beyond a lipgloss or lipstick. It really depends on your needs/wants. If I’m wearing makeup, I don’t need to carry mascara, eyeliner, eyeshadow, bronzer, blush, etc. in my bag — what I put on before I leave the house I expect to last until I come home! However, if perhaps I was more of the no-makeup variety at school but wanted to be able to step things up if I hung out with friends or went to the mall after class, then I’d be more inclined to keep some makeup essentials like mascara, eyeliner, and a blusher. If you choose a cream blush, you can also have it double as a lip color, too! Whatever makeup you bring along, look for durable packaging.
When putting together your makeup bag, here are some questions worth asking yourself…
- Is this a color/shade/product I can wear no matter what? No matter whether I’m wearing a black shirt, jeans, or a green tank?
- Is this a double- or triple-duty product? Is it multi-tasking?
- Will the packaging get scratched? Will that upset me?
- Will it leak or is it easily broken? (Nobody wants to clean up a messy makeup bag.)
- How heavy is it?
- Will I really use this during the day?
What do you keep in your makeup bag? Just essentials or do you have the whole traincase in there? (No shame in that game!)
I dont like to carry too much at school but i bring mascara,eyeliner,whatever lip product im wearing tht day, concealer (if im having a bad skin day)
I wear liquid concealer and ive learned it gets a bit messy so I keep a compact (Studio Fix Powder) and a rectractable kabuki brush =)I keep a bunch of other face stuff too, because my P.E is crazy!
You all are so practical, I love it!!! I'm really weird and have to have lots and lots of things with me at all times because I'm scared that I'm really gonna need them but not have them on me... So yeah, I carry everything but liquid foundation and face primer.... Everything else I have on me at all times whether it's necessary or not... You never know when something might come up that'll require you to look your best :)
Hey Christine, what shade do you wear in the TheBalm TimeBalm Concealer?
I believe Light Medium!
I'm old and work full time - no school for me. At my desk, I keep a cosmetic bag with a full arsenal: Lancome sample size bronzer, Lancome Sample 4 color eye shadow palette (neutrals) Smashbox Brow Tech Urban Decay 24/7 - Zero Rock and Republic Eye Shadow - Spy Mac Select Moisture Cover NW20 Trish McEvoy Eye Base Essentials Lancome - Definicils BE Mineral Veil Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge - Pink Truffle MAC Hug Me Lippie Chanel eye makeup remover - sample bottle size Mac Moisture Lush Creme Short handle brushes - face powder, eye shadow, brow and eyelash comb and mirror!
I'll be spending 8-14 hours on campus this fall, including some labs which are very drying. My lips and nail beds will chap if I don't have something on them. I use a 24 hour antiperspirant so I don't have to carry it with me. I avoid using fragrance when I'm on campus. My body wash and/or lotion applied at home are just enough of a scent. Here is my list: Bobbi Brown creamy lip color (lip balm and lipstick in one=bonus!) Caudalie hand cream moisturizing hand sanitizer blotting papers compact mirror/brush from Sephora Bobbi Brown touch up stick hair elastics medications anti-friction balm in case a blister is coming on tissue single use non-preservative eye drops- sometimes your eyes are dry when you think you're tired
If you want something very moisturizing that you can use on your lips and cuticles...actually,anywhere you have dry skin,try L'Occitane Shea Butter.You can get a small,portable tin for about $8.00 and it lasts forever.
i dont need oil blotters (i have combo dry skin, and my nose stays non shiny once i've applied my MSF natural) but i always have wanted to carry them haha! anyways i carry a lipgloss, a lipbalm, mascara (big lashes are my thing)and some cotton buds (i really want the premoistened ones from MAC but they are $$$)to fix smudges. i also carry gum in my makeup bag (i dont know why i guess i establish it with health and therefore beauty?), a mirror and my jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist, travel size. it's good for freshening up.
The MAC swabs are AWESOME, but yes, $$ :(
Not for school, but for work: Compact mirror Small hairbrush teasing comb small hairspray blot powder concealer blush eyebrow pencil lipstick lipgloss eyeliner XOXO
*tries to hide traincase*
super helpful post, Christine! :)
Thanks, Lola!
I usually bring my compact, those travel-sized perfumes, cotton balls, q-tips, a few rubber bands, my lip stick and gloss I'm wearing that day and my Dior duo eye shadow that's a neutral color. Clearly I like to be prepared LOL.
I forgot! I also carry two hand lotions as well. LOL.
I used to bring like a lip gloss concealer (mineral that was a hassle) Foundation again mineral, not a big fan of liquid during fall because it will melt off my face wear I live. And I brought eye shadows it was crazy but I learned to only bring what I will use. So yes I used to bring he whole traincase. Now I take my lipstick I'm wearing I like to stick to one main one Angle and Hue from MAC are my faves Compact mirror and a easy liquid concealer
im a flight attendant so i keep everything i use in my purse makeup bag...its a lot of stuff,but im rarely home so i need it all the time with me..
What spray sunscreen do you like? That is one of my favorite products as well!
Right now, I've been using Clinique's!
In my makeup bag: mini pack of hand sanitizing wipes, mini bottle of oil-free makeup remover, small bottle of q-tips, mini pack of Shiseido cotton pads, Shiseido 100 pack blotting papers, Cle De Peau concealer, Cle De Peau powder, MUFE black liner (waterproof), MUFE Smokey Lash Mascara (waterproof) , Benefit eyeshadow: Dandy Brandy, Benefit lipstain, Anna Sui compact mirror, Anna Sui Comb. This sound like a lot,but it really isn't, my make up bag is still pretty light. With these items, I can maybe remove the makeup after school and reapply it if I'm going anywhere after work/school, since it's better than layering over my face with makeup already on it.
In my purse I usually carry MAC Blot powder, MUFE HD Concealor, Black eyeliner and a few lipglosses. However, in my desk at work I keep face cleansing wipes, blush, bronzer, mascara, a champagne shimmery eye shadow (Stila Kitten) MAC MSF Natural, blush/powder brush, and eye shadow brush. I go out after work all the time and like to redo after a long day.
Heres what I keep in my makeup bag Lip gloss Lip stick (the one that I put on before I leave the house) Mirror Lip balm I don't carry anything else because my makeup usually lasts the entire day.
in my makeup bag, you'll usually find: 1. lip combo for the day (usually a gloss + a lipstick) 2. a concealer (currently MAC select cover up NC20) 3. a compact/mirror (a cheapie mirror by goody) 4. blotting papers (clean & clear morning burst) 5. mini hand cream & mini sunscreen (the body shop coconut body butter scooped into a sample jar, a sample sized la roche-posay sunscreen spf 60) 6. mini daily perfume (this summer it's chanel chance eau fraiche decanted into a silver atomizer from murale) 7. lip balm (burt's bees original formula) 8. nail file (my nails break easily :() if i'm wearing some things that may need touching up, i may throw in: eyeliner (brands/colors vary), mini-lip brush (the retractable one from quo professionnel is great), blotting powder (MAC blot in light)and my MAC 182 brush.
If I'm going to the gym I bring a few makeup items, otherwise just powder, a mini kabuki brush, and a couple lipglosses/lip balms.
Do you have any tips for keeping eyeliner in place all day long? I find that halfway through the day half of it has smudged off and the other half is gooped up in the corners of my eyes. Not fun! I use Covergirl eyeliner, is there a better drugstore eyeliner?
Try Benefit She-Laq! I've heard good things about Prestige, and I've had good luck with Milani myself.
I go back to college in a week. I usually don't carry much makeup with me because I never seem to find the time to touch up my makeup, but I do like to take a Chanel glossimer with me. They last so long on the lips that I don't have to reapply too often. A quick note to those who like to wear perfume in the classroom, please remember that there are some people, like me, who find the scent overpowering and distracting.
Lately I've been carrying around everything just because I don't spend a lot of time at home, so it's necessary sometimes to live out of my bag. So right now, I've got mascara, tinted moisturizer, bronzer with a small brush, MAC Eyeshadow in Naked Lunch with a small make-up brush, deodorant, a little tiny jar of Vaseline for make-up removal, a hairbrush, mirror, and a tube of Clinique's Black Honey Almost Lipstick. If I'm planning on wearing eyeliner, I'll take that as well, but for the most part I don't because it's summer and heavy makeup is just silly in this kind of heat. :) When it's school, though, I usually just keep the tinted moisturizer (it doubles as under-eye concealer for me -- unless I have a tube of concealer, in which case I'll take that), whatever lip product I'm wearing, and lip balm. I'll also bring mascara, deodorant, and a hairbrush, because I usually hit the gym sometime in the middle of the day.
I have a little pouch with MAC blot powder, lip balm, solid perfume and some makeup remover wipes. I don't wear a ton of makeup for work because I sweat most of it so I only worry about shine and cleaning up any disasters! When I was in HS and Undergrad I didn't wear any makeup on a daily basis! I had great skin and was very very lazy!
I take my makeup bag out of my purse every morning and throw in my lipstick and gloss for the day, but I also have one clear gloss and a lip balm in there all the time (I only take them out to use). I also have hand sanitizer, because school bathrooms are nasty and hand lotion, because hand sanitizer is drying. My blotters are in there, too. Over the course of the year I get kind of lazy and I have twenty lipsticks and glosses in my makeup bag, because I just never take them out. And used blotters. My handy dandy mirror is usually in my pocket, though. This isn't makeup or cosmetics related, but I also have a spare key in there. It's one that I only use if I forgot my regular key, which is something that rarely happens, but it DOES happen. And I am prepared. =]
Dr. Pepper lip smacker?? Anyone else besides me???? Also MAC blot powder, concealer pencil and Cosmo lipstick.
In my work bag are blotting papers, a few lipsticks and glosses that rotate, lip balm, eye drops, and a nail file. 90% of the time the only thing I use is the lip balm. I sometimes carry powder and a retractable brush but I think that is purely a security blanket thing since I can't remember ever using them at work. With the great primers we have today, I don't ever have to touch up my eyes anymore and I used to do that a lot.
I have decluttered my bag, severely. I have blotting papers, pencil sharpener,2 lip pencils, love nectar l/g, vgv lip compact with mirror, lip brush and clean roll on perfume and altoids small tin. I added a nub (almost gone but not quite) of MAC smoulder e/l.
I bring powder, oil blotting sheets, whatever I'm wearing on my lips that day (including lip balm :)) and some makeup removing q-tips!
I cannot be without 1 or 2 "survival pouches" as I call them. I, too, carry a full can of spray-on sunscreen, a little pack of Kleenex, a tweezer for slivers, or any emergencies, Visine eye drops,a roll-on or sample size spray fragrance, back up nose studs and balls for body jewellery (just because I tend to lose them and I don't want the holes to heal if I cannot replace them fast enough...). I also have Q-Tips, bandages, toothpicks, nail clipper, a compact mirror, a small tube of hand creme, and even feminine hygiene "stuff" just in case! :D As far as make up, I use MAC and other high-end products along with primers so I expect everything to stay put for a long long time. However, the only 2 things that I reapply throughout the day are facial setting powder for the shiny spots (nose and forehead) as well as a lip product (because of eating, drinking, etc) so it's either a lip gloss or a lipstick. Maybe an eyeliner... I have never had to reapply my eye shadow or blush or mascara ever! As you can see I'm well-prepared for anything pretty much and I'd be lost without my pouch.
Powder and a retractable brush, I rarely use it but the powder does have a mirror. I also have concealer, lip gloss and tinted lip conditioner, a pearly nude eyeliner that I can put on my waterline so I look more awake, mascara, a mini tube of my moisturizer, floss, a few q-tips, mini nail file and hair ties.
I usually carry a mirror, lip balm and a mini deodorant. I'll probably add some concealer and maybe blotting sheets. Thanks for the tips!
Hmm, I will be going back to school! Classes start on the 26th for me. Usually I have a little makeup bag with my studio fix powder (which has the mirror in it), boscia blot linens, mascara, lipstick, an eyeshadow, an eyeliner, concealer, lip conditioner, eyeshadow brush, udpp travel size, blush, sample size moisturizer, crease brush, smudge brush and a travel size blush brush. I just like being prepared I guess, LOL.
This will be super helpful for the upcoming school year! Thank you sooo much :) I haven't gone through all of your posts, but have you written one up on what to keep on hand for traveling? Or what to keep in a beauty travel kit?
I know I've done one or two traveling posts, though I don't know about anything recently! http://www.temptalia.com/traveling-with-makeup That's the one I found. I re-read it, and I agree with most of what I said (it's way long, LOL, so I skimmed!). The biggest thing I've found is bring less than you think you'll need -- I always end up going minimal when I'm vacation!
I don't carry a make-up bag. My purse is a carry-all practically. If I need it, it's probably in my purse. However, here's the general stuff I put in the Mighty Bag: 1. My medication--I put my inhaler and my migraine medicine in here as I use them on a as needed basis. It would be REALLY bad if I had an asthma attack and didn't bring something as essential as my inhaler. 2. Basic First Aid Kit-- I basically put in basic medication like Ibuprofen, Sudafed, Benedryl, Pepto Bismal and Acetaminophen. Some people can't take Ibuprofen and some conditions (for me) are better treated with Acetaminophen than Ibuprofen. I also include bandages (I need to get latex-free as I'm allergic to latex apparently) and sometimes I manage to pack in some Neosporin. Yes, I'm ready for just about everything. 3. Contact lens rewetting drops 4. At least 2 lipglosses 5. Mirror 6. Comb and hair ties--Living near the windy city means a comb/brush is ESSENTIAL. 7. Nail Clipper and file--I've broken a nail a many a time and I always scream when I find I didn't have a nail file. When I bought the MB three years ago, I made sure to put in both. 8. Aveeno lotion, Neutrogena hand lotion and Purell--Aveeno is for rashes, hand lotion is for my super dry hands and the Purell is there because I'm 99% of the time allergic to the soap at school.
I keep a little Sephora makeup bag in my purse at all times. Right now I have in it: MAC Studio Fix Powder Usually 1-2 mascaras, I have Lash Blast in there right now MAC Moisture Select Concealer Rosebud Salve A little blush brush Pencil eyeliner Oil blotting sheets A few lipglosses & a lip liner Liquid eyeliner I always have those things on me. A lot of the time I run out of the door without doing my makeup, then I can just put it on when I get to work or in the car. It's easier for me that way lol.
AND, I forgot, two rollerball perfumes! Pink Sugar and Viva la Juicy :)
I have to tell you, after reading your blog, it makes mt lust after all of these expensive products!
Aw :P
No, it's okay. I love them all! They are sooo beautiful. I was on the mac website today, and I saw the eyeshadow color in aqua. It is gorgeous!!
For perfume, I like to get samples from Sephora and keep them in my bag. Free and ultra-portable! Also at school I always carry lotion because girls are always looking around the classoom going "WHO has LOTION??" LOL :p
Remebering a decade ago when I carried every cosmetics item I owned with me to school... no wonder I have a bad back now!
LOL!
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