Monday, 11 March 2013

#4 WHAT'S IN MY MAKE-UP BAG?



Freelance writer and second year student Eleanor Doughty shows us what's in her Make-Up bag: 

Now then, excuse me for being that girl, but I have a confession to make.  I like my makeup simple.  Preferring to stick to sixties doe eyes and an insouciant natural skin tone, my daily routine is less than arduous. 

Both fortunately and unfortunately, my job has enabled me to try such a great array of new products that I scarcely have room for them.  Beauty sales have happened in my bedroom, no kidding.  If you see me in my two most regular (sigh) E1 hangouts, the library and the gym, this post won't make so much sense; I am usually almost makeup free.  Suffice to say, I don't really look like a fashion and beauty journalist a lot of the time, whatever we’re supposed to look like.

Despite my makeup bag overflowing to the point where I actually had to buy a cabinet for everything, I'm pretty laid back about it.  I enjoy getting dressed and ahem, beautified far too much to want to do it every day.  Only when I am in the office full time - now a growing commonality - do I deign to spend the necessary time sixties-fying myself.

Diorskin Nude BB Crème (£30)

Shockingly, I don't wear foundation and never have- occupationally, this has proven tricky when trialing products and working on features.  Upon the arrival of Dior's BB cream in the courier post some months ago, I felt dishonourable to my standard routine, as it became a soft staple to my morning routine.  Designed to provide a soft, blemish-free backdrop to the skin, Dior's rosy cream is the most delicate I am yet to road test.  In my sampling wisdom of late, that is high praise.  It isn't so perfect for your purse, clocking in at £30, but for the amount you need to use in the morning, it's more than an investment piece.
www.dior.com

Bare Minerals powder blush (£19) / Chanel blush (£31)

I was lucky enough to be given a complementary session at the wonderful Bare Minerals boutique in Covent Garden for this addition to my makeup bag/drawer/life.  As all my individual products were chosen precisely for my skin tone, I completely hit the jackpot with Bare Minerals' divine powder blush.  You only need use the tiniest amount as the powder is incredible dense, but that makes it the most valuable possession.  I switch between Chanel's actually-smells-like-roses blush Joues Contraste too as this is probably the most incredible piece of makeup that I own, but I use it very sparingly so as to only enable its goodness for the very special occasions.
www.bareminerals.co.uk
www.chanel.com

Estee Lauder Two Tone mascara (£25)

Another press trial and another all-too-regular makeup bag staple comes from the team at Estee Lauder.  Introducing, Two Tone Eye Opening Mascara.  Bit of a mouthful, but so worth it.  On first impressions it appears gaudy, a little overdressed in its entire golden splendor, and a little heavy.  With two ends, a brown wand for the bottom lashes and a deep black for the top, the famous EL, as it has been known in our flat, is perfect for recreations of Twiggy's wide-eyes.  And on a makeup day, that's always me.  You know when you've met the one, and this is mine.
www.esteelauder.co.uk

Sephora Rouge Cream Mr. Lover lipstick ($12)

Some like it hot, some like it red…I like it pink.  Lipstick, that is.  I have been on the pursuit of the perfect pink lipstick for longer than I care to remember.  I have requested pink trios of lipstick from every brand I can find, been gifted packages of many, many that just weren't quite right.  Chanel sent some, Bare Minerals sent some, even Dior.  Dior's Swan comes almost perfectly close to a day-night perfect pink, but I am a little more swayed by Sephora's Mr Lover.  I admit it's not the pink I have been daily-searching for, but hot pink is a happy substitute.  Even if the name alone takes your fancy, it comes with Shard-high recommendations.  Of many of the lipsticks I have tried and failed at using, Sephora's Rouge Cream has most consistently delighted.  It doesn't fade, smear or wear off- it's never out of place and the colour fixes all day.  Okay so a little comes off on a wine glass here and there, but we're all winning in that scenario.  Disappointingly, Sephora still don't ship to the UK which is the biggest nuisance, but happily various European/North American dwelling friends are only too willing to post packages home to London in cases of extreme Sephora-itis.  I am only too inclined to buy Sephora makeup, that's how good it is.
www.sephora.com

Enter Pronoun Blacknailed eyeliner $28

Bizarrely, visiting Enter Pronoun's website brings up a header describing 'a unisex makeup collection'.  This hasn't stopped me from using their divine Blacknailed eyeliner every single day since it popped through into my in-tray during the summer.  The blackest black felt tip pen is the easiest eyeliner I have had the pleasure of using, even trumping my long-term BFF, Sephora's Long-Lasting 12HR Wear to the top spot.  Enter Pronoun's silver-packaged simple liner has never let me down, even in moments of flash flood, knee-jerk emotions or puddle-splashed-in-face-on-Curtain-Road (yup, that definitely happened), I have not been left resembling a panda.  And it's not even specifically waterproof, which I figure is even better.  Coming in at $28, it's not the cheapest eyeliner you'll ever use, but it might just be the best.
www.enterpronoun.com

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