Can you believe I’ve bugged ten people for this already? Time flies so fast when you are a creeper!

For this week’s installment of Nosy Beauty—an excuse to nose around people’s belongings—we have Regina Belmonte, who is the associate beauty editor for Cosmopolitan Philippines, and a lifestyle/beauty columnist for the Philippine Star.

As what usually happens with my friendships, I met Reggie online and then met her for real in college, as we were part of the same org. I truly think she is one of the most beautiful people, with such a unique face.

She told me to feel free to edit her since she tends to ramble about makeup, but you know me: I’m totally all for that. I bolded general statements and things I generally agree with (lol), but the words after the next photo are all her own. Check out what’s in her bag!

I love makeup, but in moderation more and more the older I get. I think when I was first dabbling in makeup as an insecure teen (I started late, at 18), it sort of became my front; something that made me feel more beautiful than I believed I was.

Now that I have a little more love for myself, I feel like the makeup’s just there to make what I like about myself stand out and, in the case of my dark circles, cover up what I don’t. Basically, I use it to look like the version of myself that I see in my head… you know, the one that isn’t Debbie Harry. (Sadly.)

The nature of my job means that I always have new makeup. I don’t keep it all; my drawers are already overstuffed with stuff, so I share the beauty blessings with my officemates. But I do keep a few things every month, which means that I switch out items in my kit on a regular basis.

I just realized that my kit’s actually pretty basic for someone in the beauty biz, but hey, I like to keep it as simple as I can. My kit is a mesh pencil case I bought in National Bookstore (my powder doesn’t fit, so I just toss that into my purse; I do my bronzing and highlighting at home and leave those on my counter, haha).

Here’s what’s in it right now:

I’m obsessed with my skin, so I try not to put too much on it. I hate the feeling of base; it feels heavy on me even when it isn’t heavily applied, and I get scared to touch my face (which I do often) because what if I scratch off my foundation and there’s a different-colored streak???, so I stopped wearing foundation over a year ago.

(I make an exception for Very Special Occasions. In those rare cases, the foundation I end up using is whatever the makeup artist has onhand, but if I feel compelled to put on my own for whatever reason, it’s MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation in NC35.)

I transitioned into tinted moisturizer (Laura Mercier in Sand), then BB cream (Bobbi Brown in Medium), then I just gave up on base altogether because I felt it was unnecessary. Good skin’s the best foundation, so I work extra hard on mine.

These days, after doing my morning skincare routine, I just cover up my hereditary dark circles with concealer (MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC35 now because I’m a little tan, NC30 when I’m not; sometimes I blend them), then powder my T-zone with MAC Studio Fix pressed powder. (I think this is NC40, though I switch between that and NC35 depending on how “tan” I am. I have this deathly fear of looking like I dunked my face in powder in pictures with flash.) I love to look glowy, but try to keep it matte in the center.

When I want to look a little more tan (what is it with me and tans?), I blend the tiniest dab of NARS Laguna Illuminator on the apples of my cheeks. (I think this is the sample size; I’m pretty sure I got it with a press kit.)

Carina did a spectacular post about highlighters once (sidenote, I am kilig and linking said post here), and I feel the same way about them as she does: I think they’re amazing.

One of the international makeup artists I interviewed told me that highlighters are key for contouring, and they’re far more subtle than bronzer (which, when applied with too heavy a hand, can look like a dark stripe on your cheeks). So, I apply Laura Mercier Face Illuminator in Spellbound in a C-shape from my brow bones to the tops of my cheekbones to give them a little boost.

I dust NARS blush in Orgasm (it looks good on everyone!) on the apples of my cheeks, then when I’m in the mood for a little extra contouring, I dust a very small amount of Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder in Bronze-04 with a loose brush under my cheekbones. (Keep it subtle! The goal is definition, not drag queen.)

I’m actually not an eye person, though everyone I’ve ever met who knows anything about makeup has commented that my eyes are made for eye makeup. I guess I defaulted to bold lips early on in life, and thus, never felt the need to play up my eyes.

I usually just curl my lashes with a Shu Uemura crimper (the one in my kit now is the Karl Lagerfeld one with the très kawaii Mon Shu Girl) then top them off with mascara (Lancôme Hypnose Star is in my kit now, but when that runs out, I’ll probably go back to Maybelline Volum’ Express Hyper Curl Mascara).

Brows are essential, of course. Right now, NARS Brow Perfector is in there, but K-Palette’s Lasting 2-Way Eyebrow is just as likely to make an appearance. Brows and lashes are all the definition you really need.

Sometimes, I’ll do a little liner. I prefer pencil to liquid formulas; I don’t like the shine you sometimes get with liquid liners. The rich, matte texture of pencils is totally my thing, and you can do precise winged liner just as well with those, anyway. I keep K-Palette Real Lasting Eyepencil in my kit.

I also always have a neutral eyeshadow palette, just in case. You can do pretty much anything with a good neutral palette, but my go-to is a smoky eye. (Of course.) I bought the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette in Singapore, but I think I may have left it behind in Japan because I’m an idiot.

Luckily, I still have the original Naked palette at home, and this lovely limited edition Bobbi Brown bridal palette, among a few others in my stash. I only ever end up using the most neutral nude shade all over my lids, then I blend black (or whatever’s darkest) in the creases and along the lash line, and use it as lower-lid liner because I think pencil’s a little too stark for that area. (But that also depends on the intensity of the eye I’m going for.)

I’m a total lipstick whore and my collection, consisting mostly of ridiculous colors and mattes, probably numbers in the 60s by now. I haven’t counted in a while. Anyway, I always keep at least two shades in my kit.

There will always be a shade of matte red, because red is my thing. (This one is MAC Ruby Woo.) I’ll also always have a pinkish nude in case I decide to go for a smoky eye. (I recently discovered Bobbi Brown’s Sandwash Pink, which is perfect for me. I also love MAC Brave. I like a little pink in my nudes because I feel like I need some color; I’m anemic, and I hate looking washed out.)

I may or may not have another shade (something wild) in my bag, too, depending on what I’m wearing. Lately it’s been either Heroine, All Fired Up (a gorgeous pink retro matte that’s out in September), or Scarlet Ibis, all matte, all MAC.

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And that’s it for this week’s bag! Many thanks to Reggie, who was kind enough to take the time off to do this for me. 🙂 If you want to read more about her life (she is into photography, books, travel, and music, too), check out her blog here.

For more beauty spazzing, check out Cosmopolitan Philippines! Not an ad (lol); I just really respect her beauty opinion. And, here! A preview of next week’s bag:

Can you give a good guess as to whose it is? For more Nosy Beauty, click here.