I forgot how I found Mariana, I think I might just have been starting out on my blog then. But I was instantly drawn to her type of blog and style of makeup. Reading The Beauty Bee, I really admired how laidback her it was, but still remained informative. She’s a bit busy these days (read on to figure out why) but I always look forward to her posts. Funnily enough, she is also a member of bntgirls, like me, and Kine and Alene, both of whom I’ve featured on Nosy Beauty before. 😀

Here’s a little peek at her everyday essentials. 🙂

Hello! My name is Mariana and I’m a full-time student at the Ateneo Law School. When I’m not studying, I’m usually still reading (mostly fantasy fic) or trying out new restaurants with the boyfriend. I love animals (most especially horses and dogs) and I love being outdoors, though I’ve lived in a city all my life. Makeup is something I’ve always been interested in, but it’s only in the last few years that I’ve really gotten into it. Keeping a beauty blog is definitely one of the ways I like to de-stress and unwind.

Today I’m going to give you guys a peek at my makeup bag(s) and what I like to keep in them. I never really did this (lug around a makeup bag) until recently, so this is interesting even to me! Have a look:

First, the bag. I got this pretty “Marc by Marc Jacobs” bag at a Christmas bazaar last year. The brand name is in quotation marks because I’m pretty sure it’s an export overrun. Hehe. I doubt I would drop money on a real one. Still, for an overrun, it’s very durable. I picked it for the kiss mark design, of course.

It holds a ton of makeup if I want it to. When I don’t have too much, it can also collapse into a very small size. I’ve used it for travelling and also for when I go back and forth between my main house and my condo unit, which is the purpose it’s serving me at the moment. Now, here’s what’s inside:

Face Base
I switch up my liquid bases and powders pretty often, but my concealers stay the same. This particular set of products works for me right now because I don’t want to waste too much time when I’m getting ready for school.

I spread my Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer on (there are two because I have to mix the shades Fawn and Sand), apply my MUD Blue Corrector to address darkness under the eyes, add some K Palette Zero Kuma Concealer also under the eyes to brighten that area up, use the COLLECTION Lasting Perfection Concealer to cover any blemishes, and then set with either the Clinique Stay Matte Translucent Powder or the Bourjois Healthy Mix powder, depending how much coverage I think I need for that day. That takes me about 5 minutes—maybe 3 if I’m really in a rush.

My everyday look is focused on just enhancing the skin (not covering everything) and defining my brows, lashes, and lips enough to make me look more alive.

Eyes
My trusty customized Inglot palette has replaced my Stila In the Light palette as the most used in my collection. It’s heavier, but more compact, so I like taking it around with me. Other than that, I usually have one other eye shadow single or a small palette with me too, since the colours in my Inglot palette are more on the neutral side. Right now I’m carrying the Maybelline Lumineyes palette in Wine, which has been great for creating that deep berry, kind of Fall feel.

My favourite eyeshadow primer has to come along too, of course. That’s theBalm’s Put A Lid On It. I also carry a black Rimmel Scandaleyes eyeliner, which I use to tightline. I rarely ever wear thick eyeliner on my lids these days, but just last year I couldn’t even imagine leaving the house without a thick, black, winged-out eye.

Etc.
Even if it’s not the most compact blush I own, my Milani Baked Blush in Terra Sole is perfect to carry around because it adds colour and shape to my cheeks all in one go. It’s not a matte blush so it acts as a sort of highlight as well. This is my second favourite blush of all time.

Mascara is another thing that I like to switch up often. I have six in rotation at the moment, but the one in my makeup bag happened to be Revlon’s Grow Luscious Lash Potion (001 blackest black, always!). This is the non waterproof version, which I prefer because it’s very easy to remove at the end of the day.

For brows, I keep my Shu Uemura Hard 9 brow pencil in Seal Brown with me when I’m on the go. I prefer to use a couple of shades of powder eyebrow colour with an angled brush, but this pencil is just so easy to use and easy to carry around.

What’s this, another bag? Hehe, yup! Meet my bag organizer! You won’t find any lip products in my main makeup bag because they mostly sit my bag along with some other makeup essentials that I need to have with me all the time.

In the pocket to the far right, you can see some Clean & Clear blotting sheets. They are probably the most important retouch item I have. There’s also a mirror somewhere in that pocket, along with some mints.

Retouch Tools
Inside the main compartment of my bag organizer, I keep a bottle of Cinema Secrets Moisture Spray, my Human Heart Nature Perfect Coverage Mineral Foundation, and a small Ecotools kabuki brush. After a long day out, a combo of these three things will help me build up some coverage on my skin again without making me go all cakey.

After blotting away any excess oil, I’ll mist a light layer of the moisture spray on my face and then use the kabuki brush to lightly press the foundation into my skin. I find that this gives a very natural finish while adding more coverage.

And finally, here are my lip products:
Clinique’s Chubby Stick Intense in Curviest Caramel, Too Faced’s La Crème lipstick in Spice Spice Baby, and Revlon’s Lip Butter in Pink Truffle, are all MLBB shades on me. The first two are slightly lighter than my natural lip colour while Pink Truffle is pretty much my lip colour but with a tiny bit more pigment. It just evens my lips out.

Lately I’ve been carrying a MAC Sheen Supreme lipstick around. This one is Good To Be Bad. It’s a blacked red with plummy undertones that I love to wear smudged into my lips. It gives me a 90s grunge kind of look that I really like at the moment.

And that’s it for my makeup bag(s)! 🙂

I don’t think I have a set beauty philosophy, but something I always remind myself to do is to change it up often. You won’t know how much that purple eyeshadow with cool grey tones suits you unless you try it out. You’ll never find the perfect shade of blush that makes you feel like a million bucks unless you play around with some. You will also learn what absolutely does not work for you when you play around with makeup often, and that is always good to know.

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Thank you Mariana! Check out a sneak peek of next week’s post:

Any clue as to who will be featured? For more Nosy Beauty, click here.