What's in my makeup bag?

After reading many different beauty blogs I've realised the best way for people to really get to know bloggers is to gain an insight into their everyday beauty routine.
A big part of my routine is my makeup, and everything I use everyday is carried around with me in my makeup bag.
I use a mish-mash of products, brands and colour pallettes and what I use daily is just based on my mood at the time.


                                                         
                                                                                       (makeup bag: Paul and Joe)
     

                   
For my face I use Revlon Photo Ready foundation in shade 008 Golden Beige as a base with certain areas highlighted by a slightly darker foundation: Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 hour in shade 400 Natural Beige. I use a Model's own Kabuki brush to apply a soft layer of The Body Shop Extra Virgin Mineral Foundation in shade 108 Golden Ivory.
To cover certain 'problem areas' I use Benefit Erase Paste in number 2 Medium, and to highlight I use another great Benefit product: High Beam Highlighter.
For a daily 'natural' finish to my skin I apply a splash of colour to my cheeks with Benefit Coralista Blusher.

I always find I'm rather boring with my eye makeup as because I have very blue eyes, I feel the only colour which doesn't clash is a neutral pallette, and often a brown smokey eye. I also have quite small eyes so I feel the darker or denser the black/brown on my eyes, the better.
I would normally use an MUA eyeshadow pallet in 'Undressed' as it has some really pigmented and blendable shadows. However when I'm out and about I don't tend to have room to carry a pallet around with me so I just use a small amount of my Nars eyeshadow in 'nightclubbing'. This shadow is great for going on a night out as it is incredibly pigmented and has tiny flecks of glitter. For eyeliner on my water-line I always use Revlon kohl pencil in Black Velvet as it's so easy to apply and blend for a dramatic eye. On top of my eyeshadow I apply a small slick of Revlon Colourstay Liquid Eye Pen. To top it off I use the blogger's favourite: Collection 2000 Skylash Mascara in black.
The brushes I use are part of a 6-piece set from Topshop Makeup collection.

My makeup bag tends to bulge rather-more at this time of year due to what the terrible weather does to my lips. Therefore I always find I'm carrying around 5 or 6 different lip care products. One of my favourites is Burt's Bees chap stick in mango.
However today I have three balms, three lipsticks and two lipglosses - just in case!
I have two raspberry flavoured balms as that's my favourite flavour, one is Balmi and one is Nivea in Raspberry Rose. (The Chapstick is for when I'm in dire straights!) 
I use many different lipglosses, mainly for going out and not so much on a daily basis. But the ones I have in my makeup bag today are Collection 2000 Lock 'n' Hold in Break Dance and MUA Out There Plumping gloss in Nude. 

Lipstick is of great importance to me as I use it more than any other lip product, without fail, every day. The colour I choose depends on my mood but more often than not I choose a softer colour such as Lord and Berry's lipstick in Deep Nude, Intensity. If I was going for a less subtle but more colour pop I'd wear Topshop Lipstick in Ohh La La. Alternatively, if I were opting for a more dramatic look I'd wear my Nars lipstick in Fire Down Below.

Hopefully you have enjoyed reading about what I carry in my makeup bag and my daily makeup routine. Obviously I don't intend to show I have any great experience in makeup application however this is just my daily routine :)

Sophie.

xoxo

'The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides...' - Audrey Hepburn

Entering the world of blogging...

Being an avid technology fan and a lover of beauty, fashion and the creative world, I decided that maybe Twitter, Facebook and Instagram weren't as far as I could stretch.

I've been a keen follower of many beauty blogs over the past year and have found myself getting closer and closer to becoming a beauty blogger through my interest in makeup, hair, fashion and all things beauty, not to mention my beauty purchases and pictures shared through Instagram and Twitter! 

I suppose the reason I've only just begun beauty blogging was that I felt I wasn't good enough. I naively decided you needed heaps of knowledge on the latest beauty products and the most exclusive blogging software to even begin beauty blogging. However after reading many beauty bloggers' first posts and experiences with blogging, I realised that I wasn't the only one who felt they weren't good enough for the beauty blogging world. In fact every single beauty blogger I have seen and read about had previously sought help from others, such as friends or fellow bloggers, design and software boffins or even just the trusty 'Blogging for Dummies' book.

Which leads me on to my next point. Feeling rather frightened about the blogging world and I suppose inferior to those with such successful blogs, I decided to read the handbook 'Blogging for Dummies' which I bought from WHSmith (many other book stores sell it too). I couldn't believe how helpful it was as the writing style didn't make me feel patronised or buried under mounds of knowledge difficult to digest. This was perfect for a novice blogger feeling as nervous as I did about the blogging world, as it addressed many different kinds of bloggers, as one knows that there are many different kinds of blogs around (hundreds, in fact). 

I'm keen to get my blog looking great and attracting many, because to share my love of beauty and fashion with others as keen as me and to give inspiration to those wanting to follow the same route is my idea of fun! Just fingers crossed that my blog will be read by many and enjoyed by plenty. I aim to please and that's just what I'm going to try and do!

'Nothing is impossible, the word itself says "I'm possible"' - Audrey Hepburn