Angela Lukach | January 1st, 2008

Rouquinne’s Makeup Missive

  
 
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On a chilly day in November last year, I arrived at my office after hiking up the hill from my home and found my lips parched and in need of some moisture. I reached into my purse for my makeup bag and pulled it out. It was bulging, and when I opened it, I found out why. When I spilled it all out on my desk, I found seven MAC lipsticks, two MAC lip glosses, one Avon gloss, two tubes of concealer, a lip liner, an eyebrow pencil, four eye liner pencils and one lip brush. My compact (MAC Studio Fix foundation) was still in my purse.

Eleven lip products alone for one pair of lips! I realized it was time for a makeup bag makeover.

Each of us has our own idea of what is essential to carry in our purse each day. But there are a few things that are commonly found in every woman’s daily makeup bag.

First, a good mirror is absolutely necessary. Most of those found inside compacts tend to be a bit small and get dirty quickly, so a separate mirror — at least a few inches square — is a good choice. Mine is from Avon, and it’s double-sided.

Rather than taking your foundation everywhere with you, take along a concealer that matches your skin tone. This is useful for touch-ups, especially if you blow your nose as often as I do or if your mascara decides to migrate under your eyes.

I like to bring my powder foundation to blot away shine, but you might prefer blotting papers. These remove excess oil with a minimum of disruption to your foundation. Sephora, Philosophy, Shu Uemera, Bare Escentuals, Bourjois and Shiseido all make them.

Lip color is one makeup item that requires touch-ups often during the day (unless you wear a long-lasting formula). I always bring the lipstick (or seven) that I chose that morning, and bring it along with a coordinating gloss shade (or three). And I always wear a neutral lip liner that matches my natural lip color rather than trying to match my various lipsticks. (Sephora’s house brand in shade 114 is my choice.)

Other than these items, the rest is really up to your personal style and the size of your makeup bag. I prefer to carry eye liner in medium-dark brown and an eggplant shade because I find those work best with my day-to-day eye makeup. You might want to bring along an eye shadow instead. A pencil form that matches what you already have on, or something to transform your look, is ideal. Some to try: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil, Pop Beauty Glitter Stix, MAC Shadesticks.

If your blush tends to fade by the end of the day, you might want to consider Benefit’s Benetint. It is ideal for cheeks and lips and comes in a miniature size and a “pocket-pal” format that’s just right to tuck into your purse.

Many makeup companies make products that do double or triple-duty, like NARS The Multiple. This stick product can be used as eye shadow, blush and lipstick and comes in 13 lovely shades. It will easily tuck into your purse, even if you don’t carry a makeup bag. Benefit Rush Hour is a similar product.

Since that November day, I’ve significantly pared down the number of products I tote around in my makeup bag.

Maybe that could be your New Year resolution!