What's in My Makeup Bag: A Peek Into the Girlfriends' Secrets

People might find having a lot of products annoying, but not me. Working as a hair and makeup artist I am usually carrying around 2 x makeup kits with me. One hair kit, and one very large makeup kit. This forces me to be really sufficiently organised, which for me and my personality is an absolute winner. 

I have products for all skin types and all occasions, always prepared. 

Although my everyday makeup bag is quite different to my professional makeup kit, it’s still a reflection of me.

So let’s talk about the essentials. In this blog post I will be sharing with you what is currently in my everyday makeup bag, outside of my professional makeup kit. 

When it comes to my makeup bag I not only have the Lis essentials in there, but you will usually find that little bit of something extra to add to that makeup glam. This generally includes 2 styles of my LUVIRI Silk Lashes, LUVIRI Strong Hold Lash Glue and Lash Applicator. Not only is this makeup bag with me at home, but I also travel with this kit, so I need to be prepared and cover all my bases. I don’t want to feel naked and miss out on those nights out with the girls without my flirty false strip fluttering lashes. 

As a bona-fide makeup lover of all things beauty, on girls weekends away and family trips abroad, I love looking at what is in the other fabulous ladies makeup bags too. Fear of missing out, or a product/ brand that I’m not familiar with? Either way, what a fun way to share our favourite makeup essentials together.

Sometimes my eye palettes change as well as lip colours, pending on the event or seasons, but here is my current makeup bag essentials for 2022.

Makeup Brushes:

My makeup brushes are the tools of the trade that allows you to achieve beautiful makeup looks and create that airbrush base on the face without using those dreaded makeup sponges. That’s right, I’m not a fan of those makeup sponges as they always look like a bacteria breeding ground. Rubbing that on my face, no thank you! Brushes for the win. 

My makeup brush flavour currently, is the Peaches & Cream makeup brushes. I can confidently say that I have hundreds of Makeup Brushes, but in my personal makeup bag I bring it back to basics, just like Christina Agueilera sang it.

Their brushes are cruelty free and made from luxury synthetic fibres which are really soft & hold product quite well. 

Tip - My favourite base brush would be a dense foundation brush for a quick and flawless application. Light circular motions for that airbrush look.

 

Base:

Not only do I love makeup, but I also love Skincare Makeup. If I am going to be using a base on my face everyday, I want to make sure that I’m ticking off the two must-haves. Firstly that It's not tested on animals, and secondly, that it’s GOOD for my skin. Introducing the Jane Iredale Glow Time Full Coverage Mineral BB Cream. Don’t be fooled by the BB Cream title, this is a full coverage BB Cream and is also light-weight wearing. It has anti-aging ingredients that have your skin not only looking clear and even skin toned, but feeling pampered and perfect as well. Loving that face glow. 

I use BB#7 and BB#6, you only need a very small amount as this goes a long way. Why 2 colours? I will usually mix them to get the correct shade I want. 

Tip - Colour matching is not always easy and can be tricky. However it should match the side of your face and neck. Blending downwards, past the jawline.

Powder:

When it comes to powder I’m matte all the way, with a natural dewy look that usually comes within an hour due to my skin type. Thanks to makeup brand Revolution, I found these cost effective matte powders to be a great addition without breaking the bank. Therefore I was able to buy 2 different shades which is beneficial as I’m usually in and out of tanning, so my colour generally changes. 

Rich in pigment with a weightless formula, thank you!

Tip - with my natural dewy skin, also known as “oily skin”, I find applying the powder to the more predominantly oily parts of my face is enough, rather than covering my whole face. As it can look cakey and streaky.

Blush:

I love to give my cheeks that radiant flush of colour, i stay away from pinks and hit the sunkissed glow with anything orange or coral based tones. 

Let’s welcome my personal at home favourite, NYX Ombre Blush - Soft Flush. Silky smooth with a luminous glow, it’s equally as good as the NARS Blush range, without being five times the cost, literally! 

Tip - Lightly blend it on your cheeks in a lazy J motion, avoiding circles. High points of the cheeks is preferred. Smiling is going to raise your cheekbones so avoid smiling while applying.

 

Eye Palette:

Because my professional palettes are much larger and too big for my everyday makeup bag, I usually carry with me my current go-to palettes which are Huda Beauty and a Morphe palette. The Huda Beauty palette is small in packaging plus I’m right into my brown and neutral tones at the moment. Morphe Maddie Ziegler The Imagination Palette is also a great addition as it offers the shimmers and alternative colours if I need.

Tip - I will always carry a few different eye brushes with me to help create different eye looks that I’m trying to achieve.

Mascara:

Mascara & Lipgloss are my two favourite cosmetics. If the world was ending I’d grab my lipgloss and mascara first, then my skincare. I would be ready to take shelter and prepare for the end of the world in style. 

Floating around in my makeup bag I have, drum roll…. Two Faced Damn Girl. I do love this brand of mascara. Although to tell a secret, my favourite is actually the Two Faced “Better Than Sex”. At present this is the one I'm carrying in my makeup bag. I do love that this mascara delivers extreme volume without feeling too heavy. It has a long-wearing formula which ensures that it's flake-resistant for an all-night-long wear. Goes perfectly with my LUVIRI Silk Lashes. 

I'm not opposed to buying drugstore mascaras, they can also be just as good as the bigger brands. 

Tip - Make sure when purchasing your mascara that you get the right size that suits you. It’s not one size fits all and with different wands and brushes, you want the one that you will be able to use the best. I have bigger eyes and long lashes so the bigger wands work fine, but if you have a smaller eye area and shorter lashes you will end up making a hot mess. So go for the smaller, shorter wands.

Lash Curler:

Goodbye old school manual lash curlers and a big fat hello to heated lash curlers. I am 100% all in and I am obsessed with the heated lash curler. If you haven’t tried them then you need to jump on board immediately, you will be an instant fan just like me. 

Benefits include a warm heated massage to the lashes, not having an invasive lash clamp that can pinch your skin and pull your lashes out, and a much better curled result at the end. 

Tip - Apply your mascara first and then curl your lashes with the heated lash curler. Moving slowly for at least ten seconds starting at the roots moving to the ends. 

 

Brows:

Brows Brows Brows! Forever trending in styles and brow products must haves, it’s all about the current trending eyebrows. Two of my favourite brow products to use to fill them in and keep looking fresh and fluffy are the PONi Mane Stain Brow Creme, and the Anastasia Beverley Hills Dipbrow Pomade.

Tip - Using an angle brush makes for a precise brow tool to easily outline and fill your brows in. Use an angle brush with a clean spoolie at the other end so you can fill and brush your brows right into place.

Eyeliner:

I have two eyeliners in my makeup bag, a black one for when I’m doing a night time smokey eyes and want to try and look my sultry best, and a brown colour (my favourite) for day or natural night time makeup looks. At the moment I’m rockin around with the Peaches & Cream Eyeroglyphics eyeliners. They are soft and creamy in texture, while also being smudge proof. Perfect for our sunny Queensland humidity.

Tip - Can be used to colour along the waterline or applied along the top lash line to create a liner look. You can also use the eyeliner pencil to create winged liner if you want to opt for a softer finish. 

Highlighter:

I won’t always use a highlighter because of my natural dewy skin, I’m lucky enough to create that au naturel shine. Because the blush I use has a shimmer in it already, it’s not always needed. But I’d rather not be caught out on the spot and regret not having my BECCA Shimmering Skin Perfector in shade, Opal. This baby is definitely worth the price tag. It is a really beautiful product and creates beautiful highlighting to the face. 

Tip - Can be used alone where desired, and can also be used to blend pigments with a proprietary liquid binder. 

 

Lipstick:

As an active working Makeup Artist I have copious amounts of lipsticks which can sometimes be hard to choose which lipsticks to take with me. But the winners in my makeup bag this week are two of my Tarte Lippie Lingerie. These beauties glide on so smoothly and have a twist up for an easy clean lip application. They’re also non-drying and give off a sexy matte look. 

If you haven’t tried these Vegan luxe hydrating lippies, get onto it! 

 

Lip Gloss:

Eye spy with my little eye what do I see?...... My Morphe 2 Glassified Lip Oil. Super hydrating with coconut and Jojoba oils, it feels like silk on the lips. Delicious! 

Choosing the right makeup bag mainly comes down to one thing, being cost effective. 

My makeup bags are replaced regularly as I don’t like to keep using them once they get too dirty or makeup stained. Therefore I will generally opt for the more cost effective 'at home' makeup bags that are still cute, but don't cost a small fortune, especially seeing as I’m replacing them quite frequently. 

I’m always fascinated by what other beauties have in their makeup bag, what favourites do you have in yours? Share your favourites with us. 

Luviri co-founders,
Lis & Kirby x