Best of Beauty Blog Challenge | Make Up Must Haves

Week 3 of the #BOBBlogChallenge already? This week the focus is Make Up Must Haves, those essential items you just can't live without! I also recommend heading over to All The Buzz to check out Samantha's post and to see all the participants in the Challenge!

So I've rounded up the troops and I think I'm left with the following essentials...

First up is the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum, not to be confused with the foundation, the serum has a nice light, velvety feel to it. I have mentioned this foundation time and time again on my blog, so instead of boring you, here is a full review. I wear it day and night, I love it!

Next up is the Bobbi Brown Corrector. It's perfect for on the go, it covers under your eyes well, with a tiny hint of highlight. I have my one quite a long time now and I still haven't hit pan, so while it's not super cheap, it definitely is lasting a lot longer than any concealer I have ever owned. To top it all off, it has a little mirror in, which saves me carrying around an extra item in my makeup bag, perfect!

This is definitely my "go to" lipstick. I think it's great for everyday wear, while also having enough colour for nights out too! I'm rarely without this Bourjois Shine Edition Lipstick. So much so, it's almost finished at this stage. Would you believe it'll be the first EVER lipstick I completely used? I usually lose a lipstick or grow bored of it before I could ever possibly reach the end. So I don't think it could come with a stronger endorsement from me! 

I have five of these Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24hr Cream Shadows in total and I love them all. They're great as an eyeshadow themselves, but even more commonly I use them as a base for other shades. I find using these stops all other shadows from budging, even after hours of wear. I also find whenever there is some wear, it's great to have a lasting shade underneath (which is why I have 5 shades, I will try to match the cream shadow base with the colour I am actually wearing).

Finally I have the Rimmel Lash Accelerator Endless. I love this mascara for really separating and lengthening my lashes. Then if I want dramatic eyes I will usually layer it with another volumising mascara. It's perfect on its own for everyday wear as well as for nights out!


So that's it for another week, do you own any of these products, what do you think of them?
What are your make up must haves?

Blogtober #18 | Mini Boots Haul

Due to technical difficulties I am a little later than planned here. Blogtober Day 18 is upon us. Another short one this evening. I thought I would share with you a mini haul drugstore haul.

I got quite a few No7 protect & perfect skin items along with dry shampoo, leave in conditioner, heat protectant spray, foundation, lip lacquer and eye shadows. It was a relatively small haul, but as of course skin care was involved, it didn't exactly make it a cheap one. I will however be doing a Skin Care Routine post in the coming days, featuring some of the products shown above, so keep an eye out for that.

What I am interested to know is, am I alone in this one? I went into Boots with the intention of buying the Bourjois Serum Foundation, that was the only thing I "needed" and yet I cam out with a much lighter wallet. I've decided there's too many brands under one roof and there's something hypnotic in their lighting...

What little shopping trips have you made of late?
Are you like me and cannot be left unsupervised in a shop?

Blogtober #15 | Favourite Lipstick

Welcome to Blogtober Day 15, apologies for missing the last two days I have been quite unwell. Feeling much better now and ready to get back into it! So this is a look at some of my favourite lipsticks which are perfect for Autumn/Winter. I have included a mixture of high street and high end brands, with a price range from approx €6 to €36, so something for all budgets.

In addition to above I couldn't find my MAC lipstick (shade: lustering) for this picture, but here are some of my favourites at the moment. I've mentioned the Bourjois lipstick on more than one occasion, so it's no surprise it's here yet again! The Make Up For Ever nude shade is great for everyday wear, where as the Rimmel Kate, Topshop & YSL lipsticks are definitely reserved for nights out or whenever a bold lip is acceptable.

I just think lipstick is amazing, you can have the most minimal of make up on, pop on some lipstick and you've transformed any look (especially if you go for bold colours).


What lipsticks are you loving right now?
What are you favourite shades for Autumn/Winter?

Blogtober #12 | Autumnal/Wintery Eye MakeUp

Welcome one and all to day 12 of Blogtober. This is a very simple little post on what colours I'm currently enjoying wearing on my eyes for this time of year. It's probably not very surprising, but I am of course utilising my NAKED 1 palette from Urban Decay. It's nothing ground breaking, but since there are so many shades in this palette, I try make the most of it using it as a shadow, liner and brow filler.

I have listed the specific shades used below:

Brows: Naked
Lids: Sidecar
Crease/Under Eye: Darkhorse
Inner Corner: Virgin
Mascara: Maybelline The Rocket Volume (Waterproof)


What are some of your favourites shades and products for Autumn/Winter?

Blogtober #3 | Review: Maybelline Cream Gel Eye Shadow

On to day 3 of #Blogtober already, this post is a review of Maybelline's Colour Tattoo 24hr Creme Gel Eyeshadows.

On and on Bronze, Pink Gold, Permanent Taupe

Immortal Charcoal, Timeless Black

There are some brighter shades available in this range, however I chose the most neutral, wearable colours available. Spoiler alert: these shadows are amazing! I would recommend them to anyone and everyone. They rival MAC's paint pots or Make Up For Ever's Aqua Shadows. They go on quite wet, you can buff them in with a fluffy brush (I recommend a MAC 217 brush) and hey presto they dry quite fast. You are then set for the day as they don't budge.

The best part is you can wear them as your eye shadow or you can wear them as a base for any of your other shadows. I especially think you can really buff the On and on Bronze or Pink Gold in and they are the perfect base for any colour shadow on top.

You can pick these up in any Drugstore/Pharmacy, they retail at approximately €7.50 each. Which is an absolute bargain when you consider how much the MAC/Make Up For Ever equivalent go for.

Have you tried any of these Colour Tattoo Eye Shadows from Maybelline?
What are your favourite cream eye shadows?

*COMPETITION* - Win a Ted Baker Make Up Bag full of Goodies!

This competition is open for the month of September! To be in with a chance of winning everything you see (worth over €70), please like Beauty Baggage on Facebook (and share the competition photo) and follow Beauty Baggage on Twitter (and re-tweet the competition photo). 

At the end of the month a winner will be chosen at random from all the shares and retweets (the more you share, the more chances you have of winning).

What you could win:
- Ted Baker makeup bag
- Barry M Gelly Nail Polish
- Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder
- Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte Lipstick by Kate Moss
- Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
- Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Eye Liner
- Maybelline Colour Tattoo 24hr
- Derma Hand & Nail Cream
- Sure Deodorant
- Nivea Lip Balm
- V05 Ultimate Hold Hair Spray
- V05 Tame & Shine Heat Defense Spray


BeautyBaggage Facebook: facebook.com/BeautyBaggage
BeautyBaggage Twitter: twitter.com/BeautyBaggage

Get entering now!

Mascara Collection

Today's post is all about the mascaras that I currently have on the go. From looking at what I use, I have realised I use all high street/drug store brands. I have never been one for high end mascaras, I guess I don't tend to rate mascara as important as some of my other beauty products.

Here is the current selection of mascaras that are making their way into my make up back over the last couple of months.

I have come to find I use them all at different times and depending on what I'm doing. Some are better for day time/office wear, while others are my preferred options for going out. Sometimes I also like to combine two different types. In terms of subtle day wear I personally think the Max Factor Falsh Lash Effect (5th mascara) is the best (which is in complete contrast to what the name suggests). If I have been wearing this Max Factor for the day in work and I want more dramatic eyes for the evening, I bring Rimmell Lash Accelerator with me (last mascara), a layer of this on top of the Max Factor mascara is perfect. When it comes to a more dramatic look for going out on the town, I reach for the Rimmel Lash Accelerator Endless (1st mascara). I feel even one layer is sufficient, but two layers makes it even more dramatic.

I have shown all the various wand types below to give you a feel for each mascara.

What mascaras are you currently using?
What brands would you recommend for day time and night time looks?

Summer Series | Holiday Essentials

Okay apologies are in order. There has been a massive delay between my last post and this one. July seemed to pass me by in a flash. Granted it's now August, but until schools are back, it always still feels like summer, so I have the final post in my Summer Series, you can find post one here and post two here.

So the reason my July was so jam-packed was mostly due to holidays. This year I decided to do a series of small trips and as a result my make-up bag needed to stay light. So I'm going to share with you what made the cut.

Since I spent some time travelling around Ireland as well as the UK, airport security was also a factor. Keeping it basic was key (full details of products below).

I made sure to keep it really minimal, I left out things like primer, eye lash curlers, extra brushes, brought no more than one of each type of product.I brought the two essential brushes (and the NAKED palette comes with one), I figured anything else could be blended with fingers. I guess my main piece of advice, even if you think you need everything, there's surely a couple more things you can cut out. I know personally when I'm away on holidays, I just want to spend the minimal amount of time on getting ready as there is so much to go out and enjoy and experience. I even know some days I won't want to wear make up. So I really factor this into my final choices. Essentially a good rule of thumb is: no more than one of anything. I find the biggest thing that will weigh you down is have three different mascaras and five types of lip gloss. Choose the bare essentials and your back will thank you for it, when you don't have to lug it all around from city to city.

I teamed my make up collection with the a couple of nail varnishes (again look for cheats like using the same polish for your base coat and top coat). I kept it bright, summery and simple.

So the running theme is basic and minimal. What are you holiday essentials that you can't live without? Do you pack light or do you pack everything, including the kitchen sink?

Face
Make Up For Ever Face & Body Liquid Make Up (#20)
NARS Creamy Concealer (Custard)
Bobbi Brown Sheer Finish Pressed Powder (Pale Yellow)
Bourjois Blush (48 Ashes of Roses)

Brushes
Real Techniques Expert Face Brush
Real Techniques Powder Brush

Eyes
NAKED Palette (No. 1)
Essence Eye Liner Pen (Black)
Maybelline The Rocket Volume Mascara (Waterproof - Black)

Lips
Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquer (Big Bang)
Make Up For Ever Rough Artist Natural Lipstick (N22 Pink Peach)

Nails
Essie Top Coat (No Chips Ahead)
Rimmel Salon Pro - Kate Collection (Purple Rain)
Models Own Splash Collection (Pink Paradise)

June Favourites

So we're already into July and full swing into Summer, even if the weather only sometimes appears to reflect that here in Ireland. Below I have shared my favourite products for the month of June. They are all compact, small products that feature this month. I guess in the summer time you have less pockets and smaller handbags, it's compact make up's time to shine! For reference I have included the full names and shades of all products at the end of this post.

Hair Care - Tangle Teezer

I have always been a little sceptical of this comb which claims to de-tangle your hair. As someone who bleaches their hair blonde, there are a large number of products I've tried that aren't quite up to the task. A few weeks ago I decided to take the plunge and bought a Tangle Teezer and boy was I proven wrong. I would recommend this to everyone and anyone. I have done a complete flip and am utterly in love with this product. After washing my hair and towel drying, I apply a leave in conditioner/de-tangler spray and then glide this comb through my hair. There are no snags or pulls. Magic! I bought the travel version, so it is great as it comes with a cover to keep the bristles in tact when you're on the move.

Blusher - Bourjois

I am really enjoying this little blusher from Bourjois. I actually got it free when I purchased the Bourjois Foundation mentioned here, which is always nice. I like the simple packaging that matches the shade of the product, making it easy to find in my make up bag. It is a nice bright colour and a little goes a long way!

Corrector - Bobbi Brown

This little product has become a make up bag essential for me, it's so small and compact. It's Bobbi Brown's corrector. It is great for disguising bags under my eyes and just generally brightening up my eyes. I have had it for months, and as you can see I've barely made a dent. So while it is a little pricier than some brands, you really get your value for money in its longevity.


Eye Shadow - Maybelline

This Color Tattoo 24hour shadow is a relatively new edition to my collection. While I haven't heavily tested in terms of staying power as yet, I'm loving it as a neutral shade all over my lids when I'm going for a very natural make up look. It finishes your eyes off without drawing too much attention, I am in love with this shade. I have also used it once or twice a base for other eye shadows, with great effect.

**Star Buy** - Tangle Teezer

Tangle Teeezer - Compact Styler - Gold Rush
Bourjois - Blush - 48 Ashes of Roses
Bobbi Brown - Corrector - Extra Light Bisque
Maybelline - Gel/Cream Eyeshadow - Colour Tattoo 24hour - 35 On and on bronze


What were some of your favourite products in June?
Have you tried any of the above, what do you think of them?