My First | MAC Palette

I'm not entirely sure how I've done it, but I've somehow managed to get through life to date without owning a MAC palette. Yes I own a few single pots, but not even that many to be honest. While rooting through the MAC website recently, this dawned on me. So of course, with me being me, I needed to sort that out promptly. So the very next day I went to the BT2 MAC store on Henry street to rectify this injustice! Firstly I did a little research online to decide which shades I wanted specifically, using the MAC site and some of my favourite bloggers for reference.

I was very excited to get home and put it all together. I went for a quad to start with, I though a full pro palette (which holds 15 shades) would look a little depressing with 11 empty pots. I think I am going to attempt to de-pot the four single pots I already have also. That would go a long way to filling up the pro palette. Ok so to get onto the shades I decided to go for...

So the four shades I chose are Espresso, Cranberry, All That Glitters and Woodwinked. I decided to start out practical and pick shades I know I would regularly use. My thought process being that Espresso could work in the crease of my eye as well as an eyebrow shade, Cranberry and Woodwinked could both work as crease colours or in the outter corners, depending on the look I was creating and All That Glitters would be perfect for all over the lid. So this one quad could provide all the basic colours I need to create a couple of different neutral eye looks. I know Cranberry wouldn't be everyone's pick for a neutral look, but I quite like using Toasted and Hustle from the NAKED 1 palette, so this type of shade does not scare me.

So there you have it, my very first MAC palette. Do you own a MAC palette and have any shade recommendations? I do intend to grow my collection over the coming years. Ultimately my intention will be to own the 15 shades pro palette and keep the quad for travelling, but I know I'm while off that just yet.

This first purchase was quite an investment and it certainly wasn't cheap, it came to €58.50 in total, but I knew the initial cost would be high and then I'll slowly build them up over time. It's €8.50 for the quad palette and then €12.50 for each shadow. However if you do intend to buy a few, it's cheaper than buying individual pots and also much neater for transporting and storing.

I hope you liked this post and definitely get commenting on what your favourite shades are, I love getting recommendations! That's it from me, hope you're having a great Sunday afternoon whatever you're up to!

#FOTD | Everyday Glam

This is a bit of a different post from yours truly. I've decided to share with you some of the products I would use for an everyday look with that little something extra. So what would be perfect for a day out with the girls, on a trip away with that special someone or just whenever you might want to go that little bit extra! I don't tend to go too dramatic with my night out makeup most of the time, for me, this look would be perfect for a night out too! I may even do more of these "Face of the Day" type posts down the line, should anyone find them useful!

Quite a natural look with a little shimmer around the eye

Unfortunately as with all (mine anyway) natural looks, there are quite a few products involved to get to this point! To start with I prepped my skin by using my cleanser, acid toner, serum & moisturiser as usual. Then I got started with the makeup itself, this is going to sound like quite a lot of products, but when you're used to all the steps it really doesn't take as long as this post will make it seem. To make it a little more digestible I've broken it down by area of the face.

Face
Foundation: Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream applied using a flat foundation brush from Nima Brush
Concealer: Correction Lasting Perfect Concealer under the eye and on blemishes, using my finger and then finishing the blending with my foundation brush
Powder: One Heck of a Blot from Soap & Glory using my Real Techniques Powder Brush

Cheeks
Blush: NARS Orgasm which I applied using the Real Techniques Blusher Brush
Contour: NARS Laguna which I applied using Real Techniques Contour Brush
Highlight: Very very small bit of The Balm Mary Lou, applied with my fingers

Eyes
All over Lid: Sin from Urban Decay NAKED 1 palette, patted on with the brush in the palette
In the Crease: Smog from NAKED 1, patted on with the brush in palette (also brushed this along lower lash line)
In the Outer Corner: Darkhorse from NAKED 1, patter on with the brush in the palette
In the Inner Corner: The Balm Mary Lou, applied with my fingers

In all instances the shadow was of course blended out with my MAC 217 brush, the key (I've learned) is to build up colour through patting and blending and repeating, don't put it all on at once!

Upper Lash Line: Bourjois Liner Feutre - also along outer corner of the lower lash line
Mascara: Benefit's They're Real, two generous coats (don't also forget to use your eyelash curler first)
Eyebrows: Essence Eyebrown pencil with Buck from NAKED 1, applied using the Real Techniques Brow Brush

Lips
Make Up For Ever Lip Liner Pencil in the shade 43 all over the entire lips and then a coat of Dior Addict Gloss in the shade 684 and then finally a light patting of Virgin from NAKED 1 the lips using my finger. I did this for two different reasons, one, to set the lipgloss in place and two, to give a nice sheen to the lips

A little disclaimer, buying make up is definitely my hobby, so while there are quite a few high end products in here, they have been built up over time, certainly not all bought at once! Then of course the look can easily be replicated by substituting these products with your own favourites!

Hopefully I might have given you some inspiration or ideas on how to create your own everyday glam look. If you do, definitely be sure to send me a pic through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram! If you've any recommendation on similar/better products, get commenting! I'm always looking for new products and shades to try.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you're having a great day whatever you're up to!

BeautyBaggage Competition | Mega Lip Giveaway

Ok so I've been trying to think of a way I could say thanks to everyone who has supported me and my blogging endeavours. After some thought, I've decided to go with a Mega Lip Giveaway. So all the prizes are (as you've probably guessed) lip related. They're all products I have owned and loved, so I hope you will feel the same about them. So let's get straight to the point, one lucky winner can win:

• 3 x MAC Lipsticks
• 2 x Rimmel Apocalips Lip Lacquers
• 2 x Bourjois Shine Edition Lipsticks
• 1 x Lush Lip Balm
• 1 x Lush Lip Scrub

That's over €100 worth of products for your lovely lips. You have all the products you need to look after your lips and make them fabulous. What's better, you'll notice I didn't mention any shades (or in the case of Lush, flavours), that's because the winner can choose ANY shades/flavours they want. So do you have any colours you wanted to try out, but have been too afraid or perhaps you just need a couple more colours to finish off your collection? Now's your chance!

Terms & Conditions
1. This competition is open internationally
2. Winner will get to choose the shade for each prize (I am happy to offer recommendations)
3. The closing date of the competition is Sunday 30th March 2014
4. The winner will be announced on BeautyBaggage Twitter & Facebook pages later that day, so make sure to check back.

To make it fair, I am using Rafflecopter. The more ways you enter, the better the chance you have of winning.

Good luck everyone!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is no way sponsored, or in connection with, any of the above brands

Mini Haul | MAC, Chanel, Bourjois...

Ok so I couldn't entirely resist the shops this weekend. I might have no money, but that didn't seem to stop me last week. Sure isn't that what credit cards are for? So I thought I'd share with you the few bits I picked up....

So I made a quick lunch time trip down Henry street and somehow within 30 minutes managed to drop into MAC, Arnotts and Boots. So from MAC I picked up Plumful from the Lustre range. Which I've been meaning to pick up ever since I heard Estée from Essie Button mention it in one of her videos a few months back. It's such a pretty shade and it feels so nice on the lips.

Next it was into Chanel where I initially went in to pick up their pressed powder, as I heard great things about it for someone like me with dry skin. I had a good chat with the lady in Chanel about dry skin, dehydrated skin and the difference between the two. She was fairly confident my skin was just dehydrated. So instead I left the powder and picked up the hydrating serum (the price tag is not for the faint of heart). But after using it for a couple of days, my skin feels much softer and all the breakouts I've had for the last few months seem to finally be clearing (breakouts are apparently a by-product of dehydrated skin I'm told). I will definitely do a proper review, once I've been using it for a few weeks...

Next up I went to boots and picked up a moisturiser, if I'm being totally honest I have yet to land on a specific brand here. I swap and change all the time. I'm completely committed to my cleanser, but I jump from moisturiser to moisturiser. It's one area, I need to give a little more care and attention. So I've tried this one before and it seemed okay, so I'm back again to No7 Protect & Perfect Day Cream.

Then I picked up one of all time favourite foundations, Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum. If you want a full review of this foundation, you can look back to a previous post here. Although now I use the Real Techniques buffing brush to apply it for a much more even, flawless, finish.

I also then picked up these two sprays from V05 which I've heard a bit about through the blogging world, I have never tried any texturising sprays before ever, so I look forward to reporting back on how I find them. I have heard a lot of buzz about the Oribe texturising spray, but I wasn't ready to part with €50 for a type of product I've never used before. I will however give this pair a try at only €7 for the 2 of them, what a bargain!

And the final product is a cult favourite, which needs no introduction, the Batiste dry shampoo. I always get the original one as I am not a big fan of scented hair products. But of course you couldn't fault it and I need not go into any detail here, as everyone is fully up to speed and obsessed with Batiste!

So guys and gals, do you have any of these products?
Or have you been hitting the shops lately?

Wish List | Spring Make Up Essentials

Okay okay, so they might not be "essentials" per se, but I've managed to pick out some of my favourite items that are out at the moment or being released for Spring/Summer 2014. We've managed to make it through dreary January (almost) and it's time to look forward! What better way to pick yourself up than creating your very own Spring 2014 wishlist. Essentially I am looking for justification for these purchases and if I put them "out there", no one can be surprised or shocked when I come home, bags full. You've been warned!

MAC Viva Glam Rihanna Lipstick         NARS Guy Bourd Cinematic Lip (Full Frontal)

            WetnWild - Trio - Cool as a Cucumber               MAC Veluxe Brow Liner

Urban Decay - Naked 3 Palette

       

Barry M NP318 - Bourjois Violet Couture - NARS Wind Dancer

Have you already got any of these products, what do you think of them?

What is on your Wishlist for Spring 2014?

Favourites | The Best of 2013

Okay okay, it's been a couple of months, instead of boring you with the details, let's just get 2014 off to a productive start! What better way to begin the year than a quick look back to 2013 and what products I reached for time and time again! There are loads of products I could have included, but I really tried to keep it to the bare minimum of what I used almost everyday.

So I touched on some of my favourite face, hair, lip and eyes products along with two of my favourite tools. There shouldn't be any major surprises as most will have featured in my monthly favourites throughout the year.

What were your favourite products of 2013?

Blogtober #16 | My Brush Collection

Hello my lovelies. On today's blogtober post I am going to share my brush collection. It's not huge by any stretch, but there is a nice selection in there. There are of course plenty more essentials* when it comes to a brush selection, but this is what I have so far...

*should be read as what I really want, by no means essential

I have some brushes from MAC, Make Up For Ever, Revlon, Avon and the Body Shop, but as you can tell if you own any yourself, the most popular brand in my collection is Real Techniques, which are made by Sam Chapman, one half of the sisterly duo that is Pixiwoo. As a make up artist, blogger and youtuber, Sam really knows her stuff and these brushes are excellent.

I have yet to get my hands on the eye brushes, but don't worry, they will follow in due course. Some of my favourites from my collection are the Real Techniques expert face brush, blush brush, detailer brush and buffing brush. Outside of that I really really like my Make Up For Ever lip brush and of course the MAC 217.


Do you use any of these brushes?
What are your favourite brands and types of brushes?

Blogtober #4 | What's in my bag?

For this post I thought I would share what I keep in my every day handbag. For when I'm heading to work or out shopping, etc. I used to always carry around really big handbags, but in more recent years I've returned to the smaller bag. I've learned I wasn't using half the stuff I was lugging around anyway.

I found this mini satchel in New Look for a very reasonable price (under €20) and it has served me well. I have it 6 months at least and I've had no issues to date. Now more importantly onto the contents, as the bag itself is quite small, I've gotten my handbag essentials down to the minimum.

Starting from the bottom working to the top we have:
- Samsung Galaxy SII (yes I am badly in need of an upgrade)
- Keys
- Brushes, which are all Real Techniques (Blush, Buffer & Contour brushers)
- Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum (#51)
- Collection Concealer (#2)
- Bourjois Shine Edition Lipstick (#24)
- MAC Lustre Lipstick (Lustering)
- NARS Palette (The Happening)
- Silver Make Up Bag (part of a gift, so unsure where it came from)
- Calvin Klein Purse (which I picked up while holidaying in Orlando)


I hope you enjoyed having a nose at what's in my purse.
What are some of your handbag essentials?