What's in My (Travel) Bag: Makeup Edit

Last month I shared with you what was inside my travel bag, after I'd spent the weekend away. If you'd like to familiarise yourself with that post, click here (it'll open in a new window). That post included the skincare items I took and I'll be showing you the makeup in this one. Like I said before, I wanted to pack light, but didn't want to find myself without a necessary item. The annoying thing about your beauty bag is you need the same amount of stuff whether you're staying one night or two weeks! A lipstick is a lipstick, whether you apply it once or a hundred times, it'll stay the same size, so it wasn't as easy as my skincare edit where I packed almost entirely 'mini' items. I've tried where possible to choose lighter and smaller pieces and did a sneaky little multi-task trick that I'll tell you about later. Before I let you know exactly what was inside, here's a close-up of the bag itself.
This photo (above) is from April when I also spent a night away from home and I found the bag so handy that I took it again this time. It's actually a pencil case from Home Bargains and cost 99p. I kid you not! I'm not sure if they still have it, at the time they had notebooks, stickers and everything with these little ladies on them.  I love that it's pretty, but still functional. You can see through it, it zips shut and if anything were to spill, it wipes clean.  Plus it's not massive, so you can't over-pack!
1. Too Faced Glamour Gloss in Pillow Talk 
2. Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation in 005 Beige Ivoire 
3. Cosmetics bag containing Lancome foundation brush, Pout Blender brush and Airbrush and Dior backstage Blusher Brush (silver, sticking out). 
4. Dainty Doll Hot Pour Concealer in 001 and 002. 
5. Barry M Nail Paint in NP150 Red Glitter 
6. Shu Uemura eyelash curler 
7. Cotton buds 
8. Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in 03 Nude Shimmer 
9. Paul & Joe UV Pressed Powder in 003 Beach Baby 
10. Clarins Joli Rouge in 724 Simply Nude 
11. Paul & Joe Portable Face Colour Brush 
12. YSL Shocking Volume Mascara (mini) 
13. L'Oreal SuperLiner GelMatic in Ultra Black 
14. MAC Lip Liner in Test Pattern 
15. L'Oreal SuperLiner Perfect Slim 
16. Pout Plump (mini) 
17. Too Faced Shadow Insurance in Candlelight (mini) 
18. Lancome Blush Subtil Palette in 01 Rose Flush
So, my lipstick of the week was this Clarins one and I really loved wearing it, it's a fab colour.  I absolutely adore TF Glamour Gloss, it's got this cooling, plumping feeling and the mauvey-nude colour goes brilliantly over the lipstick.  The foundation was the most bulky item in my bag, but other than decanting it into a little tub or something (which I didn't have), there wasn't a way around it.  Instead, I happened to be running very low a few weeks before, so kept a little in the bottle and started using the new one at home (and took the empty-ish one with me).  So although it looked big and the bottle is glass, it was a little lighter than usual and I had plenty left in it for the one application I needed.  Obviously if you sit mid range, shade-wise in foundation then you could look out for sachets free in magazines and that would do you for an application or two.  However I allowed myself this 'extravagance' seeing as I'm super pale (samples are usually far too dark for me) and my base isn't something I'm willing to skip.  The powder if I recall correctly I carried in my handbag, because it has a mirror inside (I had a separate mirror for applying makeup which I explained in my original post) and pressed powder is more portable than loose.  The retractable P&J brush was a gift from someone in a swap years ago on MakeupAlley and was one of the sweetest extras anyone included for me.  It was so kind to send a brand new brush like that.  It seemed more travel friendly than my usual big ol' Urban Decay brush for using with the powder.  
The eyeliners I was using at the time were the twist up pencil GelMatic and for my flicks Perfect Slim.  I used these to refresh my evening makeup as well as needing them the next day.  The Pout Plump probably could've been left at home and I could've used my Glamour Gloss instead, but I'm a creature of habit and this is the gloss I wear in bed.  Yeah, no judging!  I have a truck load of glosses, especially squeezy tube ones and bought a ton of Pout Plump when Pout went bust.  However other than needing to get through it all, it's extremely moisturising and I just love the cooling effect (even in my bed)!  That said, I'm pretty sure 50% of it ended up on the bed covers, sorry hotel! MAC Test Pattern in the middle of the image above, is my most favourite lip liner EVER, so it was an easy pick to take with me.  I'm going to be so sad when this ends and I really ration it these days (as you see I don't have all that much left).  It's a mauvey-nude and warmed up the Clarins lippie.  MAC bring it back!   
I decided against taking eyeshadow and this is where I got crafty.  I took my Lancome palette, as it contains separate blush, contour and highlighter colours in the size of an ordinary blush palette.  So I didn't bring my usual bronzer for contouring and used the one in the palette instead (applying with the flat foundation brush, while my Pout Airbrush was used to blend it all).  I prefer not to use a powder highlighter, so I packed the lightest DD concealer for that.  Now I'd read somewhere that (I think it was) Rosie Huntington-Whiteley uses the shades in this blush palette around the eyes.  Seeing as I'd already applied my makeup for travelling and only needed an eyeshadow for the next day, I thought I'd try this too, to cut down on extra items.  So I took my blender brush with me and using the shimmering gold Shadow Insurance as a base colour, applied the contour powder in the crease and smudged it around my lower lashline.  I also used the highlight shade under the brow.  It was really pretty and I'd definitely use it for this again.  I took the nail polish in case of touch ups (but didn't need it), the Clarins balm because you know, I panic if I'm not within 2 metres of one and the cotton buds are great for smudging makeup under the eyes and also sorting out eyeliner or mascara mishaps.

For someone who is accustomed to having enough makeup for the entire world at her fingertips each day, I thought I whittled this down to quite a small amount.  Yes I probably could've dropped some of the lip products and left the eyelash curlers at home perhaps, but I like to have almost my 'normal' routine even when I'm away from home.  I'm glad I had a few 'travel' sized items and the palette proved to be a great multi-tasker.  Are you impressed I crammed all this into a pencil case?

Comparison Swatches: Rimmel 305 Nude Praline

Look at me being all regular with the swatch requests! Tej had commented on an old Rimmel lipstick swatch post of mine. She loved one of the lipsticks, which is now discontinued and wondered if I knew of any alternatives. None immediately came to mind, given that the colour isn't particularly unique within my lipsticks i.e. I own a lot of browns and nudes, so if a request comes in for anything else, it's very easy to locate the few that could be similar. That said, it doesn't mean I own a vast amount of perfect dupes for this, it means there's a lot of lipsticks to go through! I actually had no idea where to start so just had to methodically go through my lipstick drawers, picking out (hopefully) those that haven't been discontinued yet. I didn't attempt to look through my MAC tray because the majority of those are limited edition shades anyway and after finding many LE and/or discontinued shades last time, I didn't think it was very helpful. I forgot to check Lancome, but off the top of my head, can't think of a similar one to this.
Ok, first things first. The lighting was pretty dire this day, so the orangey glow is from the lamp in my room, not the lipsticks. I also only managed to get swatches with the flash, because those without were blurry.
The lipstick in question is Rimmel Lasting Finish in 305 Nude Praline, in the bronze packaging (3rd from left). I remember there were maybe just 4 lipsticks in this range (certainly I own four) and that they were part of a special summer (?) range. Although I can recall them being available for longer than just a season. All four are brown shades leaning copper or bronze or nude, so perhaps it was some sort of 'natural' or 'nude' collection. The Lasting Finish formula is one that is still available now in the main line and is also used for the Kate Moss collections, although the packaging has been updated over the years.  It feels really creamy on the lips and the colours are opaque.  
Nude Praline looks to me like a beautiful pinky beige-nude in the tube, perfect actually. It is highly pigmented and packs quite a punch in the swatch, so it does come out a little deeper than you'd think (especially against my very pale hand). On the lips, it still works as a nude though. It's a warm shade with terracotta (so orange and red and brown) and pink tones. Quite complex really. It's a shade Rimmel do well and I think the nearest dupe in my collection is actually their Kate Moss 03 lippie. However there are several near-alternatives.
From left to right in product and swatch photos:
Clarins Rouge Eclat in 15 Nude Caramel
Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate in 03
NYX Round Lipstick in 517 Hades
Dainty Doll in 008 Storm in A Tea Cup
Dior Addict Extreme in 316 Incognito
Too Faced Lip Of Luxury in Totally Nude
I've put the Rimmel one along the top for comparison with all the other lipsticks. Clarins is more tan and has less pink. Rimmel (Kate Moss) is a touch lighter and has less red than Nude Praline. NYX is a touch darker and is more brown. Dainty Doll is more sheer and is missing that pink tone, leaning taupe. Dior is very sheer, so I had to build up the colour (and even then, it doesn't compare to the opacity of Rimmel). It looks to have the right tone but is just not pigmented enough. Too Faced leans more orange.

Too Faced Lip Of Luxury I believe is being phased out, probably after the introduction of the La Creme lippies, so if you find it, buy it now.  Similarly Dainty Doll was I think discontinued for a second time, or at least the items are popping up on discount websites and I'm struggling to find them full price anywhere which points me to that conclusion.  Everything else is available now and not limited edition.  Like I said, I think the Kate Moss one is closest, it's not quite as deep but see how it has that pinky tone over a terracotta base?  I'm actually wearing it as my lipstick this week, you can see it on the lips here and here (both worn with a gloss over the top).  I think NYX and Dainty Doll are least like Nude Praline, while Clarins does look quite similar as an alternative or addition to the Kate Moss one.  I hope this helps you Tej and anyone else who was looking for this one.  I'm glad I found some purse friendly and in-stock items to compare.    

Monster High Monday: Roller Maze Clawdeen

Long time, no Monster High Monday huh? I've just not had time for it recently as it's so very time consuming finding dupes and applying them in a way you wouldn't normally, so it's not something you can do quickly. It's back though and I thought I'd ease myself in, with something relatively simple. I have to add my attempt was a little half hearted and I was lucky it turned out as well as it did, because my head was elsewhere, spacey girl! Anyway it's glitter galore, which was rather scratchy to take off last night!  Oh and we've got a little post-Halloween effect to the photos this week!
Clawdeen Wolf is one who often changes her hair colour, which is rather lovely. For the Roller Maze line everyone had a flash of lime green in their outfit or hair and makeup, so the gorgeous lilac hair (seriously loving that hue) has lime streaks and on the lids, you'll hopefully just be able to see green before the gold and glitter. Her lips are a shade of pink that just screamed Viva Glam Gaga to me! So that was an easy find.
I started with the eyes and this is where like I say, I was a bit "hmmm, that's close enough, it'll do". I'm not much of a gold eye girl, my collection of silver and pewter on the other hand is ridiculous! So I did struggle to find the exact tone and one that had that strong metallic finish, almost like a foil. First I applied Urban Decay Primer Potion and then Lancome's Petit Tresor eyeshadow from last Christmas in S112 Fil D'or. It's not quite the right gold colour, mine was lighter and less yellow than Clawdeen, but then you also have to remember her skin is a lot darker than mine, so it's going to look different.
I applied this directly under the eyebrow down to the crease and also under the lower lashline. On the lid up to the crease is where the green goes and again I didn't have an exact match. I had one that was too yellow and lots that were too green, so I decided to mix the two. I applied the dark green first as a base, which was 17 Solo eyeshadow in Green Glimmer. Then the lime from surprise, surprise MAC's Eyes On Manish palette aka 'Monster High Monday palette' over the top. It's not a perfect match, but I guess I don't own too many lime green shadows! I ignored the black line Clawdeen has in the crease. Sometimes I feel I need it, sometimes I don't bother.
I lined upper and lower lashlines with L'Oreal SuperLiner GelMatic* and created the long flicks with L'Oreal SuperLiner Perfect Slim*. On my lashes I'm wearing Guerlain Maxi Lash and I filled my brows with L'Oreal Brow Artist* in Brunette, then it was time for glitter! I kind of went a bit overboard with the sparkles, possibly because I was applying with my finger rather than being precise. The entire gold section isn't glittery on Clawdeen, it's just a highlight really. I applied Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eye Gel in Backstage (antique gold) and Roadie (green). It's best to apply it to the hand and then just pick up a tiny bit and press onto the lid, so it doesn't remove the eyeshadow underneath (by swiping).
On the face I wore Lancome Teint Miracle in 005 Beige Ivoire (just bought my third bottle, as I'm using this so much) and Dainty Doll concealer in 002, using 001 as a highlighter and The Balm 'Bahama Mama' bronzer as my contour colour. I finished with Paul & Joe UV pressed Powder in 003 Beach Baby and although Clawdeen isn't wearing any blush, I wore Mark Good Glowing in After Glo.
Like I said earlier, my lips wear easy peasy. I lined with Kiss Australia Lip Liner in Cashmere and then lots of MAC's Viva Glam Gaga lipstick. Perfecto! Although the flash has washed out the colour on Clawdeen and changed the tone of my lips a bit, but in real life they were good dupes for one another. Phew, I managed it! How do you think I did? I'll have my corresponding outfit (did someone say "Little Mermaid top"?) finished later this evening hopefully.

Monster High Monday: Picture Day Lagoona

One of these days my Monster High Monday post will actually be uploaded on a Monday. Maybe! It's usually late afternoon until I sit down to start writing the post and see how the photos have turned out and by then I only have an hour or so. Plus Monday is a busy TV night for me (Hart Of Dixie (trashy I know) and hooked on Under The Dome), so I never have time for more after that. Totally going off on a tangent here, but I feel like I didn't watch anything on telly recently and all of a sudden my evening schedule is full! I've decided to watch X Factor USA again which is on twice and don't even get me started on the fact CSI: NY is on four times this week, er hello, when am I supposed to do anything?  Plus I have Covert Affairs, then our X-Factor at weekends.  Phew!
Anyway yesterday was like a summers day, it was actually warm and sunny. So I thought I'd look for a nice bright dolly to replicate and of course that would involve Lagoona. Did you know the reason behind the blue streaks in her hair? It's because she spends most of her time in the pool and the chlorine has discoloured her blonde hair.  I think that's a cute little MH fact! As usual she doesn't stray too far from her pink lip and turquoise/pink eye. There is the addition of a nude lid this time and her lips are a dusky, slightly lilac pink. I had no major problems finding dupes, the pink eyeshadow could've been a little more neon (mine was darker toned than Lagoona's). I never realised MHM would require so many different shades of pink eyeshadow, something I have some but not much of.
So starting with the eyes, I applied Urban Decay Primer Potion and applied the pale pinky shade from Givenchy Prisme Again in 1 Zen Pastel on the eyelid up to the crease. I applied Estee Lauder Pure Color in 41 Aqua Pool, a matte turquoise, under the eye and MAC's Eyes On Manish palette came in handy yet again, where I used the bright pink in the socket. I then took a really thin brush to apply the darkest purple from Dior's eyeshadow quad in 970 Stylish Move directly along the crease.
Under the brows, I applied W7 Glitter Eyes gel in 02 for sporadic sparkle like Lagoona.  I ran Laval Kohl Eyeliner Pencil in Lilac through my brows for a purpley effect and used L'Oreal Super Liner GelMatic* on the upper and lower lashlines with perfect Slim* for the flicks. On my lashes is YSL Babydoll mascara.
On my face I'm wearing YSL Le Teint Touche Eclat in BR10 with Dainty Doll concealer in 002 on blemishes. I used the concealer in 001 as my highlighting colour and the dark tan shade from Diorskin Nude Tan in 001 Pink Glow as my contour colour. I swirled all four colours together for my blush and am wearing The Balm 'Sexy Mama' pressed powder.
For the lips, I found a couple of colours quite similar but one was leaning too warm while the other was too lilac. I decided to mix both together for the perfect shade. The lipsticks were MAC Viva Glam Gaga and Viva Glam Nicki 2. I wore Pout's Lip Liner Definer, a colourless liner underneath.
I think this week turned out really well in both application and colour.  It was pretty simple to do too.  What do you think?  My outfit for The Shoe Girl Diaries is up now, featuring a new dress with an adorable print that you have to see.

Monster High Monday: Dot Dead Gorgeous Operetta

I have to confess that I haven't watched any of the Monster High webisodes for some time now (just haven't had time). I have seen the 'newer' character Operetta in some of the DVD releases though.  Although the way MH are releasing new characters, Operetta is pretty ancient by now! I think the doll looks more 'grown-up' than the rest of the gang (definitely not school age) and comes across as older than the others. In the cartoon series, she does have an air of maturity around her and can be quite snooty towards the others which is rather amusing! She's not an enemy of the central characters, but I wouldn't say she's in that inner circle either.
Anyway, I think she's a really beautiful doll and character. She always has pin-up, rockabilly type clothes and accessories.  Her fiery red hair with black streaks is usually styled in quiffs or victory rolls which look awesome. As the daughter of The Phantom Of The Opera, she's marked down the side of her face and on one arm and always wears a little mask to disguise that, with 'tattoo' like coverings down the arm. I think it's a unique concept to see on a doll targeted at 'children'.  Certainly in my day it was a decision between blonde or brunette, you had nothing like this to choose from!
Operetta is wearing her signature red lip here with bright pink eyeshadow paired with a rich bronze-brown and some glitter under the brow. I even tackled the beauty spot which I forgot about last time. No major issues this week, colour matching wasn't perfect but as close as I could find in my stash. Not surprising really as pink/bronze eyes and red lips aren't usually my thing.
So for the eyes, I began with Urban Decay Primer Potion. The closest pink I could find (the correct tone, but could have been a little brighter) was Anna Sui Eye Color Accent in 303. I applied this from the lashline, up to the crease using the sponge applicator in the compact for a bold effect. Thankfully I bought this palette the other week, or else I'd have been stumped for the brown shade. On Operetta it's matte, mine has a shimmery, metallic finish, but the depth of colour was correct. It's the very centre shade from the new Dior Mystic Metallic eye quad in 384 Bonne Etoile. Expensive, but really stunning, I'm so glad I bought it. Anyway, again I applied it with the sponge applicator for less glitter fall-out and to really press that strong colour on. I took this upwards and outwards and tidied it up with a little Micellar Water on a cotton bud for a perfect, straight line.   
Under the brow I'd applied Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eye Gel in Backstage and because it's quite green toned, I applied some gold shimmer powder over the top as Operetta mostly has gold glitter. It's a loose powder I got from a Fearne Cotton set one Christmas from Boots. My liner is L'Oreal Super Liner GelMatic* with Perfect Slim* for the flicks. On my lashes is Guerlain Maxi Lash and I finished my brows with L'Oreal Brow Artist* in Brunette.
I could not find a lipstick dark enough within my collection, so had to get creative to find the right red. It was still a little bright, but it was either red or wine and nothing in between, so I didn't have much choice. I applied Dior Lipliner Pencil in 883 Magenta Brown all over the lips (a dark purple), then Wet'n'Wild Silk Finish lipstick in Raunchy Red over the top. It looked patchy, so I reapplied and kept blotting until it looked even. I used L'Oreal Super Liner Blackbuster* pen to apply the beauty spot right next to my lip, like Operetta.
On my face is Lancome Teint Miracle in 005 with Dainty Doll concealer in 002 on blemishes and YSL Touche Eclat #2 under the eyes. I used DD concealer in 001 as my highlighting colour and The Balm Bahama Mama bronzer as my contour shade. I know Operetta isn't wearing blush, but I used some Diorskin Nude Tan in 001 Pink Glow on my cheeks. I finished with a light dusting of Paul & Joe Pressed UV Powder in 003 Beach Baby.
The eyes were much heavier than I'd normally wear, but actually grew on me until I put the lipstick on. I think with my hair, my outfit and all those makeup colours it was a little much (not on Operetta). I loved the subtle beauty spot though and think despite the colours not being a perfect match, the look was a successful one. What do you think? Also I've just finished the outfit post to accompany this look, you can find that here along with another outfit from last week here. Three posts in one day peeps, bam!

Monster High Monday: Ghouls Rule Clawdeen

This week I decided to go all-out with MHM, in my most daring yet. I tackled a glitter mono brow, one leopard print eye and completely lilac lips. Oh yeah! Monster High released a DVD to coincide with the Ghouls Rule range and as the characters attend a Halloween party in it, the clothes, hair and makeup is a little more wild than usual. Clawdeen Wolf gets a makeover with long lilac hair and shaved leopard print sides, with crazy makeup to boot.
I'd just written my review of the new L'Oreal eyeliners when I realised I could use them to their full potential on a Monster High Monday as mad as this one. I found the Blackbuster marker pen one was the easiest to use and you can read my full review of the liners here, where I've used them more conventionally.
If you look closely at Clawdeens eye makeup, you'll notice there's actually two different shades of green around the eye. On the 'plain' eye she has a dusky green up to the brow and under the eye a brighter limey green. On the leopard eye, the dusky green then surrounds the lime under the eye. So I managed to find two colours close enough to Clawdeen, although I'm not sure you'll note the difference here in the photos as it's quite subtle. I began with Urban Decay Primer Potion and applied the green from Wet'n'Wild 'Exotic' Eyeshadow Duo from lashline to brow.  Under the eye is Bourjois Ombre Stretch in 05 Very Etirable. The plain eye then has YSL Babydoll mascara on the lashes, L'Oreal Super Liner GelMatic liner (top and bottom) and Super Liner Perfect Slim for the flick.
On the leopard eye I used the same eyeshadows, but took the WnW one under the eye along with Bourjois. Again I lined with GelMatic along the top and lower lashlines and used Perfect Slim for the flick. For the leopard print pattern, I used L'Oreal Super Liner Blackbuster. As it's like a felt tip, it's easy to work with. I angled it so I was using the pointed tip as I wanted a reasonably small pattern. I copied Clawdeen exactly in size and placement, but because I have a very large area from my eye to brow, I added a few more prints because it looked quite sparse. Then I decided to take the Perfect Slim liner and following the socket of my eye, traced a line around it like Clawdeen (on both eyes). This one bled a little, so looked a little rougher than I'd have liked but it was worth a try.  It wasn't until I started taking photos of the finished look, that I realised I'd leopard printed the wrong eye!  I didn't even think about it to be honest, just did it, oops!
I should also mention, I took some foundation over my 'leopard' brow to conceal it and took the eyeshadow up over that one. Then for the glitter, I used F2 (Fudge) Luminous Jumbo Crayon in Matisse (a copper shade) for a base, drawing over my brow and across the top of my nose, into the centre of my face. I did have a gold glitter eyeliner, but it was all dried up, so had to use NYX Candy Glitter Liner in 03 Hot Orange instead. It's definitely more orange than Clawdeen, but was all I had. I just applied it over my metallic line and let it dry.
On my face I'm wearing, Lancome Teint Miracle foundation in 005 with a little Paul & Joe Pressed UV Powder in 003 Beach Baby. I applied Dainty Doll concealer in 002 on blemishes and 001 as my highlighting colour. I used The Balm 'Bahama Mama' bronzer as a contour and applied a little Diorskin Nude Tan in 001 Pink Glow on the cheeks.
For the lilac lips, nothing in my stash came close enough. Not MAC's Lavender Whip, Viva Glam Nicki 2 or Fashion Mews. Everything leaned a pinky lilac and Clawdeen is straight up blue lilac. So I improvised using NYC Jumbo Pencil in 866A Purple Paradise. It was spot-on! It's creamy enough to apply on the lips, although it didn't wear well.  For the benefit of the photos and task it worked well enough.
Unfortunately I didn't get to wear this look outside, click The Shoe Girl Diaries for my full outfit including my gorgeous gnome heels! I've been slammed this week and was a little disappointed that so much effort went into this look and my outfit...for nothing. You've all seen it now though, so it's not wasted entirely : ) What do you think? Definitely one of the least 'wearable', but worth a shot and perhaps inspiration for Halloween.