What's in my makeup bag?

One of my favorite things that I love to do with my girlfriends is getting ready to go out - I love chit chatting, helping out with hair and makeup, sharing tips and items, getting a second opinion on a look, and listening to music and dancing while doing it!

While my makeup bag is actually filled with many more items than the ones listed, here are my essentials favorites.

Face:

Benefit's "That Gal" Brightening Face Primer: I like this because it's super lightweight, and feels really nice on the skin. If I'm feeling too lazy to put product on my face, I'll at least put this on because it makes your skin look well hydrated and refreshed!

Laura Mercier's Secret Camouflage Concealer: This is the perfect all-purpose concealer. I like that you can mix and blend the two shades to cover the different areas of your face - it's really great for covering blemishes and scars, as well as covering up any dark circles under the eyes.

Tarte's Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Full Coverage Foundation: This has DAMN good coverage.

elf Shimmering Facial Whip in Lilac Petal: I'm going to go ahead and admit that I AM a giant brand snob when it comes to cosmetics. While I love Benefit's High Beam highlighter, I hated the packaging. This one costs only a DOLLAR, has a similar shade, better packaging for application, and I PROMISE it's just as effective. Just make sure you try to mix/shake it when you can cause I hear it separates in the bottle, and BLEND WELL when using it!

Eyes:

Benefit's "They're Real!" Mascara: I had never understood or cared for mascara until I used this one. The first time I wore it, my mom actually did ask me if I was wearing falsies!

LORAC's  Front of the Line Pro Liquid Eyeliner: I am OBSESSED with this eyeliner. I like that it's a pen applicator, which makes it super easy to draw and fill in your cat-eye or winged eyeliner!

Sonia Kashuk Deluxe Travel Eyelash Curler: My friend Nancy introduced me to this baby - I watched her use it and was instantly fascinated with how well, quickly, and simply it worked. You will NEVER see me using a metal clamped eyelash curler ever again. It actually gets ALL of my lashes, doesn't pull on my lashes, and I mean I can talk about this eyelash curler all day, but you kind of have to use it to just KNOW.

Urban Decay's Vice Palette: There are SO MANY fun shades in the palette. Literally the sky is the limit when it comes to creating looks with this palette.

Urban Decay's Naked Palette: I own both Naked's, but I find myself using this one more for everyday looks.

Lips: 

Nars Pure Matte Lipstick in Carthage - I am obsessed with this shade. I tend to wear matte textured lipsticks most often because they're long wearing, and if you prep your lips, you don't really need to worry about how it's holding up throughout the night, because at a point it kind of just becomes a bold lip stain, and it doesn't really smear.

Urban Decay's Super Saturated High Gloss Lip Color in Punch Drunk: This is a red-orange color that is super bold, and probably not that many people can pull it off, but I love it because it screams FUN. The first time I wore it, someone stopped me and asked me what it was and where I got it from.

Cheeks:

Stila's Custom Color Blush in Pink: Looking at the color in the pan, I would have never guessed this would be the right color for me, but once applied, it's totally different! It really is a self-adjusting color, and on me it's more of a rosy coral. I like that it's soft, because I feel like a lot of my previous blushes have felt more harsh.

Benefit's Bronzer in Hoola: I'm actually not very picky about bronzer - I just know that I need it and this is what I'm currently using. Bronzer is your BEST FRIEND for contouring your cheek bones.


Now that I've shared with y'all what's in my makeup bag, what's in yours?

Bitches Love Fall: My Favorite Fall items

Fall is a beautiful segue into the Holiday season. It's the time of year where we can dress down with hoodies (to hide our holiday weight gain), cozy into a sweater, create endless outfits with layering, and put on our most fashionable boots. In Texas, Fall is a little different than elsewhere; we don't get the change in foliage, and we don't always get such brisk weather. I went through this crazy phrase where I left Texas and moved to in Indianapolis, and my favorite part about living there definitely had to be experiencing a REAL Fall season. I spent all of my life living in Texas, so experiencing Fall was a real treat for me, and something I never took for granted. Fun Fact (actually an opinion, but as far as I know, it's factual to me): There's no where else in the world that shows off Fall Foliage better than in Brown County. You know it's legit when they even have a Leaf Cam!

With my cousins in Brown County last year (2011)

Fall means the line of Holidays/Season change approaching. Halloween, Thanksgiving (my favorite!!!), Christmas, and New Years Eve. The magic of the holiday season is that there's so many seasonal items - when they're gone, you really DO miss them! When they come back, you embrace them like an old friend. Some of these seasonal items remind you of happier times, or you might have a memory attached to them.

My Fall Favorites:

Dunkin' Donuts Pumpkin Coffee. My first iced pumpkin coffee of this season was definitely a large and I'm pretty sure I drank it in like 3 gulps. I could drink this both hot and cold. The fact that this isn't available all year long KILLS me. The fact that I no longer live/work near a Dunkin Donuts KILLS me.

Vanilla Bean Noel Scented items from Bath & Body Works. Other vanilla scented items DO NOT compare! I'm pretty sure I need to stock up on this smell for the entire year. I work with kids and wash my hands about a thousand times a day, so I've been using the MESS out of the hand cream to keep my hands from drying out! If you ever catch me sniffing my hands - I'm wearing VBN.

Another Bath & Body Works Favorite: Marshmallow Fireside Scented Candle. I have this candle currently burning in my room! It's a creamy, vanilla based candle, but has a smoky/woodsy undertone too! This candle, to me, reminds me of a warm cuddle. I have the Creamy Pumpkin scented candle as well that I'm going to burn when Halloween festivities begin!

Since I no longer live near a Dunkin Donuts, this flavored creamer has literally saved my wallet. I had been compensating with the Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks (I honestly don't want to spend 4 dollars/cup when I could be paying half as much for twice the volume), and any other time of the year, I LOVE lattes, but when it comes to pumpkin spice, I prefer just regular coffee. When paired with Dunkin Coffee, it's ALMOST just as good. The flavoring is pretty spot on, but some days I sprinkle on extra pumpkin spice. If I were a Spice Girl, I'd definitely be Pumpkin Spice.

During this time of year, I am willing to splurge on Martha Stewarts glitter, because it just LOOKS better than regular glitter. The size of the glitters are fine, and are perfect for crafting, and making the sparkles look smooth instead of clumpy. I swear I'm not a glitter snob.

When it comes to accessories, I buy things that are versatile and can go with AT LEAST 90% of my outfits. These Kate Spade gumdrop studs are my go to earrings. They go with EVERYTHING, and they're large enough to make a statement. My bow ring is another one of my favorites!

I bought this BCBGeneration Sweater AFTER the winter season, and I've been dying to wear it. SEQUIN STRIPES!