So I posted a blog post a little over a year ago with my makeup bag essentials or my wedding makeup go-to’s and I have since updated what I carry around. Now I have also done a travel or To-Go beauty post and that can be subbed in as well if you don’t want to check a bag if you are flying to an event. Some of the things have remained the same, I am not that versatile but I have found new things over the last year or so that I have swapped older products out for and I think that a refresh on your makeup bag is necessary every so often. As seasons and styles change you need to move with them also it depends on what you are wearing to the event, I am going to say that usually I go for a neutral/natural look when it comes to eyeshadow when I am going to events that are more professional or even personal, I am not going to a club I do not need neon eyeshadow no matter how much I want to wear some acid green eyeshadow like the Tokidoki one I had back in the day, legit it was their shade called I think Soya and I remember loving that brand so much back in the mid to late-2000’s. I saved up for it so I could buy it at Sephora and I don’t know why I picked that shade because I didn’t wear it very often. 

            Seriously for events that don’t involve a lot of glitter avoid a lot of glitter!

            So let’s dive right into the bag then, I am not going to talk about tools because those haven’t really changed and let’s be honest everyone uses their makeup brushes for what they want and they have their favorites so if you want to know about my tools, they are in my makeup bag essentials post. 

            I am going to start with base makeup, my foundation hasn’t changed it is still the Urban Decay All Nighter Liquid Foundation in shade 0.5, I really want to try their new Stay Naked foundation and eventually I will because I feel like Urban Decay is my go to for foundation and it has been since I started wearing makeup. (I like Makeup Forever as well but I haven’t used it since I was in college and I dropped it on the floor in my apartment. It went everywhere luckily the bottle was mostly empty.) 

            My primer also hasn’t changed I still use NYX’s photo loving primer in green to balance out the red in my face, though the All Nighter does cover the red really well. 

            The things that I have switched out are concealer and I have added setting powder, the setting powder I have is Coty Air Spun but for a makeup bag I use Tarte’s setting powder that I got in my May Glam Bag last year. I have used it in the past when I had no idea how to use makeup so it was a natural choice to include here. 

            My concealer game has changed, I still love my Naked Skin concealer but that is up in my makeup bag at my parent’s place, I have moved on to Tarte Shape Tape, like the rest of the internet. I will say this it does make my face a little tight in the application areas but it makes your skin look great. I also have been using Colourpop’s No Filter concealer and I have been absolutely obsessed because it is under $10 and it works so well.

            On to face so blush bronzer and highlighter, my bronzer still hasn’t changed, I am still working with Hoola from Benefit because I don’t wear a lot of bronzer but when I do I put it on in all the wrong places and then look stupid. 

            Blush has changed though, I got an Anastasia blush trio last year and I have found that I like having multiple choices for blush or the option to mix two different shades and get a great look out of it. 

            Highlighter has also changed, I still would probably bring my Urban Decay highlighter quad but I also like the single pan options as well and I have Morphe’s highlighter in the shade Extra and Colourpop’s highlighter in the shade Might Be because I like them both and again like having options when it comes to my look.

            Eyes is probably the area that has changed the most and that’s understandable because eye trends change so quickly and there are always new eyeshadow palettes and mascaras coming out.

Eyeshadow is one of those things that you can love one day and hate the next but I found that having a larger palette with a lot of neutral shades has done me really great so I switched to the Morphe Nature Glow palette because it’s 35 shades and you can add in pops of color from other palettes if you want or bring a few single pan shades from your favorite brands to add some variation to your look. I also usually include the Tartelette Toasted Palette as well because it is a smaller version of a neutral palette and I have been loving it for years.

            Mascara, I still like to carry two around with me but this year it is too travel sized items, Doucce’s Maxlash and Benefit’s Bad Gal Bang which I found myself using a lot this year. Bad Gal Bang though takes longer to dry that I have noticed so be careful. Still wear glasses so I don’t wear eyeliner and also I don’t want to look like a death metal raccoon by the time I’m done trying to get the wings even.

            Eyebrow products are still the same, I found Rimmel’s Born This Way years ago and I haven’t been brave enough to really try anything else. 

            Lips are easier for me in a way because I just pick a few nude shades and run with it, one of them I just got but it has already found its way into my makeup bag and that is the Jeffree Star Cosmetics Velour liquid lipstick in shade ‘?’ it came exclusively in the summer mystery box and I am obsessed with it. The other shade is Eddie Funkhouser Twisted Kisses in the shade Kiss Me Twice and I got this one in my November Glam Bag last year. I also carry around a lip scrub and I have one from Tree Hut Beauty that I have been loving for the last year so it was the natural choice. 

            Last is setting spray, I have two or three that I use but this is a travel size of the All Nighter setting spray from Urban Decay and it so good. Believe the hype, it’s great if you want a matte look all day. Colourpop’s All-Star is also great if you are looking for a more budget friendly option! 

            So that’s my update, my refresh, and my current makeup bag collection. 

            Do you have any holy grail products that never leave your makeup bag? I would loe to know about them!

            I will see everyone about mid-week with another post!

            -MJ