What’s in my makeup bag?

I was inspired by Nallie to write this blog post. Check out her blog! She writes a lot about mod and vintage style and fashion. She has great dress sense and she’s really cool!

Over the years I have improved my makeup skills and felt that it is worth it to buy more expensive makeup. I used to be so bad at makeup that I would hardly wear it and that times I would wear it, my eyeliner looked cringey. You’ll find pictures if you scroll back far enough on my Instagram or Facebook profile.

There was even a point in my life that I was not a girly girl. I was androgynous as a teenager for two reasons.

The first reason is I was flat chested. I would pass for as young as 12 even when I was nearing 18. It came with its perks, like getting kids prices at the buffet. I actually feel bad for the buffet and the people behind me because I have a huge appetite for a small person. That salad you see there, it’s gone within seconds! How the hell I am not fat, I have no idea. Anyway, I’m sure I’ll appreciate passing for younger. I showed my friends a picture of my mum, who is 58 and they were like “there is no way she’s that old.” The other nice thing about being flat chested was buying clothes from the kids section and saving money and tiny clothes being on sale all the time (second part is especially true in America).

The other reason was my mum not allowing me to wear makeup because it will “ruin my skin” even though I wanted to wear makeup. So I just basically became something I wasn’t just so it would explain why I was one of the few girls who wasn’t wearing makeup. After years of pleading, my mum finally said “fine you can wear mascara and concealer” and I was very happy! I used it once in a while because my mum wouldn’t buy me any more.

I finally got an interest in makeup when my friend, Zsofia, did my makeup like a 60s model back in second year of university, but I didn’t know where to start and I found the world of makeup really intimidating. So many brands, so many looks, I didn’t know where to begin.

Makeup tutorials, like recipes, can be difficult when you’re just starting out and you don’t have everything necessary. It’s also hard to figure out what makeup basics you need. I still don’t know what basics I need, but I’ll eventually figure it out.

When I really got interested in makeup was when I was walking around after a job interview and went to the Kat Von D counter at a department store and the salesperson was very welcoming and tried out some of the products on me, giving me a makeover. I felt great and I bought foundation, lipstick, and a highlighter palette, which were used for my wedding day look. Before that, I’d keep my makeup simple and minimalist: white eyeshadow, eyeliner, and mascara – that’s it. Not a bad look, just I like to change it up.

So here are some of my answers to questions about makeup:

1. Where do you buy your makeup?  A wide variety of places. Sometimes I go to the pharmacy, sometimes I go to the department store, sometimes I go to places like TK Maxx (yes, the makeup is just fine there and it’s not past its expiry date or anything). I am glad there’s no Sephora here in Ireland or I’d spend way too much.
2. What qualities do you look for in makeup? I care about quality and value. I’d rather spend a little more money on something that’s good quality than buy a bunch of cheapo stuff that’s crap and I’ll never use. I also care about ethics. I am very much against animal testing and I won’t buy any makeup tested on animals (in the past, I have bought products from companies that did, but not anymore). I’ve heard great things about Mac and Benefit cosmetics, but until they stop selling in China (where foreign companies that sell cosmetics are required to sell animals) I will not buy any of their products. There are many great cruelty free brands that you can support. Check out Cruelty Free Kitty’s list.  Affordable brands like Wet n Wild, Nyx, and elf are cruelty free and for those who prefer high end, there are brands like Urban Decay, Illamasqua, and Hourglass that are cruelty free.
3. What do you splurge and save on? The sky is the limit with makeup. You can find good products at any price point. If I had to pick, I think foundation, highlighter, and eyeshadows are definitely a splurge.
4. What’s on your wish list? The Anastasia Beverly Hills Moonchild palette, NYX glitter (tbh I’m a bit nervous about using glitter on my eyelids, but maybe I’ll try a Marc Bolan look one of these days), Jeffree Star’s You. Better. Work. lipstick (purple is my favourite colour), Kat Von D’s Everlasting Glimmer Veil (in Televator, Dazzle, or Reverb), there’s probably lots of lipstick shades I’d like to try but I have no idea what looks good on me (I think darker shades look best on me).

Without further ado here’s the best of my makeup bag, with a little description on why I like or use each item:

• Kat Von D Pastel Goth Palette

I saw this palette earlier this year, but I didn’t have enough money to get that and the Alchemist palette. Sadly, this palette is limited edition (why? rainbow palettes rock!) and it was hard to find. I bought this in Sephora in Sydney. I love the colours and I love doing rainbow looks with them. It looks nice with some tie dye.

 

• Too Faced Love Palette

Bought this at TK Maxx for €20 for my birthday. What a bargain since it’s usually €47. It’s versatile. My favourite is the purple shades, you know me and how I love purple! 🙂 The green shade is nice too. Packaging on this is very sturdy and the palette held up well when travelling to Australia.

 

• KVD/Too Faced Better Together

I bought this because it was on sale. It came with a full sized KVD Tattoo liner and Too Faced’s Better Than Sex mascara so it was definitely worth it. I’m not a huge fan of most of the Too Faced side of the eyeshadow palette (the pink looks a bit chalky and I don’t really like the dark purple shade, it looks odd), but I love Kat Von D’s side (especially the red, peach, and silver). Overall, the packaging is cool. Only wish this had a mirror.

• KVD Alchemist Palette

This palette is really a game changer. I think I use it a little too much. It’s a lot like the ABH Moonchild Palette (which I can’t get easily here in Ireland). I love the packaging and it’s cool that this has an A on it (A for Angie! Yeah!). Why is it awesome? I love the shine it has and it can be subtle or bold. It’s great as an eyeshadow, it’s great as a highlighter, or you can use it to make dark lipstick pop! It looks amazing with my dark purple lipstick (not pictured: I bought it 5 years ago. It’s Sephora brand which is not cruelty free, sadly – when I use it up I’ll find a cruelty free dupe, won’t be hard to find) or my favourite KVD lipstick, the Hawkwind shade (yes, I bought it because of the band name reference). And yes, it’s vegan!

• KVD Foundation

I’m mixed and it can be tricky to find foundation. I have pale, yellow skin. I get called a ghost when I’m around my family, but in Ireland, I’m considered dark and I get comments on how yellow my skin is (I don’t get it?). A lot of makeup brands can’t comprehend the idea of that combination. This foundation works well for me. I might give the Fenty Beauty one a try (by the way, I’m not a fan of Rihanna’s music, but hey, I’m always willing to give new makeup a try). This foundation is vegan, which is a plus!

• Odds and Sods: Various lipsticks and eye makeup

From left to right we have the KVD Hawkwind liquid lipstick, Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara, Too Faced Melted Lipstick in Violet, NYX concealer, NYX matte lip creme in San Paulo, Technic creme glittery eyeshadow, Technic glittery lip gloss in light blue, and Burt’s Bees lip balm (not vegan, but it’s not tested on animals). On the bottom we have Illamasqua Precision Gel Eyeliner in Quixotic, and a bunch of eyeshadows Catrice and Elf brand (I don’t use these as much).

The KVD lipstick is great and works well for me and my style. The Too Faced Mascara is the best I’ve used. It’s #1 on Cruelty Free Kitty’s list of best mascaras for a reason. I love the false eyelash look (I can’t wear them because I am afraid to put things near my eyes). The Too Faced lipstick is nice, but it looks more pink than purple. It lasts long, which I’m happy with. NYX’s concealer and lipstick is great for the price (it’s way cheaper in America than in Europe so stock up if you go to America). Technic’s creme eyeshadow is nice and can be used as a highlighter too. The lip gloss is good too, it’s an interesting look, but reminds me a lot of my early 2000s childhood when people were obsessed with glitter. Burt’s Bees lip balm is great. Illamasqua’s gel eyeliner is nice. I like how the green is very subtle and almost looks black. I am really crap at doing winged eyeliner unless it’s with a pen. I forgot to take a picture of the eyeliner I use, but Barry M’s On Point eyeliner is great. I like it as much as I like Kat Von D’s tattoo eyeliner. Way better value at a fraction of the price. The eyeshadows in the picture are okay, but I haven’t used them in a while. (I have bad makeup habits and I kind of hoard it. Don’t be like me).

• Barry M Champagne and Dreams Palette

This is a decent palette for the price (I think I paid less than a tenner for it). I don’t use bronzer, but the eyeshadows and highlighters are good.

 

So that’s my makeup! What’s your favourite makeup? What do you tend to splurge or save on? What brands do you like? Tell me in the comments section below!