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What’s In My Bag

What's In My Bag

Summer Date Night Beauty Favorites and Clutch Essentials

July 12, 2016

Summer is in full swing and I thought I’d put together a roundup of some date night beauty favorites for the season. I like to keep things on the makeup side soft and shimmery – pretty much the same as everyday kind of colors but add more on the eyes. A good neutral lip can give a nice polished look and will go with every color of outfit. A good classic red, coral or bright pink lip can add more oomph to your look – if you like a good bright classic, I think the best color and formula right now are from the Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips and Chanel Rouge Coco Stylo lines. If you’re a neutral lip lover, read on for my top picks.

First a note on clutches and pouches. Finding a good classic flat zip clutch is harder than you would think.
For as long as I can remember I’ve been into the simple classic
streamlined zip pouch, but being petite at 5’3″ it’s hard for me to find
one that isn’t too large. I’m forever looking for good classic options. The envelope style is pretty chic (one affordable option featured in this post here also eyeing this nude blush one here) but for some reason my heart belong to the flat zip ones.

My two most-used clutches are the Clare V Leopard Clutch (8″ H x 11″ W) and Truffle Privacy Clutch (6 1/2″ H x 10 1/2″ W). Small compact coin purses or card cases are also essentials for me. Any kind of textured leather makes wallets more sturdy and last longer, the Chanel classic quilted caviar is one of my favorites. The Tory Burch Robinson Coin Case is actually more like card case but also works as a more affordable option but still extremely well made and sturdy.

The best date night fragrances for me, some come in the tiny roller ball or small spritzer version to fit inside a clutch:

  • Diptyque L’Ombre Dans L’Eau which comes in a limited-edition travel size for summer. It’s the fragrance version of Baies candle which I was surprised works well as perfume and has a mix of blackcurrant leaves and rose.
  • Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb is the ultimate date night fragrance (travel spray was taken with me on my summer trip). For daytime I feel like it’s more of a fall/winter fragrance, but I think it’s amazing for summer nights. It’s a hard one to describe but the notes are bergamot, tea, freesia, jasmine, orange blossom, orchid, rose, patchouli.
  • Chloé Eau de Parfume is another favorite, I have a small bottle, but you can find it in a travel size as well, it’s another classic floral with notes of Pink Peony, Freesia, Lychee, Magnolia Flower, Lily of the Valley, Rose, Cedarwood, Amber, Honey.
  • For those who want something more unique, Byredo is always a good option. I bought the Discovery Set over the holiday which has a sampler mix of scents. It’s been discontinued but the current version is the Floral Discovery 6 Piece Set which has Blanche, La Tulipe, Bal D’Afrique, Inflorescence, Flowerhead and Rose Of No Man’s Land. I highly recommend the travel/discovery sets. It’s a great way to try out different ones without having to splurge on the full size bottle. Another option is the Nécessaire de Voyage Eau de Parfum Travel Set which has Black Saffron and Blanche with a case.

For eyes I like shadow sticks because they’re easy to apply and blend with the fingers. They’re great for touch ups or if you’re on the go and compact enough to carry in a clutch if you don’t have time to go back home to fix your makeup for date.

I like a good shimmer for the eyes because it dresses them up a bit whether it’s to add highlight or deepen with a golden smokey shade. Favorites shown and swatched below include:

For lips, I’m all about the soft pink and peachy shades. Current favorites shown below to mix and match or layer:

Shown above but not swatched:

Swatched below:

For pressed powders, the two I’ve been reaching for the most include the Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Powder in No. 20 and Clinique Stay Matte Sheer Pressed Powder in Stay Neutral. I’ve been on the hunt for a good retractable brush that’s flat but not too small and I finally found one from Hakuhodo which is the H611 Portable Brush. It’s soft and fluffy and super compact. If you don’t need a powder to touch up, but want a good blotting paper to carry to absorb shine, the Tatcha Blotting Papers are the best ones I’ve tried (details on why they’re the best in this review here).

That rounds up my summer date night beauty favorites! As always I’d love to hear what you love to wear and/or carry with you. If you have any favorite clutches or zip pouches – please share! One last note, shoes featured are from Ann Taylor.

Press samples featured include Tatcha Blotting Papers, Tom Ford Lip Color, Edward Bess Lip Definers, Truffle Clutch.

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What's In My Bag

What’s In My Bag

May 12, 2016

 

I’m spilling what’s inside my bag this week – as usual I have a couple small cosmetic bags or pouches to help keep makeup separated and somewhat organized from the rest of what I carry with me. Most of the purses I have tend to be open totes without dividers or pockets. I finally splurged on a Neverfull MM which has some pockets inside and comes with a flat zip pouch, but for the most part it’s one of those open totes. Shown above is the Tory Burch York Cosmetic Case (also cute in red) and the Truffle Small Clarity Clutch (also available in mini and large). iPhone Case is one of the Gray Malin Lisbon prints.

 

Face Products:

 

Skin care and hand care:
  • Tatcha Indigo Hand Cream (travel size) is a go-to for calming and hydrating, the full size one is actually compact enough to carry around with me, but the small one is best for those who prefer to carry smaller bags, the entire Indigo line is really good for sensitive skin and helps calm down irritation or flare ups, they have a four piece set called the Soothing Indigo Mini Set which I highly recommend if you want to try the line in smaller sizes
  • The Lotus Leaf and Camellia Mist from Peach and Lily was sent as a sample for me to try, it’s hydrating and refreshing with a soft citrus scent – the mist pump dispenses a fine mist which calms the skin. I’ve been playing with it for a few weeks now and am obsessed.
  • Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist (travel size) is the best-designed travel sized mist – it’s been a go-to staple for a long long time, the packaging is really the best I’ve ever seen. If you haven’t tried this you need to!
  • Le Labo Santal is one of my latest discoveries (actually from a few months ago), it’s not really a spring scent to me since it has sandalwood, amber and musk, but I still love it. At this time I’m still working my way through a few of the mini vials – I don’t know that I love it enough to buy the full size, but I suspect it’s because I’m feeling the spring to summer vibes.
  • Molton Brown Hand Cream in Pink Pepperpod is probably my favorite scented hand cream of all time, I just can’t get enough of the scent – I’m seriously considering buying the perfume version. If you love Molton Brown hand creams, they just launched the Dewy Lily of the Valley Star Anise which is the ultimate floral lily spring scent (review on this one soon).
Lips:
I’m always on lip overload when it comes to what I carry in my bag, right now I have:
  • Tom Ford Moisturecore Lip Color in Mustique (reviewed here) is such a pretty baby pink that is on the light side but doesn’t wash out the complexion.
  • Glossier Cherry Balm Dotcom is one of three new flavored lip balms from the line, I ordered immediately and have been obsessed with all of them – if you click this link here you can save 20% off your first purchase.
  • Edward Bess Deep Shine Lip Gloss in Lover’s Desire is a pretty peachy pink with a rich shine, I love all the glosses I’ve tried from his line, they add the prettiest healthy gloss to the lips. I like using them on top of lipstick. If you like a cool-nude, Nude Satin is amazing.
  • Edward Bess Defining Lip Liner in Natural (swatched here) is my holy grail go with everything neutral, if I were forced to live with one lipliner color the rest of my life this would be it, although his newest shade Barely is pretty awesome too.
  • Tarte Tarteist Lip Paint in Goals is a pretty full pigment glossy warm pink (review soon).
  • Tom Ford Lips and Boys in Eddie (on the lips here) is a a pretty shimmering cool beige neutral that’s easy to throw on for a neutral wash of shimmer.
Lip swatches with Anastasia Vintage as a comparison:
Eyes:

 

I have two items for the eyes in my bag, the By Terry Mascara is one of my favorites these days because it thickens and lengthens without smudging. Also in my bag is the Edward Bess Illuminating Eye Base in Dune. These come with a twist click packaging and brush applicator at the end. The one I have shown is a brand new one but I keep multiples so I don’t run out. It evens out the lids and preps the eyes for powder shadow. It’s my holy grail and comes in three colors. Swatched below next to Laura Mercier Caviar Eye Stick in Rose Gold which I use a lot as an eye base and also next to NARS Concealers in Custard and Ginger as a baseline (full concealer roundup from last fall here). The Edward Bess Eye Bases have a more pink undertone which is exactly what I want on my lids. Yellow concealers match my skin for concealing but on the lids the pink helps neutralize red a bit and evens out without making the face look sallow.

 

 

I hope you enjoyed peeking into my bag! Also hope the swatches helped in case you’re new to any of the color items I featured. What’s in your bag this week? Do you have any favorites you are carrying with you right now?

 

Press samples featured include the MustaeV Easy Go Brush, Tom Ford Mustique, Edward Bess Natural, Edward Bess Lover’s Desire, Lotus Face Mist, Tatcha Indigo Hand Cream, Truffle Clarity Clutch.
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What's In My Bag

Inside My Bag

March 1, 2016

 

February flew by so quickly, I cannot believe it’s March but I’m excited for spring. I’ve been working my way through swatching all of the Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipsticks and hope to have the post up by the end of the week (fingers crossed my lips can handle the swatching). A few of you have asked for a review of my Celine mini belt bags (seen here and here) – I haven’t really done purse or accessory reviews but will definitely do one on both in the upcoming weeks so stay tuned!

 

Here’s a peek of what I have in my bag right now. I’ve been loving my Prada Saffiano still – I think I’ve had it going on 2.5+ years now and it’s held it’s shape remarkably well, hasn’t shown any signs of wear or scratches and is extremely versatile for a number of different occasions and outfits. I’ve had my eye on the Saffiano Cuir Double Bag in black ever since I saw that they started carrying a small one on Extra Petite. She has a really good review and comparison (although my camel tote is a different style and has different dimensions compared to hers). It takes me months to decide on a splurge – I’ve been looking for a classic black leather tote for a long time, but cannot make up my mind because size and structure is really important to me.

Inside my Saffiano Tote this week:

What’s in your bag this week? Any new beauty discoveries from the weekend?

 

Press samples featured include the Tatcha beauty papers and Truffle clutch+case.
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What's In My Bag

What’s Inside My Makeup Bag

January 5, 2016
Inside my makeup bag truffle clarity pouch

It’s only the first week of the year and even though I’ve tried to clean out some of my purses and reorganize, I’ve already accumulated way too much in my makeup bag. I just emptied it this morning and counted 12 lip items … wait no, 13 eek! Everytime I go out with my husband, he’s always asking what it is that I’m lugging around and if I really need to carry all this stuff. Of course I don’t, but I still do. Here’s a peek at what’s inside my makeup bag which is the Truffle Clarity Clutch Small in Nude. Some will be reviewed on the blog very soon.
______________

Lips

Featured from left to right:
______________

All the other stuff

From left to right:
______________

I’ll say now that the Dior Lip Glow in Lilac is way better than the Pink one (which turns fuchsia on my lips sometimes). I ordered all the Too Faced Melted Lipsticks from the chocolate launch because how can one resist anything chocolate? There are hits and misses with the colors – I’ll be editing swatches to upload later this week (my husband said one of the colors looked absolutely hideous on me). I pulled out my Tisse Rivoli eyeshadow quad recently – it is one of my favorite neutrals in quad form but I misplaced it and couldn’t find it for months (I had put the compact in my blush drawer which is why I couldn’t find it with all the other eyeshadow compacts). My goal for the new year is to find some more makeup organization solutions. I’ve been using Muji Acrylic organizers and drawers, but I need something bigger with taller drawers – any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. There are a number of options out there I’ve been researching – I’ve been making notes on dimensions and picing, it’s kinda overwhelming to sort out! 

What’s in your makeup bag this week? If you keep your makeup contents to a minimum, how do you edit/organize what you carry? 

Press samples featured above indicated by a *. 

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What's In My Bag

Inside My Bag

October 21, 2015

I have a peek at what’s inside my bag this week. My well-loved Prada Saffiano Tote has held up remarkably well over the past couple of years, I’m really impressed with how sturdy the leather is. I had read mixed reviews about the quality, stitching and durability. I do take good care of my bags, but overtime it’s a given that the edges will become worn, some stitching comes loose and scratches are almost always inevitable. With this one, all the stitching has remained in tact. The edges haven’t shown any wear or scuffs. There are little studs/feet at the base which I think is a huge plus in protecting it if you set it on the ground or on a chair. Perhaps the biggest plus for me is that it has kept it’s shape.

Onto what’s inside my bag this week:
Truffle Privacy Clutch (small size) in Cabernet (c/o)
Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk (swatched on lips here, also here)
MAC Pro Longwear Lip Pencil Cultured (swatched here)
Elizabeth & James Hand Cream in Nirvana White
Charlotte Tilbury Lip Lustre in Blondie (swatched here)
Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick in Bitch Perfect (swatched here)
Glossier Coconut Balmdotcom (c/o, currently sold out)
Molton Brown Hand Cream Gingerlily (c/o)
YSL Pop Water Glossy Stain 203 (currently 10% off at Nordstrom, swatched here)

Truffle launched a new color for fall called Cabernet which is a deep plum wine color. The color comes in a wide selection of options: Small Clarity Clutch, Large Clarity Clutch, Document Case, Privacy Clutch and a new style called the Privacy Wristlet. All the items are in the textured leather that has a coating making it super durable. I teamed up with Truffle to shoot some of their new products for their website. Also note their Nude Privacy Clutches are back in stock with an updated look. It now has the white contrast trim. Here are a few shots below that didn’t make the cut, hope this helps for size reference.

Large Privacy Clutch measures 9” H X 12” W
Small Privacy Clutch measures 7 1/2” H X 9 3/4” W
Zip Wristlet measures 5″ H x 8″ W

What’s inside your bag this week?

Items sent courtesy of brands indicated with c/o beside them. All others purchased by me.

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What's In My Bag

What’s In My Bag – May 2015

May 8, 2015

TGIF everyone! This week feels like it has been a really long one for some reason so I’m really happy it’s Friday. It’s been a gloomy week here in Southern California and we’ve had a bit of rain. I’ve been chasing the sun as it peeks through the clouds every once in a while – I shouldn’t complain because we have sunny weather here 90% of the year. I have a what’s in my handbag post today. Here’s what I’ve been carrying around lately. The tote is the St. Louis by Goyard in the PM size. In case you are wondering, the color is called Gris.

Inside my bag I have the Goyard Pouch that comes with the St. Louis Tote, also:

For makeup most of these things fit inside the bag with the exception of the Tatcha Beauty Papers, Chanel Kabuki Brush and L’Occitane Hand Cream. The base of the Clearly MAC Trio Bag is wide at the bottom so you can fit more items inside compared to the MAC Clear Bag Set (featured here). What I have with me is way too many lip products – I add one each day to the bag and end up with more lip products that I can wear at any given time.

I hope you have a lovely weekend! What has been in your bag this week?

Some press samples have been included in the post, those noted by c/o note by each item.

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What's In My Bag

Inside My Bag

March 13, 2015

TGIF! Happy weekend my lovely readers. I hope everyone had a good week. We are having a hot weekend here in Southern California with 80+ degree weather and I feel like I’m in desperate need of a tan. Here’s a quick peek at what’s inside my bag this Friday.

Rouge Dior Brilliant Lipshines (reviewed here)
Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Lip Liner (swatched on lips here)
Charlotte Tilbury Lip Magic (reviewed here)
Tatcha Beauty Papers (post + promo code here)
Marc Jacobs Sheer Lip Gel in Have We Met? (on the lips here)
L’Occitane Hand Cream Mini
Byredo Black Saffron fragrance sample (still thinking about this one)
Chanel Sycamore fragrance mini
Non-beauty accessories:
Clutch as a makeup pouch – Truffle (c/o)
Purse – Prada
Wallet – Louis Vuitton
Moleskin – Vianel
I’m finalizing reviews of the new Chanel Rouge Cocos and Burberry Kisses Lipsticks today and I’ll have those reviews up this weekend. I’m also burning my first Cire Trudon candle in Odalisque and so far it’s pure love review on this soon as well.
What’s in your bag this Friday?
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