This week I’ve been playing with the Charlotte Tilbury Beach Sticks, new Burberry Eye Shadow formulation, the Dior Eye Reviver Palette, Marc Jacobs Contouring Duos, Chanel Rouge Cocos and much more. Thank you for your patience while you wait for reviews – I know some of you have e-mailed me and been asking when the reviews will be posted. I’m working as fast as I can. It’s only Wednesday and I’m already exhausted. I’ve been trying to go
easy on caffeine so I’ve been coffee-free for a few days which has
impacted my energy levels. Here’s a quick peek at what’s in my bag this week. Why I carry this much stuff is beyond me, although I have been traveling on a few mini road trips this week.
Here’s a peek at what’s inside my bag this week (another shot here @beautylookbook). Truffle Clutches are keeping my bags streamlined and organized. I like to use the Clarity Clutches for makeup because I can see what’s inside (nude is shown). The Privacy Clutches for me are used to keep card cases, wallets, notecards and keys in (blush shown). I ordered a bunch of these for Christmas and gave them out as gifts to friends. They put them to use immediately and it brought a smile to my face seeing that they were well received – everyone has been sending me pictures of their pouches in action.
Two last beauty items I’ve been carrying with me include Elizabeth and James Nirvana Black mini and L’Occitane’s Shea Butter Hand Cream (from the limited-edition holiday L’OcciBox).
What’s in your bag this week?
The Truffle Blush Clutch and L’Occitane Hand Cream were press samples. All other items purchased by me.
I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! I have a few things to share that I’ve been loving lately – all of which are compact in size making it easy to slip into a flat leather clutch.
First, Elizabeth and James just released a new Solid Perfume Compact for Nirvana Black and White. It’s the prettiest solid perfume compact I’ve seen. It comes in heavy duty a mirrored compact with the same detail as the full size bottles. It’s currently a VIB/VIB Rouge Exclusive at Sephora.com through 12/27 and will be officially launch in the new year. The solid Nirvana Black smells just like the Eau De Parfum and Rollerball (full review on those here) with decent lasting power.
Next, I’ve been really enjoying the Tom Ford Lips & Boys clutch-sized lipsticks. I have posted a few sneak peeks here and on my Instagram, I’m working as fast as I can to get the full review and swatches up this week. Below is William, a sheer glossy nude peach shimmer.
For the dry winter weather, I’ve been using hand cream and lip balms religiously. Two I really like at the moment is L’Occitane Shea Butter Hand cream mini that I got as a gift with purchase at the boutique (always a classic) and the Malin + Goetz Lip Moisturizer.
The Elizabeth & James solid compact was provided for review consideration. The mini L’Occitane hand cream was a gift with purchase in store. All other items purchased by me.
I’m a huge fan of the pouches and clutches by Truffle.
I have multiples now in different colors and styles and love how they really help keep
things streamlined and organized in my purses. They just released a few additions in Nude, Black and Rose Gold. They are a bit of a
splurge, but I feel they are well worth the price because they are well-made and very sturdy. Right now Truffle is offering 25% off your entire
purchase with code HOLIDAY25 at checkout (it ends on Monday December 1st).
The Privacy Clutches are also good for on-the-go. If you don’t want to lug around your purse and just want to carry the essentials, it will fit quite a bit but still keep everything streamlined (see what I fit in the Blush version back in August).
Sometimes I’ll carry multiples in my purses that don’t have compartments. They are pretty good at staying flat and keeping their shape so it keeps everything streamlined.
P.S. If you’re like me and have been eyeing Charlotte Tilbury items you might want to look into the holiday offer at Beautylish. They are offering a $20 gift card for every $100 you spend (also ends on Monday).
What’s in your bag right now? How do you keep your bag organized or streamlined. I usually tend to throw things in each day of the week so by the weekend it gets heavy and messy. Compartments help keep me organized but not all of my bags have separators.
Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving and that you are enjoying the weekend! I spent the last 3 days sick in bed with a bad cold, but my fever broke and I am starting to feel more like myself this afternoon.
The Black Privacy Clutch was gifted by Truffle without charge, all other items purchased by me.
I’ve received lots of requests about clear makeup bags ever since I featured a clear Bobbi Brown cosmetic bag in a few of my inside my bag posts. Unfortunately it was a gift with purchase a few years ago and was never released for purchase which is too bad because it was well made and compact enough to fit into most of my smaller purses. I’ve been on the hunt for something similar but haven’t found anything quite like it. The Truffle Clarity Clutches are a favorite for their sleek look, high quality material and functional design but some have asked for other recommendations. I spotted these new MAC Clear Bag Sets ($25) and immediately went to my MAC counter to investigate. Size dimensions weren’t disclosed online so I wasn’t sure how small or large these were.
The MAC Clear Bag Set ($25) is a set of two sealable rectangular pouches. One side of each pouch is clear with a black back. They are sleek and compact and the set comes with two different sizes. The zipper glides nicely in a plastic format. Below shows what I was able to fit into each:
The Large Pouch measures approximately 9.4 inches by 5.75 inches. It fits quite a bit inside. I like my flat makeup bags to remain relatively flat so I didn’t pack it full. I was able to get the following inside the pouch:
The Small Pouch measures approximately 9.4 inches by 3.1 inches, this one is ideal for smaller sized items like small brushes, pencils, skinny objects or minis. What I was able to fit into the smaller clear front pouch:
They are both fairly compact in size. The flat design makes them fit easily into your purse and keep everything compact. The material is just ok. It’s nicely made but not the best quality. It’s not as good as the material used on my Bobbi Brown case or Truffle Pouch. The design of the MAC Clear Bag Set is basic and simple with a no-fuss look, but it lacks a hard backing and the trim is very minimal around the edges which makes it easy to bend. I had one corner folded (accidentally) after putting it inside my purse. It didn’t crease completely, but it did get mashed up a bit. The bag isn’t ruined and it will probably go back to its original shape if I lay it flat for a short while. I find these functional but in the past I have had issues with other brands of pouches and bags that have the plastic zipper seal – I’ve found they aren’t always the sturdiest and often become misaligned and the pouches stop sealing all together. Only time will tell with these, but so far they do seem to be pretty well made.
I’ve used these for a couple of weeks and they have held up pretty well although they aren’t the sturdiest makeup bags I’ve tried so I don’t know how long they will hold up. I like that the design is simple and sleek. They keep everything compact and having one clear side is nice so you don’t have to go digging through your makeup bag to find things. The simplicity in the design has a slight downside in the sense the trim is almost non-exisiting so it is very easy to bend. With thinner plastic material I do sometimes worry about it stretching if things don’t stay flat inside making the shape distorted.
Overall I think they are nice. I wouldn’t call them must-haves simply because I would have preferred something with a sturdier design. Still, they are functional and I find the price is reasonable for a set of two pouches. These would certainly be a good storage option for brushes if you are looking for something to store them on-the-go.
I purchased the MAC Clear Bag Set for $25 from Nordstrom. It’s also available at Macy’s and Maccosmetics.com. Do you have a favorite clear makeup bag?
Here is a peek at what I’ve had inside my makeup bag this week. The clear makeup bag is from Bobbi Brown which I found as a gift with purchase several years ago during a Neiman Marcus beauty event (for those looking for a clear makeup bag, a few other alternatives from MAC, Make Up For Ever, Sephora, Lulu).
Jo Malone Grapefruit Cologne (mini from a gift with purchase)
By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Misty Rock which I works alone on the lids, it’s a medium pink shade with plum shimmer, I swipe directly from tube onto lids and then blend with the fingers
Guerlain Maxi Lash Waterproof Mascara I rarely touch up with mascara in the middle of the day, but I sometimes carry one with me because in the mornings I typically am running out the door and have missed a few makeup steps before I leave the house, mascara and lips are usually the last two items I apply
Diptyque Geranium Odorata is such a pretty soft floral, the roller ball tip makes it easy to apply quickly, I keep it in the velvet pouch it comes with (not shown above)
, Smythson Notebook, 
