What's in my everyday makeup bag?

I like to carry around my makeup bag wherever I go in case I need to touch up my makeup on the run or when unexpected meetings with friends comes up. I also like to keep small things I might need in case of an emergency like bobby pins, a hair elastic, snap clips (for clipping back my shorter layers in the front), eyelash glue, and gum. And although I change up my products depending on my look for that day, here are my "go to" makeup items in my cosmetic bag: 

Eyes:

2. Maybelline Colossal Volume Express Mascara in Glam Black - this mascara has been the one I find myself grabbing the most. I'm not a huge fan of it like many people seem to be, but it gets the job done. I find it clumps my lashes together, but I love the extreme dark black color which gives my lashes a dramatic look. 

3. Rimmel's Lash Accelerator in Extreme Black - I LOVE this mascara! It's skinny wand reaches the inner and outer corners of my lashes that I can't reach with a fatter wand. I like to mix both the Collosal Volume Mascara and this one for a more lengthy, voluminous look!

4. L'Oreal's Infallible 16 hour Eyeliner in Carbon Black - This has got to be one of the best if not THE best eyeliner I have ever tried! It glides on super smooth and creamy and allows me to smudge it right before it sets. I have repurchased this product time and time again and continue to love it. I will never be without it!

5. e.l.f.'s 'C' Brush - hands down one of my favorite brushes (and cheap too! e.l.f.'s brushes from their Studio Line are extremely high quality and are all under ten dollars!) I use this brush mainly to smudge my eyeliner to give me that smokey look when I don't have to me before work to apply eyeshadow. It blends my eyeliner to give it a more soft look instead of a harsh line.

**Note: I threw a brand new L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara in my bag since my Maybelline Colossal one is almost done. I have repurchased this item time and time again and it never disappoints. It is one of HG items.

Face:

6. NYX Concealer in a Jar in Light - pros: full coverage, lasts all day, a lot of bang for your buck! Cons: has a powdery smell to it which is such a turn off in my book! *Note: When at home, I use Coastal Scents palette which I've spoken about here. This and Revlon's Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Treatment Concealer in Light 20 are my current faves.

7. YSL Bronzing Powder in Terre Saharienne - this is the perfect matte bronzer. It has just a hint of shimmer but nothing that will make you look shiny or sweaty as shimmer bronzers often do. I prefer matte bronzers and this color is perfect for olive skin tones like mine. During the winter months when I am too fair for this bronzer I use it mostly for contouring instead.

8. Blush-this is a hard one as I am always trying out new colors and brands. This past summer I used only Tarte's Amazonian Clay in Tipsy, but now I'm experimenting with Wet n' Wild's Heather Silk which I'm loving for two reasons: 1. The color payoff is phenomenal for $1.99 and 2. The rosy color is perfect for a pink wintery flush.

Lips:

9. I can never decide on which lip color I will stick to during the day, so I normally care 2-3 lipsticks and 1-2 glosses in case I want to change it up. Of course a nude-ish pink is always flattering so I tend to stick to those. My all-time favorite lipstick is Sephora's Lip Attitude in Glamour G01. Please pick this up if you are looking for a creamy, moisturizing, pigmented color. It glides on smoothly is the perfect nude pink. I've repurchased this color at least 3 times. It is timeless. I also carry with me NYX's Circe which is a more true nude and NARS' Turkish Delight Lip Gloss, which aside from the smell is the best pink lip gloss color I've ever used. If you are looking for an inexpensive dupe for Turkish Delight try Bonne Bell's Strawberry Parfait for $2.99! Sometimes I like to layer these two lippies and top it with the gloss; a perfect combo!

Some other miscellaneous items I carry in my bag are hair clips, hair ties, and eyelash glue. Of course I change everything up depending on my mood or occasion, but this is pretty accurate to what I normally carry around on a daily basis. You can find all the products mentioned at your local drugstore or Ulta.

What do you carry in your makeup bag? Comment below and let me know what are some items you can't leave the house without. 

Love,

Monica Sofia

Dear Perfect Concealer, Why are you so hard to find?

I am a self proclaimed concealer junkie although concealers and I have a love/hate relationship. I try to do most of the loving, but they always end up doing most of the hating!

I don't know about you, but I can not stand when a concealer is sticky and gooey. I just feel like it sits on my skin attracting any lint particle to it and then eventually melting away. Often I find that 85% of concealers out there, are too watered down, so I don't get the coverage I need for my dark under eye circles and my rare hormonal pimples that decide to pop up whenever I am stressed. It's hard to find a concealer I love.

I used to swear by Laura Mercier's Secret Concealer. This is by far the best concealer I have ever owned and used on my face. Never sticky, not watered down, long lasting. Basically perfect! I have yet to try the Secret Camouflage one they are carrying at my local Sephora as is looks very similar to the Secret one. However, at $22.00 for .08 oz. it gets a little pricey when I go through this stuff like it's going out of style.

It took me years to find another great one: Revlon's Age Defying Concealer (light). The consistency and coverage of this concealer was almost identical to the one by Laura Mercier, so you can just imagine my excitement! Sadly this amazing product has been discontinued. I swear I think cosmetic companies love to do this: you know, when you find your holy grail cosmetic and then the company decides they are going to take it away from you, so you feel the need to buy 7345 backups!

Now after some searching and trying (and searching and trying!), I have found the following two I cannot live without:

Maybelline's Super Stay 24hr Concealer (light & medium). It's what I have been using for the last couple of years. It's wonderful! It covers like no other concealer I know, even more so than the previous two. It is not sticky at all and in fact, dries completely to blend into your skin. It's coverage is seriously amazing. They only downside is that it dries quickly so you have to work even more quickly than it to spread it on. And...

Coastal Scents Camouflage Concealer Palette. This palette is considerably affordable at $16.95 for ten concealers. I have never used the three darkest shades as they do not match my skin color, but the other seven I alternate all year long depending on how tan my skin gets. It is creamy, long lasting, and  has buildable coverage. I love this palette and recommend it to all of my friends

These two have been my go-to concealers for a very long time. If they decide to discontinue them, I will surely cry!

What concealers do you use and love? I recommend both of these if you are looking to try a new one.