What’s In My Makeup Bag

Since we’ve been talking about makeup in this week’s Mom Makeover challenge, I thought it would be fun to give you a peek inside my makeup bag. I always love talking makeup with friends!

I have a confession to make. Are you ready for this? Okay, here goes.

I never leave the house without at least minimal makeup.

Not even when I’m “just going to Walmart.” (My husband always says, “Why do you need to wear makeup? It’s just Walmart.” It’s kind of a joke between us, because we both know I’m not even going to Walmart without makeup on.)

Before you judge, let me tell you a little bit of my story.

See, I’ve dealt with acne my whole life. Even in my 40’s, I’m still dealing with acne.

Usually most people can’t tell, because as long as I use Benzoyl Peroxide twice a day, I don’t have breakouts.

And, believe me, I’ve tried every natural acne cure known to man: salicylic acid, coconut oil, essential oils, bentonite clay, green clay, manuka honey, gluten free diets, dairy-free diets, etc. You name it, I’ve probably tried it. And none of it works.

After I’ve totally messed my skin up with all that natural stuff, I always go back to my Benzoyl Peroxide, and after a few weeks, my skin clears back up.

So, because I have less-than-perfect skin, I wear makeup whenever I go out.

And before you imagine a heavily-made-up woman, sometimes people can’t even tell that I have any on (in fact, one of my daughter’s friends said to her, “Your mom doesn’t wear makeup, does she?” My daughter said it’s because I don’t wear enough 🙂 ).

Mostly I just try to even out my skin tone, cover blemishes and scars, and try to look a little brighter.

My Makeup Bag

This past Christmas, my mom surprised me with this adorable pink and coral makeup bag from Clinique that was filled with new makeup!

Inside the bag was eye shadow, blush, lip gloss, eye liner, two mascaras, and eye cream. It was such a fun gift!

I’ve been wearing Clinique makeup since I was about 13, when my dermatologist recommended it to me.

During my teen years, I also used their skincare line, but now I just use my homemade soap, rose petal witch hazel toner, and Neutrogena On-The-Spot Acne Treatment.

Everyday Makeup

I don’t wear a lot of makeup for everyday. My goal with my everyday makeup is to look like I’m not wearing any. 🙂

Whenever I’m staying home for the day, I usually give my skin a break from foundation and just wear lip liner, lipstick, and lip gloss.

Sometimes I add mascara and brow ink (because for some reason my eyebrows have faded with age!).

If I think there’s a possibility I might be seeing someone other than family, I’ll go ahead and put on concealer, foundation, and some eye makeup.

What I Wear for Everyday

This post contains affiliate links. Read my disclosures here.

1. Jane Iredale Circle Delete Concealer #2 Peach
2. Neutrogena Nourishing Long Wear Eye Shadow + Built-in Primer in Classic Nude
3. Corral ‘Em Eye Firming Gel from Cowgirl Dirt love that this is all-natural! (read my Cowgirl Dirt review here)
4. beauty sponge blender
5. Burt’s Bees Beeswax Peppermint Lip Balm (I wear this morning and night!)
6. Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Meringue
7. Bite Beauty The Lip Pencil in beige nude
8. Hard Candy Brow Ink in light medium (I love this stuff, and used to get it at Walmart for a few dollars, but it’s getting hard to find, so I’m thinking of switching to this. My daughter has been using it and she says it’s even better than the Hard Candy one.)
9. Neutrogena Healthy Volume Mascara
10. Clinique Skinny Stick Eyeliner in Slimming Black
11. Elf Eyeshadow Brush
12. Elf Concealer Brush
13. Elf Brow Comb and Brush
14. Neutrogena Skin Clearing Oil-Free Makeup in Buff (This is the only makeup I’ve tried that doesn’t cause breakouts.)
15. Cowgirl Dirt Yeehaw Lipstick in Seattle Slew (not pictured, but I’ve been using this every day for years now—it’s a favorite!) I wear this over the Bite Beauty lipstick above, kind of as a lip gloss.

Going Out Makeup

As I mentioned above, I never leave the house without at least minimal makeup on. But whenever I’m going somewhere, I’ll put forth a bit more effort, especially with my eye makeup.

Mostly it’s the same products, but I do add in a few things.

What I Wear for Going Out

1. Rimmel Magnif’Eyes Shadow (my daughter just talked me into this one!)
2. Bare Minerals Mineral Veil setting powder
3. Clinique All About Shadow Quad
4. Jane Iredale Circle Delete Concealer #2 Peach
5. Clinique All About Eyes cream
6. Bite Beauty Amuse Bouche Lipstick in Meringue
7. Bite Beauty The Lip Pencil in beige nude
8. Hard Candy Eye Shadow Primer
9. Hard Candy Brow Ink in light medium
10. Clinique High Impact Mascara in black
11. Clinique Pop Lacquer Lip Colour + Primer in Wink Pop (not a huge fan of this, I prefer the Cowgirl Dirt Bullet Proof lip glaze)
12. Elf Eyeshadow Brush
13. Elf Concealer Brush
14. Elf Brow Comb and Brush
15. Clinique Chubby Stick Cheek Colour Balm in Amp’d Up Apple
16. Neutrogena Skin Clearing Oil-Free Makeup in Buff
17. Kabuki powder brush
18. beauty sponge blender
19. (Not pictured) Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel (This is the only thing even somewhat close to moisturizer that I ever use. That’s because it’s the only thing that doesn’t break my skin out. I’ve been using this since I was 13.)
20. (Not pictured) Maybelline Define-a-Line eyeliner in Ebony Black

Why So Few Natural Choices?

Honestly, I would love to switch all my makeup over to more natural things. However, there are a few things that have prevented me from doing this.

Number one, I’ve got the acne issue. I’ve never been able to find a natural foundation or moisturizer that doesn’t cause me to break out. So, I feel like I have no choice but to continue on with Neutrogena and Clinique.

Number two, performance. I’ve tried many natural makeup products in the past, but most of them were a disappointment. The company that I’ve stayed with the longest is Cowgirl Dirt. I especially love their eye firming cream, the lipstick, and the lip gloss. My girls also love their body glitter. If you know of a natural makeup company with products that perform like professional makeup, I’d love to hear about it!

And the final thing that has prevented me from totally switching over to all-natural makeup is cost. Most of the makeup I’ve purchased is fairly inexpensive (the Clinique makeup listed above was a gift from my mom). Many of the natural makeup companies are more expensive and have high shipping fees.

I’d love to hear what your favorite makeup is. Let me know in the comments!

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Other Posts in The Mom Makeover Challenge series:

1. The Mom Makeover Challenge Week 1: Renew Your Mind
2. Week 1 Progress Report: 5 Bible Verses for Hard Times
3. The Mom Makeover Challenge Week 2: Make Sleep a Priority
4. Week 2 Progress Report: How to Get to Bed on Time
5. The Mom Makeover Challenge Week 3: Prioritize Exercise
6. The Mom Makeover Challenge Week 4: Overhaul Your Wardrobe
7. Week 4 Progress Report: Nothing to Wear? Shop Your Closet!
8. The Mom Makeover Challenge Week 5: Update Your Look
9. Week 5 Progress Report: What’s in My Makeup Bag
10. The Mom Makeover Challenge Week 6: Cultivate Delight
11. Week 6 Update: Making Time for Mother Culture

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