My Emergency Dance Makeup Bag

 
My little dancer is still too young to be expected to show up at events with a full face of makeup, but it doesn't mean that she isn't expected to look 'polished' when she is representing the studio. I sometimes forget that it could be required of her while at the studio as well.

Last night I had the pleasure of watching the studio's ballet examinations. I brought the DD in perfectly coiffed and neatly dressed, but after looking around, I realized that she should have been wearing light makeup as well. After attending her very first dance convention, JUMP, last year, I learned never to travel without the makeup basics. It didn't take much to run into the change room and give her a little makeover.

Carrying around a full makeup bag is pretty annoying. Fortunately, my subscription box addiction means I'm stocked up on sample sized products. I also tend to gravitate towards multipurpose cosmetics to keep my purse clutter at a minimum.

Here's What's In My Current Emergency Makeup Bag:

Benefit Stay Flawless / The Porefessional Primers (sample size): Let's be honest, young kids don't need full coverage foundation unless they're on stage or doing a photo-shoot. For conventions, examinations, and all other events, the more natural looking they are, the better. That, and the DD's fair skin tone, is why I tend to stick to light primers instead of using foundation. It's also less clutter in my purse and less messy overall, since I would have to carry a brush if I was using a liquid foundation and solid foundations in compacts have a tendency of cracking easily and leaving powder residue all over my purse.

Benefit Lollitint / Benetint Lip and Cheek Stain (sample size): I am obsessed with these two items. I will never carry anything else for lips and cheeks. They manage to go onto cheeks lightly to give a healthy, rosy glow, but pack a punch on the lips and give you the bright matte lip that's expected of all dancers at events. They also last for hours after the tints dry. A gloss or lipstick will never cut it because you'll have to keep re-applying, and powdered blush causes the same messy fallout as powdered foundation.

SharaShara Triple Shine Color Shadow in Yellow Brown (trio): This is a recent addition to my bag. I love this product because the colours are almost identical to her studio's standard eye makeup, but shimmer instead of matte. Up until I received this little trio, I was using Urban Decay Eyeshadow Pencils. I had no problems with the pencils, but this takes up way less room in my purse and I do find I can control the depth of the colours much better. I use a dry finger to dab the shadow on her eyelids so that I can achieve a soft look, required for something like a ballet exam, or a wet finger to apply it a bit darker so it will last longer for conventions.

Benefit They're Real Mascara (sample size): I appreciate any cosmetic item that allows me to control the look. This mascara can create a look as soft or dramatic as you'd like. It all depends on how many coats you apply and how you move the brush. The brush itself isn't huge, so it's perfect for tiny eyes. The formula is wet, but also dries much faster than the mess below.

Benefit They're Real Push-Up Liner (sample size): Once I'm done with this sample I don't think I'll be using this product it anymore. It may last a long time, but applying this on a child is a disaster. I much prefer a basic gel pencil liner to any liquid or pen because the formula isn't as wet and you don't have to worry about fluttering eyelids causing smudging or a double line.

I know there appears to be a significant amount of Benefit products, and although I absolutely adore some of them, it is mostly because they're the easiest multi-use samples to come by. Topbox and Ipsy seem to give them out every month, and Birchbox Canada looks to be following their example. Sephora always has them on hand as well if you ask at the checkout counter. The odd time they don't, they will make you a sample from their floor stock. The SharaShara product came out of my CutiePieMarzia2 Memebox, but it's currently on sale from the Memebox website for $5.

October Empties

For some reason, I don't really start a skincare regime until the fall. It might be because during the summer my skin provides it's own moisture and a washcloth with water is all it takes to feel like my face is clean. But as soon as the weather gets colder, I start reaching for my holy grail skincare products. By the end of the month, I amass quite the collection of empty containers. 

Here's what I've gone through this month:

Biophora Bioactive Solution: I was told by an esthetician, politely of course, that I basically had elephant skin. It is thick and tough and needs regular exfoliation. She recommended this product to me and I've been using it religiously as a toner ever since. I go through a giant bottle every year, and I guess for $50, it's not a bad deal. The main issue is that I can only find it at select spas, but never at beauty supply stores, so it's a mission every time I need to replace it.

 Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil: My first experience with argan oil was with what seemed to be the holy grail of all argan oil products - Josie Maran. I received a mini sample in a 2013 Topbox and have been hooked ever since. I've tried other, cheaper versions, but nothing works as well. My go-to moisturizer in the winter, I use it on everything - face, hair, hands, etc. Anything that lacks moisture gets a dime-sized amount of this. I wish I could say that my skincare routine was all-natural, but this 8-free product makes up for it, right? Unfortunately, it's super expensive, so I buy a mini bottle every few weeks at Sephora, which doesn't hurt my wallet as badly.

skynICELAND Glacial Cleansing Cloths: I received a sample 10-pack of these in my October Ipsy Glam Bag. I've already used them up, and have another 2 full sized packages on order from Amazon. These are the first cleansing cloths that have not irritated my skin in any way. Most of them either dry out my face (YESto) or leave a weird film, causing me to breakout (Neutrogena). I use them at night when I'm too tired to wash my face properly and I can't tell the difference from my usual cleanser in the morning. I do not use them as an eye makeup remover though, since I'm weary of using anything that lathers around my sensitive eyes.

Benefit's the POREfessional: I hate wearing makeup. I'm not quick at applying it on myself and it takes me about an hour before I'm happy with my face. I love anything that I can just slap on in less than 5 minutes. That is why I love the POREfessional. Most people use it as a primer, but it doubles as a light foundation, almost a BB cream, for me. Sometimes I get crazy and mix it with my moisturizer so the coverage is even lighter. I just want something that evens out my skin tone, but doesn't feel heavy on my face like most makeup does. I used to use Benefit's some kind-a gorgeous, but have given it up for this. My tube is empty, but I've got a few mini samples from Topbox and Ipsy to tide me over. I don't need to splurge on a full size at Sephora for at least another week.


I tossed these before I took photos:

Bliss Hot Salt Scrub: I won a tub of this a few years ago at a bridal shower and have been using it faithfully ever since. This scrub has allowed me to perfect the 5 minute shower. It's most effective when you apply it to dry skin, so the only water I waste is when I'm rinsing it off and washing my hair. Aside from the plus of water conservation, it leaves my skin feeling super smooth and I don't feel guilty if I'm in a rush and skip the after-shower body moisturizing step. My Aveeno will be there tomorrow. Another super plus for this scrub is that I can always find it discounted at Winners (Canadian T.J.Maxx), so I've never actually had to dish out the $38.00 for it. I just stock up whenever I find it.

R.I.P Clarisonic PLUS: My Clarisonic PLUS died this month, after almost 3 years of trusty service. I was obsessed with it. I took it everywhere, even though it was bulky, and faithfully changed the brush heads every 3 months. As I mentioned before, washcloths suffice for my face in the summer, but this little miracle machine, along with the Clarisonic Refreshing Gel Cleanser, kept my face clean and clear throughout the other seasons. Even though my skin gets dry in the winter, it's always when I need to exfoliate it the most. I'm torn on repurchasing though. They're quite an investment ($265 CAD), and even though customer service was super helpful because my PLUS was out of warranty, and offered me a 25% coupon through email, I still have yet to receive said coupon after contacting them again.