What makeup do you carry with you every day or when you travel? Just a lipstick and an eye pencil for touch ups? Maybe a compact? Some lip balm just in case. And a few bobby pins. Plus that creamy eye shadow just in case you need to turn your day makeup to night.
It may not seem like much, but you actually just listed a 100€ worth of product. If you have that rolling at the bottom of your hand bag day after day it's bound to get scratched or worse, stain the lining of your bag (lipstick disaster, anyone?). A makeup bag with compartments is all well and good to start organizing and keeping your cosmetics safe. But what do you really need on a day to day basis?
Makeup bag essentials
Do your compact a favor and pack some blotting papers with you. Even if your skin isn't oily, there's still that natural layer of sheen on your forehead that you rather want to remove with paper than smear it to your powder puff. I recently discovered Dermosil, an affordable option that works wonders.
In addition to carrying a lipstick, consider taking a lip pencil with you. It helps to make your lip makeup look sharp and smart and adds an instant boost on those dreary afternoon hours. Essence offers amazing quality for the price.
You can and you should add mascara during the day. Even if you add multiple layers in the morning, some of the volume disappears during the day. Avoid clumps by choosing a plastic brush. Nars Audacious is a cult option.
Even more important than makeup, you should consider some skincare. With makeup you can at best cover up the damage but skincare helps you avoid it all together. The ultimate essential is a face mist - adding moisture to your skin keeps foundation looking fresh and helps skin so it doesn't have to work overtime to produce oil that will only end up blocking your pores. Evian is a classic choice.
Makeup bag compartments
A good quality makeup bag (obviously) has the right compartments to store all this. But most importantly, it's the right size for travel and every day. Trust me, this exists. I don't know why no one ever manufactured them before but the Soederlund bag is high enough to hold products vertically as well so you don't have to worry about spilling anything. And stain resistant if you do.
Be extra careful with lip products. Those you should always store in their compartments. Compartments in a makeup bag also protect product surface, so palettes and compacts with metallic finish should gain a VIP treatment. Many eye products can take a little more wear, and hair accessories should be separated from the rest just for hygiene's sake.
How do you store your cosmetics in your makeup bag?