Makeup Wars ~ What This Beauty Blogger Packs for Vacation

February 18, 2013 By 19 Comments

Beauty Blogger Packing

So I’m not really going on vacation. Oh how I WISH I were going on vacation. Even just for a weekend. It is just not in the cards right now, nor will it be for quite a long time. Given that in years past my hubby and I have gone on a few tropical winter getaway vacations, including our wedding, I am not unfamiliar with how I pack for these things, so were are going to exercise a bit of imagination here.

Now when I go on vacation, and I mean a week long proper vacation, I don’t really concern myself with packing light when it comes to my beauty essentials. If I am on vacation it means I am going “out” far more often than in my usual life of drudgery. What better time to make the most out of all the beautiful makeup I own? So when I am packing for vacation I use these basic “rules”.

  • Pack my favourites (of the moment).
  • Make sure those favourites will create a variety of looks without a tonne of products
  • I (try t0) make sure those favourites aren’t limited edition.

What this means is I pack my favourites regardless of whether they are pricey or not. On my last vacation to Mexico I packed primarily Chanel. I will tell you that I did break the limited edition rule because I remember packing my Chanel Tentation Cuivree Quad because it was a favourite smoky eye look at the time. (I just had a massive meltdown realizing I sold this in a blog sale. What the heck was I thinking *sigh*). Since I like to bring my “good stuff” on vacation I do pack it in my carry on. maybe this isn’t the best use of space but really, makeup doesn’t take up a tonne of room right?

So lets say I won a vacation and had to pack up to leave tomorrow. Here are what my choices would be. These items would be packed in a makeup bag I purchased at Winners many years ago. We are taking possibly a decade. I used to use it to actually store my makeup collection before it got way out of hand. Hard to imagine most of my stuff fit in there at one point! Ridiculous really. How do people live like that? LOL It is from a brand called Murval. I never even really looked at the brand name on it before creating this post but it looks like they bags, apparel, and home products. I absolutely adore this bag because it is so compartmentalized and keeps all my things well organized, visible, and easy to find. There are multiple removable, and fixed, mesh zippered pouches. There is also a section for makeup brushes but I prefer to keep them protected in one of the zippered pouches.

Most of these products have been linked to their original reviews, (which took me forever!) so I encourage you to click on them to see why I find them travel worthy companions!

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The first zippered pouch holds some compacts to offer a variety of eye looks and colourful cheeks:

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The second removable zippered pouch holds an assortment of brushes (mostly MAC, Real Techniques and bdellium). I should have took a picture of them all out to show you as most are hiding.  It also holds any eye and brow pencils.

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The center zippered pouch holds:

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The final large zippered pouch contains most of my face and skincare items:

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I weighed my packed makeup bag and it weighs 4 pounds. Quite a hefty portion of my carry on luggage but that is a sacrifice, as a beauty lover, I have no trouble making. There is actually still room in my fabulous travel makeup bag so I can guarantee you that there would be some last minute additions before I left. The one item I would likely add is the Yves Saint Laurent Y Facettes Eye Palette from Spring 2013. It breaks my LE rule but it is so colourful and perfect for a tropical vacation. I also would likely throw in some nice skincare samples. I also forgot fragrance so some of my decants and samples would be added as well. It may seem like I packed an excessive amount of lip products and I should probably cut back given I packed more things than days I will be on vacation…but I would probably throw a few more in my handbag including my Lancome Baume in Love in Urban Ballet.

Well I hope you enjoyed my emotionally scarring experience of packing for an imaginary winter getaway and having to take photos of said imaginary packing outside in -20°C/-4°F weather. I’m off to go warm up with a hot coffee and Bailey’s and try to forget about my longing for a beach.

Make sure to check out the Travel Picks of the other Makeup Wars members. Just click on the thumbnails below or use the Previous and Next buttons at the top of this post. If you have missed out on the previous Makeup Wars be sure to check them out, including some of my favourites like our Valentines Day Look, Holiday Look, Holiday Wishlists, Favourite Mascaras, Favourite Fall Look, Favourite Red Lip, Favourite Makeup Brush, Favourite Fall Nail Polish, and Most Expensive Makeup Look.

Filed Under: Anastasia, benefit, Chanel, Dior, Giorgio Armani, Hourglass, KORRES, Le Metier de Beaute, Make Up For Ever, Makeup Wars, Maybelline, Random, Real Techniques, Rouge Bunny Rouge, Urban Decay, Yves Saint Laurent

Make Up For Ever Pro Finish Multi-Use Powder Foundation in Shade 110 ~ Photos, Swatches, and Review

February 4, 2013 By 4 Comments
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Make Up For Ever Pro Finish Multi-Use Powder Foundation

MAKE UP FOR EVER recently released their new Pro Finish Multi-Use Powder Foundation that has been over 6 years in the making and had their Creator & Artistic Director Dany Sanz testing more than 70 different formulations before finding the one that met her approval. The Pro Finish formula is quite different than most powder foundations in that is offers more sheer satin coverage when applied wet and fuller matte coverage when applied dry. This opposite what we are used to seeing in most powder formulas.

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Make Up For Ever Pro Finish Multi-Use Powder Foundation

I have long had a bit of a fear of powder foundations. I always assumed they would make my dry, dehydrated skin look even more parched and dull. After hearing many raves about the performance of the MAKE UP FOR EVER Pro Finish on a wide variety of skin types, including dry, I was anxious to try it out for myself. I’ve long yearned for the convenience and speed of applying a single powder product rather than fussing with application of a liquid foundation and then setting with powder.

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Make Up For Ever Pro Finish Multi-Use Powder Foundation

 

The glossy black compact houses 10g/0.35oz of product and has a Celfine wet/dry sponge in a hidden lower, aerated portion of the compact and a mirror in the upper portion of the compact that contains the powder foundation. It has a classic appeal and sturdy construction.

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Make Up For Ever Pro Finish Multi-Use Powder Foundation

 

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Make Up For Ever Pro Finish Multi-Use Powder Foundation

 

There is nice range of shades including 25 pink, golden, and neutral offerings. I received shade 110 Pink Porcelain for testing and at first was actually concerned it may be too light, an issue that is certainly not presented in most company’s foundation shade offerings, but I was happy to see that shade 110 worked perfectly on my skin.

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Make Up For Ever Pro Finish Multi-Use Powder Foundation in Shade 110

Heavy swatch of Make Up For Ever Pro Finish Multi-Use Powder Foundation in Shade 110.

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Make Up For Ever Pro Finish Multi-Use Powder Foundation in Shade 110

Pro Finish’s breakthrough formula includes a Vegetal Lecithin coating that wraps around each pigment. It is supposed to transform the product’s texture so it stays on the skin better, longer and more effectively. Silica and Sericite powders deliver a light-reflecting, soft focus effect, while Ximenia oil and Aloe Vera powder add comfort and nourishment. The Pro Finish formula is mineral oil-, fragrance-, and paraben-free and is said to contain significantly less talc than traditional formulations, eliminating the dreaded chalky, cakey effect often associated with compact foundations. Whatever they have done they have managed to create a compact powdered foundation that actually looks good on my dry skin. I like applying it dry (because I’m too lazy to bother wetting a sponge, with a kabuki brush. I buff it into my skin and it offers great coverage that looks very natural. If I want a bit more of a dewey finish I spritz with a setting spray like Skindinavia. I have also been enjoying just applying a light dusting of the Pro Finish as a setting powder.

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The Make Up For Ever Pro Finish Multi-Use Powder Foundation ($42 CAD/$36 US) is available at Sephora and MAKE UP FOR EVER Boutiques.

Product provided for my consideration. All reviews are always my own honest and unbiased opinions. Post contains affiliate links which helps support this site. Please see disclosure policy.

Filed Under: Finishing Powders, Foundations, Make Up For Ever

Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in #14 Satin Brown, #15 Taupe, #17 Plum ~ Photos, Swatches, Review

January 16, 2013 By 9 Comments
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Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in #14 Satin Brown, #15 Taupe, #17 Plum

So I may have forgot to take a photo of my new Make Up For Ever Aqua Creams with their caps on. Who want’s to see that anyways? BORING. So if you will excuse the “incompleteness” of this post I will proceed to wow you with the glory that is Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in #14 Satin Brown – warm brown shimmer, #15 Taupe – taupe brown shimmer, and #17 Plum – burgundy plum shimmer.

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Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in #14 Satin Brown, #15 Taupe, #17 Plum

If you have read my prior Aqua Cream review of #2 Steel, #13 Warm Beige, and #16 Pink Beige you will know that I absolutely love this formula. Actually you can’t go wrong with anything from the Make Up For Ever Aqua line. The Aqua Creams apply and blend out beautifully and they last all day without creasing. These shadows won’t budge. They look beautiful alone or used as a base you can guarantee your eye look is going to look amazing until you wash it off.

  • An ultra-pigmented, long-lasting waterproof cream.
  • Aqua Cream combines the highest-quality pigments with mother of pearl particles to give immediate rich color payoff with a luminous finish in just one application. It’s long-lasting formulation will not crease or smudge under the most extreme conditions and its creamy and elastic texture allows for easy blending.
  • Available in shades ranging from soft neutrals to pure bright tones, you can find the perfect color for any purpose.
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Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream in #14 Satin Brown, #15 Taupe, #17 Plum

 

The Make Up For Ever Aqua Creams ($23 US/$26 CAD) are available at Sephora and Make Up For Ever Boutiques. I ordered mine directly through Make Up For Ever.

Filed Under: Cream Eye Shadows, Eyeshadows, Make Up For Ever
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