Makeup Bag Basics

This post is going to be a roundup of all the staple makeup products that I use the most.  I’m hoping to make this very beginner- friendly as well. I repurchase them without question and I use them for every look. They’re the no brainer essentials that are such a necessity, but also so underrated.

I don’t see a lot of people focusing on staples when it comes to the beauty videos I watch. It’s probably because they’re the building blocks rather than the exciting stuff.  Primer, foundation, and concealer won’t be covered in this post. Most of these are universal products, but I will mention the shades that I use the most.

Philosophy Purity Cleanser / This isn’t meant to be skincare focused, but I always have to start with a clean face. The idea of applying fresh makeup over any leftover makeup residue gives me the heebie jeebies.  This cleanser requires no makeup wipes or scrubbing, it simply melts everything away, leaving my skin feeling soft. One of my life’s missions is to get people to use a cleanser like this rather than wasteful makeup wipes. 

Cerave Moisturizer / This is my step one of makeup, and also my last step of skincare before bed most nights. 

Milani Eye Primer / You can totally skip eye primer and substitute concealer on your eyelids to prime.  That makes me uneasy though, so I always use it. My splurge pick is the Urban Decay Primer potion in Eden.

Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Powder / Get a pressed powder that matches your foundation.  My perfect self- tanned shade is 330, but I have 310 for when I’m a bit more pale too. It’s a multi-use product, I set eye primer, add more foundation coverage where I need it, mattify, blend out cheek color, use it over primer when you want to skip foundation, etc. 

Too Faced Milk Chocolate Bronzer / I literally had four paragraphs going when I started writing about bronzer, so that will need to be a separate post. Get one that gives you a nice tan that you can also use as contour. For me that would be something like Hoola Caramel, Urban Decay Bronzed Beached Bronzer, or Too Faced Milk Chocolate. Sephora Collection makes some gorgeous ones as well.  I apply it with a Morphe M406 brush.

RCMA No Color Powder / Translucent is the key here.  I need something that isn’t going to add coverage or wash me out- just give me some blur and matte.  If you don’t care about flashback, go for the Coty Airspun. I like the one called “translucent extra coverage” even though that name makes no sense.

Bare Minerals Bisque – Brightening Powder/ This is probably my favorite step of makeup. Anything creamy white, pale yellow, or blush pink works well. I like to do one in pressed powder form like Mac Accentuate or Kat Von D Lyric. I also use a loose powder version to bake and blur that area- Maybelline Light/Fair Fit Me Loose Powder, Makeup Revolution Lace, or Fenty Butter.  I name all my favorites in this post. Really though you can use any pale AF powder for this step.

Milani Stay Put Eyeliner Pencil / I like a pencil for my upper lash line that goes on creamy, then sets after I blend it out. Smudge it close to the lash line to make them look thicker. 

Marc Jacobs Pink of Me Highliner / If you like a light waterline to brighten the eyes, this one is the best. 

Loreal Voluminous Lash Primer / Once you’ve tried a lash primer you’ll ask yourself why you haven’t been doing it all along. Curl your lashes, wait about 45 seconds for the white primer to dry, then apply mascara. 

Becca Under Eye Brightening Corrector / Dab a little of this under your eyes with your finger before applying concealer for a heavenly little combo of color correcting, priming, and brightening all in one. 

L’oreal Infallible Setting Spray / I’ve talked about how I use a lot of this, in a lot of different steps in this post. I spray it all over then go over it with one of these sponges lightly dampened.  I also use them to cut out my contour with translucent powder. If you want to start off your makeup with an extra kick, spritz on the Wet n Wild Primer Water- I like the Coconut one.

Essence Make Me Brow & Elf Wax stick / I’m trying to keep my brows more groomed these days because they can tend to weigh down my face. Unfortunately I’m not blessed with much of an arch, so I fake it by brushing up the hairs in certain areas, and keeping them there with these products. Once they’re as good as you can get them, just fill in the blank spots with powder, pencil, or pomade.  Carve them out with a little bit of foundation or concealer on a tiny brush to clean everything up.

Becca Opal Highlighter / I wanted to pick a shimmery powder that you can use as an inner corner/ brow bone/ cheek highlight or eyeshadow. I love the color of Opal so much and find it more natural than Champagne Pop on me.  Laura Geller Gilded Honey or Mac Oh Darling are my other picks.  

Rimmel Addiction Lip Liner / I swear lining your lips make such a big difference to your whole face. Apply a neutral nude or light brown shade, smudge it toward the center of your lips a bit, then apply lipstick or gloss. 

Dr. Bronner’s Soap / Almost no one washes their brushes enough.  I like the tea tree one personally, but they all do the same thing.  I’d say I wash mine at least every two weeks, and also everytime before and after I do makeup on someone else.  If you don’t feel like buying a separate brush soap, use a dish soap like Dawn. 

TLDR

I probably went on too many tangents but I wanted to share all the little details that make my face look even the smallest bit better. Another quick tangent- recently I realized that if I take a zoomed in picture of my eye makeup, I notice things I can improve. It might be cleaning up blending, adding tightline liner, getting off a rogue mascara smudge, brightening my brow arch, etc. Seeing a photo makes me be more critical I guess, and I notice more details that I don’t seem to pick up on when looking in the mirror. 

-Kim

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