What's in My Makeup Bag?

This week has been, as Danielle would say, absolute crazy bread! Ugh! I'm tired of doing papers one right after the other. So, to step away from that a bit I decided to do something fun with a look at
What's in My Everyday Makeup Bag! Woo!
I say Everyday Makeup Bag because if you're a product junkie like me you'll understand that this is where I keep makeup that I use on a regular basis when getting ready for class and just a usual day while I have other makeup bags that have the more fun stuff in it, which I would be super glad to show y'all if you like this post!

I'm kind of obsessed with my makeup bag, for a lot of reasons too! I got it back in the summer from RueLaLa (which is amazing! Click this link for your own invite!) when they gave me a $25 credit in an email, which is proof that you really can find treasures when cleaning out your inbox.
To be perfectly honest, my credit was about to expire and I didn't really know what to get so I picked up the make up bag for like 20 bucks and thought it might make a pretty good gift. Well, I obviously nixed the gift idea and ended up keeping the bag. I mean, really though, who could pass up a Vera Bradley makeup bag?!

I love how versitiale the bag is and how easy it is for me to fit my favorite products inside.

I'm not too big on the pattern, I'm just not that into florals really, I love that the bag has 3 different see-through compartments and can roll up. Very handy for travel or just toting the bag around my dorm. I also love just how much can fit in the bag, it doesn't look like much in the picture but that really is a ton of products!
In the first compartment I have my Real Techniques brushes, which are seriously the best makeup brushes I have ever used! I have the Travel Essentials Kit (which I talked about in my June 2013 Favorites!) and I'm actually planning on getting a few more kits before the holidays because Ulta actually has several of the brushes on their Buy One Get One 50% Off Sale! Also in that compartment I have a few of my most used eye liners.
The middle compartment is the biggest and keeps all of my face products and mascaras. I started an obsession with Rimmel products this summer and as you can see it has continued. I use Rimmel's Fix & Perfect Pro Primer on my face everyday and it's a perfectly smooth, perfecting primer. Rimmel's BB Cream is my go to foundation but I'll explain more about that later on. I top everything off with Rimmel Stay Matte Powder, which is the best powder I have ever used and I highly doubt I will ever use any other drugstore powder, like ever. I also have my mini mascara collection in the middle which you can read more about in this Mascara Monday post. The last compartment has a few eye shadow trios, blush, highlighters, and bronzers, but now I want to take a look at 4 of my absolute favorite products because they deserve some serious attention!

I picked up the Rimmel BB Cream this summer when I was looking for a lightweight foundation that wouldn't sweat off before I even made it to work and fell in love with the amazing ability of the cream to provide lightweight yet full coverage. This stuff seriously keeps it's 9-in-1 promise and even has an SPF of 25! That's just ridiculous. I've probably only went through 3 tubes of this stuff since earlier may so it's long lasting too and only takes a little bit to cover my whole face. I love this foundation!
Next up is the Buxom Sculpted Lash Mascara which I have been raving about for what seems like forever! I got this deluxe sample as a part of a Sephora Beauty Insiders promotion and went absolutely gaga for it! So much so that I just recently picked up the full size version of the product on my last trip to Sephora. The brush's unique "S" shaped design leads to insane coverage and gets every little lash, I just love love love this mascara!
My next two products represent two ends of the spectrum with a serious drugstore bargain in the Wet 'n' Wild Eyeshadow Trio and the high-end splurge of NARS Blush and Bronzer duo.

The eyeshadow trio is called Walking on Eggshells and according to this pin from my Beauty Box: Makeup board on Pinterest, these shades are actually dupes for MAC's Shroom, Mulch, and Naked Lunch! These shades are very versatile, easy to blend, easy to apply, and just all around great everyday shades. The NARS duo includes two of their most popular shades and came in my Sephora Superstars Kit (which I promise I will do a review on ASAP), the blush is the beauty blogger fave Orgasm and the bronzer is Laguna. Orgasm is a very corally pink with light gold sparkle while Laguna is a matte medium bronzer that works well for a lot of skin tones. I love both shades but I think Orgasm might be too warm for my skin, or I might just need to use a smaller brush, we'll see.
I hope you liked that look into my everyday makeup bag! Comment below and let me know if you would like to sneak a peek at my fun special occasion products! 
til next time, lovelies
xo
aFm

Mascara Monday: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly!

Happy Monday, lovelies!

It most definitely is a very happy Monday, mostly because it is almost over but also because it's time for a new beauty review from your favorite duo! 

While going through our makeup bags, Danielle and I decided that we were both dying to do a review on the many mascaras we had acquired over the past few weeks so we wanted to turn today into Mascara Monday for the time being! What a better way to celebrate this day than with a review on not one, not two, but a whopping 7 mascaras! 

Danielle's picks!

Merisa's picks!

I'm doing this totally out of whack but I'm the type of person to take my bad news first so let's just get right to it, shall we?

The Ugly

About a month ago I ran out of my L'Oreal Telescopic Original Mascara and instead of going with the same brand, like I really should have, I went for a brand I had never tried but had heard amazing things about. Well, I let my adventurous side get the best of me because I went against the reviews I had heard and tried something within the same line but not the same thing, it's complicated. Anyway, I picked up Maybelline The Falsies Big Eyes Waterproof Mascara and have regretted it ever since!

This mascara is probably the worst mascara I've ever tried! 

First of all, I hate the brush! I liked the idea of having a wand with two brushes in one, for both upper and lower lashes, but I ended up using the lower lash wand for my upper lashes and just not even worrying about the lower lashline. I found that the big brush actually hurt my eyes when using it and the formula drys hard and chunky. I didn't even like the color of this product, I felt like it dried a grayish color even though it was suppose to be Very Black. Definitely not picking up this product again but I still want to try out the original The Falsies so there is still hope to redeem yourself, Maybelline. 

-aFm-

Maybelline The Falsies Colossal Cat Eyes Mascara

I really thought that this mascara would be great because of the pretty leopard print bottle, needless to say since it is in the ugly category it wasn't too pretty. 

It didn't volumize my eyelashes at all like the bottle and the commercial advertised. I have tried the regular colossal mascara and loved it but the volume express was not worth my money. I like the curved wands the best but it seems that the actual mascara in the bottle wasn't very good quality. It had a funny smell and tended to be a bit runny. It also clumped my eyelashes up, which is a BIG no no!

-dSl-

The Bad

I have tried nearly all of the bareMinerals mascaras and the Flawless Definition Mascara is definitely my least favorite. It was okay, but it wasn't worth what I paid for it. It didn't separate my lashes as well as I wanted it to nor did it lengthen my lashes like mascaras I've tried in the past. It is comparable to a cheaper mascara but didn't do the job I had excepted from one of my favorite brands. Definitely a disappointment.

-dSl-

While I was shopping in Sephora for my birthday a couple of weeks ago, I suddenly remembered that they have this great program for Beauty Insiders where you get a free gift on your birthday! Score! 

I was so excited when I learned the gift package was from Benefit Cosmetics and even more excited when I saw that it featured two of their most talked about products, Watt's Up! and They're Real! Mascara!

I have heard so much about this mascara online and couldn't wait to try it out. Well, now that I have tried it, I just don't get it. I didn't really see a dramatic difference in my lashes and found that the "custom-domed tip" that was suppose to separate this mascara from all the rest actually hurt my eyes. I found that I would end up stabbing myself with the bristles on the end, definitely not worth it. So while I was comparing this mascara to other brands I had tried I got to thinking, 'What if I'm dissatisfied with these mascaras because my other mascaras are just really good?!' Hmm, that brings us to our next category...

-aFm-

The Good

I actually have two mascaras that I'm incredibly happy with at the moment. I am absolutely in love with the Buxom Sculpted Lash Mascara and even more in love with the fact that I got it for free by using my Sephora Beauty Insider Rewards Points from my birthday shopping spree! This product is amazing and features an 'S' shaped brush that really does what the product description says. I definitely recommend this product if you are looking for great higher-end mascara that really creates that false eyelash look. I didn't see a clump in sight when using this mascara and loved how easy it was to put on, the special brush really did grab onto my lashes. 

My next favorite is a more affordable drugstore brand that brought close to the same results, which is always a good thing! Like I mentioned before, I really like the L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara and after the failed attempt with Big Eyes, I decided to stick with old faithful but with a twist. The L'Oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions Mascara has quickly become one of my favorite drugstore mascara simply because I can see instant results from this mascara. I'm not a big fan of multiple coats of mascara and this products works with just one! I love that I can just glide this formula on my lashes and have bold, voluminous lashes. 

-aFm-

This has to be my all time favorite mascara. the Eyeko London Black Magic Mascara has it all, it helps lengthen your lashes and curls them up with it's slightly curved wand! It's also excellent for an all day wear because it holds up until you wash it off. This is an item I was able to try in my Birchbox and I am definitely going to be buying a full size version very soon. 

-dSl-

till next time, lovelies

xo

Merisa & Danielle