What’s in my makeup bag: August

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Remember when a while ago I talked about going on a beauty diet? It all started when I realized just how much money I was spending on beauty products.

There is no doubt that it was a little difficult at first (it was a life-long habit, after all) but it’s great to see that I no longer make mindlessly spontaneous purchases.

This summer, in all honesty, I really didn’t find myself longing for any newly released makeup products, which was probably due to the fact that I simply wasn’t wearing much of it.

I’ve been using Rodial’s Snake Moisturizer under my foundation and just love the way it makes my skin feel. It leaves it feeling firm, fuller and soft. I find that it works better than any other hydrating primer I’ve used before and most of my foundations just work amazingly with it.

Speaking of foundation, other than a handful of old favorites, I also really loved The Ordinary’s Serum Foundation. It’s very lightweight yet it gives amazing, medium to medium-high coverage with a beautiful, natural finish that works very well with dry skin. As with all TO’s products, it’s also a great value.

Covergirl’s Lash Blast is one of my all-time favorite drugstore mascaras. Not too long ago Covergirl released two new Lash Blast products: Flourish Lash Blast Mascara* and Lash Blast Amplifier Eyelash Primer.* Just like the original, the Flourish Lash Blast is great at separating lashes- you can create a very natural look with one coat or easily build it up for a fuller look. The Lash Blast Amplifier Eyelash Primer is pretty nice for a drugstore product, it’s not clumpy and too thick like a lot of lash primers tend to. I love using it on my lower lash line, as it’s not as intense as a lot of other lash primers.

MAC’s Taupe, Kinda Sexy and swatches of Urban Decay’s Born to Run palette (top row only + Baja)

Urban Decay’s Born to Run palette is pretty much the only eyeshadow palette I’ve been reaching for these last couple of weeks. With 21 shadows it’s extremely versatile- you can create anything from a simple, neutral look, to a colorful smokey eye. Some shadows are more pigmented than others- I tend to use the top row the most though, and all of those are stunning. I know that I will get a lot of use from this palette during cooler months.

Old favorites from MAC that were also in rotation: Kinda Sexy, Taupe, and Diva (pictured above). A few others that found their way into my August makeup bag were also: Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle and blush in Harmony, which is a perfect taupe-y shade to contour fair skin. Their lip primer also never leaves my makeup bag.

I’m pretty sure that once the weather cools off, I’ll start having a lot more fun with makeup and will probably have to exercise my willpower a little more (those holiday limited edition releases will do that to you).