What’s In My Makeup Bag: December

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Time for the last “What’s In My Makeup Bag” post of the year!

It took me years, YEARS to finally try Dior’s Airflash Foundation. I’ve heard so many amazing things about it, but being an oily, acne-prone girl, I wasn’t sure if I was going to love it (and for that price… well you kinda HAVE to love a product). SO, now that my skin is more on the dry side, I finally decided to give it a try. Well… it absolutely lived up to the hype.

This is probably one of the best foundations I’ve tried since going off Accutane. It is so quick and easy to use- I’ve used it both when spraying directly on the face and on the brush like you would with a regular foundation. Both techniques work great, but when you spray the foundation directly on your face, it does get in your hair, clothes, etc., so I just stick to applying this to the brush. It looks so natural, it feels natural, it’s long-lasting, covers well, doesn’t dry out my skin- there’s nothing not to love about this foundation, other than the price, perhaps. I think that this is the first “airbrush-spray on” foundation I’ve tried, next I want to test out the Sephora version, which is supposed to be a nice dupe. As far as Dior’s Airflash, I’m in love. I use the shade 200 Light Beige, which isn’t too yellow or pinky, just perfect. For reference, I’m NC15-ish and usually mix Armani’s Luminous Silk in 3 and 4.5 to get a perfect match.

Erborian’s Glow Crème*– I already talked about this cream in a few of my previous beauty posts (see swatches here). It’s a gorgeous illuminating cream that adds a stunning sheer glow to the skin. The only thing that I don’t love about, is that it’s not very hydrating. It has pretty lavender undertones and works well under foundation. I’ve seen countless beauty bloggers use oils under their foundation (on Instagram) and I just don’t get how that works. Even with extremely dry skin, the oils and water-based foundations just separate and leave my makeup looking awful, but perhaps, it does work for some people, although I can’t see how. Instead, I love using thicker, hydrating creams before my foundation (15 minutes or so before applying my base products) and that seems to add that nice glow to my dry skin. IT Cosmetics Secret Sauce and Bye Bye Redness creams are great for dry skin. Both work incredibly well under base products, Bye Bye Redness is amazing for red, blotchy or irritated skin, and Secret Sauce adds a gorgeous glow, without any shimmer (but I’d avoid it if you’re prone to sudden breakouts).

Maybelline’s SuperStay Matte Ink applicator is perfection!

My two favorite powders that always make their appearance in my makeup bag posts: MUFE’s Pro Finish Powder and Hourglass Powder in Diffused Light. Love them, don’t leave the house without them. For lips, I’ve actually been reaching out for Maybelline’s SuperStay Matte Ink in Lover, all the time. The applicator is pure perfection (wish all liquid lipsticks came with the same applicator) and the formula is amazing. Perfectly matte but not drying, easy to work with and, most importantly, very long-lasting. In December I also loved Burberry’s Liquid Lip Velvet in Oxblood, Urban Decay’s 1993 and Chanel’s Rouge Audace.

The Man Ray The Veil Cheek Palette from Nars is also a new favorite at the moment. Surprisingly, all three shades in this palette are pretty wearable on my fair skin tone and they also work very well together. “The Veil” is a very fitting name, as the formula of these isn’t overpowering, which I love.

I also dug out my Nude Dip palette from Tom Ford. I forgot just how much I loved this palette. These eyeshadows pretty much do all the work themselves and are just so stunning and so easy blend and work with.

Other bits in my bag are regulars, like Maybelline’s Lash Sensational Mascara, Guerlain’s Meteorites Baby Glow Base Makeup, and Charlotte Tilbury’s Filmstar Bronze and Glow.

I am so happy to report that after writing my “Beauty Diet: How to Stop Buying so Much Makeup” post, I lived up to my promise this year. While difficult during the first couple of weeks, curbing my beauty spending wasn’t as much of a struggle as I thought it would be. I still love makeup and all things beauty, I just don’t impulse buy products anymore and actually use everything I own, rather than just letting it sit around and collect dust. My beauty collection is still, what many would consider, ridiculous in size, but hey, it could be worse…