Starting a new makeup bag

Have you ever had to put together a brand new makeup bag? I've noticed that I've acquired products over time and rarely need to buy replacements for everything at the same time. It's not like I run out of foundation, mascara, lipgloss, eyeliner and powder all at once!


Last year on my birthday I celebrated in Philly with a great group of friends. It was awesome! We were all settling into our hotel rooms, chatting, laughing and getting ready to set out our outfits for dinner and partying when I realized the one thing I forgot to pack: MY MAKEUP BAG! AHHHH!



Devastated!



I was dumbfounded by the entire thing. I also immediately remembered packing up my makeup bag and promptly leaving it on the floor of my bedroom instead of putting it in my suitcase.



My cute little makeup bag left at home



I had makeup brushes but no makeup to apply to my face.

For the first time (and hopefully the last!) I had to buy all new makeup. It was about 6:00 pm, our dinner reservation was in an hour and we all piled into my friend's rented SUV and drove up and down the streets looking for an open drugstore.

Here's the thing: the reality is that finding a foundation to match my skin from a drugstore is NOT a guaranteed thing. I know that Maybelline and Revlon make colors that I love and match my skin, however, not every drugstore carries all colors. A lot of places will carry a limited range of colors, even if the cosmetics company makes lighter and darker shades. Unfortunate, but true.

So I had to buy new


• foundation
• concealer (ugh, so difficult. Worse than searching for foundation)
• powder (*ditto)
• blush
• eyeshadow (including a dark brown shade to fill in my eyebrows)
• eyeshadow primer (I needed it to last, remember it was my birthday party night)
• eyeliner
• mascara

Thankfully I always have about 5 lip products between gloss, lipstick and lipliner that I didn't need to buy any lip stuff.

The grand total??? About $60! For things I already owned! And that was at the drugstore. If I had gone to a department store and bought the same amount of products it would easily amount to about $250!

I say all of this to say that starting a new makeup bag is no easy feat! However, it all depends on what your needs are. I like to have a makeup bag that can give me a full face of makeup. But that doesn't mean I use every product every single day. If you're a eyeliner, mascara and lipgloss girl, than your shopping will be less expensive and daunting than mine. But if you're interested in the whole picture makeup shopping can be expensive, daunting, and may require going to multiple stores. Here are my "Low risk, high reward" makeup shopping tips:

1. Do your research. There are lots of different products and if you're just getting started it can be overwhelming (Don't worry, there will be a special post and tutorial coming up for you soon!) My advice is to search on YouTube for what you're looking for, i.e. "Best drugstore foundation".
2. Be prepared. Put together a list of what you need. Having a checklist can keep you on track and can help prevent impulse purchasing. Also having coupons, knowing what items are on sale (check the inserts for Walmart and Target in the newspaper), and having any "frequent customer" cards from places like Ulta and Sephora will make you feel ready. 

3. Go at your own pace. If you can handle it financially and prefer to get it all done in one sitting feel free to shop for it all. Although my birthday experience put me out of money I didn't plan on spending, it was great having a whole new collection of shiny new makeup to open. *Also it became my car kit that stays IN THE CAR! Just in case that ever happens again.*
4. Have fun! Buying new makeup is not only a time to replace tried and true products, but it is also fun to explore new things. For every three things I buy that are my go-to products I try one new thing. You never know what you'll discover!

That's the buzz, check back for more next time!