Hello, hello, hello! This month I’m featuring my lovely cousin, Kim! She’s studying to be a nurse and then a doctor (best of all, she wants to be a dermatologist and has promised me discounts haha!) 

She also does hospital duty as a nurse-in-training. At the hospital her makeup looks are more subdued and natural. After hours she amps up everything from the big lashes, to the red, red blush, to the bold vampy lips. While she was at my house we had a long chat about the contents of her makeup bag and which products she felt she had to have with her, on-duty and off. 

Lips

I use Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stain in LA Exclusive and Parisian. They’re very longlasting. LA isn’t as longwearing as Parisian though, maybe because it’s a lighter color. It’s moisturizing, glossy, but not sticky. I can’t wear Parisian when I do hospital duty though, because the patients get surprised. I don’t want to give them heart attacks.

When I have extra time, I gradate the Etude House Play 101 Pencil in #23. It’s really good for the gradated lip look. It’s not drying and stays on for a long time so you don’t need to reapply it too often. It’s a bit expensive for me at over Php 300 for a pencil from a Korean road makeup shop. When I do the gradated lip, the boys in my class ask, “May kinain ka ba?” (Did you eat something?) Boys don’t get it.

I use the EOS Lip Balm (in Sweet Mint) every night after I do my skincare routine. It’s great because in the morning you feel your lips get really moisturized. Afterwards, I just scrub and apply my lip products. The scent is relaxing as well. I’ve been using it for a year and there’s still a lot of product. The only thing I don’t like is that it gets sticky and you can’t use it over lipstick because it will stain the EOS.

I just bought this Maybelline Baby Lips Electro Pop (in Mint Sheer) and it isn’t very good. It smells like Lemon Maxx candy. I expected it to smell minty. It’s very watery too and you have to blot it after applying. Unlike the EOS, you can use it over your lipstick because it’s cheaper and you won’t care out it getting stained.

I got this (Estée Lauder Pure Color #14 Rose Petal) from Mama. If I don’t do a dark lip, I use this.  I use this when I’m on hospital duty so my patients aren’t too shocked by the color. It’s like a lighter version of a berry color. It’s moisturizing too.

Blush

The Mocha MAC Powder Blush is my first MAC product. It’s called mocha, but it isn’t mocha-colored. The color is like, what is it like? Pink, but not pink? It’s mauve! That’s the word. It seems more like a sculptural blush. I use it under my cheekbones, on top of the Happy Skin powder I use to contour. It’s matte so I use it when I’m going to be under the sun. So when I’m walking to school, I won’t look oily.

I only use (Nars Blush in) Torrid for special occasions or if we’re going out at night. It’s a bit dark so you need to apply it lightly. I use a flat Etude House brush that came with a contour kit I didn’t like. I don’t like the packaging of this though. It gets dirty and end gets dented easily. So really, it isn’t okay to put it in a makeup bag unless you have partitions, but I still keep it in there in case my friends want to go out after hospital duty. For people with my coloring, instead of Orgasm, this is the shade.

Eyes

I should really throw this K-Palette (Real Lasting Eyeliner in Black) away it’s gotten so watery. I only keep it when I want to do a wing or if I’m going on a night out I don’t worry so much about it smudging.

The 3CE (Creamy Waterproof Eyeline in #1 Cats) irritates me if I use it on my waterline otherwise it’s okay because it doesn’t smudge and the color is really black and the finish is matte. I use it more for above the lashline. The finish is more natural than the glossy K-palette. Sometimes it breaks when I sharpen it though

I have the Revlon (Colorstay Eyeliner Crayon Contour in Black) for tight-lining. It’s a lot like the 3CE, but it breaks really easily. I haven’t really found the eyeliner that I really, really like. I want to try the Bobbi Brown gel liner, but it’s in a pot so I need to practice. I used the Tony Moly backstage gel liner before and I enjoyed the process of applying it so I might like the Bobbi Brown.

Maybelline the Magnum Volume Express Waterproof. This one for when I am stressed. Just this so I look more awake and so I don’t look so haggard. I like that’s waterproof. I’m oily so it’s easier for mascara to smudge. I like the brush. It reaches the lashes on the corners. The only thing is my lashes clump together so I really need to use a lash comb. It’s metal and I have a hard time cleaning it. Sometimes I get lazy and just leave the clumpy lashes.

The Oh! M’Eye Lash Top Coat is supposed to be a top coat, but I use it when I don’t want my lashes to look too done up. First of all, when my lashes are too done up, it’s hard to remove. Secondly, if you’re just in school, especially since we’re all in uniform, I don’t want to stand out too much. We’re trained as nurses not look too bold. If my makeup is too bold I might get told off by a professor. And my patients aren’t allowed to get shocked they might have heart attacks. Deadly pretty.

Powder

I used up my Makeup Forever HD powder, I’d hit pan and finished it all off.

Unlike the Makeup forever, Clinique Stay Mattte Sheer (pressed powder oil-free in 02 Stay Neutral) doesn’t make you look too matte. You still retain some dewiness. And since I have dry patches, I need certain areas to look brighter and healthier. I was supposed to get a translucent shade, but it was out of stock so this was recommended to me.

Etc.

I have Chronic Rhinitis so when I get attacks, I put Vicks VapoRub on my nose. When I have a cough I put it on my chest area and it’s soothing. I keep it my makeup bag because I need it all the time and I don’t really have a medicine bag. I keep it there so I know where to find it when I need it. It’s also the product in my makeup bag my friends borrow the most often. They dab a bit on the sides of their nose to decongest.

As a nursing student she has seen it all. From people being born to people at the end of the road and has her fair share of interesting stories and anecdotes about curious ailments. It comes as no surprise that when I asked her what she wanted to call her makeup bag, she answered, “a Myocardial Infraction Makeup Kit or a mini-heart attack kit. It won’t kill you, but it will paralyze you for life. My beauty will paralyze you.” I must agree that she is very pretty and kind of looks like Pocahontas haha. 

P.S. Kim posing as Pocahontas

The first of the -Ber months has come to an end! This month I was in and out of the country quite a bit and I did not want to carry too many products with me. At the same time, however, I really did not want to need makeup and not have it. The items I listed down below are a few of the essentials I packed with me that performed beautifully whenever I needed them.

Tony Moly Delight Circle Lens Mascara in #03 Clear Circle

It was a tough call leaving my black mascara back at home, but I decided to sacrifice mega long lashes in favor of a product with two uses. This clear mascara may not lengthen or thicken the look of my lashes, but it certainly helps keep them looking curled and defined. On top of that, this makes a pretty good clear brow gel as well. The best part about it was that I did not have to spend ages easing waterproof mascara off my lashes when I was dead tired at the end of the day.

C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Shine in #1122 Ultra

Don't we all get really dry lips after a flight? Mine are the worst. They peel and flake, but worst of all I get tempted to bite them, which only makes matters worse. This lip plumping gloss is the best. It has peppermint which not only tastes and smells amazing, it also helps keep my lips hydrated and full-looking. I take this with me everywhere and I always put it on right when I am just about to start putting my makeup on. So when I finally finish the rest of my face, my lips are moisturized and a lot of the gloss has sunk in and does not look gloopy and sticky.

BYS Synthetic Eye Shadow Blending Brush

This brush was an absolute steal at Php 300. It is super fluffy and the hairs do not fall out. It is also the perfect size for those of us with smaller eyes and creases because a lot of other brushes are too big and sometimes ruin the eye makeup as a result. This makes blending along the crease really easy and it is also really portable.

The Face Shop Illuminating Cushion Blusher in #02 Orange

Don't worry, I have not given up my Borjois Cream Blush yet. This is the blush I've been choosing to layer over it. It's a bright orangey pink shade. It has a little bit of shimmer in it so it is great for blush that's a little higher on the cheeks. It really helps brighten up dull skin because a little glitter makes you look fresher in the sunlight. I chose to bring this also because it had a little puff inside which meant I didn't need to bring a blush brush. (teehee)

Too Faced Natural Eye Palette

This has nine gorgeous shadows (six shimmers and three mattes) that brighten up the eyes even after a fourteen hour flight. It is a pretty versatile palette and I love the quality of the shadows. My favorite combination is Silk Teddy as an all-over color, Push Up on the outer corner and Cocoa Puff along the lash line. Velvet Revolver is great for putting in the crease and for contouring the nose as well. I avoided bringing anything too expensive because there was always the chance I would lose them, but I could not resist bringing this along.

K-Palette Real Lasting Eyeliner 24h in Natural Brown

Speaking of things I lost. I could not find the photo I took of my K-Palette eyeliner so I apologize for this stock image. Though it is a big improvement because all the text on mine has been rubbed out due to use. I'm a big fan of brown eyeliner because of how you get the definition you need without it being as ostentatious as a bold black line. I am also a fan of a brush tip because for as long as you hold it properly, it will not lose its point and become blunt or frayed. I loved using this along the lash line and for filling in spaces along the lash bed itself.

My makeup looks this time around were still a bit natural, but I definitely had a lot more shiny, glittery products on. I find that it really does help especially if your skin is a bit dry and lackluster from planes and jet lag. Nothing too fancy on this list, but I think it's a pretty good run down of what was essential to me when I'm forced to limit myself. I did not include a lipstick on this list though. I could not possibly choose from the six I brought with me, but I definitely believe it is incredibly essential as well.

 Hope you all had a good month! See you in my next post!