(Actual makeup bag may be larger than it looks)

10 Beauty Tools I Take Everywhere I Go

The older I get, the more high maintenance I get. At least, that’s what I like to think. I’d like to be high maintenance–but who has the time?  All my years of pouring over fashion magazines and hanging out on internet beauty forums have made me a ‘kissing cousin’ to professional makeup artists. But on busy days, you’ll still catch me running out the door with a naked face.

That’s why I always carry these must have supplies in my purse. Whether it’s putting on a full face after a workout or swiping on some lipstick while I wait for the light to change, with these tools, I can always do something about my appearance. And now, so can you. 

1. Lipstick ~ makeup mavens call  this MLBB or simply ”My-Lips-But-Better.” MLBB is your ideal wearable shade. To find it, roll your bottom lip down and then try to match the color. For me, that shade  is Revlon’s Smoky Rose. It’s brownish pink with just a hint of shimmer–and I always carry a tube in my purse. And yes, I did figure this out by making monkey faces into the mirror at CVS!

2. Moisturizer with SPF. Right now I’m loving Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Daily Moisture Lotion. It comes in a 2.5 oz. pump that locks shut, so it’s perfect for my purse. It also has SPF28, which is fantastic but it doubles phenomenally as a hand lotion tool, especially in these  hand-washing-obsessed times.

3. A little tin of Vaseline in case my lips get chapped. It’s also handy for removing stray traces of long-lasting makeup. Confession: I don’t know if you can get the tins here in the States. I bought mine at a Boots in England. In the States, this product comes packaged in a tube. Which is too bad. These little tins are so great, there’s even a Facebook group devoted to them!

4. A tube of concealer. I like to use a liquidy concealer, not the stick or cream kind. My favorite is Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer. It’s a mineral-based concealer, and I use it all the way around my eyes. It’s great for neutralizing my tired, mauve eyelids, and it makes a great eyeshadow primer.

5. A tube of mascara. I prefer brown-black to black, and prefer to use a fairly thick formula that will let me fatten up my pathetically sparse lashes.

6. Because I have dry skin and don’t want to have to fuss with brushes, I prefer to pack a cream blush. I love Nars Multiple in Malibu. It’s a deep plummy shade, so I only use a tiny dab.

7. A compact. I don’t find that I have to powder my nose all that often, but in hot, humid weather, a few dabs of powder keep me looking human. And the mirror is always nice to have.

8. A small, sturdy, wide-tooth comb

9. A fool-proof fragrance in its most portable form. You can’t go wrong with a container of cream perfume, like Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku Lovers in G.

10. A bottle of nail polish in a my nails-but-better shade. This is of course, a brownish pink like my MLBB lipstick–in my case, O.P.I.’s Kreme de la Kremlin. And believe it or not, having the bottle in my purse has come in handy. I can get my nails done on a whim, knowing that I have a shade I love in my purse. And if my polish chips, I can touch it up right away.