I love makeup bags. It is an addiction. I love having cute bags to tote around and I own so many. When I travel for work, which is frequent, it makes me happy to see all my things organized in neat, pretty bags. With your summer travel plans approaching, I recommend you take a peak at these cuties.  Below are a few samples of ones I love!

Henri Bendel’s West 57th Cosmetic Bag Trio 

How adorable are these bags? I love that they come in a set of three and in fantastic colors.

Kate Spade New York’s Flashcards Large Manuela

Kate Spade always has the cutest sayings on their bags and with this bag, you can learn Italian!

Stella & Dot’s Pouf in Elephant 

I own this exact makeup bag and it’s fantastic. It has a plastic exterior so it can be easily cleaned. This is important to messy makeup people like myself. It comes in so many cute patterns but I just loved the elephants.

Catseye London ‘Bathing Belles’

I love my girlfriends and with all the weddings, wedding showers, bachelorette parties, baby showers, we travel a lot together! This bags reminds me of them. I also really like it has a nice plastic interior/exterior which makes cleaning it easy.

SOHO Triple Purse Kit at Target

You do not have to pay a lot for a cute travel bag. Target has great selections and I love the colors and pattern on this one.

Vera Bradley’s Grand Cosmetic in Heather

I was on a far and wide hunt to find a big enough cosmetic bag to hold my shampoo, conditioner, face wash, moisturizer, eye cream, razor, soap, contact case, contact solution, extra nail polish, nail polish remove and the list goes on. As you can probably gather, I am not a “light” packer. This bag lives up to it’s name and really is grand. It can fit everything. Being a purple girl myself, I loved the pattern “Heather”.

Bloomingdale’s Little Brown Cosmetic Case

For anyone who has ever shopped at Bloomingdale’s, you know about their signature brown shopping bags. Here is a cosmetic version!

Foundation is coverage for your entire face. It can be found as a liquid, solid or powder and helps even pigmentation.

When applying, it’s best to use a foundation brush and beautyblender®  (pictured below). The foundation brush, like the one pictured from Sephora, is perfect for getting foundation even on your skin. The sponge helps soak up any extra color leaving your makeup perfectly blended. Please, please, please (3 pleases) remember to blend the makeup into your jaw line and neck. No one wants a line of color between your jaw and neck. No one.

Finding the right shade is like magician’s work: it should disappear. If you can see it on your face, it is contrasting to your skin color. If it is hard to see, then it’s probably a perfect match. It is just that simple. Here is an example below. Notice how the foundation shade to the right almost disappears while the left and middle are significantly lighter and darker. When testing actual makeup shades, you should not use your hand to color match. The skin on your hand can be a different color than the skin on your face. I used my hand since it was easier for me to photograph.

MAKE UP FOR EVER 5 Camouflage Cream Palette

I love these three color palettes! They allow me to mix colors to create an exact match no matter what season it is. Since your skin color varies with the seasons, you may have to use a lighter shade in the winter and a darker shade in the summer. The green and purple are used for color correction (more on that soon). This foundation provides excellent coverage while not feeling or looking caked-on. It leaves your skin photo-ready and looking fabulous in your selfies or on your wedding day.

CG Smoothers AquaSmooth Compact Foundation

A fabulous less-expensive foundation is made by Cover Girl. AquaSmooth provides full coverage and leaves the skin looking even. Plus, you can’t beat the price. Woot Woot! My color is buff beige pictured below.

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30

LAURA MERCIER Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 20

Below are examples of tinted moisturizers. Nars and Laura Mercier produce great products (pictured below) and they both have SPF in them. Laura Mercier also provides an oil-free version however with my drier skin, I like the version shown below. They both give a dewy look and provide light coverage.

bareMinerals All-Over Face Color

bareMinerals powder is pretty effective for covering up pigmentation issues and leaves your skin glowing. If your skin tends to be on the oily side or if you have redness in your skin, the powder could be a great fit for you. This also has an SPF of 15.

During high school and college, I rarely went anywhere without nail polish on my hands. I carry on this tradition today as an adult and typically have at least two polish colors in my travel bag at all times (for emergencies of course). Having a fun color on my hands can instantly lift my mood and add a little pizzazz to a dull day.  While I love a home manicure, I also like to splurge at the salon. Below are a few of my favorites modeled on my very own hands! Quick tip: When you get home from the nail salon, add an extra coat of clear polish and let it fully dry. This just helps create another barrier to prevent chipping.

1. Summer Nails- Turquoise &  Caicos by Essie

This is the ultimate color for summer and looks great with your favorite pair of white summer pants/jeans.

2.  Perfect Pink- Koala Bear-y by OPI

This shade of pink gives just enough happy and just enough sassy!

3. Date Night- Fishnet Stockings by Essie

I always think red looks good on everyone- it just depends upon the shade. This is my perfect of red and my favorite date night color.

4. Birthday Bash- Siberian Nights by OPI and Happy Birthday by Deborah Lippmann

Nothing says party like glitter! I love switching up the color on the ring finger. It’s fun and makes your hands instantly party-ready!

5. Gift Set- Julep

I received this gift set for my birthday and I love it. I also just adore their company motto: “We believe beauty is about connection, not competition.” Rock on!

1. Wear SPF Everyday No Matter What

I wear SPF everyday. It’s in my daily moisturizer and also in my face makeup. The benefits of SPF are numerous and aside from preventing skin cancer, it also prevents premature aging, wrinkles and sun spots. For more information on sunscreen benefits, check out this Huffington Post article. Here is my daily moisturizer.

2. Do Not Over Pluck Your Eyebrows

By continuously removing unwanted hair, it can damage the hair follicle causing the hair to never grow back. Skip the tweezers and see a professional. You can always remove hair but you can’t always grow it back.

3. Release Stress

We’ve all heard how stress can age you. Find ways and start routines to combat your stress. Meditation and yoga are ways that I find helpful to turn my frown upside down. Check out the power team of Oprah and Deepak Chopra as they help guide you through fantastic meditations. Set a lunch date with a friend who makes you laugh. Start a visualization board for your future. Work out. Don’t let stress age you. Let it out and happiness in.

“Happiness depends upon ourselves.” —Aristotle

4. Find a Trusted Esthetician

Facials are not only relaxing but also extremely beneficial. Estheticians will do a skin analysis and can create a facial specifically for your skin care needs. Let them provide tips and suggest products for your skin type. Whether you have acne or dry skin, they can help! One of my favorite Boston spas is Exhale.

5. Wear a Night Eye Cream

No one wants crows feet- those fine lines around the exterior corners of your eyes made from habitual muscle use. To avoid this, apply a good under eye cream every night. Let it soak in while you are sleeping and work its magic! For more information on the benefits, check out this great article from Allure. I love the way Clinique’s All About Eye Rich absorbs into the skin.

Welcome to my blog! I’m so happy you stopped by. Cheers to you!