What's in my bag?

Time again for my monthly "What's in my Bag?" feature where I tell you about the beauty products in my purse at the moment. The handbag above is actually not my bag (this is a Fossil bag that you can find here for $142) but I have a very similar hobo in brown that I got at Mervyn's (RIP) before it closed for about $15.

So, not too many additions or subtractions from last month's bag, however I do want to tell you about some new things that I'm liking very much at the moment.

1) Revlon ColorStay Pressed Powder in "Light". Why did it take me so long to try this? This powder leaves such a lovely finish on the skin and even though it does have pigment, it doesn't leave too much color on the skin (it really wears more like a translucent powder) and it sets your foundation no matter what product you're using. I've used it with Cover Girl Aqua Smooth foundation, I've used it with Prestige Wet/Dry Powder Foundation, and I've of course used it with ColorStay foundations and the result is always the same. It's never cakey, it's never chalky; it's just a nice, smooth "seal" to your foundation. "Light" is a perfect match for my NC20 skin, and I highly recommend giving this a try, especially in the warm months ahead when makeup tends to melt.

Also: Definitely throw away the horrible puff that comes with the compact and use a nice makeup sponge instead. I like getting my sponges at Japanese specialty stores such as Marukai and Mitsuwa. They have the BEST sponges and you can get a 2-pack for $1. These sponges are far better than any kind I've purchased at the drugstore because they never shed (even after several washings) and they help apply your makeup very evenly.

2) I really struggled with mentioning this next product but I feel that I must. I hope it doesn't offend anyone, but really my goal for this blog is to help my readers in any way possible, and I think that this just might help some out so I'm going for it.

I was a product-tester for a while, and a few years ago I was given a "toilet drop" product to review. At first I thought, "toilet drop?" What the? But then after reading the fine print, I understood its use. You add a few drops of this liquid into the toilet before you do your business and all odors are eliminated. Now, I hope I haven't offended anyone by mentioning this, but if you are new to a job and share a small restroom with your fellow employees, this can be a potential lifesaver. Or what if you're a guest at someone's home and someone's waiting outside in the hall to use the restroom after you? I can think of many scenarios where something like this could come in handy, so that's why I'm sharing it. :)

Some of the "toilet drop" products currently on the market have some really awful names (given the tacky name of the product I tested, it's no surprise that I cannot even locate that product on the internet now). But one of them, "One Drop" sold at Marukaiestore.com, is probably the least obnoxious of all, and actually has the lowest price of any toilet drop product I could locate on the internet ($4.85). I don't know about you, but "One Drop" sounds a heck of a lot better than Poo-pourri (no, I'm not joking), Poof Drops or Fresh Throne. "One Drop" is pretty simple: It's a tiny bottle that slips discreetly in your bag, it smells like mint and one or two drops is all you need to avoid an embarrassing moment.

Moving on...

3) New Orbit Mist Gum. I am an absolute sucker for any and all new chewing gums. I've tried every flavor of Orbit on the market (Mint Mojito and Sangria Fresca being my favorites) so when "Orbit Mist" came out I was embarrassingly excited to give it a whirl.

Um, what a letdown! According to the ads, Orbit Mist "contains Micro-Bursts(TM) to deliver a hydrating sensation to consumers". I guess I was expecting some kind of mini-explosion in my mouth, but all I got was regular Orbit gum with a few sand-like particles mixed in. Ick. Yes, I'm still going to chew it until I'm finished with the pack, but I will not repurchase. Just wanted to pass that along to my fellow gum junkies out there.

That's it for this month. If you've tried any of these products, leave me a comment and tell me what you think!

What's in my bag?

Another month has come and gone and it's time for another installment of "What's in my bag?"

Some items have remained since last month's post, some have been added to the mix, and some of these I've had in my bag forever (and I do mean forever).

Oh and that's my Nine West "The Greatest Find Small Tote" bag in the pic, except that mine is gray, not brown. I don't really like this bag because the opening isn't big enough; I can barely get my wallet out sometimes! But I do like that it's got a single strap so it's easy to sling on my shoulder and it holds a lot without looking like a huge bag.


1) Sally Girl Mini Squeeze Tube Lip Gloss in "Hoopla". I can't live without this thing! Seriously, I've been wearing it so much that it's probably the only lipgloss I can actually say I've used up...ever. (Click the link for my full reviews.)

2) Travel Size Kleenex in a pocket tissue cozy. I don't know about you, but I got so sick of my travel size Kleenex getting destroyed in my purse that I had to find a solution. How many times have you reached for a tissue in your purse only to discover that pieces of lint or a freaking penny have found their way inside of your mangled little packet of Kleenex? I bought a cozy very similar to this one in a cute, retro print for like 3 bucks on Etsy and I LOVE it. It totally works.

3) Suave Advance Therapy Moisturizer. Click the link to read about my love for this lotion. Seriously, I can't be without it. I transferred it to one of these cute bottles so that I don't have to lug that big ol' bottle around with me. Oh, and have you heard about these brilliant little things: Lotion Saver Bottle Couplers. GENIUS! It's basically a little band that takes your favorite bottle of lotion/shampoo/conditioner/soap and makes it super easy to attach to a smaller bottle so that you can get the very last bit of product out of the large bottle and use it up! What a fantastic invention and one that will surely save you money. I hope they make a coupler soon for wide-mouth bottles so I can use one for salad dressing :)

4) Cute Pill Box. I bought one very similar to this one on Ebay for about $5 and I LOVE it for my Advil. Previously I had been lugging around a travel size bottle of Advil and it was embarrassing because you could hear the pills swishing around in my bag and it made me feel like people thought I was some sort of pill junkie. Anyway, now I have this quiet little pill box for my Advil and it gave me an excuse to buy something cute.

5) Pink Victorinox Swiss Army Knife. Where would I be without you, my dear sweet Victorinox?! Honestly, I've owned so many of these things over the years it's hard to keep count. The number one reason I carry one in my bag is because no matter where I am, I seem to ALWAYS need scissors. Second, I know you're going to find this hard to believe, but the tweezers on this knife are the best kept beauty secret around. OK, maybe it's just MY beauty secret, but I'm going to now share it with the world. These tweezers work better for me than Tweezerman tweezers EVER have. They pick up the most fine of hairs with ease and I've been using them on my brows for over 15 years now. I will never, ever be without my Victorinox tweezers, I tell you!

6) Banana Boat Sun Wear Daily Sunblock SPF 50. For years now, my friend and I have been trying to find our holy grail sunblock and I haven't come closer than Banana Boat Sun Wear. I love this because it smells good, it's sheer, it's not sticky, it doesn't leave a white cast and it doesn't ball up. Oh, and it's photostable with high UVA/UVB protection, it's water resistant, it's never broken me out and you can find it just about everywhere.

Until next month, let's try to keep those purses clean, well-organized and useful!

What's in my bag?

A dear reader, former colleague, and friend (you can check out her excellent blog here) recently asked if I'd do a post about the beauty products I currently carry in my bag. Not only am I flattered and humbled that she'd ask, but I have to admit it's sort of fun to rummage around my purse and actually take inventory of the beauty products I deem necessary to carry with me on a daily basis.

If you're curious, here's my current list (this is not counting the essential items like my Tide To Go pen and travel size Advil, which are arguably beauty-related):

1) L'Oreal Color Juice Stick in "Island Punch" (read my review here)

2) Prestige Powder Foundation Compact in "Wheat" (even though it's technically a foundation, I LOVE to use it for quick touch-ups since it's a perfect match to my beloved ColorStay foundation in "Buff". I have used this product for over 5 yrs now and would NEVER leave the house without it.)

3) N.Y.C. Extra Shiny topcoat (cheap, dependable, and can be used in any MacGyver-type situations that arise.)

4) Aquaphor Healing Ointment (I don't know about you, but if I'm out and about and I suddenly have a yearning for hand cream, it means my hands are SUPER dry and that I need it desperately. Aquaphor is heavy-duty, and it works. Plus, the tube is small enough to fit in your bag without weighing it down.)

5) Clean & Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets (If I don't need color but just a quick oil-blot, these are arguably the best on the market. And cheap.)

6) Bath & Body Works Anti-Bac Foaming Sanitizer in Warm Vanilla Sugar (OK, so I'm neurotic and I need to have a hand sanitizer with me at all times. But this one I LOVE, because it won't leak like the liquid ones, it has a fun pump with foam, it doesn't dry out my hands, the bottle is cute, and the scent "Warm Vanilla Sugar" makes me feel girly, but it doesn't stay on my hands forever or compete with my fragrance of the day. Yes, it's expensive if you have to pay full price, but if you wait until B&BW has one of their sales, you can stock up. Plus, one little bottle lasts a looong time. In other words, it's perfect as far as travel hand-sanitzers go.)

7) Folding Travel Brush (I have one similar to this that I got at the dollar store and I love it for when it's windy out and I need to fix my hair and my fingers just won't do. All you side-swept-bangs girls KNOW what I'm talkin' about.)

And that's it for this month. Check back next month to see if I've changed up my routine. Or leave a comment here and tell me what I'm missing. Please!

PS: Almost forgot: Yes, that's the bag I'm currently using in the pic above. It's from Nine West, which is probably every recessionista's favorite choice for bags, right?