Today’s video is all about what I pack in my travel makeup bag. My husband and I took a trip to Lake Tahoe earlier this month (if you haven’t seen my VLOG from that trip just click here), and I just got back earlier in the week from a 4 day cruise with a few of my girlfriends. I still hadn’t unpacked my makeup bag, so I figured now was the perfect time to share with you what I packed with me. I am going to go ahead and say it now, I am an overpacker. My excuse for overpacking is that I like options, and more than likely I am going to go out of town and wish I packed something that I didn’t end up bringing. I hope you enjoy the video! :)
Today I have a beauty haul to share with you. I received a few gift cards and a little cash for Christmas, and of course I chose to spend it on makeup. I picked up a couple things from Sephora, MAC, and Makeup Geek. This is the last makeup haul you are going to see from me for a while, so I hope you like it!
Kat Von D Shade & Light Contour Palette
I got an email from Sephora that this was coming out and I knew right then and there this was going to be a product I was going to pick up with my Sephora gift card. I have only used it once, and want to play with it a few more times to figure out which shades work best for me. I am going to do an in depth review on this sometime in the next two weeks so keep an eye out for that.
Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer
I have been wanting to try this primer for a while and decided that buying it via gift card would be the perfect time to pick it up because this is a pretty pricy primer. I have heard nothing but great things about it so I’m really excited to try it out. In my video, you will hear me say that I was caught off guard because it was really liquidy the first time I used it. I was swatching everything after I filmed, and after the third pump the consistency was no longer watery. If you plan on purchasing this primer, I recommend shaking it well before using it. I figured my first few pumps were watery from sitting in the bottle and not having been used yet, and I was correct. So far this primer is great, but I still need to wear it a few more times before I can give my final approval.
Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel & Boscia Cleansing Oil
These are the two products I chose for my Sephora Point Perks. I am almost out of my Philosophy Miracle Worker Retinoid Pads, and even thought I like it, I’ve been thinking of trying something new. When I saw that the Dr. Dennis Gross was a Point Perk, I decided to give it a try. It came with three peels, and after using two of them I can already tell they are stronger than the Miracle Worker. The Miracle Worker is gentle enough for me to use on an every day basis, but the Dr. Dennis Gross is a product I would only use every other night, or once every two to three nights. I love my Garnier Cleansing Oil, and have heard the Boscia Cleansing Oil is fantastic. I’m going on a cruise next week and this will be the perfect size to take with me while I’m away. I’m excited to try it out!
MAC Tan Pigment
I was watching Amanda Ensing’s Best in Beauty video and she mentioned this pigment as one of her favorite products from 2014. As soon as she swatched it, I knew I HAD to have it. This is my favorite kind of color and I am a proud new owner. This is my first MAC pigment (crazy I know). I think this is going to be stunning all over the lid, and especially gorgeous in the Spring and Summer.
MAC Fix +
This is something that I have had on my wish list for some time but haven’t really had any reason to purchase it until now since I finally purchased a pigment. I have tried using eye drops as a dupe for this, but I really do not like using them. Not only is this great to use when applying pigments, but you can use this to enhance pan eyeshadow’s, and as a facial mist, face primer, or setting spray.
MAC Pro Longwear Concealer in NW20
If you watched my Best in Beauty video, you will know that my favorite concealer is the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind. I have a hard time finding concealer’s that work for me. I have really fine smile lines around my eyes, so almost every concealer creases on me. I have my favorite drugstore concealer already, but I have been wanting to find a high-end one that works for me as well. A girl’s gotta have options, right? I was watching a video from Shades of Kassie, and she mentioned this concealer as one of her favorite products for not only concealing under her eyes, but for lightening up some of her darker foundations. Talk about killing two birds with one stone!
MAC Lipstick in Syrup
When I went to MAC, I was not expecting to leave with this color. I had another shade in mind, but this one stole my heart. I think it’s going to be a perfect “everyday” shade. It’s a good balance of pink and purple tones. It also deposits the perfect amount of color. It isn’t super opaque, and it's not super sheer either, but it is build-able so you get the best of both worlds.
I have completely fallen in love with Makeup Geek and decided to continue building my collection with some of the Christmas money I received. I picked up 4 eyeshadows and 1 blush.
Creme Brulee
Frappe
Goddess
Homecoming
From Left to Right: Creme Brulee, Frappe, Goddess, Homecoming
Romance
After this haul, I have decided it’s time for another "No Buy". My last "No Buy" didn’t go so well, but I’m really going to do it this time. I literally don’t need any more make up right now. I need to start using up some of the products I own, before purchasing anything new. I would love to have my "No Buy" go up until my birthday which is March 10, but I’m not sure if I will be able to go THAT long. So for now, I’m putting myself on a "No Buy" through the end of February. If I completely run out of something, like mascara or foundation, then I obviously will purchase another product if I don’t have any backups already. For example, I am almost out of face wash, and that is a necessity, so I will need to repurchase that sometime in the next two weeks. If any of you would like to join me, let me know on Twitter or Instagram @caferg_xoxo. We could support each other along the way, Lord knows I’m gonna need it!
Kevin and I recently got back from Tahoe and we had such an amazing time! We decided that instead of us going crazy with Christmas gifts for each other this year, that we would take a trip instead. It was my first time in Tahoe, Kevin has been several times and it’s one of his favorite places to go. We stayed busy on the trip, and were constantly out doing something.
We got there midday on New Year’s Day and spent time walking around town, and getting familiar with the area. We rented out ski gear, signed me up for a lesson, and had dinner and drinks close to our hotel. We stayed at the Lake Tahoe Resort and our room was nice and spacious. The location of our hotel couldn’t have been more perfect. We were right in the middle of everything, and right next door to Harrah’s Casino, which we frequented almost every day! :)
The second day, our first full day, we spent the day skiing at Heavenly. The lift was pretty much right next door to our hotel, so it was really easy and convenient to get to. We got there around 9:00 and my lesson started at 10:00. My lesson lasted until about 12:45. I had to take a lesson because I had only skied one other time, about eight years ago, and it was a freaking disaster. Even though I didn’t get to ski much, I’m still glad I took one because I learned the basics of how to stop and turn. You could tell they would only teach the very bare minimum so that you would pay for the next lesson. After my lesson Kevin and I had lunch at the lodge and then he took me on my first lift. My instructor didn’t really explain things very well in my lesson, so Kevin really helped me throughout the rest of that day. After skiing we headed back to our hotel and went to dinner at The Brewery where we shared a pizza and had a few beers. It was definitely our kind of spot! After dinner, we went to the casino and spent the rest of the night there.
The third day we decided to ski again, this time at a different location called Sierra. We had some time to kill, since we were only skiing half the day, so we decided to stop and take a walk near the lake. Part of the lake had frozen and there were quite a few people out, walking their dogs and pulling their kids on sleds. We got out and walked around, and took pictures. It was really beautiful! I really preferred to ski at Sierra compared to Heavenly. It was a lot more relaxed, and the atmosphere was more chill and comfortable compared to the “commercial” feel that Heavenly had. Kevin took me on my very first run, and oh my gosh it was fun! I ended up wiping out a few times, but that’s to be expected seeing as how I’m a beginner. I was pretty proud of myself that I was actually able to ski a whole run without falling! Especially since I had had such a bad experience before.
The fourth day was probably my favorite day. We spent the whole day driving around Lake Tahoe, walking around taking pictures, and stopping by the little towns. The first town we decided to walk around, we found a wine bar and stopped for a few tastings. That’s another thing that I absolutely love to do! We had lunch at a place called Fat Cat there in town, then headed to the next destination. We ended up at a resort where there was a small Casino, and a restaurant right on the water. We had a couple drinks there, played a little Three Card, then headed out again. That evening we stopped in Genoa, and visited the oldest bar there. It was really cool to hear all the different stories about it. After that we headed to a late dinner at David Walley’s. We both ended up getting the same thing, a blue cheese crusted steak that was absolutely amazing! We shared a bottle of wine, and finished it outside by a fire. We headed back to our hotel, and of course ended our night in the casino.
The fifth day, our last day, we decided to ski again at Sierra. It was really nice because it was a Monday and there wasn’t nearly as many people. We skied the Green a couple of times and decided to ski a Blue. Kevin really likes to ski the Blues, but I was really nervous and knew that if I didn’t try it at least once, that I would probably regret it. Let’s just say that I am 100% content on skiing the Green’s, and have no intention of skiing a Blue again! We ended up having dinner near our hotel at this local pizza place. Oh my gosh, it was SO good! I had a spicy blood-orange margarita, and it was the best margarita I have ever had.
The next day, our sixth day, it was time to head home. Our flight was early, so we didn’t have a chance to go on any more adventures that day. With one short layover, and the time change, we didn’t land until 5:00pm. We were excited to see our kids and they were pretty excited to have us back too!
It’s always sad when a vacation ends, but it’s also nice to get home and get back into the normal routine. I was really glad that Kevin and I were able to get away for a little bit and spend some time together. We both had a really great time, and I can’t wait to go back again. I would love to go back during the summertime. Kevin has been both in the winter, and in the summer, and has said that summer’s spent on the lake there are SO fun.
