I LIKE EFFICIENT AND LONG LASTING MAKEUP PRODUCTS – HERE’S WHAT’S IN MY BAG

We spend all this money on beauty products, eye shadows, blushes, bronzers, just for it to be gone at the end of the night. Doing my makeup before going out is a meditative experience. I allot a specific amount of time for me to get in front of the mirror and begin what I had imagined and rehearsed in my head for how I wanted to look that night. I’m going back and forth between my “inspo” folder on my Collect app and the mirror. I’m trying the new eyeliner method I read about on Melanin Factory. I bake and pray to the makeup lords that when I look in the mirror after four mezcal margaritas that my makeup will still be intact.

Finally, I finish with my favorite lipstick, Venus in Furs by Pat McGrath and take one last look. Amazing! Now here is the point of this all. It isn’t the baking that is going to make all these efforts last. Let me let you in on what makes my makeup last past the baking, the four margaritas, the sweaty dancing, and the occasional rubbing my eyes because I forgot I had eyeshadow and mascara on: Fenty’s Invisimatte’s Blotting Powder. Let’s have a moment of silence…thank you. I don’t know what Rihanna put in here but I don’t want to know.

All you have to do is bring it with you (small enough to fit in any regular sized purse) and any time you feel a little oily, lightly apply it to those areas. Now it does bring a small sponge that you can use to apply the powder but I prefer a loose makeup brush so I’m certain it won’t smear my makeup. This blotting powder absorbs shine and blurs pores, doesn’t dry out or live in the creases of fine lines, and for my favorite part: it applies to all skin tones. Next time, along with “does anyone have a tampon?!” it’ll be “does anyone have a tampon and blotting powder?!”

I know what you’re thinking, what else is in her purse and I got you:

The aforementioned Fenty Invisimatte Blotting Powder. It makes all the money we spend on everything else worth it. It’s so good that I bring it to 12 hour set days. The worst thing is when you can see the layers of makeup on your face due to reapplying; the powder residue sitting in your pores and the discoloration of the foundation. No thank you.

The Venus in Furs by Pat McGrath lipstick. This lipstick is a rose color that sits so lightly on the lips it is like its garnishing your natural lip color. I personally haven’t explored vibrant colors on my lips so I tend to lean more towards “natural” colors.  Sometimes it feels like lipsticks dry my lips out so I incorporate putting on a moisturizing chapstick prior to doing my makeup; but this lipstick makes me skip that step entirely. You can feel the hydrating impact this lipstick has with very minimal strokes.

Danessa Myricks Beauty’s Colorfix Eye, Cheek, & Lip Cream Pigment is also on auto for me. I know I said no vibrant colors with my lips but my cheeks… my cheeeeeks! I will go big or go home. This one’s cute, the Carrot Top shade, because if you apply it almost linearly from just near each ear to meet at the nose, it kind of gives you a natural sunburnt look that I’m currently obsessed with. It also stays on way longer than powdered blush. And because I don’t bring an eyeshadow palette with me this can double as that.

By: Rocky Perez