The Makeup Bag: January

So Christmas and New Years have flown by and I can hardly believe that it's already 2013! Mixing up my makeup products is a regular occurrence for me and so this year I've decided to post a monthly round-up of what I'm sticking in my makeup bag to use each month. Let's call it the very unoriginal - 'The Makeup Bag'. It should be noted that this post is of course inspired by one of my favourite bloggers, the lovely Anna from Vivianna Does Makeup and whose post you can find here.

Anyway...

Not quite ready to give up the brown and cranberry Autumnal/Winter eyeshadow looks I've been sporting since October time but yet also wanting to change things up a bit for January, I've decided to sport a lighter beige/brown eye teamed with easy breezy pink cheeks.

Last year turned me into a tinted moisturiser girl through and through. There's nothing like the finish of a tinted moisturiser and the natural but dewy look that Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser (review here) gives my skin is 2nd to none. Not really a newbie and one that I've mentioned before on more than the odd occasion, but an absolute essential for my everyday face base nevertheless. I bought the Origins Plantscription Concealer when I was in Birmingham mid December with my mum and so far have been loving it so I'm sure I'll be using it throughout January. It's very similar to the Collection Concealer but feels a lot lighter on the skin and never looks cakey. I'll be powdering down my t-zone with a light dusting of Mac's Skinfinish Natural as although I'm not an oily skinned girl, I'm not fond of an overly dewy t-zone. 

Mac's Patina, a super wearable taupe laced with gold washed all over my eyelid and blended through the crease with smudged out black eyeliner along the outer corners of my upper and lower lash line is what I'm going for in the eye makeup department. Rimmel's Exaggerate Waterproof Eye Definer, a handy black eye kohl which really stays put and even has a handy smudger on the other end of it is the perfect eyeliner for the job, and another plus is you don't need to go searching for your eye pencil sharpener as it's one of those lovely self-sharpening ones (a.k.a you twist it and viola, more eyeliner magically appears). Of course my eyes wouldn't be finished off without lashings of mascara and for this Bare Minerals Flawless Definition Mascara is an absolute gem. Another fairly recent addition to my makeup stash and quite possibly my favourite in a while, this mascara really packs a punch. It lengthens and defines my short stubby lashes with it's clump-free formula and wonderful plastic brush like no other mascara has. With this on I can't help but flutter my eyelashes at my boyfriend to show them off, needless to say he does it straight back with his natural long full fluttery lashes, life just isn't fair sometimes is it? But I guess you can't have everything and this mascara is as close as I'll get to having long fluttery lashes without popping on some falsies.

Filling in my eyebrows with Mac's Charcoal Brown Eyeshadow is a rather boring but essential step because we all know that eyebrows frame your face and this matte eyeshadow is the perfect natural shade for mine. I always do my cheeks second to last and Une's Breezy Cheeks Blush in B02 is a lovely natural cream to powder pink blush which applies like a dream and would suit most skin tones. For a bit of extra radiance, Wild About Beauty's Ultra Dewy Glow Stick in Winston is perfect to swoop across the tops of your cheekbones to aid that lit from within healthy glow. Aiming for minimal fuss for lips, L'Occitane's Shea Lip Balm in Cocoa Flower is a godsend for dry lips. A dab of this and another appearance from the Une family, a slick of their Cherry Lips in C02 which is the perfect non-sticky neutral pink colour to make my lips appear more full and glossy and that's it for January's makeup bag here at casa de Gemma Means Jewel!

Please note: During this post I was in the transitional stage from non-natural products to natural products. Mac, Nars, Rimmel, Wild About Beauty and as far as I am aware Origins is not classed as a true natural brand either. Therefore I no longer use these products.