The Travel Makeup Bag | The Mexico Edition

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About two weeks ago my boyfriend and I jetted off to Mexico for a week-long post-graduation trip. We had the best time laying by the pool, sipping on piña coladas, and reading books. It might sound a bit dull to some, but I think we both needed a week of solid R&R after the craziness of graduation and moving. I had originally planned for this post to go up pre-vacation but I decided to delay it till after we got back because I wanted to let you know how much of the makeup I ended up packing actually went to use (spoiler alert most of it didn't). 

As for base products I kept it extremely minimal since I knew I'd be in the water for about 50% of the time and the other 40% I'd be spending lathering sunscreen on my face. I also lucked out because my skin was on its best behavior so it didn't need much in the way of coverage. I ended up packing the Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint to even out my skin if I felt I needed it, but honestly did not use it once, since as I mentioned my skin looked pretty good and even the whole time. I packed my trusty Glossier Boy Brow to set and give my brows some color, which I did end up using a fair few of the days if I remembered to do my brows. The base product I used the most was the NARS Soft Matte Complete concealer to cover any small blemishes or under eye circles, which were lingering from the prior weeks of getting very little sleep. The L'Oreal True Match Powder really only got used when we went out to dinner, because I was putting on too much SPF during the day to justify needing to wear powder. Eye products are the category where I always overdue to because I always think I need options, in reality I don't. I did use my Fairydrops Scandal Queen Mascara almost every single day because it is super waterproof and looks incredibly natural when applied in light layers. I packed the It Cosmetics Tightline Mascara because I had originally thought we weren't going to be in the water as much as we ended up being and wanted something that wasn't waterproof and is very natural looking. I think this mascara ended up getting used once or twice. In terms of eyeshadows I brought the By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Bronze Moon, my MAC eyeshadow duo with Grain and Sable, and theCharlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerize in Bette. I ended up only using the Ombre Blackstar one night when we went to an especially fancy dinner and the Charlotte Tilbury cream shadow for another dinner out. I also brought my favorite NARS Pro Prime Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base for whenever I did wear eyeshadow and the MAC Groundbreaker Eyeliner as my sole eyeliner for the trip.

I ended up getting some use out of my Glossier Cloud Paint in Beam and Glossier Haloscope Highlighter in Quartz whenever I wore more makeup than just mascara. This combination of cheek products is something I'd definitely recommend for a beach trip because they just make your skin look so glowy and healthy. I'm a bit the same with eyeshadow as I am with lip products when it comes to packing, because I always end up bringing unnecessary options when I end up almost never using lip products. I brought the Glossier Generation G's in Zip and Crush, which I imagined using for a brighter lip had I decided to wear less eye makeup for the nicer dinners we went to, but alas I opted for the eyeshadow in the end.

My Month in Film | June 2017

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It's safe to say that this past June was one of the most hectic months in my life to date. Between finals, graduation, graduation parties, moving back home to San Francisco, job interviews, and unpacking I have been thoroughly overwhelmed. That being said, June was also packed with some really fun and exciting moments, some of which I have captured for this month's month in film post. 

At the very beginning of the month a few friends and I went wine tasting for the day. We were lucky enough to go to college near an amazing wine region and spent the day trying to understand wine all while having moments of laughing so hard we were near tears. Easily one of the best days spent before graduation.

Took a trip out to Montaña de Oro, a state park in California, with some of the best views of the ocean. 

Gave my boyfriend a photography lesson at Montaña de Oro and he insisted on taking a few pictures of me. I could not stop laughing through the process. 

One of the best things about coming home has been being reunited with my cat Bailey. She has been so needy ever since I got back and will hardly leave me alone, to the point where she follows me around the house and insists on sleeping right next to me every night.

Spent the day out wandering around the city with my best friend in San Francisco. It was so fun to have no plans and just walk around the city with no particular destination in mind. 

I've been so happy to be back in a big city again. There's just so much more to do here and so many different kinds of people. I missed San Francisco so much. 

A wander through the Ferry Building despite it being a current tourist haven at the moment.

An incredibly dorky picture next to the Bay Bridge, you'd think I was a tourist from this shot ;)

My favorite skyline ever...

Makeup To Wear When You're Going To Be Photographed

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My two week hiatus and this post actually have a lot to do with each other. Exactly one week ago, when this post goes live, I graduated from college! It was quite a hectic few weeks leading up to graduation and the weekend itself was pretty packed with parties and visiting family that I decided to take a quick break from blogging. However, for my first post back I figured I'd give some tips about doing makeup for events where there will be a lot of photography, something that is especially relevant during this time of the year with it being graduation and wedding season.

I did my makeup like this on two occasions: for taking graduation pictures with friends as well as graduation day itself and I absolutely loved the way it looked in person and in photos (if I do say so myself). I think one of the best tips I've picked up for doing makeup for pictures (especially pictures for special events that will be around for a very long time) is to do your makeup like you do on a regular basis but make it slightly more dramatic or intense. While everyone's daily makeup will vary greatly, I will talk through some of the products that I have found to photograph very well and that I used on graduation day.

When it came to doing my makeup for graduation and graduation photos I spent the most time on my base. Because almost all of the photos I took were outside I didn't have to be too cautious with using a foundation without SPF because I wasn't doing any flash photography. For foundation I went with my go-to Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation, which was perfect because it evened out any redness without looking too heavy. I have used this foundation with some flash photography and find that it works fine without any real noticeable white cast, but if you're concerned about that I'd recommend theMakeup Forever HD Foundation. I then used NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer under my eyes and on any blemishes. While this is a new concealer to me, I chose to use it because it gives really good coverage for blemishes, redness, and under eye circles. Because it was so hot on my graduation day, I chose this for its more matte formulation, which is great because it stays put and never looks greasy but also doesn't look dry or crepey either on blemishes or under the eyes. I then set every thing with the L'Oreal True Match Powder and used Glossier Cloud Paint in Dusk, which gave a nice rosy flush while also doubling as a bronzer/contour of sorts.

As for the eye makeup I went for matte shadows and used the Becca Ombre Rouge Eyeshadow Palette, which has become my most reached for palette. I like to use mattes for photographs and events because they will never look outdated and they provide better definition, which registers better in photographs than a load of shimmery eyeshadows do. As for the eyeshadow itself, I went with a look similar to this one that Karima did on her YouTube channel about a year ago. I then put a load of mascara on my lashes and used the Fairydrops Platinum Mascara, which I use on an everyday basis but is great for special occasions because it is waterproof (and yes I cried like a baby during graduation). Last but not least I used NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Intriguing, which is a gorgeous rosy nude that lasts for ages on the lips.

The Intentional Wardrobe

I'm just gonna put it right out there, I don't believe in the capsule wardrobe. I'm fully into the central idea of the capsule wardrobe that your wardrobe should be as edited as possible, however I personally will never do a capsule wardrobe because of where I live. Because I live in California, Northern California no less, there aren't concrete enough seasons to justify having separate wardrobes for each season. For example, during the month of September alone it can go from being 80 degrees one day to being full-on cold fall weather. For me it just doesn't make sense to tuck away a good portion of my wardrobe when the weather can turn on a dime.

With all that said, I've narrowed down my wardrobe philosophy that is best described as an intentional wardrobe. The logic is very similar to the capsule wardrobe in that I regularly edit the pieces in my wardrobe to the point where I have a collection of clothes that are easy to style together and I'm never left with that "I don't have anything to wear feeling in the morning". Also when it comes to buying clothes I am much more rigorous with myself and make sure to only buy pieces I know will last a long time and will fit into the wardrobe that I already own. I have made the mistake one too many times of buying something and never wearing it because it just doesn't fit with the other pieces I own. I feel like the capsule wardrobe has the right idea in editing and focusing a wardrobe, I just don't find it necessary to restrict myself so much by the seasons and the weather (although for people that live in places where there are distinctive seasons I can see why the capsule wardrobe is appealing). I also enjoy bringing in pieces that are for a different season and reworking them with another piece so that it works for the weather. For example, I have a black slip dress that is amazing for warmer weather but because it is short enough, I can tuck it into jeans during the cooler months and layer a turtleneck underneath it so it works as a more wintery piece. All in all this approach to thinking of my wardrobe methodically and with a stronger direction has really helped me hone in my personal style and keep me from buying clothes just for the sake of buying clothes.