This is probably one of my favourites post to read when browsing through my blog reading list. And now I decided to do an updated version of my makeup bag. I could have named it 'summer edition', but to go with the theme I just numbered it. Chances are this won't be my last 'What's in my makeup bag' post, so it will be easier to follow. This time there are my true favourites I have used for months and some of these for weeks. I have found that less is more and this definitely applies when it is summer time! So, without further ado, this is my light pink Lancóme makeup bag I got as a gift. It holds just everything I need and fits easily into my handbag if needed.

Couleur Caramel Smoothing Velvet Primer, Dark Circle Concealer and Natur'fluid Foundation have been my all time favourites for a while now. I also did a proper review on these three few days ago you can read in here. Only good words to say about these! I consider these perfect summer makeup items.

Kallos Cosmetics Love Pure Blush is something I can't skip on even if I don't use the whole face makeup. It adds the most natural flushed complexion to skin and you will look like you have been resting and been on vacation. Combats that dull and pasty winter skin in seconds! Also, talked about it in here.

Beautiful Me Finishing Powder in 'Dewy Perfection'' is my go to setting powder I mostly use on my t-zone, under my eyes and down my nose to get that healthy glow. It is so fine and the best and most accurate way to describe it would be 'a natural HD powder'. I am always afraid of powder as there is only that thin line between setting your makeup and making yourself matte cake face. Unnatural powdery face won't ever happen with this fine powder that actually gives a dewy finish with the power of keeping your makeup on longer. 

Royal Effem Bright & Bronze Mineral Powder is fairly new product, but I already love it so much. Mine is in shade 002 and gives the most natural beautiful bronzed glow. It is quite light warm toned bronzer with the rose undertones and won't leave your face orange or muddy at all. It also has finest sheen in it, but on face it rather shows up more like warm iridescent glow. I have used it as a contour, as a bronzer on my cheeks to warm up my face and also as an eye shadow. Gorgeous thing!

Avon Eyeshadow Primer is a light beige coloured almost like whipped cream base for your eyeshadow. It cancels out any redness or discolouration while also keeping your eye shadow on whole day. It won't leave eyelids sticky like some eye shadow primers do. And I am the person who's eyelids usually get quite oily throughout the day. Huge bonus, it is really affordable and will last a long time on you.

Senna Cosmetics Glow Eye Color in 'Cordovan' is a high quality deep bronze shade with reddish undertones. They describe it as 'bronzed wine' and it is quite accurate. It adds depth and warmth to eyes whenever I need more dramatic eye. Easy to use and guaranteed you won't get any fall-out with this as its sheen really represents more glow than shimmer. When I am in hurry, I use it as a all over shade colour and I am good to go yet put together. When I have more time in my hands I use it as a crease shade or add it in the outer corners of my eyes and blend it out.

Avon True Colour Eyeshadow Quad in 'Nearly Naked' is a handy thing to have when creating everyday nude eye. Avon has really stepped up in its game and improved their shadow quality. They stay on as smooth as they go on and all these shades they are always coming up with are comparable with high end shadows. I have mattes and satin tones in this palette and these allow me to create really natural or more dramatic eye when needed.

Artdeco Eye Brow Powder in shade 5 'Medium'. Before getting this I always tried to find the best thing for defining brows and were quite indecisive about what I really like. I tried different brow powder, regular eyeshadows, eye brow pencils, waxes, gels etc. Never ever I had known that getting your brows on could be that easy and you don't need to polish them with the powder for 10 minutes to make them somewhat decent. As long as you have picked out the right shade for your brows, this one makes it so easy. With only few wipes using angled brush and this powder you will get nicely done and natural looking arch!

MISSHA The Style 4D Mascara and Etude House Drawing Show Brush Liner are my usual everyday combination when I actually decide to go with an eyeliner. When not, it will only be this mascara. It gives natural, yet separated and feathery lashes I do love. Eye liner is extremely high quality and such a fool-proof item everyone, who is struggling with the perfect line should get. I talked about both of these in here very recently.

Diorshow Iconic Overcurl Mascara is really gorgeous and gives spectacular results with its volumising and curling effect. I have a deluxe-sample size of it and have used it on more special occasions as this does give that beautiful false lash effect. Again, I love the brush as it isn't rubber, but really big sized curved wand that will give its promised effect within only one coat.

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Lipshine is something that gives your lips natural colour and creamy shine all in one. It is so smoothing, juicy and softening on lips. Using this could get absolutely addicitive in a good way, because with a hint of perfect nude colour it will beautify the whole face and definitely will give that special luxurious feel inside. I contains moisturising ingredients that will also take care of lips and give them a nousrishment and boost for eight hours. As I mentioned I have a lovely beige nude with a slight hint of natural pink in it and it is a shade 77 'Ingénue'.

Besamé Cosmetics 'Exotic Pink Lipstick' is another luxurious lip product that comes in a sleek golden tube and is quite different from the Chanel one by it consistency. It has more matte texture, ridiculously good pigmentation when it comes to shade itself and really good staying power. This lipstick has been inspired by the vintage cosmetics and the exact shade 'Exotic Pink' that truly is a bold flamingo pink has is based on the actual shade of lipstick from 1955. This shade is so bright and beautiful, it would brighten up any complexion and mood.

Gosh Cosmetics Velvet Touch Lipstick in 152 'Mandarina'. Is probably one of my favourite shades of lip products to wear. It is not too orange, more like a muted creamy orange mixed with coral. It leaves velvety smooth finish with a creamy shine to it and feels very comfortable on lips. 

Burt's Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil is really hydrating and nourishing lip balm without being overly greasy. I love to apply it as a base to my lip colours when applying makup. As it is quite delicate and evens out the lips natural tone with the slight hint of colour, it makes a perfect base to more drying and matte lip products. It smells divine, works wonderful and has served me well.

Last but not least I have a sample of Dolce & Gabbana Dolce perfume which is very feminine and delicate yet has its on character and spice to it. It is a perfect 'woman scent' as to me it seems to be more mellow and sensual than more girly floral perfumes would be.

That's it! Not too much, but enough to get every makeup need covered.

You can layer and layer good skincare and take your time to work its magic, but if it doesn't you probably put so much bad stuff on your skin during daytime, your skin can't take it anymore. Whenever I have troubled skin times I turn to natural makeup. Especially natural face makeup! Couleur Caramel is a lovely French cosmetics brand that does its makeup clean, pure and full of good ingredients that actually take care of your skin. These would also be perfect items to use in your summer makeup routine as I can't imagine what could be worse for your skin than sweating under sun having silicones, parabens, parfums and other chemicals on sitting on your skin.

Couleur Caramel Smoothing Velvet Primer enhances the complexion, improves foundation application and sets makeup by prolonging its hold. It has sheer texture that smoothes skin tone and makes its texture velvety smooth. I apply it only on my oilier areas as it has a mattifying effect, yet it leaves skin its healthy look. I imagine that this would be a life saver product for people who are overly oily. As I also get drier areas I sometimes prefer to use tiniest amount and mix it with my foundation, then I apply the mixture on my face and I will get poreless airbrushed finish in a natural way. This primer is a true multi-tasker and can also used throughout the day on makeup when unwanted shine comes peeks through and makeup need little correction in general. While this is not all, it contains lots of natural oils that are beneficial for skin. This product restored my belief into makeup primers as I always thought you can't get a good pore concealing primer without nasties in it. Turns out you can and while using it you are able to enjoy its sweet dessert-like aroma!

Couleur Caramel Natur'fluid Foundation is a light coverage foundation to achieve a natural finish with. It allows to even out skin tone while hydrating  skin completely and giving you radiant a complexion. The application process itself feels always so good and comforting on skin, almost like putting on skincare. What can be better? During the day it will sink more into skin, so it won't be very long-lasting, but whenever I reapply it on areas where I might need more coverage, it won't look cakey or unnatural. Perfect summer time foundation! Mine comes in shade 12, natural beige. 

Couleur Caramel Dark Circle Concealer has turned out to be my hero product! This concealer gets so creamy with the heat of your fingers, yet dries perfectly matte but not dry looking on skin. It diminishes everything from dark circles to acne scars, blemishes and redness. A lot of times I don't even use powder to set it as it finds the right way to cooperate with skin and stay on long hours. Having a huge benefit of not getting into fine lines, but adapting with skin's texture, I love this so much that can't go a day without it. Whenever I choose not use makeup on that day, I only dab little bit this product on problem areas and I am good to go. Mine comes in shade 12, light beige.

Or should I just say 'perfect summer flush'? Because this is just that perfect shade which gives you so healthy and natural flush. I would see this blush to cooperate with any complexion and skin undertone. 

It is Kallos Cosmetics Love Pure Blush  and mine is in shade 07. In the packaging it has little bit of fine golden speckles in it and colour seems to have a warm coral undertone to it. On face it is comes out very natural and matte, not too powdery and the shade appears to be rosy pink with the slightest hint of coral. 

When I first got it I couldn't believe the quality of the product. Thing is, it is extremely affordable, but both packaging and product itself seem to be something you usually won't get with that little amount of money. This Kallos blush is highly pigmented and little bit goes very long way. You basically need just a slight swipe of colour to get the right amount without going overboard. Whenever applied too much, which has happened to me couple of times since I wasn't familiar with this product yet, it is easy to blend out and perfect cheeks with warm flush to them have been achieved.

As it is soon to be weekend it is right time to talk about pampering yourself. I usually take the time to do face masks, scrubs and hair treatments on Friday or Saturday evenings. This is the time to myself. While there are different masks I do I want to talk about the most special one. It is Vestige Verdant - an all organic bioactive anti aging mask that heals and soothes your skin.

First and foremost, this has been created in Estonia and looks quite luxurious to begin with. Quite big jar holds 200ml of face mask that looks something like mud, but really is based on organic peat. While it claims to be anti-aging it has so much more in it. The benefits list is very long and includes the properties of deep cleansing, moisturising, improving skin's texture, reviving blood circulation, healing allergic or overly sensitive skin, diminishing acne, relieving stress and restoring skin's natural pH balance.

How does it work? As I said it is based on organic natural peat that has one of Vestige Verdant's key ingredients, humic acid in it. This substance is originally so complex, that its molecular structure is impossible to replicate synthetically. So they have harnessed the power of nature with the purpose of making this miracle mask happen. Humic acid detoxifies and is also powerful enough to fight with cellulite. Deep cleansing and moisturising effect comes form a lot of minerals and bioactive ingredients that also give tour skin its natural pH balance. Fulvic acid in it, proven to be powerful electrolyte, will heal anything that may be troubling your skin. Soothing properties come from bioactive hymatomelanic acid that accelerates healing process, improves texture and is known to have the ability to fight with cancer cells.

Onto my true opinion! This mask doesn't have a scent to it and has a quite wet muddy texture. It should be applied whenever needed on a clean surface, but can be used daily if skin tolerates it. When applied it feels so soothing as it is moist and quite cold. Layer should be thick enough to cover the whole skin without your skin peeking through. Right after finished with an application, it is time to relax. Soon, great things will start to happen! After a while you will feel slight tingling or itching on your skin and almost feel how this mask pulls every single toxin and gunk out of your skin. When your skin isn't overly sensitive, you can leave it on up to 10 minutes, but when it is, 5 minutes should be fine. Like with every skincare item you should really listen your own skin and see what works best for you.

Not so good part is washing it off. It might get really dirty and your sink will be in need of a good clean afterwards. You also need to take some time to concentrate on your face and get everything off. I also use a cotton pad with a splash of toner on it to remove even slightest traces of mask afterwards. Once you get used to this mask you will master the whole process and washing it off part won't be so bad anymore. Key is to be as close to the skin as possible and really use your hands to clean your face. Even better if you can do this mask right before getting into shower and all your problems regarding dirty sink will be gone! This is what I do and I enjoy this little ritual so much. 

After you have gotten everything off, you will be absolutely amazed! Yes, there are great mud masks and even better clay masks that deep cleanse your skin perfectly, but with this mask it is whole another story. I can't even describe it without sounding like a lunatic. It feels like your skin is finally breathing and so thankful you just can't keep your hands away from your face. Your pores look smaller, cleaner, skin comfortable in general and the more regularly you use this mask, the more you see the effect. Whatever the product is, you choose to apply afterwards: serum, moisturiser or both, they go on amazingly and work so much better with your clean skin. 

Vestige Verdant ships worldwide and even though the price is little bit pricy it is nothing compared to the results I have with it. This jar is completely full of the mask and mine lasted about 5 months and I still have some of it left as you can see from the picture. In fear of running out of it, I already had to get the new one!