My Auction Makeup

Today, I thought it could be interesting to give you a rundown of what I keep in my auction makeup bag. My makeup bag used to be enormous. I never knew what would work well and what I would need for the evening. Over the years I have whittled my makeup bag down to thirteen essential products that meet my exacting criteria.

To be in my makeup bag, a product must:

• Be long-lasting. It must hold up to long hours, hot lights, and sweat. I can’t have makeup melting off my face while I’m on stage.
• Read well from the back of the room. If you have ever been on stage before, you know stage makeup is a different beast. It’s bold and exaggerated because people in the back of the room must be able to see what’s happening on stage.
• Look good on camera. I use footage from my auctions in my business materials and on YouTube.
• Look natural up close. I know, I know. I just said stage makeup is bold and exaggerated, and it is! But I also want to look good when talking to people face-to-face. It’s all about balance.
• Affordable or amazing. I go through a lot of makeup, so what I buy can’t break the bank. If I’m going to splurge on a product, it better be amazing.

As you can see, I have strict criteria for what goes in my makeup bag. These products all meet my criteria.

1. A brush set from bh cosmetics. I’m obsessed with bh cosmetics brushes because they are soft, they blend like a dream, and they are well-priced. They wash and dry easily too. If you are scared about buying makeup brushes this is a great introductory set. They have a ton of different set options, but my favorite are the Studio Pro brushes. 
2. MAC Cosmetics blush in peony petal. Is it bad that I’ve been using the same blush I started with in high school? I seriously can’t get enough of this color. It’s matte, long-wearing and gives me a youthful glow on stage. 
3. Maybelline Brow Drama in deep brown. Although brows are all the rage now, I’m not so into them. Perhaps this is because I’ve always had full brows, I don’t understand why I need to fill them in. This is easy to use, looks natural, and doesn’t run when I’m sweating from calling bid numbers. 
4. Maybelline Volum’ Express the Mega Plush Mascara. Lashes for me are a PROCESS! If I am doing a big event, meaning I will be onstage or seen on a live cam, I’m always wearing false lashes (see #12 below for my favorite super cheap, compliment generating lashes). If I have an intimate auction with 200 people or less, I go with my natural lashes but I need three different layers to get the look I want. This is the first step in my natural lashes routine. 
5. L’Oreal Voluminous Mascara. This is my go-to mascara off stage. When I’m on stage, this is step two in my natural lashes routine.
6. L’Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Waterproof Mascara. This mascara is step three in my natural lashes routine because it  locks EVERYTHING in place and it doesn’t move all night. I’ve used this for the past eight years and, in my opinion, this is the best choice for performance makeup. 
7. Physicians Formula Bronze Booster Highlight and Contour Palette. This palette has great shades and great blendability at a great price. What more do you need from a contour palette?
8. Giorgio Armani Power Fabric Foundation. I have been around the block with foundations. This is my current foundation holy grail. It looks natural on the skin while giving me medium full coverage. It easily lasts ten hours. It doesn’t crack or look weird on textured, acne prone skin and it looks great on camera. 
9. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser. Great coverage from a drugstore product. If you haven’t tried this yet, you need to. 
10. Marc Jacobs’ eyeliner. I have tried over 120 different eyeliners. No joke. This is the best by far. It does not move even one centimeter from my waterline. For a zero budge eyeliner, this is a performer’s dream. 
11. Kat Von D Tattoo Liner. When I am wearing false lashes, this tattoo liner cannot be beat. It’s the perfect formula and worth every penny.
12. Bluelans eyelashes. I used to purchase expensive eyelashes. I’m talking $10 per set, which is not cheap when you’re going through two or three sets a week. So, I went looking on amazon and gave these $4 lashes a try. They are my new go-to lashes. They look amazing onstage and I can wear fresh ones every time. These are not your natural but better lashes, they are made for the stage thick, fake lashes. 
13. Various Makeup Geek and MAC eyeshadow in browns, purples, and blues. I use mostly matte eyeshadow so that I don’t have to deal with any rogue glitter on my face, which can often read as sweat from far away. Makeup Geek and MAC both make great, long lasting eyeshadow that don’t budge.

That’s it, that’s what’s in my auction makeup bag. Did I leave out any of your favorite products? Let me know in the comments. And let me know if you want to see an auction makeup tutorial from me over on my YouTube channel.