Even though I have worked from home for several years now, I still make sure to keep my makeup bag in my regular bag for those makeup touchups or emergencies. These are a few of my must-haves!

1) L'Oreal Infallible 24 Hr Fresh Wear Powder Foundation in Linen.
Even though I am huge L'Oreal fan, I never cared for their True Match line. Not sure why, but it never seemed to actually match me. I love MAC's Studio Fix powder foundation, but sometimes, I can't find my shade. And, I often alternate between department store and drug store products to help stretch my makeup budget.

I saw an online review of the Infalliable powder and thought I'd give it a try and am so glad I did! I absolutely love that I can get three different shades (Pearl, Porcelain, and Linen) and have a great match to my skin. I also love that it's affordable enough to get two so I can have one at home and carry one with me. (Another tip -- Walgreen's often has online coupons or deals for makeup and you can get a lot of makeup bang for the buck there!)

I like that the coverage is good without looking cakey or creasy, and when I am in a hurry, I can just put the powder on the sponge and look a bit more polished without using foundation. I typically use a brush to use it to set my foundation instead of the sponge.

2) Vaseline Lip Therapy

My lips always tend to be on the dry side, so having something that can keep them moist is a must. I like Vaseline because it's not greasy feeling and it helps locks in the moisture. I know a lot of folks will say not to use Vaseline because it's a petreoleum based product, and I get that. I just know that I have tried other lip products and they either made my lips drier in the long run, wore off quickly, or made my lips break out. I have not had that issue with the Vaseline Lip Therapy so far. I either have the cocoa butter one or the Rosy Lips one.

3) Lipliner

If you're like me and have kind of a funky lipline, just putting on lipstick without liner can make you look like your mouth is blurry. I don't try to over-accenturate my natural lipline at all, but it just looks unpolished and can bleed if I don't. So I always have a lipliner with me, normally in a neutral shade. I aslo have the automatic ones and the pencil ones as well -- which is hwy I also have a 4) pencil sharperner in my bag. I also carry an eyeliner that can double as a brow pencil in a pinch too, and normally it's a regular pencil so sharpening is a must.

5) Lipsticks and gloss

I know this is probably a given, but I also have pared down the amount of lipsticks/gloss I carry with me. I used to have maybe 10 or more in my bag (probably why my purse weighed more than a fat cat) and realized they all were varying shades of the same color. Pinkey-peachey-beige-ey. So I pared that down to one, and added a gloss in a beige shimmer (can apply to my cheeks if I need a bit of shimmer) and one of my favorite colors, Pink in the Afternoon (415). This pinky/coral is just perfect and goes with practically everything. (It's not my coveted Lancome Mimosa, but nothing is...) It gives me a bit more color than the nudish colors I have been so fond of and that can make you look fresher, especially when you're maybe tired. Sometimes, I also use just my Vaseline Lip Therapy and liner, too, depending on the shade.

6) A fingernail file/clippers

I don't know what has been wrong with my nails lately, but they tend to split, crack, and break at the tiniest thing. It's so annoying to feel your nail scractching and catching on everything, so I keep nail files in my bag, in my vehicle, in my pen cup. Nail clippers can come in handy too if one breaks so severely that filing won't help.

7) Individual hand wipes/hand sanitizer

Even pre-COVID, I have been cautious of germs. And no one likes having sticky hands of feeling like they got something nasty on their hands. So I have a little thing of hand santizer in my bag, and those individual wipes as well. (I also have a small can of Lysol that you can buy in the travel section of stores like Walmart - I am not kidding about being cautious of germs!)

8) Flossers

How many times have you had something stuck in your teeth at the most inopportune time?

9) Kuumba Made perfume oils

These smell SO good and come in so many different scents. My favorites are Frankinscense & Myrrh, Amber Paste, and Persian Garden.

What's your must haves for your makeup bag? I'd love to hear from you!