Gone too Long

Every time I finish a post on my blog, I assume that I will be back the following day.  

and then...

for one reason or another...

I'm gone...

                  just like that....

                                              for a while.

Seriously,

I miss all of you every day that I'm away.

Speaking of being away....my daughter, Katie will be heading out of town in the near future and asked me for some help in finding a great makeup bag for traveling.

As a matter of fact, she suggested that I should blog about it. So, for those of you who might get some ideas from this post today, you can thank her!

There are a lot of choices for make up/cosmetic bags on the market that range in price, size, shape and design.

But before you rush out the door to purchase a make up bag, there are a few tips to keeping that new bag organized and your make up essentials looking like new.  The last thing you want to do is put dirty make up and brushes in your new bag, right?


CLEAN YOUR BRUSHES

• Run the bristles only under lukewarm water to remove make up residue.
• Fill a shallow bowl with warm water and a small amount of a mild shampoo and swirl the brush tips in the water.
• Rinse the bristles and repeat until the water runs clear.
• Wipe the brushes with a clean cloth and reshape the bristles.
• Lay flat to dry.

MAKE UP

• Purge old items that you no longer use or are expired.   Here's a cheat sheet that I found here to help you with that.

Liquid Foundation/Concealer = 6 - 12 months

Powder Foundation, Blush, Eye Shadow = 2 years

Mascara = 2 - 3 months

Lipstick/Gloss = 2 years/1 year

Lotion = 2 years

Nail Polish = 1 - 2 years

Perfume = 8 - 10 years 

(who knew!)

• Discard dirty sponges and make up pads and replace with new ones.  They carry lots of bacteria that causes breakouts!
• Clean the outside containers/compartments well with soap and water to remove any residue.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT BAG

• Review all of your remaining cosmetic items and determine which ones are essential for your travels.  If you know you are only going to be using a summer palate while on your trip, don't pack fall and winter colors of lipsticks and eyeshadows.  Chances are you won't need them.
• Make sure you consider items you always use when applying your makeup.  For example, cotton balls, q-tips, tweezers, etc.  
• Organize them into like categories, eye shadows, foundation/concealer/powder, lipsticks/glosses/ liners, etc.
• Decide on how you want to store them in a bag.  Do you like your brushes to have individual slots?  Maybe you like your cotton balls/pads with foundation and concealer.
• You might like separate pouches for storing each category.  Look for bags that have clear pouches and zip.  It's always nice to be able to see what you have stored without having to open it up.

Now you are ready to purchase your new bag.  Target has a ton of selections that I find to be very reasonably priced, ranging from $6 - $30 and provide lots of great storage space.

Here are a few of my favorites:

resource

resource

resource

My personal favorite is Stephanie Johnson's line of travel bags that I stumbled across when I was on vacation a couple of years ago.  Her line is a bit pricier than Target but I have found them to be sturdy and they look just like they did the day I bought them.

resource

Whatever bag you decide on, just make sure it's right for you.  

Have fun on your trip but please don't stay gone too long!  I'm gonna miss you!

Happy Organizing!

Kim

P.S. This was my personal opinion and I was not compensated by Target or Stephanie Johnson in any way.