Charlie Tamara Piper

In this week's post, I'm sharing all the makeup products I'm taking with my on a business trip. It can be tough to pack for work trips because you've got to find the right balance between professional makeup that lasts all day and products that travel well. Here are the products I'm taking with me so that I can look my best while on the go! It all starts with the makeup bag. I lucked into this great travel bag as a free gift with purchase at a department store Dior counter. I'm obsessed with travel bags and pouches and I love that this one both has separate compartments for my brushes and my products all in one compact bag. My Guerlain Meteorites Oxygen Care primer is a great multitasker - it moisturizes, keeps skin clear with oxygen in its formula (great for me since I'll be keeping long hours in my makeup), and adds radiance to my skin so I can cheat like I got more sleep than I did while working on this trip. For comple...

I'm beginning a series on this blog to discuss some of the new (or new to me) beauty products that have been welcome additions to my collection of beauty products. From hair to skincare to makeup, I'll round up the products that have impressed me and that you may want to check out for yourself. First up is Too Faced's Hangover 3-in-1 primer and setting spray. It delivers an ultra fine mist that lightly moisturizes and primes skin, creating a nice base for your foundation and concealer to sit on. I'm not sold on it being a traditional setting spray for locking in makeup for a long day's wear, but it definitely does a fantastic job of making powdered makeup blend into the skin and refreshing makeup to make it look new again. For anyone who found the lotion version of the Hangover primer to be too heavy or greasy, this liquid spray version give all the great moisturizing benefits without any of those downsides. Too Faced's Peaches and Cream Peach Mist...

Left: Shade + Light; right: Shade + Light Glimmer Kat von D powders have more than earned their reputation as some of the best in the game. Whether it's a face power or an eyeshadow, the formula is creamy, pigmented and blendable. I own a few KvD powder products and they're all really wonderful to work with. The Shade + Light series, which kicked off with the contour palette, is a range of contouring products for face and eye. The series launched at the height of the contouring and matte trends and easily won a top spot in my makeup collection. It's so smart of KvD to release the Shade + Light Glimmer palette when makeup's leaning towards a shimmery, glittery look. I have a soft spot for shimmery shadows and neutral shades and this palette more than fits that bill at first glance. First, here's a comparison between the original Shade + Light palette and its Glimmer counterpart: The palettes really struck me as being quite similar to one an...

Makeup addicts rejoice! There's always a ton of buzz whenever Urban Decay launches a new palette in their Naked series, and the release of the Naked Heat palette (above) is no exception. Designed to be really warm and fiery, the Naked Heat palette is a welcome new addition to the Naked collection. The Naked Palette Series Overview Here's a picture of how the Naked Heat palette stacks up against the first four Naked entries: Note: I don't own any of palettes in the Naked Basics series since most of those colors repeat in the other palettes or I found I had too many duplicates in my makeup collection to justify owning them. The original Naked palette was the one that launched a thousand neutral palettes across the makeup industry. It's an old faithful palette for me and likely my favorite one - it has a good blend of warm and cool shades to be able to create a ton of looks.  The Naked 2 palette is largely a steely, cool-toned palette that includes some gr...

It's a super hot day in New York City today and it got me thinking about my favorite makeup products for summer weather. It can be hard to figure out which products to wear when the heat is on but these products are great choices to look pulled together without your makeup feeling heavy or sliding around. Dior's Airflash Foundation provides the best coverage in the lightest possible formula. Plus, the spray bottle cooly mists the foundation onto your skin, which is a lovely treat on a hot day. Dior's Flash Luminizer Pen color corrects, conceals and brightens my under eye area without being heavy at all. The convenient pen applicator makes it great for throwing in the purse for touch ups if needed, too. All good makeup starts with a good base - and Giorgio Armani's Maestro UV Primer creates a great base and super high SPF 50 sunscreen protection. It's one of the few SPF-based primers that doesn't break me me out or clog pores. Setting powders are clut...

My favorite part of any night out is getting ready. I love playing with makeup and getting glam, which I normally don't do. I love how this came out! I also tried out a few new products that I instantly fell in love with, so I'll share my thoughts on them as well! Face: Guerlain Meteorites Base Perfecting Pearls : I loved using this primer! Yes, it's pricey as hell and I think it'll get relegated to special nights out, but I appreciate how it made my skin healthy and glowing. Diorskin Airflash Spray Foundation : I've long been tempted to try this foundation but always worried it would be messy since it's an aerosol can. But spray a fine mist onto your foundation brush to get over the messy fears. The foundation does remain a little tacky until set with powder, and do note that it oxidizes a bit, which my sales associate did warn me about. Still, it was a great color match (I purchased shade 400) that gave me a flawless, full coverage finish without...

I've been on a major foundation kick lately. As I get older and my skin changes, I'm always in the hunt for a foundation that'll work to meet my needs and the look I'm going for. Above, you'll see my foundation collection - and I'm completely aware that I have way more foundation than any one person possibly needs. I'll discuss them from left to right with my favorites highlighted in bold. Laura Mercier Candleglow Soft Luminous Foundation : This foundation is great for more natural days. I don't tend to grab for it too often because it does dry to a tacky finish which I immediately set with powder to stop my skin from feeling that way. Laura Mercier Smooth Finish Flawless Fluide : While the shade range leaves something to be desired, you will find this foundation provides great coverage and blurs imperfections. I tend to use this foundation when I have a breakout I'm looking to hide. Laura Mercier Silk Creme Oil Free : Laura Mercier reform...

Halloween is upon us! I wanted a cool Halloween costume that didn't break the bank and would be suitable for the family Halloween party I would be attending. Enter Rosie the Riveter: a super powerful costume that can be easily achieved with a little crafting. I spent $3 pulling off my costume! Here's how I did it. I first turned to my favorite artwork resource - Google Images - to get versions of the famous Rosie the Riveter poster with and without Rosie herself. I printed the Rosie-less version on card stock and laminated it to make it sturdier. Then I used mailing tape to fix a stick to the back of the poster. I printed and laminated the Rosie version to fit over the pocket on my denim shirt, using mounting tape to keep it secure. Next, it was on to the fun part - makeup! I couldn't help myself and wanted to use all of my fun makeup. After prepping my skin with Giorgio Armani Maestro UV Skin Defense primer , I used the products featured in the photo above...

I love watching beauty channels on YouTube. It's a fantastic way to learn more about makeup and beauty products and see how they perform in action. One of my favorite YouTubers is Jaclyn Hill, who just created the Ride or Die tag. The goal is to name the makeup products that you can't live without. It was quite a challenge to pair down my makeup collection to the products I love the most, but when I really thought about it, these are the products that never ever fail me. I always know that when I'm using them I'll look and feel my best. Here are my ride or die makeup products! Perhaps this will inspire your makeup shopping list. A quick note that I've added on a few additional categories that Jaclyn Hill didn't include in her video. Face Primer The primer that I keep coming back to is the Veil Mineral Primer by Hourglass . It contains a gentle but effective SPF so I can get sunscreen benefits and it does a fantastic job of keeping my mak...