Minimalist make-up bag

[cheesenpickles]

I've just purged 20 years of make up hoarding. I'm talking items from Hard Candy and glitters I bought in Harrods when I first went to university. I used to be big on eyeshadow but in more recent years developed a lipstick habit. I've filled four shopping bags of unused stuff to gift and expired products to bin.

I don't tend to wear make up daily (which considering my old stash is kind of shocking) and looking to build up a minimalist bag.

Thinking:
Liquid foundation
CC cream/tinted moisturiser
Concealer - fallen in love with Fenty
Highlighter
Bronzer
Brow product
Nude lipstick
Red lipstick (Russian Red is my "one")
Autumnal/berry lipstick
Eyeshadow palette (I have plenty of these to use up)
Mascara
Primer
Loose powder
Blush (using nars pallete which will do for now)
Eyeliner (black and brown, Teddy is my go to)

Am I missing any basics do you think? And what are your holy grail items?

Hoping if I can streamline I can a) start wearing make up daily again and b) can invest in better items that I will ACTUALLY USE UP!

i think it is a comprehensive list.
i'd get a wee pallette with a blusher/bronzer/highlighter/all over illuminating powder - the ones from 'Hourglass' are ace (they change them every year and these get released in autumn/before christmas), if a bit pricey (56 pounds or so, if i remember right). But I actually love that I can just about use it in a year-1.5 years time and not get bored, so to me its a good value for money and saves space in my makeup kit. Just google "hourglass lighting edit". the quality is excellent too.

i would also chuck primer (or get one of the 5ml sample tubes), only use this for nights out. but thats just me.

I've been tempted by an Hourglass palette but always get a tad overwhelmed by them (plus have to buy online).

Good point about the primer, wondering if could get a moisturiser that doubles up maybe?

Oooh space nk do a small travel size one for £20. Might be worth giving that a whirl smaller size before fully committing.

cheesenpickles, i just like the idea of having it all in one palette, not a fan rummaging through multiple (and tiny!) powder boxes. and then £20 for a micro box is extortionate in my view (check an ebay - a lot of people sell as these mini hourglass ones are often given as GWP's)
the pallettes are excellent. i'm just about done with my 2 year old one, and am defo getting myself one for christmas

re: primers - the sunscreen from beauty-pie supposed to double as a primer

I have nothing to add except that I'm smiling to myself that you've decluttered your make up and are now asking for help of how to refill it! 😂 your my kinda woman! Ha ha

Haha! I'm awful aren't I @BusterGonad ? In all seriousness though, I've not bought anything new (Save for my fenty concealer) in three years as I put a ban on myself before my second dc arrived. I'm now at a stage where I'm like... right my social life has recovered enough to start wearing things again and they've all gone so off. I've just thrown out a load of things like shadesticks and Mac professional paints that they stopped making a decade ago. I've been a bit of a hoarder/collector in the past.

Plus my dh is always struggling to buy me things for Christmas so a set list of faves that I'll need to replace will make his life SOOOO much easier. Haha

Wow that's not minimalist in my view!

Minimalist for me would be
Foundation
Blusher
Eyeshadow stick
Mascara
Eye pencil
Lip pencil
Lipstick
Brow pencil

Maybe a primer if I had room...

If I was going minimalist I'd have By Terry ombré blackstar or Rosie for autograph dupes, a blusher palette, Marc Jacobs lipsticks, my new cushion foundation from Korea and my new sheshido 7 lights illuminating powder! Obviously the boring stuff like mascara and brow powder etc

I’d have a good multipurpose item, like cheeks and lips. Nars?
Boy Brow is good.
I also recently purged my stash, damn it feels good!

Oooh that's a bit pretty @BusterGonad

Def like the idea of multipurpose products. Didn't NARS have a particular item that was cheek, lip and eyes? Been tempted by Glossier and was hovering over the haloscope earlier. I've currently got a Mac brow pencil to use up but Boy Brow is also on my radar.

I hate lipgloss, I never wear it so that's an entire category of things I can drop. I've also found a myriad of coloured kohl eyeliners which I'm seeing if I will use but tbh, Teddy by Mac and a straightforward black kohl or felt tip liquid liner would probably suffice.

I've got quite a few of the NARS palettes from when I went to NYC a few years ago so sorted for eyeshadows and blushes for a while too. I've never managed to hit pan with them even though they've been my most used for a couple of years.

Lol sorry @haverhill just saw you had written NARS

I have a nice palette by tarte - it's called 'showstopper' and it includes Blush, eyeshadows, highlighter and Bronzer/contour. It also has a mirror.

Following with interest. I need to do this job!

Lol at that being minimal... my minimal makeup (that I tend to carry about in my bag / wear, albeit not every day) is

Clinique chubby cheek stick in Peony
Rimmel lip chubby stick sort of thing (discontinued a while ago, I stocked up) I like a really red one & a pinky nude one. Smells sort of vanilla-ish
Illamasqua eyeliner
Mascara (tubing as I need waterproof)
Concealer for any blemishes

I used to carry brow pencil but now I dye them instead.
Some days I just do blush, concealer & mascara.

My minimalist is

Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser

By Terry powder compact
Hourglass blusher
Hourglass mascara

That’s it. I have a browny pink Bobby Brown lipstick in there that I hardly ever wear.

My (not so) minimalist makeup is:

Primer, preferably with an spf
Mac peach under-eye corrector
Nyx foundation (though it's been discontinued grr)
Maybelline erase concealer
A neutral eyeshadow - I usually wear just one shade at a time, though I have tons
Body Shop black liquid liner
Any black mascara (I like the soap & glory one in the nice gold bottle)
Any eyebrow pencil in black or dark brown
Lippies - Nyx Lolita or Becca Chocolate lipstick
Max Factor brown lipliner

Don't bother with blush/highlighter/bronzer as I don't know how to put it on and I can't tell where my cheekbones are though that showstopper palette does sound fab

Yeah that's quite a healthy makeup bag. Nothing wrong with it but i wouldnt call it minimal.

In my minimal bag
Concealer
Mascara
2 blush (one pink toned one peach toned)
Highlighter
1 lipgloss

Oooh that compact is gorgeous @BusterGonad is it as amazing as it looks?

My minimalist, so for travelling mainly, is:
CC cream - Physician's Formula (perfect dupe for IT CC cream and doesn't have silicone unlike the IT one.
Mascara - NYX (can't remember which)
Sunscreen - Canmake Mermaid Gel, doubles as primer
Eye-shadow - Clinique quad with smokey purples
Eyeliner - Wet n Wild Baby's Got Black
Brow gel - Essence cosmetics (for Benefit but better)
Blush - NYX HD blush in Red
Evening blush (has sheen) - Makeup Revolution Dragon's Heart
Highlighter - Essence Cosmetics Pure Nude Sunlighter (dupe but better for Hourglass, new addition as I used to use the Wet n Wild dupe, which is also amazing)
Lips - Vaseline rose pink tin one
Setting spray (live in a hot place) - NYX Dewy

So not very minimalist at all, but I love makeup and I particularly love trialling dupes.

Going on holiday travel kit is:

Concealer
Powder
Mascara
Eyeliner
Boy brow
Highlighter
Blusher
Lipgloss

Handbag kit is:

Mascara
Eyeliner
Boy Brow
Lipgloss

What about Trinity London stacks? Seen them but haven’t tried them myself yet

Ooh those Trinny stacks look interesting! I think I'm going to sit down and reassess what I need looking.at everybody's lists. Definitely old habits die hard and there's SO MANY pretty things and brands nowadays. Like the idea of testing out some dupes as well. Never had much luck with dupes in the past but the industry was a lot smaller back when I used to buy a lot.

I'm not actually sure how good the Shiseido palette is yet. I've tried it make up less and nothing really happened but I will be using tonight with a full face of make up so I'm hoping to see a whole new me! 😂 I will let you all know what happens!

Mine is:
Lancôme primer (love this)
Bobbi Brown stick foundation
Lancôme concealer (free sample tube)
Bobbi Brown brow crayon
Bobbi Brown eyeshadow crayons x 2
Urban decay lid primer
Urban Decay naked Basics eyeshadow
Lancôme hypnose mascara
Look Fabulous Forever cream to powder blush
Benefit high beam highlighter
Benefit under brow highlighter pencil thing (!)
Benefit bronzer (rarely use except in summer)
Look fabulous forever lip prime
Rimmel transparent lip pencil
Bare Minerals translucent powder
About 6 lipsticks: 2 red (Chanel and Dior), 1 nude (Charlotte Tilbury), 2 pink/plum (look fabulous forever) plus Dior lip glow.

Which actually seems an awful lot for a minimalist bag, but it is enormously reduced, I use it all, and I take about 10 mins to put it all on, including putting contacts in.

That's a good swag @IheartNiles ask that highlighter pencil from benefit is one of my all time fave products.