Bag Lady

Illustrated by Jacqueline Davis Moranti

I love clutches and small cross body bags, they allude a major appeal and cause no distraction to the ensemble. Smaller bags also get a lot of attention to detail... beads, gems, grommets, engraved hardware and the list can go on! As beautiful as they are they just are not conducive to a majority of women. In a clutch, where will I fit my comfortable flats or my sketchbook and drawing pencils? Most importantly, my quick, on the go beauty hack supplies?! 

Like Miss Jennifer Lopez's character in The Wedding Planner, who carried a small bag yet it had many compartments for all her quick fixes. I also tend to carry small items for all of life's beauty blunders because a well mastered hack can help you through out many beauty emergencies unscathed. Every woman, no matter her age or her mastery of makeup should build an arsenal of tricks that she can use when ever the time arises. Here are my quick fixes!

1) Mid- day shine. Nothing like walking past your reflection to find that your t- zone is completely shiny and oily looking. That is to be expected, especially when you have naturally oily skin, like myself. Fortunately there are products to help lessen the effect of our overzealous sebum production like Acure Organics' Argan Oil Towelettes. A dab of this on the oily areas of your face and you're refreshed! This also doubles as a cleansing wipe for your body, which is great for "gym rats" short on time! 

2) Frizzing out. Hair can be unpredictable in different kinds of weather, especially my hair! I'm sure your're familiar with the old and foretold beauty trick of using dryer sheets to eliminate static and fly aways in your hair, Kerastase did one better by creating blotting sheets that help get rid of frizz! The sheets also provide your hair with a thin layer of wax and an increase in shine. I also love the sweet scent it leaves behind in my strands! Much better than your regular dryer sheets!

3) Emphasize your eyes. I tend to not wear makeup a lot because it's not necessary. I only get extravagant with makeup for special occasions. The one thing that I never skimp on is the highlighter! It helps make you look more awake and seemingly more bright eyed, which is definitely necessary. I've been using a multi purpose product by Lush cosmetics called the Lustre Dusting powder. It gives your skin a subtle golden glow with a fresh jasmine scent. I like to use it as a highlighter for my face and it is also a fantastic choice for your legs, collar bones, shoulders, cleavage, I have also used it in my hair which yielded great results! Honestly it's a product that can go where ever you want to "highlight" your body. For emphasizing my eyes, I just use my fingers to apply the powder on my brow bone, top of my cheek bone, the iris' of my eyes and the bridge of my nose. You will never get the, "You look tired," comment again!

4) Oily. Something i've been implementing into my routine quite often is using an oil for my face, hair and body. Yes, I naturally have oily skin but I still have to heal and protect my skin from the environmental dangers and the daily wear and tear which oils tend to provide. I have used many in the past but my absolute favorite is Kumari Luxury's Nourishing Body Oil made of macadamia oil, argan oil, almond oil, coconut oil and many more wonderful ingredients. This body oil provides my skin with vitamin e and antioxidants for more supple skin than lotion can give. This oil is also a multi purpose product!

5) Scentsational. There's something amazing about smelling like something beautiful that just makes you feel ten times better than without it. I never leave the house without a quick spritz and lately I've been on a "sweet" kick! Marc Jacobs' Honey has me feeling like Winnie the Pooh's coveted, golden honey pot! I usually trek with a travel vial in my bag, which I fill with whatever perfume I want. It makes it easier than traveling with the actual perfume bottle. 

6) Glow. Nothing like having well cared for puckers, because it is the first thing that many will notice on you, besides your gorgeous smile! During the winter seasons, I exfoliate my lips a lot because preventing dry skin is essential and the next step is securing and nourishing with a lip formula, for me it's been Soft Lips Cube. It has a unique formula that also provides spf 15 to prevent sun damage. The cube also comes in an adorable package design for added lust! Dry lips are never fun.

In the name of easy, and convenient beauty fixes, these beauty tips and tricks will help me avoid most beauty blunders! Make sure to make room in your bag for your quick, fix beauty kit! Dear readers, do you carry an emergency beauty blunder kit? What are your quick fixes?