What’s In My Beauty Bag – Claire and Sara of The Dupe Diaries

Pretty packaging, hero products, must-have purchases…make-up is a subject we could spend hours chatting about. Everyone has their tried and tested buys and in a bid to find out more about the best way to get bang for your buck, we decided it was time to call in a little expertise. In a new weekly feature, we’re going to quiz beauty bloggers on their make-up essentials and why these are the products they return to time and time again. This week, we're chatting to Sara and Claire of The Dupe Diaries.

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First thing’s first – we are both embarrassing clichés of beauty bloggers…masses of makeup from high end to budget, in every colour and shade imaginable! But as with most beauty addicts, we still both come back to the same trusted products day in day out, so here’s a peek inside our makeup bags. I’m All About That Base… For both of us, while eyes and lips complete a look, the canvas underneath is the most important part to get right. We each have a few staple products in our makeup bags to create the perfect base. To prep our skin, we both love the Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser Lightweight Primer (Boots, €11.49), which is a fantastic dupe for Benefit’s Porefessional and helps to even out your skin. We use colour correctors to cancel out any discolouration; Make Up Forever’s Camouflage Cream Pot in Orange (20) (Make Up Forever, €18) to combat those dark under eye circles and Catrice Prime And Fine Green Anti-Red Coverstick (€4.99, Penney's, Dunnes and selected pharmacies) to cover any redness or blemishes. Foundation-wise, Sara chooses Revlon ColorStay for Combination/Oily Skin in Natural Beige (Boots, €17.79), to work with her skintype while Claire finds L'Oréal True Match Foundation in W3 (Boots, €14.99) is best for her drier skin. Both are buildable so you can achieve the coverage you want by layering, and can be used for day or nighttime looks. We both have recently started using Make Up Forever Ultra HD foundation in Shade Y365 for evening/slightly heavier looks (Make Up Forever, €39), and it is AMAZING on both skin types. Catrice Camouflage Cream in 020 (Penney's, Dunnes and selected pharmacies, €4.99) is our go-to for concealing blemishes, and Seventeen Stay Time Concealer (Boots, €5.99) is our pick to highlight under the eye. Patting this over an orange concealer and you will instantly look like you've had 10 hours sleep! The BeautyBlender (Make Up Forever, €20) is our weapon of choice to apply concealers and blend our base for a flawless finish. Lastly, to set our foundation for the busy day ahead, we apply a translucent powder - Prep + Prime Transparent Finishing Powder (Brown Thomas, €26.50) does the job for Sara, while Claire sticks with Make Up Forever HD Powder (Make Up Forever, €34). These are both really finely milled powders so they avoid that cakey look we all dread! Sculpting and Shading We've both fallen hook, line and sinker for the contouring trend, and how it can instantly enhance your facial features. We've tried TONNES of products, and it's hard to beat the Anastasia Beverley Hills Contour Kit (Cult Beauty, €53). MAC’s Margin (Brown Thomas, €24) is our beloved blusher – such a flattering shade that looks amazing on all skin types. The finish is stunning, and gives a subtle highlight as well as a gentle pop of colour. If you like a little more highlight like we do, then you NEED MAC Soft & Gentle (Brown Thomas, €31) in your life! Beauty Is In The Eye of the Beholder… Monday to Friday, we keep it simple and quick. For Claire, it's a slick of Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner Pen in Black (Boots, €13.49) and either Seventeen Doll’d Up Mascara (Boots, €8.79) or a Kiko one (I picked up a few different ones to try in Paris as they were a steal at €3.90 each). Sara swears by Maybelline Lash Sensational (Boots, €11.99) to thicken and lengthen her lashes. For a more polished look, we both love simple brown tones, and stick to MAC Kid (Brown Thomas, €10) all over the lid, Rule (Brown Thomas, €10) in the crease and Make Up Geek Frappe (Make Up Geek, €5.30) to blend it all out into a subtle smoky eye. Inglot Gel Liner in 77 (Inglot, €15) is a budge proof liner that has achieved cult status for good reason – a must in any makeup bag. Brows frame your face, and are a vital part of both of our daily routines. We’re both longtime devotees to Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow Pomade (Cult Beauty, €20) in Deep Brown for Claire and Soft Brown for Sara. Lip Service Although we are both huge fans of a bold lip, we reach for nude shades most often. Sara’s everyday lip look is achieved using MAC Lip Liner in Boldly Bare (Brown Thomas, €17) teamed with Charlotte Tilbury Bitch Perfect (Brown Thomas, €30) lipstick. Claire also loves Boldly Bare, and goes between MAC Viva Glam 2 (Brown Thomas, €20) and NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Stockholm (Littlewoods, €10). The NYX Lip Creams are amazing – gorgeous shades and they don’t budge all day…well worth a tenner! Our current favourites for bold lip looks are MAC Diva (the perfect berry shade for autumn/winter) (Brown Thomas, €20), Wet’n’Wild Coraline (Penneys and selected pharmacies, €2.99) and NYX Soft Lip Cream in Prague (Littlewoods, €10), which is a gorgeous purpley pink tone. Storage All these lovely products need a home! Sara recently invested in a ClutterBox which houses her entire collection neatly and conveniently. As Claire is constantly on the go, she keeps her day-to-day bits and pieces in a Penneys makeup bag and a brush tube from Blank Canvas. Sara's make-up storage... We both love experimenting with new makeup and looks, so we have built up an extensive collection. However, we always return to the old reliables for everyday wear, and we are firm believers that a few basics in your makeup everyday bag are actually all you need to get a polished but simple daytime beauty routine. Claire's make-up storage You can check out The Dupe Diaries on Facebook here and Instagram here