What’s In My Beauty Bag – Eimear Hutchinson of The Two Darlings

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. Beauty bloggers make it their business to trial run products and are up to date with the latest releases before they even hit the shelves. 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 Eimear Hutchinson of The Two Darlings

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I love having a good old snoop in other people’s makeup bags; I think it’s an intrinsically Irish characteristic. So when I saw the chance to share what I have in my makeup bag I jumped at the opportunity, my way of giving back after peeking into many a bag (via blog posts, not in reality!) over the years. I tend to do a pared down version of these products during the week as I have about four minutes to myself to do my makeup while my husband entertains our two small ladies with their breakfast. Catrice Prime and Fine primer is a brilliant product, I sit at a desk and have a habit of leaning my chin on my hand but this really helps my makeup stay put throughout the day. I noticed that a few beauty bloggers recommending L’Oreals Infallible foundation so when I saw it on offer in Boots in England on a recent trip I picked it up on offer. I don’t like my makeup to look heavy so I tend to mix my foundation with a little bit of the No.7 Radiance Balm to give my complexion a lift. To put on my foundation,  I use the CJ brush from Nima Brushes. For concealing, I use the Catrice Camouflage – this is a really excellent product for a great price and I use the Emma brush from Nima Brushes to apply. I use the NYX concealer under my eyes – the best tip I got recently, from Marissa Carter of Coca Brown on Xpose, was to apply concealer under your eyes in an upside triangular shape instead of just under the eye. To finish, I opt for either the Catrice Prime and Fine mattifying powder or a light dusting of Mac’s studio fix using either my Mac brush or the Medium Duo Fibre brush from Nima. During the week I always turn to my Sleek blusher palette in Lace. This is really handy as it gives you the chance to mix up your blusher from day to day. When I have the luxury of time at the weekend I like to do a little bit of simple contouring – I recently had a masterclass at Inglot in Cork and got some great tips that gave me the confidence to contour without looking like I just rolled my face in dirt. I bought the Mary Lou-Manizer after reading copious amounts of good reviews – and they certainly weren’t wrong, this gives a beautiful healthy glow to the skin without any glitter, I hate glitter! I use the Real Techniques brush for my blush and the Tara by Nima Brush for contouring. Defined brows are essential for me and I never leave the house without doing mine, this kit,  Sleek (in Dark) is perfect and gives a lovely subtle definition. On my eyes I’m always trying a new mascara but I really like the Benefit They’re Real. If I have time I like to put on the shadow Venus from the Naked Basics palette, it's a subtle shimmery shadow that makes my eyes look awake (when often they are only just about!). I finally got my paws on some of the NYX Jumbo lip pencils and I love this Honey Nectar, easy to apply but I’m a little disappointed with its staying power to date, but then I drink a LOT of coffee!