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 Grace Burrows and you'll find her at Make Me Up Ireland.

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Whilst I love my job in the Biotechnology industry, it doesn’t allow me to enjoy the passion I have for make-up and beauty products during the working week. Make-up, perfume & tan are big no-no’s in my job which means the weekend is really my only chance to play around with my army of beauty products. For this reason, my beauty bag is not small and narrowing down my ever expanding make-up collection for this beauty bag feature was challenging to say the least! But without further ado, here are my beauty bag essentials. The Beauty Bag: I picked up this really cute makeup bag in Penneys recently for only €4! This is what I haul my products around lately as it fits “almost” everything I need in it. Skin Preparation: I spend most of my make-up application prepping my skin, in order to create the perfect canvas on my face. If your eyeshadow is looking great but your skin isn’t, it can throw off your entire look. After I have cleansed and toned, I apply a primer and a highlighter. My go-to primer is the Inglot Mattifying Under Make-Up Base. This is just one of those products that I think to myself, “What did I do before I used this”? There are so many primers out there that claim to keep your make-up in place all day and don’t live up to their claims but this Inglot primer is different. It completely evens out your skin, filling in any fine lines especially around my eyes, and it acts as magnet for foundation so your makeup will not budge for the entire day! I follow this with a liquid highlighter all over my face so that my skin has a nice glow under my foundation. The Face: Hands down, my favourite high-end foundation right now is the MAC Prolong Wear. It’s not for everyone due to the texture but I adore the finish and it really does last! When I use this foundation, I skip the primer step (except for around my eyes), as I don’t feel it applies well with a primer underneath, and it doesn’t need it anyways! High-street wise, my favourite right now would have to be the Loreal Infallible 24hr Foundation. I use Blank Canvas Cosmetic’s F20 brush to apply my foundation. For under my eyes, the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer is fantastic. It is a gel concealer which is really lightweight so you don’t get that cakey look over your foundation. I work this into the skin using my Real Techniques Domed Shadow Brush (this brush is a terrible eyeshadow brush but a brilliant concealer brush). I also enjoy using the Grace brush by NIMA brushes for applying concealer under my eyes as it can get right under the eye and into the corners. I like to apply powder under my eyes at this point so that the concealer doesn’t have any time to settle into the fine lines under or around the eyes. I have been having a love affair with the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette for the last while and I like to use the shade Incandescent Light to set my under eye concealer because it very subtly adds some extra brightness to the area and is so finely milled, there is little chance of creasing. If I have any breakouts on my skin I typically reach for my Kevin Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer or Collection 2000’s Lasting Perfection Concealer. I usually apply them by dabbing a little of the product on the spot and then stippling into the skin using a small flat buffer brush like the Blank Canvas F26. Once I have blended in my concealer (s) into my foundation, I move onto a small bit of contouring. My holy grail contouring product is MAC’s Powder Blush in the shade, Harmony. This is a muted rose beige which can pass as a brown, and hence is perfect for contouring. It has no orange undertones so it is perfect for pale to medium skin. For me personally, and I have tried so many brush brands out there, for contouring, no brush compares to the Real Techniques Contouring Brush. To add a pop of colour to my cheeks I’m a big fan of MAC’s Desert Rose. For that extra bit of glow, I then add a powder highlighter, usually with the Inglot 4SS brush, to the tops of cheekbones, my cupid’s bow and over the arch of my brows. The Mary-Lou Manizer highlighter is a permanent fixture in many beauty bags including my own and it has rightfully earned its place. Finally, to set all of my hard work I use a translucent powder all over my T-zone using the Blank Canvas G25. My favourite powder is the Chanel Poudre Universelle Libre. The Eyes: My holy grail eyeshadow primer is the MAC “Painterly” Prolongwear Paint Pot. This product will ensure your eyeshadows last aswell as removing any discolouration on your lids. The eyeshadow palette I am reaching for the most these days is my Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar. For lining my eyes I use Inglot’s Gel Liner #77 with my Benefit Get Bent Liner brush. This liner has unbelieveable staying power.For daytime, I line the waterline with NYX’s Eye & Eyebrow Pencil in Black and I finish off the look with Maybelline’s Lash Sensational XXX mascara. For brows I love the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade used with the Real Techniques Brow Brush or the Eylure Brow Pencil and for night-time looks I love to add a set Kiss lashes from Penneys. The Lips: The glosses I use the most these days are the NYX Butter Glosses. I reach for the shade Tiramisu the most. As far as lipsticks are concerned there are 2 looks that I am loving right now. The first is MAC’s Brave which I pair with my favourite lipliner; Soar by MAC. The second is MAC’s Angel paired with NARS Turkish Delight over it – this used to be Kim Kardashian’s favourite combo! I also always have a few Wet n’Wild lippies in my beauty bag – these are seriously good value lippies! Love beauty? 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