DIY On-The-Go Girl Portable Makeup Palette!!

Me, wearing all of the products I put in my portable palette. :)--
I'm wearing every single product in the palette, all of the lip colors mixed together in different ratios, over a separate NYX lip liner called pinky beige.

Hi guys.  Thankyou so much to anyone who is still reading in spite of my long hiatuses (hiati?  Uh...How do you pluralize that?  Lol.)

I have currently been living, essentially like a gypsy...I commute from where I currently live (in which, I have no internet, just a small phone data plan), and sometimes I have to stay at a midpoint in order to use said internet and to get to my job and have a little more time to relax (midpoint being my boyfriend's house).  Plus, my sister visited and I was going back and forth an hour out of the way to visit her where she was staying.  It has been kind of nutty.  So, essentially what I am saying is, I've had little time and opportunity to blog, although many times I have wished I could!!

I'm finally enjoying a four day break, and I've reached another midpoint (my dad's place) :)  So here I am.  LET'S GET ON WITH THIS :)  Are you ready?!  Okay I am so excited!!!  I hope you guys love this DIY as much as I do.

DIY Portable Palette :)
Scroll down to the bottom for the list of products/supplies I used.

This is a super easy little project to do.  I'M TALKING AN AWFUL LOT HERE FOR SOMETHING SO SIMPLE.  You can skip all of the words and look at the pictures if you like.  They are pretty darn self-explanatory.  However, I have written some extra fun ideas in the last few paragraphs, uses for the palette, and ways you can get creative :)

So obviously, living like the gypsy that I have been living like lately, I NEEDED something like this. I work at a makeup store, and my bag was getting FULL because I kept having to grab stuff that I needed and store it in my big work bag.  It was getting out of control :)

I have had this L'oreal True Match Powder :)  Truthfully, I'm not L'oreal's biggest fan due to their animal testing/business practices and such, but I got this for an amazing discount at my job.  What is cool about this particular packaging, as rather than have one large compartment, in one snug space, this compact has two separate compartments.  One side is the side with the powder, and the other side carries the mirror and fits a cotton pad/sponge.

Happy accident, I suppose, my powder tray was falling out of where it'd been glued in.  So I easily pulled it out...and then I thought, wait a minute.  This could easily be a makeup mixing palette.  I wiped away the glue (I used Marcelle Cleansing Water--it was what I had on hand--I think isopropyl alcohol would be much better for this particular glue removal) with half of a makeup cotton pad, scrubbing and wiping until all of the glue was gone.  Then I took the dry half of the cotton pad and dried the freshly cleaned, shiny inside of the compact (for lack of a word for that) :)  I then hot glued the powder to the OTHER side of the compact--the side that includes the mirror.

And here is my lovely palette :)  Well, maybe not LOVELY in that it is pretty to look at, but lovely in that it is useful ;)

The Portable Palette ;)

You can also fit other powders inside.  Here, I've inserted an Estee Lauder double wear powder foundation pan in Ecru.  This true match setting powder in N1 is the closest match to Ecru, almost exactly the same shade, the true match being just a hair or two pinker in tone.  It fits perfectly in here!! :)

Estee Lauder Powder Foundation Pan in Ecru, inserted here to show what it looks like.

You can't fit a powder puff or sponge in here, at least none I have tried.  Nothing is flat enough :)  But in my opinion, brushes work FAR better than those anyway!!!  I wouldn't trade a retractable brush for a powder puff or sponge.  Nope.  Wouldn't do it.  I use this eco-tools one I got on amazon for around $6.  There's plenty out there.  I also use an elf retractable lip-brush, which cost me $1.50 with a coupon code. :)  These cost me very little and they make everything easier, cleaner, and less messy in my makeup bag than I think sponges and puffs do.

My retractable brushes for my purse makeup bag.





You may also decorate this if you are feeling crafty and wanting it to be a little more beautiful.  I personally am fine with it the way it is.  Here I show you how you can remove the sticker and the glue.  You simply peel off the sticker and start patting it over the left over glue spots, and the sticker will pull up all of the remaining glue.  Easy trick.  My true match powder is only a few weeks old, so I am not sure if this trick will work for older compacts.  You might need another cotton pad and some isopropyl alcohol.  You can use swarovski crystals, stickers, labels, or mod-podge...whatever.  I would add crystals, except I think they would make this bulky.  Maybe I will think of something pretty to decorate this with later, if I have time.  If so I'll definitely post the new picture on here :)

How to remove the stuck on glue residue with the sticker itself.


This has literally made the weight of my purse makeup bag half as heavy...half of the products are gone.  I was able to completely remove most of my lip products and just swatch them into the palette. :)  I have here, three shades of Too Faced Melted Liquid Lipsticks, one lavender colored LA Girl Lip Glaze, and my favorite concealer I have ever tried, Physician's Formula RX in the Fair/Light shade, which I put in just to dab on with my finger for touch-ups.  The problem with the concealer is it likes to ooze itself out of the tube even when you are not squeezing it...by putting it in this palette I have eliminated that problem!!!

You can also smush lipsticks in here.  You can smush in concealer sticks.  You don't have to be restricted to liquid products.  Powders will be more difficult, but you can always glue powder pans where you feel they will fit, or if you use a different variation of palette, you can keep certain eyeshadows you really like that came inside the palette, and remove the other ones you don't like using a needle and dental floss :) (the needle prys up the pan, poke the floss and wedge it underneath with the needle and then floss it beneath the pan until it's released from the glue).

I'm so thrilled because it is also SO much easier to mix lip colors and control how much product I get on my lip brush.  I've also found that when I apply with a lip brush, my application looks so much better and what I have applied lasts so much longer, disperses so much more evenly, and I use up less product as well.

Plus, at the makeup store I work at, we can't bring in products we have bought at the store most of the time.  This pretty much eliminates that problem, at least with liquid products and setting powders, because I can simply dab a little of anything I need onto the palette and leave the full-size product at home.  Plus I don't have to worry about losing those products!!!  YAY.  I just adore this.  AND everything is all in one place.  Going to make putting my makeup on quickly during lunch breaks and such a snap, and I can get the color I want quickly too!!

As you can see, I absolutely am in love with it!!!

I have been carrying it around, using it all day, and it is stored sideways in my bag.  Because my swatches are small, they really haven't budged or mixed together.  Your results may vary if you use something very watery/oily.  With that in mind, you may want to make a portable palette out of something with separators, keeping the deepness of the separators in mind.  The most liquidy thing I have put in this is the LA Girl Lip Glaze, and it just spread out a little bit, and now it has set and stayed in one small spot without budging.  I like the layout of this True Match compact because I have all of my touch-up products in one place, but you may enjoy a different set-up :)

Hope you guys enjoy this too :)  It is definitely a time-saver, a clutter-clearer, and a creativity-inducer.  As I mentioned a little bit in the last paragraph, you can do this with so many other kinds of palettes.  Not just this one, but you can also make at least lip/foundation/concealer/whatever palettes by removing eyeshadows from little drugstore eye palettes (I'm thinking Wet N' Wild--they have some new six pan white ones that would be great :) ).  Then you'll have little separators in those ones as well :)  You could even press powders you would like into empty pans you have and keep powders and liquids in the palette, if you feel inclined to.

I hope I have helped everyone.  Yay!!!  Just so thrilled, I truly think this has made my life a lot easier, and my makeup more creative and managable.  You can add in and remove what you are using currently.  All of your favorite colors and products in one place, not taking up bulk and there to mix together and play with.  It is so much fun!!  Like a grown up Polly Pocket!! :)  At least for someone who loves makeup.  And at the least, it will clear out your bag of some clutter and make it easier to find what you need.

Complete List of Products Used
LA Girl Glazed, Coy
Too Faced Melted Peony
Too Faced Melted Fuschia
Too Faced Melted Berry
Physicians Formula RX Concealer, Fair Light
L'oreal True Match Setting Powder, N1
ELF Lip Brush
Ecotools Retractable Kabuki Brush
Hot glue gun
Alcohol (or in my case cleansing water...I'd recommend alcohol over that!)
Cotton Pads

Me at the end of the day wearing all of the touch-up products, using computer screen light for lighting.  Several true match powder touch-ups had been done through the day.  I did not touch up the concealer--I more or less have it because it works wonderfully, and may need to touch it up at work when I'm sweating under fluorescent lighting, or apply it at my boyfriend's where I have no other makeup :)  Not too shabby with those lip colors... I highly recommend mixing all of those!!  The melted's last, and the LA girl gives it some much needed hydration without taking away from the longevity.  I really love the type of purple this combo creates! :)  Only did one touch-up with this lip-color.

My Most Favorite Foundation Brushes :)

As a forward, sorry the pictures on this blog are subpar.  I used to have an excellent, expensive digital camera, one I was totally in love with and completely satisfied with.  It disappeared... so here's what I've got! :)  Also, only the Tarte brush is currently clean ;)  These get used a lot and I'm not one to clean my brushes just for a blog entry.  I think you understand!

Foundation isn't something that I have always worn.  Back in the day, I fervently believed that foundation, of all makeup, was the worst for your skin, probably from just grabbing the first drugstore foundations with cute packaging I saw, not washing my face beforehand, and promptly breaking out from them.  (ALWAYS have a clean face before applying foundation).

I still do believe that not all foundations are created equal, and I don't wear foundation every time I wear makeup personally, but that's an entirely different topic all together.  The weather can completely affect what your skin is doing and what foundations you use, because dry climates can dry out the skin, and humid/hot ones can make it become more oily.  Plus hormones, and food allergies.  Your skin is a piece of work :)  So clean these brushes as often as you need to, keep your face clean, and choose the right products for you... And hopefully what I write here can help you navigate that a little bit.  Or if you just like brushes as much as I do, come on and lets get to the brushes!

So I have several foundation brushes that I rotate depending on what foundation I want to use and what mood I am in.  And these three, all-encompassingly, are the most fantastic of the bunch.  I ADORE these.

Qualities I Seek From A Fantastic Foundation Brush:
1. This is the most base (no pun intended) requirement, but sturdiness.  Your foundation brush has to do more blending than all of your other brushes.  It better not feel like it's falling off the handle.  And this is no time to have ANY bristles falling out.  If all of your other brushes are sub-par, fine, as long as your foundation brush is quality.
2. Blurring effect.  I don't want any streaks when I put on my foundation.  My foundation should look soft, blended, and impeccable, and brush streaks anywhere on the face mean that the brush isn't doing it's job correctly.  The brushes I am recommending here, astonishingly, do not leave any brush marks.
3. Softness.  I don't want a coarse brush scratching against my face.  The application should feel luxurious and smooth, I don't want to worry about over-exfoliating my face while I'm doing my foundation.
4. Low product absorption.  I don't buy foundation so half of the product I apply can be absorbed into my brush.  These brushes perform to blend the foundation into my face, and if any foundation is absorbed into the brush, they still do such a quick, even application that I use far less product than I would have, had I used my fingers to apply the same product.


All of these brushes have these qualities, but a couple of the brushes have some more than others.  I'll explain why each of these are great for different densities of foundations, which qualities of each brush will apply to which foundations, and how the brushes perform on the face.  These are in order from my most favorite to least favorite.  So without further ado, here they are :)

1. The IT Cosmetics Velvet Luxe LBD Foundation Brush #302.  Sigh... I can't stop touching this brush.  This is by far the softest foundation brush I have ever touched, even softer than the much-touted Makeup Forever artisan brush line (of which, does not blend well at all, I've found, for some strange reason, and I promptly returned it).  It blends pretty much any foundation like a dream.  It feels wonderful against the skin because it literally is so velvety soft.  And best of all, I don't know why, I don't know how...but it absorbs no product.  This is a rave review here, honestly.  I can go much longer (than I probably even should) between washings with this brush because it seriously absorbs barely any product, making the brush save me money because I have to spend less on foundation due to the fact that I'm using far less.  This is wonderful.  If I had to get rid of all of my makeup brushes and could only keep one, I would keep this brush.  It is my ideal foundation brush.  I really haven't found a liquid foundation yet that it doesn't apply to the skin fantastically.  Unpictured, it even has a little rhinestone at the bottom of the brush, which is a cute touch (one I don't really care about, as the brush is already so fantastic).  I love using this brush with every foundation I own, but I prefer to use the bdellium for the thicker foundations because it seems like it's bristles would be hardier with those, though this one does still blend thick foundations like a dream and it's also easier to blend with this brush because it's so soft and fits better into the nooks and crannies of the face.  You only have to touch this brush to unblended points of the face, lightly press, to blend, and by buffing you move everything quickly into a beautiful place because it's so soft and round.  I would hardly ever say this about anything makeup related, but this brush is worth every penny of $38.  They can be purchased at Ulta only, at this point in time.

my fantastic picture...

2. Bdellium Tools 957 Brush.  This brush is excellent at applying thicker foundations like Kat Von D and all medium thickness foundations.  It just completely splays out the foundation everywhere on the face and it is such a soft, teddy-bear feeling kind of a brush, unlike the Velvet Luxe which is more silky soft.  I love the feeling of this brush ALMOST as much as the previous brush and I would not want to do without this brush in my collection because it is so uniquely warm and soft feeling.  Pillowy.  I do not recommend this brush for thin watery foundations because it will absorb more product, but even then it should still blend absolutely gorgeously.  I love the way this brush blends and buffs product into my skin.  I use a swiping, circular motion.  You do have to pat it ever so slightly more than the velvet luxe to get a beautiful blend and it is larger so it doesn't fit on the face as well, but no matter.  It is also fluffier and less dense, which could be a good thing.  Beautiful, soft application, no streaks, easy to apply.  I adore it.  I got mine on Amazon for $12.  The price seems to fluctuate, right now it's actually $11.26, but I've also seen it go up to $14.  Here is the link to specifically where I bought it.  That is absurdly cheap for a foundation brush that is this effective.  There are other colors, I just adore the pink one.  And I couldn't tell ya whether the other colors are any different... I'm thinking that the yellow and green are probably the same but I'd be weary about the one with the brown bristles.  ALSO, you do have to wash this brush more than the other two brushes listed, as it absorbs more foundation and the bristles clump together far quicker.  Clean foundation brushes mean a better application.

3. Here is where things get different.  This is the Tarte The Balancing Act Bamboo Foundation Brush.  I LOVE this brush for extremely thin, liquidy foundations because it absorbs absolutely no product, something that's harder to achieve with thicker, softer brushes (although the Velvet Luxe would probably do it fantastically too).  It is also SO EASY to fit this brush into all the nooks and crannies of the face, and since thin foundations are hard to target directly in certain areas, this brush is the ticket to having those foundations give you the coverage you are looking for in those areas because it picks up and applies those products to just where you want them, without blending them out into the rest of the face and into blended-into-nothingness.  You know, when you're like, "Wait, did I even put foundation on?  What gives?!"  And you have to add 2-3 more layers...this brush prevents that from happening.  Where a softer, larger brush would blend the foundation so much that it seems to have disappeared into oblivion, this will help you target and conceal the areas where you need the most coverage because it is so dense and soft, but just coarse enough to buff the product effectively into the skin.  It's tapered shape allows you to really target tiny areas by using just the tip of it, if you please.  This is a fantastic brush, and one that is extremely hard to locate.  I got mine in a Christmas kit with that included the Tarte The Buffer Brush (one that I am not even mentioning here because I don't think it's that fantastic so far.  Maybe it's the large size, but it's not very user-friendly).  You can actually get it with a bb cream here on the Tarte website.  I know absolutely nothing about the BB cream, and I wish it didn't have to be this way, but whatever, consider it a free bonus??  I use this brush with the Makeup Forever Matte Velvet foundation.  It is the most natural-looking foundation I've ever used, bar-none.  Then top that with an HD powder and your skin literally looks like a baby's bottom.  Price for the brush with that bb cream is $48.  Tarte needs to start selling them individually!!! :)


So there you are, my three top foundation brushes.  I just adore them... and for great reasons.  I honestly am completely happy with my foundation brush collection...for now :)  But really, these have been (no pun intended) covering everything for me, with every foundation I've tried, and flawlessly.

Honorable Mentions:
The Real Techniques Buffing Brush from their Core Collection.  Great foundation brush, quick application, but streaky and a little coarse.  You need to do extra patting with the brush to get rid of the streaks, but once you do that you have a great application.
The Real Techniques Expert Face Brush--great foundation brush but very small to apply all over the face.  VERY soft.  Allows for precision, but is time-consuming to use because of it's size and can be harder to blend with evenly all over the face because of both it's size and density combined.

I Figured Out The ELF Large Stipple Brush ;) Total Quick-Fix!! Three AWESOME Tricks!!!

This review is extremely enthusiastic.  I promise you I am in NO way affiliated with ELF and that I take pride in giving honest reviews!!!  I am just in awe by how well this product worked for me after I gave it this quick-fix.  It not only made it a decent brush, but the brush became an irreplaceable staple in my collection!!  Severely out-did my expectations...I can't wait to show you the tricks I discovered!!

To those of you who opened your ELF package, took out the large stipple brush, and then were dismayed to find out how loose and flimsy the hairs were, I'm hoping you didn't throw it in the trash.  If you did, prepare to be disappointed!!  Pull it out from where-ever you stuffed it!!!  I'm about to totally change your opinion on this thing.

But first--go grab a small hair-tie or rubber band!!!

(pictured: ELF Stipple Brush, the larger version, and ELF Mineral Glow Powder)

I used a small, regular, pink hair-tie and just secured it around the wooden end of the brush 5 times.  I then slid it up the wooden part until the hair-tie was around the bristles!! :)

This made the brush firm enough to apply makeup without the bristles spreading out too much and causing brush marks.  They stay together enough now to actually do the job they are supposed to do--stipple!!

Trick 1: Use It With Foundation
To test out the brush, I first used it to apply Revlon's 24 Hour ColorStay Foundation, the original kind, not the whipped (which I don't care for as much).  Oh my god.  I absolutely love the application of the foundation with this stipple brush.  I poured some of the foundation onto the back of my hand, dabbed the ELF Stipple Brush into it, and then stippled my cheeks, nose, undereyes, the entire face, just buy patting the brush onto my skin at a 90 degree angle and lightly bouncing it against my skin where I wanted coverage.

The application looks FLAWLESS.  There are no brush marks at all and it just looks so wonderful!!!  I couldn't be more thrilled with the application of this, it's my new favorite foundation brush.  It's definitely better than my Meijer-brand beauty blender, which was what I was using to apply the foundation previously!!  It's also better at applying this particular foundation than my Real Techniques Expert Face Brush.  And while I can't compare to the Sigma F80 yet, I honestly think that the application looks so flawless, that I don't see how it could possibly get any better.  Highly impressed!!! (Note that I did not use the foundation to cover up the blemish on my chin--I rarely cover up blemishes because I feel it's healthier for my skin and makes them go away faster).


Trick 2: Use It To Apply Blush
Now I have heard a lot about the power of using ELF's Small Stipple Brush to apply very pigmented blushes.  And I've used it a great deal for this purpose, having no superior option.  But I have one complaint about it, used in that format.  It's so small that you really have to work at blending out what little you put on your cheek, and because of this, you have to work hard not to have little spots on your cheek that appear to have more blush than other spots.

ELF's Small Stipple Brush has been such a raved about option for blush, I thought it was only natural that I give the large one a try, now that it's in working order!!  I grabbed the Wet N Wild Color Icon Blush in Heather Silk because this is a blush I have never, ever worn in public due to the deep pigmentation and how fair my skin is.  I knew that with the small stipple brush, this blush didn't work at all for me.  But what about the large?  I tried it, and was so pleasantly surprised.
After lightly dipping the brush in the blush and tapping off excess powder (like I would the small stipple brush), the concentration of blush is light and evenly spread out--there are no dense, concentrated areas of blush that are hard to blend. .

I can actually apply this blush extremely quickly, which was a very pleasant surprise.  It took me all of ten seconds to do my blush, and it was blended and even-looking, when before, with the small stipple brush, it took a solid minute of full-concentration to application and blending.

I can finally wear this blush now.  Above are the results thus-far in the process.  Please don't mind my eyeshadow, I found an old The Icing Eyeshadow Palette from when I was in Highschool in the back of my closet, and I was smearing colors on my eyes half-hazardly to check out the pigmentation and texture.  Haha :)

Tricks 3 and 3.5: (My Absolute FAVORITE Trick) Use A Stipple Brush To Apply Loose Powder!!!
For the final trick, I'm SO EXCITED to share!!!  I usually use the large container of Elf Mineral Booster in sheer, (with 4 tablespoons of baby powder mixed in, trick 3.5** because I am very pale and without it, it's too dark for my complexion--the baby powder actually improves the texture and appearance in my opinion as well!), for all over my face, applied with a big pink powder puff, because I've found that that was the application that looked the smoothest and most natural on my face, more natural than any brush I've ever used, including Bare Minerals, The ELF Complexion Brush, and many more.  I've also used Elf's Glow Powder in Shimmer with the powder puff, both with and without baby powder mixed in and found that the application of it didn't look nearly as smooth as the mineral booster.

Well, I have two full containers of the Glow Powder, and unfortunately, they are the same size as the large version of the mineral booster!  I decided that since I thought the texture of this powder was sub-par, I would definitely notice if there were a smoother or harsher application when applied with the stipple brush.  It was sort of a gamble, but I wanted to try it!!  Just like the blush, I dab the brush in just a little bit (this time using the cap of the product), and then tap off the excess.

So, so shocked.  The powder looks incredible.  Now I feel like I am cheating on the Mineral Booster!!  This is absolutely my new way to apply powder.  It's the smoothest application of powder I've had to date.  No cakiness at all...just natural!  I don't know if you guys can tell from the pictures, but I think the biggest change that I can see from the photographs, is my nose.  My nose is very oily, and makeup loves to break up and cake up if I don't set it quickly enough.  In the first picture, you can see that there is makeup on it breaking down, but in the second picture, it just looks smooth and matte.

This brush that I was on the brink of throwing in the trash, has now become one of my favorite makeup brushes, all thanks to a hair-tie.

I hope this post was useful to you!!!  Have you ever had any makeup items that you thought weren't so great, but then you re-purposed them and they became favorites?  Please share!!!

Sorry I look so crazy!  Hope you will give this a try, regardless!! :)  I know you will be pleasantly surprised.

PS:  Tried out a different hair-style today!!  It kind of reminds me of the 50's, which is an era I love to re-invent :)

Take care and have a wonderful week :)


Oh PS: I've got highlighter all over that spot above my eyebrows on my forehead HAHA.  That's why the powder didn't cover it.  I was just messing around with different things I was finding today!!!