What's In the BAG??!!!!!!

*Editor's Note: This post was originally planned to contain a list of fake spoilers to The Dark Knight Rises, such as, "We finally answer the question: Whose baby are you, Batgirl?", and silliness like that. Unfortunately, in light of this morning's tragedy, it seemed in poor taste. Instead, I kind of threw together a look at what goes into my set bag when I'm acting on location. My thoughts and prayers are in Colorado today. Thank you, Erin.

Might I offer a cute puppy?

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This morning, I had the extreme pleasure of hanging out on the set of Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford. It's a nationally-syndicated home improvement show (think: Tool Time from Home Improvement) that's filmed in my town, and I was called in to help product test a popular "As Seen On TV" item. Of course, if you want to know what it is, or if it worked, you'll have to tune in to the 15th season premier! (And I will totally tell you when that is, when I find out. Probably should have asked...oops...)

For this, I was doing my own hair, makeup, and wardrobe, so I needed to make sure I had a few essentials on-hand, in case any adjustments needed to be made, and for touch-ups, in general. I didn't take much, so this shouldn't be a super-long post; the long post will come when I show you the same set bag, only when I'm in the producer's role. Hoo, boy!

This is the set bag. It's from Open Sky, and I can't recommend it enough. It goes for $28, but I had a coupon for $20 off a purchase of $40 or more, plus free shipping, so I added a $12 makeup bag to the order, and got both for $20. You can't beat that with a stick. Seriously, if you haven't checked out Open Sky, you need to. You can see there's an outside pocket where the "ful" logo is, and there's a side pocket, too, just large enough for a water bottle or sunglasses.

Here's a shot of the inside. The center section is a zippered pouch. The top compartment is very roomy, and the bottom compartment (also roomy) has another zippered pouch and several small sleeves for pens, cards, and whatnot. Construction of the tote is extremely sturdy, and the handles are comfortable on your shoulder.

So, what's inside? In the bottom compartment, I have some extra hold hairspray (Aussie Freeze + Shine), a Marilyn teasing comb, a hairbrush, and a ponytail holder and bobby pins (not pictured). In the center pouch, I have a makeup bag (the $12 one. Why not?). The top compartment holds a bag for miscellaneous stuff. Really, that's just there for when I'm managing other actors' personal effects. I can hold onto my own keys and phone in my own bag without putting it inside another bag first. Probably.

The makeup bag is a Jane Marvel, and is coated in plastic inside and out, so it's durable and super easy to clean. I thought the silver sequins would A) make it stand out in a sea of makeup bags when I'm backstage or behind the scenes, and B) allow it to double as a clutch if we're on vacation and go somewhere nice. No sense packing an extra "in case of emergency" purse if you can avoid it.

So, what's in the makeup bag? Not much, actually: dental floss, a travel brush/mirror, Burt's Bees lip balm, travel brush pack, Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait, Luna Twilight palette in Rosalie, and a Rimmel pressed powder. Oh, and a lipbrush. I missed that. Basically, it's just the essentials.

This is the look I came up with for the shoot today. Because it's a home improvement show, I needed to keep things natural and minimal. (I also needed to find someone else to take this picture for me. I know I say it every time, but boy, do I suck at self-photography.) However, because it's a television program with lights and cameras (and action! I'm sorry...), I had to make sure it would show up. Here's the result:

I won't bore you with every product used. The main components were a good, full-coverage foundation (MAC Studio Sculpt), setting powder (Rimmel Stay Matte transluscent), an HD finishing powder (E.L.F. HD Powder). Then, I just had to make sure that I had enough color to keep from being washed out, and that all features were defined. A little contouring and highlighting keeps the face from appearing flat on camera, too. And, yes, I curled my hair. Couldn't go on tv with it all scraggly, now, could I?

If you'd like the full details on my on-camera look, let me know in the comments. Thanks!