So this is what you'll find in a make-up artist's own make-up bag

A few wildcards

(Image credit: Shutterstock/Rex)

A few wildcards

We're always speaking to make-up artists and asking them to recommend products to help us take on the latest trends and recreate celebrity looks. But the mark of a really good product, the seal of approval if you will, is whether a make-up artist uses it on themselves. Think about it - they have access to the most incredible cosmetics from all over the world and they are constantly testing them out, so the products that they use on their own faces day-to-day must be the best, no? We asked three make-up artists what we would find if we raided their make-up bags. This is what we found out...

What's in Katie Jane Hughes make-up bag?

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'In my kit and my own personal make-up bag, you will find Weleda Skinfood. I use it for giving skin a gorgeous gleam or use it for any dry spots that won’t exfoliate away. I also sometimes use it as an eyelid gloss. It's definitely my desert island product.

Weleda Skin Food, £9,57 Amazon

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I prep my skin with Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue Defense, £35 Boots before makeup, as it brightens and evens out as well as helping protect against blue light, pollution and sun exposure. Glossier Haloscope, £18 is probably my favorite highlighter ever, as it makes a real life dewyness on the skin, that doesn't dry or look powdery or cakey. Nars Power Matte Lipsticks, £19.55 John Lewis are great as you can mix them, blend them and use them on lips and cheeks if you want. And Ardell Stroke A Bow, £7.99 Amazon, is my fave eyebrow product, as you can create little brow flicks that mimic real hair.'

What's in Cher Webb - our very own Marie Claire Make-Up Master - make-up bag?

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'There's A LOT in my personal make-up bag. Here's the complete list: For my complexion I use IT Cosmetics CC Cream, £30 Boots, NARS Blush in Orgasm, £23 Fabled, YSL Touche Eclat Glow Shot in Sunrise, £23 Boots and Givenchy Les Saisons Healthy Glow Powder - this, for me, is like a holiday in a compact. The ultimate life saver for those dull, tired skin days. It's a matte lightweight powder that instantly gives an authentic sun kissed look and never looks or feels like a bronzer. Then for my eyes - Surratt Relevee Lash Curler, £28 Cult Beauty - being a lash fanatic, I’ve tried and tested them all. This award winning hand-calibrated curler fits the eye perfectly and never ever pinches. You’re guaranteed a feathery, longer looking lash in seconds with this magic tool. Then Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Taupe, £22 Cult Beauty, Benefit Gimme Brow Eyebrow Gel, £20.50 Boots, MAC 217S Blending Brush, £21 Look Fantastic, MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot Eye Shadow in Groundwork, £14.85 John Lewis, NARS Luxurious Duan-Intensity Eye Shadow in Rigel, £21 Look Fantastic (one swatch of this mesmerising pearlescent gold shadow is all you need. No faffing with a billion shades, just effortlessly chic. It catches the light perfectly and looks complete when paired with a groomed lash.), MAC Eye Kohl Eyeliner in Teddy, £15 and MAC In Extreme Dimension 3D Black Lash Mascara, £20 John Lewis. And on my lips, I prep them with Liz Earle Superskin Superlip Balm, £13.60 John Lewis - another firm favourite after trying out so many different textures. It's a hybrid formula that has just the right amount of moisture and shine. It’s thicker than your average balm, which means it stays put but it doesn’t gather or look messy. Plus the signature smell is divine. I follow is with either Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Lip Cheat Liner, £16 Cult Beauty, NARS Audacious Lipstick In Barbara Antique Rose, £22.10 John Lewis or MAC Lustre Lipstick in Hug Me, £17.50 - an all round classic that mimics real lip hues. The lipstick shade that suits everyone.'

Givenchy Les Saisons Healthy Glow Powder, £37 Harrods

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What's in Caroline Barnes make-up bag?

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'I will always love Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick, £42 Cult Beauty, which is shaped a bit like a prism. It is the most incredible stick foundation you will ever use. For years I used the Bobbi Brown foundation skin, but I find it too oil now. The Hourglass one, on the other hand, goes on like a dream. You can apply a little bit for sheerly or pop a bit more on for high coverage. I use Cover FX Contour Kit, £40 Fabled on top - there are four different kits for the various skin tones. Each kit has four cream colours - one of them is a highlighter and the three others are darker shades, which I mix for on the go touch-ups. I also cannot get enough of the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector, £34 Cult Beauty. I really love tubing mascaras, as I really hate it when mascaras transfer onto your eyelids and with these that just doesn't happen. The DHC Perfect Pro Double Protection Mascara, £15.90 Look Fantastic is amazing. The perfect summer lipstick is Pink Brandy, a coral by Max Factor, £7.99 Boots. And I use My Kit Co brushes by James Molloy to apply everything.'

Hourglass Vanish Seamless Finish Foundation Stick, £42 Cult Beauty

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So there you go, an insight into the best make-up products from the people in the know. Incidentally, the MC team revealed the insides of their make-up bags too.

*Adds it all to shopping basket immediately.*

Katie Thomas

Katie Thomas is the Senior Beauty Editor at Marie Claire UK. With over 10 years of experience on women's luxury lifestyle titles, she covers everything from the best beauty looks from the red carpet and stand out trends from the catwalk, to colonic irrigation and to the best mascaras on the market. She started her career on fashion desks across the industry - from The Telegraph to Brides - but found her calling in the Tatler beauty department. From there she moved to Instyle, before joining the Marie Claire digital team in 2018. She’s made it her own personal mission to find the best concealer in the world to cover her tenacious dark circles. She’s obsessed with skincare that makes her skin bouncy and glowy, low-maintenance hair that doesn’t require brushing and a cracking good manicure. Oh and she wears more jewellery than the Queen.