Mamamia’s What’s In Her Bag series asks Aussie women to give us a look at their everyday beauty routines. Kind of like a sex diary but with beauty. So… not like a sex diary at all. We discover what women are putting on their faces, how much of their hard-earned cash goes towards beauty, and what works for their busy lives. There’s no right or wrong, just real beauty from real women. This week, a 25-year-old ex-makeup artist shows us what’s in her bag.

Name:Maddie.

Age:25.

Job:Client Services Executive, former Mecca Makeup Artist.

Biggest skin concern:Dullness, fine lines and wrinkles.

Speaking of makeup artists, we asked one to show us exactly how to get a bronzed smokey eye if black isn’t your thing. Post continues after video.

AM skincare routine.

I love the routine of applying my skin care. Sometimes, I wonder if a 10-12 step process is a tad excessive, but then I’ll see an Instagram post about #selflove and decide it’s totally within reason and no one can stop me!

In my previous job as a specialist makeup artist at Mecca, I had the wonderful experience of working with top notch skin and makeup experts and influencers. The number one lesson I took away from my invaluable time with them was: skin is fundamental. It is queen and without proper skin care and preparation, your makeup cannot and will not do its job properly. I would work on fashion shows backstage and the lead artist would make sure each makeup artist prepped their model withat leasta 10-minute facial lymphatic drainage massage and a seven-step skin prep routine. And so, with that in mind, let me take you through my (potentially over the top) routine that ensures my skin is ready to be the best possible canvas it can be for makeup.

I start with the Drunk Elephant Beste™ No. 9 Jelly Cleanser, which is never dehydrating due to its glycerin base. Every third or fourth day, I mix in the Amore Pacific Treatment Enzyme Peel Cleansing Powder to turn it into an exfoliating cleanser. This enzyme peel is a very gentle exfoliator which actually calms redness and simultaneously eats away at dead skin (genius). If I have an event on that day, I go ahead and use the Patchology Milk Peel 5 Minute FlashMasque Sheet Masks, which use lactic acid and coconut milk to gently exfoliate, hydrate and calm the skin – hello “glassy skin”. If I don’t use the mask, I use the Amore Pacific Vintage Single Extract Essence to prep the skin to be able to absorb anything I put on top of it. It’s sort of like wetting a sponge before you use it to soak up some spilt liquid.

Following that, I always add a healthy dose of Vitamin C from the Tatcha Violet C Brightening Serum to lighten my sun damage. I usually mix in the self-tanning drops from Isle of Paradise for a subtle glow. To top this off, I then use my rose quartz roller to massage in my Tatcha Dewy Skin Cream for a glossy finish. In winter, I occasionally add in two to three drops of my Korres Wild Rose 15% Vitamin C Spotless Serum, which is an oil/water mix meaning it is super absorbent but also really nourishing. And finally, the piece de resistance, my Mecca Cosmetica SPF 50 to ensure my freshly Vitamin C soaked skin is not damaged by the sun.

Drunk Elephant Beste™ No. 9 Jelly Cleanser, $49.

Image: Mecca.

Amore Pacific Treatment Enzyme Peel Cleansing Powder, $79.

Image: Mecca.

PATCHOLOGY Milk Peel 5 Minute FlashMasque Sheet Masks, $46 for four masks.

Image: Mecca.

Amore Pacific Vintage Single Extract Essence, $224.

Image: Mecca.

Tatcha Violet C Brightening Serum, $135.

Image: Mecca.

Isle of Paradise Self-Tanning Drops in Dark, $39.

Image: Mecca.

Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream, $104.

Image: Mecca.

KORRES Wild Rose 15% Vitamin C Spotless Serum, $86.

Image: Mecca.

Angela Caglia La Vie En Rose Face Roller, $99.

Image: Mecca.

MECCA COSMETICA To Save Face Superscreen SPF 50+, $40.

Image: Mecca.

PM skincare routine.

Here's Maddie's stunning skincare stash. Image: Supplied.

My night time routine is much the same, minus the sunscreen and with a few small product and “tool” additions.

I was once told by an esthetician that I am in fact a “crinkle-er” (prone to fine lines, drooping and thinning of the skin), as opposed to a “melter” (thicker, usually oiler, skin that loses elasticity over time). Whilst this was confronting to hear – and delivered with particularly terrible bedside manner to boot – it did allow to me understand the best way to care for my type of skin. In particular, the importance of a very helpful addition of retinol.

On top of my regular skincare mentioned above, I use the Olay Eyes Pro-Retinol Eye Treatment to tackle the fine lines around my eyes which seem to be par for the course as a “crinkle-er”. I also use the Lonvitalite Microneedle Derma Roller (0.30mm) to encourage the skin to produce more elastin and absorb my products more effectively. If I really want to treat myself or tighten my facial contours for a special occasion, I whip out my Nuface Trinity mini, the device that honestly looks like a bizarre sex toy.

Drunk Elephant Beste™ No. 9 Jelly Cleanser, $49.

Image: Mecca.

Amore Pacific Treatment Enzyme Peel Cleansing Powder, $79.

Image: Mecca.

Amore Pacific Vintage Single Extract Essence, $224.

Image: Mecca.

Isle of Paradise Self-Tanning Drops in Dark, $39.

Image: Mecca.

Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream, $104.

Image: Mecca.

KORRES Wild Rose 15% Vitamin C Spotless Serum, $86.

Image: Mecca.

Olay Eyes Pro-Retinol Eye Treatment, $48.99.

Image: Olay.

LONVITALITE Microneedle De