Stephanie Johnson Makeup Bags

The BeautyBloggers.org charity auction ends today at 5 pm CST (woo!), and one of the “lots” up for sale is a set of Stephanie Johnson makeup bags. It occurred to me that you all might not be AS obsessed with Stephanie Johnson as I am, so I thought I’d do a little photoessay to try to show you how brilliantly designed and beautiful her bags are.

My problem with most makeup bags is that they’re generic. I don’t want to dump my precious makeup into one cavernous pouch (things could rattle around and get hurt) — so when I travel, I end up packing a series of small bags. Each compact, jar, vial, or bottle goes into a pouch that’s the right size and level of padding to protect it. Stephanie Johnson has anticipated my craziness, and created bags that protect my valuables more efficiently.

Let’s start with the ML Traveler, the flagship piece of Stephanie’s collection. (I took these photos at Stanley Korshak, so this isn’t the pattern of the bags in the auction).

It’s a travel traincase with handles, and suitcase-style double zippers that allow the bag to open wide. The top has a clear, zippered compartment (with a mirror inside). The mirror has a snap, so if you want it in your bag, you’ll always know where it is. If you want it out, you can remove it.

There are two mesh zippered pouches and one clear zippered pouch (I neglected to remove the piece of tissue paper, so it looks white).

The clear pouch velcroes in. The mesh zippered pouches snap in.

The ML Traveler retails for $82.

Here’s an official photo of the one in the auction (the “Cannes” fabric and finish):

Then there’s the Gidget Compact Brush Case. Again, I photographed what they had in Stanley Korshak, so right bag, wrong pattern.

Inside, there’s space for four brushes (with a protective cover), a snap-in clear zip pouch, and a second zip-up compartment.

The Gidget Brush Case is $56, and here’s what it looks like in the Cannes pattern (the pattern in our auction):

And then there’s the Catherine Clutch. You COULD use this as a makeup bag, but it’s soooooo pretty and such a good size that I want to carry it as a clutch.

This is the Cannes pattern, the one in our auction. It’s a beige-khaki-cream fabric with a raised silver pattern and gold detailing (piping, tassel pull). The inside is lined in pink.

The best part of the Catherine clutch is its size. It accommodates everything you’d need for a night out. I just grabbed some random items from my purse: Smartphone, keys (I have a big set), chapstick, thin ID-holder/wallet, cash, checkbook. The Catherine clutch is $45.

There’s one more piece to the auction item: the Susan jewelry roll. Unfortunately, this one is currently sold out in-store and online. It features two clear zip pockets, a ring roll, and a snap-out fabric tube with zip closure.

Stephanie Johnson is sold in Neiman Marcus, Saks, Stanley Korshak, and on her website. But for today, happy bidding!