Between visiting both Puerto Rico and Virginia, jetting off to Austria for skiing, and taking a mini holiday in the Czech Republic, it’s safe to say I have been traveling quite a bit recently. And as an ex-pat living halfway across the world from my family, I generally travel cross-atlantically at least once or twice a year. Over time, I feel that I have also amassed a wealth of knowledge when it comes to preparing and packing for both short and long haul flights, train rides, bus rides, holidays both long and short, and about everything else in between.
I’ve shared with you guys a lot of travel tips here on LFB including how to travel alone, how to work while on holiday, and collecting consciously while travelling, but one area that I have not really touched upon much is the actual preparation and packing for travel.
So today, I would like to give you guys a bit of a peak inside my travel makeup bag and share with you the bare essentials* that I bring along with me while traveling as well as offer up some tips on how to pack as minimalistically as possible.
*Please note that not all of the brands here are cruelty-free or vegan. I have only just begun researching and learning about which brands are ones that I ethically jive with, but in the meantime, have many products that I am still in the process of using up. Ideally, all of these products would have been cruelty-free and/or vegan from the start, but as these products have already been purchased, I see no use in being even more wasteful and throwing them out for them only to end up half-used in a landfill somewhere and will continue to use these products until they have been used up and can be replaced with cruelty-free alternatives.
What’s in my travel makeup bag
001: Urban Decay’s Naked Skin Concealer in Medium Light
002: Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Frame Plus mascara
003: The Face Shop Face it all about mascara
004: essence eyebrow designer eyebrow pencil
005: shu uemura eyelash curler
006: Sephora highlight lowlight face contour duo in tan
007: alverde naturkosmetik Puderrouge in 07 Flamingo
008: Sephora Professionel brush – complexion poudre 53
009: Dolly Wink eyeshadow in 01
010: elf baked eyeshadow trio in Brown Bonanza
011: nyx slide on eyeliner pencil in sl15 brown perfection
012: Astor soft sensation lip color butter matte in 023 vivid divine
013: Pacifica natural minerals power of love powerful color natural lipstick in super love
014: MAC cream contour base in Luna frost
015: dinoplatz blotting paper
(016: I also generally bring along liquid black eyeliner as well)
and now on to some tips and tricks for traveling as lightly as possible…
Get rid of your brushes (or at least most of them)
When trying to keep things down to the bare minimum, the first things I like to leave behind are eyeshadow brushes. You would be pretty amazed how great your fingers work at applying eyeshadows. I have also found (and heard) that eyeshadows from many asian makeup brands actually apply better with either the small sponge applicator that comes with most cheaper eyeshadows or your fingers. I have definitely found this to be the case for my dolly wink quad and for several western drugstore brands as well. As for facial brushes, I don’t really wear foundation or powder, so I never have these brushes with me anyway. I do however bring along with me a blush brush, but if you even want to cut back on a blush brush then…
Go with cream products
I would definitely not advice attempting to apply a powder blush with your fingers (but hey if you are able to, more power to you!) but if you really can’t spare the space for a small blush brush, then go with a cream brush, as they can be applied just fine with your own digits. My contour stick is cream based, which makes it insanely easy to blend with just my index fingers
Bring along small duo, trios or quads
I only really rely on two small eyeshadow kits when I travel as they include all the colors I need and fit perfectly in the balm of my hand.
Choose neutral colors that work well together
This goes for your shadows, blush, and lip colors. Being able to mix and match everything means that you can keep the number of products you bring with you to a minimum.
Bring double-duty products
my essence eyebrow brush is awesome because not only is it dirt cheap, it also has a small brush on the other end which makes this little guy both a tool and pencil at the same time. Same goes for my double-ended contour stick. Twice the product, half the size!
Limit yourself to two lip colors and one blush
Pick two colors that you know you will be happy with on your entire trip. I generally like to go for one that is a bit more bold and one that works well for daily use. Same goes for my blush – I generally pick a shade that gives me a pop of color and can be applied lightly for the daytime but can also be built up for a more dramatic look for the evening.
Skip heavy foundation and powder…
and opt for a concealer wand and blotting paper. Now I know not all ladies feel comfortable doing this, but if you only suffer from minor skin imperfections, this is definitely the way to go. Bringing along a small tube of concealer with a wand also cuts down on the need to bring extra brushes.
I am in no means a makeup pro by any stretch of the imagination, but this is what I have found to work for me. When I am staying longer in a place and want more makeup looks and have the room in my bag for extra products, I generally pack a second small makeup bag, but I find that these 15 items really do the trick.
Photography: Rae Tashman
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