Travel Makeup Picks

Okay, I’ll admit—I’m writing this post pretty far in advance considering my next real trip will be to Detroit in August. However, with my two-job schedule I often have to do my make-up on the go and pack only what I can fit in my makeup bag.

By makeup bag standards, mine is fairly large. It's from Estee Lauder and it's a navy bag with a gold zipper and chain details all over it. It’s also quite dirty since a bronzer compact decided to take a tumble inside of it last month. Nevertheless, I love that it can fit everything I need! 

Base

I start off with a new purchase, the Nyx Angel Veil primer. I love this so far and I will probably do a full review on it soon! This keeps my T-zone from looking shiny while smoothing out my skin at the same time. Next I apply my trusty MAC Studio Sculpt foundation in NW20 (review). My skin is now slightly tan and this is the darkest base that I have, plus I love the glow and coverage that this gives. On my blemishes and dark circles I’m loving the BaremineralsBareskin concealer, which gives a nice medium coverage and looks very natural on the skin. For a little something extra on my dark circles I’m using the Becca Undereye Brightening Corrector, which brightens my dark circles and in combination with the concealer makes them nearly invisible. To set everything I use the Elf HD translucent powder.

Contour and Highlight

I often have to apply my makeup without a mirror so I like to pack my favorite NARS Laguna Bronzer, which is good for two purposes: the beautiful, shimmery product and the big mirror it contains! For contour and blush I’ve been using the Jelly Pong Pong duo bronzer and blush in Aruba, which I received in my May Ipsy bag (post). This small compact includes a matte bronzer, which I use to contour, and a matte peachy blush. Another small product I’ve been loving lately is the Elf shimmering facial whip in Lilac Petal. I can’t rave about this enough! If you like pinkish highlights, this is stunning and very affordable.

Eyes

My bag isn’t quite big enough for a palette, so instead I’ve been using the Stila Neapolitan trio which, if you’re a regular reader, I’m sure you’re sick of hearing about. With a shimmery gold, dark brown, and baby pink this can create a few different neutral looks that compliment my brown eyes. The only shade it lacks is a highlight so I throw in the Bareminerals pigment in embrace, too. I don’t have time to do anything fancy with my liner, so a plain black pencil will do. I like the Marc Jacobs highliner gel crayon, which I got as a Sephora birthday present, because it’s small, creamy and essentially fool-proof. For mascara I’ve been testing out the Rimmel Scandaleyes Retro Glam mascara, which is supposedly a dupe for the famous Too Faced Better Than Sex.

Lips

I often leave my bag in the car while I work so all I ask of my lip products is that they don’t melt! I love a nice bright gloss or a sheer lipstick for summer. Three that are currently on rotation for me are Rimmel KateMoss 32, a bright coral, Clinique Raspberry Glace, a shimmery berry pink, and Maybelline Baby lips in Cherry Me, which is a red-tinted lip balm with a cherry scent.

From left to right: NARS Laguna, Jelly Pong Pong Aruba bronzer and blush, Elf Lilac Petal, Stila Neapolitan trio (three shades), Bareminerals Embrace, Rimmel 32, Maybelline Cherry Me, Clinique Raspbery Glace

What do you pack when you travel?

Xx Katie