[Beauty for Life] My Travel Makeup Bag Essentials
Updated: Sep 1, 2021
Travel packing could be difficult especially for us beauty lovers. It is really hard to not overpack. After all these years of traveling, I finally narrowed down to these absolute essentials that I need for any travel occasion, and I would like to share them with you.
Tips: I found that it’s best to pack your suitcase in the order you get ready in the morning. This way it’s less likely that you’ll forget something important.
When it comes to traveling light, multifunctional products are always helpful. Nowadays there are many all-in-one foundation makeup products on the market. My personal favourite is the It Cosmetics CC Cream. Don’t be fooled by its name! Although it’s a CC cream, it has the coverage of a foundation. It also has SPF50 which is always a good thing, especially when you’ll be out a lot during the day. This product is your sun protection, face primer, and foundation all in one single tube. I love this product because it’s easy to use while providing medium coverage, suitable for everyday use. It’s not drying for my normal to dry skin; but if you have really dry skin and want something with extra hydration, there is also an illumination version and an oil-free version for those with oily skin.
I don’t really have a favourite concealer so I just grabbed the handy Maybelline Fit me concealer (Sand) for my panda eyes just because it has a wand and is easy to use.
After applying my foundation, I always like to set my foundation with a powder to preserve all the hard work. Personally I like to bring a pressed powder with me while traveling. Not only it’s less messy and more travel-friendly; a pressed powder foundation also gives me the option to skip liquid foundation when I am feeling extra lazy. The PUR Cosmetics 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup Foundation is the best powder foundation I’ve tried. It is a very hydrating powder because it’s pressed with shea butter. It’s the only powder foundation I found that’s doesn’t look cakey on my dry skin. It also provides light sun protection (SPF15) while giving a decent medium coverage.
4. When you’re out and about sightseeing during your trip, you wouldn’t want your eyeshadow crease on you. So I think it’s worth the extra step to prime the eyes before applying eyeshadow. My all-time absolute favourite is the Original Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. It is the one tried and true product that ensures my eyeshadow stays in place, creaseless all day.
5. For brows, I brought the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Whiz with me. It’s a cult classic for good reasons. Its skinny tip makes it easy to draw on individual feathery like strokes and it also comes with a spoolie which is always a good thing.
6. The Estee Lauder Double Wear Zero-Smudge Lengthening Mascara is my current favourite since it’s waterproof and smudge proof. Although it doesn’t give much volume, it provides great length, perfect for natural makeup days. Since this is a mini size tube it makes it even better for traveling.
7. For most short trips, I found that I tend to go for the same everyday eyeshadow look throughout the vacation. Therefore one eyeshadow quad really is all I need. This Visee (PK-3) eyeshadow quad isn’t necessary the best eyeshadow I’ve used but the colour is just soooo pretty that I have to bring it with me.
8. The Sleek Face Form Contouring and Blush Palette (Light) is all I need during travel. The packaging is sleek and compact and I can have my blush, bronzer/ contour, and highlighter all in one small palette.
9. For lips, I brought with me one lipstick and one lipgloss. The M.A.C. liptensity lipstick in smoked almond is the perfect nude that is suitable for everyday wear. It’s opaque, lightweight and non-drying making it my favourite lipstick at the moment. The Bobbi Brown Rich Colour Gloss in Tutu is a great everyday pink that is suitable for every occasion.
10. Since I will be out and about during my vacation, I always like to set my makeup with the Urban Decay Setting Spray to ensure my makeup stays put all day. I recommend getting the travel size because it’s more space-saving. Once the bottle is empty, you can always refill it and use it during the next trip.
Let’s not forget the makeup tools. I am a makeup brush hoarder and I own literally hundreds of brushes in my collection. However, when I am traveling, I would only bring the minimal brushes I need to get my makeup down just so it doesn’t take up too much space. After some hard work, these are the brushes I bring with me on vacation.
From left to right:
The MUJI Electric Eyelash Curler isn’t necessarily my favourite eyelash curler but I like to bring this with me when I’m traveling just because it’s a tube shape and I don’t have to deal with packing an oddly shaped eyelash curler.
Real technique contour brush for setting my under eyes.
The Urban Decay Pro Iconic Eye Shadow Brush for all-over eyeshadow application and buffing.
The Joe Fresh eyeshadow brush has a shorter handle compared to my other eye brushes and it gets the job done, therefore this is my go-to brush for when I’m away.
The E.L.F. Cosmetics Studio Crease Brush is a great brush for nose contouring. It’s super affordable too!
The MUJI Portable Face Brush and Cheek Brush for face powder and blush/ highlighter application. The bristles are so soft and easy to clean and I highly recommend them!
The Real Techniques makeup sponge for my founation (Yes I forgot to take a photo of it I know, bear with me LOL)