TIPS┊ ✈ What's in my Bag?: Travel Makeup Edition ✈

So this might be a little late as the summer is winding down, but I've been doing a lot of travelling these past couple of weeks. I have a problem with overpacking (gotta have my options!) and these are just some of the tips I have that helped me cut down on the number of products and bags I bring with me. I was heading to BeautyCon LA (I'll have a separate post on that!) so I packed a lot more than I usually do but...you get the gist of it. The items I packed aren't taking into consideration airline regulations, which vary by country/airline, so this is more if you're going to be checking in your luggage or travelling by methods other than air.

When I'm on vacation, I don't wear much makeup. I usually don't have time to apply eyeshadow, blend, and make it look all pretty so I usually stick to mascara and eyeliner to make a statement. I toss whatever mascara I'm using at the moment in my bag since having a dedicated travel mascara isn't feasible, with it drying out after a couple months or so. 

For eyeliners, I love Makeup Forever Aqua Eyes Eyeliner due to the staying power on my oily and hooded eyelids. I got a set of 6 eyeliners in a holiday kit or something and love how small they are! The colors are I take with me are 0L (Matte Black) 21L (Dark Grey), 6L (Black with Purple Highlights), 12L (Blue with Green Highlights) and 23L (Champagne), which pretty much covers all the colors I would wear on an everyday basis. Only thing is that they need to be sharpened every once in a while but even then, the tip is strong enough that it doesn't crumble to pieces when I do attempt to sharpen the pencil. There are two full size eyeliners in this kit in black and brown but I switched it out for a smaller one. 

My MUFE 0L dried out---noes!!

 Even when I'm on vacation, I don't always get enough sleep and to help perk up my eyes (and cover the waterline redness), I use a skin tone eyeliner. The one in my travel bag is the Pixi Eye Bright Liner (I think--the words have worn off). It's a twist up pencil, so no need to sharpen! 

You might be wondering what that little heart-shaped chocolate is doing in here and I swear it isn't a real chocolate! It's actually Etude House's Sweet Recipe Chocolate Smudge Liner in 02 Milk Choco Brown (isn't the name so cute??). Gel liner is a pain in the butt when it comes to cleaning the brush--so I just pack a bunch of mini brushes (¬‿¬). This lasts a long time and looks less harsh than black, especially if I'm not wearing a lot of makeup. There are times a cat eye is much wanted and I find gel liner and an angled brush is much easier for my symmetry challenged eye (>_<)'.

Eye primer is a must, of course, and the Urban Decay Primer Potion is one of my favorites. Even with the awesome staying power of the MUFE eyeliners, the UDPP slightly evens out my eyelid tone and controls the oily mess that are my eyelids so that my mascara doesn't run throughout the day.

I never used to do my brows but with beauty Youtubers and beauty editors alike bombarding me with how important eyebrows are to a polished visage, I decided I would give it a try. Lo and behold, they weren't BS-ing--and I definitely appreciate the added definition well-groomed brows give my face. I have a fringe so sometimes I feel like it's unnecessary but if nothing else, I know my brow game is on point (>‿◠). The two products I like to use, depending on how much time I have or how bold I want them to look, are the Etude House Drawing Brow Pencil and the e.l.f. Eyebrow Kit. Pencils are just easy to quickly fill them in and the spoolie on the end is good for combing the brows in place to check for bald spots and for removing excess product. When I want a more defined brow, the e.l.f. kit comes in handy as it has a colored wax side to fill in the brow and hold it in place. There's also a powder inside to set the wax in place. I've been in hot weather and sweated a lot yet the brows held up with the e.l.f. so it's great for brows that stay all day!

The only eyeshadow kit I carry around is the LORAC Pro to Go Eye/Cheek Palette. Not only are the colors great for a basic eye look, it also contains a mirror, 2 blushes, and a matte bronzer on the flip side. It's a bit bulky but if it's pulled out, it's probably the bulk and length of the LORAC Pro Palette. Top row is satin and the bottom row is matte. This kit also comes with two brushes, a fluffy brush and an angled brush, but they kinda suck so I have my own eye brushes.

The Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation has SPF 25 PA+++ so it's great if you're short for time. I do use a separate sunscreen but having an added layer of protection shouldn't hurt. Just make sure to wait for the sunscreen to absorb completely before applying foundation! It has light coverage, dewy finish, and lasts for around 4 hours on me. The color I have is a bit dark for me, which is why I don't try to build it up to medium. I use the Benefit Some Kind of Gorgeous foundation instead to target spots that still show through. It's not completely full coverage but has enough coverage for my comfort level. I never really need full coverage anything anyway so it doesn't bother me. For under my eyes, I love the Benefit Fake Up concealer. The hydrating ring really helps erase any dryness or fine lines my eyes have. My under eye area isn't that bad at all so I don't know if it will stand up to a more serious case of darkness. The Benefit POREfessional is a cult beauty favorite so there's not much more I need to say other than that I bought a full size of this for my at-home use ≧◠◡◠≦. 

A recent-ish face favorite is the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer. I have never been a fan of tinted moisturizers because if I'm going to go for coverage, I prefer medium. This one does a great job of covering my redness, evening out my skin tone, and mostly covering up any hyperpigmentation marks. It also moisturizes my skin well enough without making me oily later on in the day despite the thicker texture than my other water-based moisturizers. The addition of SPF 20 makes it a truly multitasking face product for those rushed mornings. 

For powders, I have the L'Oreal True Match Super Blendable Powder and the Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Finishing Powder. The L'Oreal powder gives me the teeniest bit of coverage and helps me correct any foundation mismatches. The Tarte powder is a finely milled loose powder and does a great job of setting any base makeup I have. It also eliminates any overly dewy shine without a flat matte appearance. The only con would be that loose powders are messy and fly everywhere if I'm not careful but it's definitely worth the trouble in my experience. I even have a full size that I use when I'm not travelling so I definitely recommend this product. Though it's not pictured, I also carry the Innisfree No Sebum Mineral Pact for touch ups. The L'Oreal is a bit bulky for the wristlet I like to carry when I'm travelling and loose powder is a no-no for klutzy me on-the-go. The compact is durable, has a mirror, and a puff making it perfect for on-the-go. Warning y'all now--a tiny bit is enough to mattify the face. Apply too much and you might get a white cast or look like a dry and crepe-y piece of parchment.   

Blotting papers are a must for this combination-skinned girl. The powder on these papers helps absorb all the oil on my face with less sheets. These Palladio Rice Papers are really affordable and last a long time!

The bareMinerals Ready Blush in The One is a random one I got from some beauty kit. It's described as a nude pink. It's lighter than Pink from LORAC but has the same matte finish and pigmentation. 

I don't wear blush when I wear light makeup because my cheeks have some rosy-ness of their own that usually peeks through my base makeup. But when I do, Coral and Pink cover all the bases. Bronze is a matte and can be use to contour or to add a sunkissed look to your complexion.

These are the brushes I bring with me. They are all mini or travel size because I don't like bringing my full sized ones. When I'm travelling, I don't mind applying foundation with my hands since the ones I bring are all light in texture. Kabuki brushes, like the one from MUFE,  are my favorites when it comes to applying loose powder because I find it easier to evenly distribute product on the bristles than the traditional powder brush. The mini bareMinerals brushes are great for applying blush or powder on-the-go. 

These are just some lip products that I don't use often so I decided to pack them to use when travelling since I won't miss them from my daily rotation. These are moisturizing and provide good color to my lips. Benefit Posietint and bareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Lipstick in Speak Your Mind are great everyday pinks and so they stay in my travel bag. I like to apply Posietint first and add Speak Your Mind over the top for moisture and better color payoff. I even have a full size of Speak Your Mind for my daily use so I would recommend this color if you like bubblegum pinks that aren't cool toned. 

Last but not least, these are just some miscellaneous items that I need to do my makeup. Tissues are a must for clean ups or spills. The little red and white polka dot hair velcro holds my fringe out of my face when I do my makeup--I picked up a bunch on Amazon for a good price. A hair elastic is a necessity for my long hair. My body gets dry often so this travel sized lotion comes in handy. Though I don't recommend it unless you're in a tight pinch, you can also use lotion to remove eye makeup and tame flyaways. Just make sure you don't use too much or else your hair will end up greasy (─‿‿─). 

And that's all that is in my travel makeup bag! The bag isn't very large but it fits all my necessities and more. Not sure if I mentioned it before but the bag is from a Josie Maran + Clarisonic collaboration kit. I love the Moroccan print and the material is easy to clean.  

Happy and safe travels, my fellow sojourners!

MWAH Musings ♥

• I'm sorry for the long absence. I just needed a detox after a long summer of classes. Caught up on much needed sleep and family time. :D

• I just started the fall semester so we'll see how that goes. I will try to update the blog whenever I have time but will probably not stick to my MWF schedule anymore :(

• No-buy ban update: Has gone horribly lol. Was good for about a month or two but now am up to my ears in beauty items again >_< Quitting cold turkey is not feasible for no self-control me so I'm going to limit my spending $50USD per month on beauty items. Still a lot to spend on beauty items but will be much less than what I used to spend O_O

XOXO,

MWAH ♥

•´`•.¸.» •´`•.¸.» ¸¸.•´°•´`•.¸.» •´`•.¸.» ¸¸.•´°•´`•.¸.» •´`•.¸.» ¸¸.•´°•´`•.¸.» •´`•.¸.» ¸¸.•´°••´`•.¸.» ¸¸.•´°•´`•.¸.» •´`•.¸.» ¸¸.•´°• •´`•.¸.» 

Disclosure Statement: All products mentioned were purchased with my own money. I am not sponsored by any of the companies mentioned above and was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own. Links are not affiliate links and are provided for the readers' convenience. I cannot guarantee that the product(s) will work for you. I do not approve or endorse the products or information available on these sites. Proceed at your own risk.