Travel Make-up Bag

Hello my lovelys!

I hope you all had a great weekend and got to spend a wonderful time alongside your mums (I'm feeling very british today). My family consists basically of all women, so all of our family events and holidays look pretty much like the Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, but I wouldn't have it any other way. There were lots of gifts, movies, and far too much cheesecake, but enough with the catch-up rambling--let's get to the good stuff.

Summer is right around the corner and it's the perfect time to take a little (or if you're lucky, big) vacation; I love that feeling of getting on a plane and knowing that in a few hours I will be somewhere new, somewhere different. With that said, I might be taking a quick, cheeky trip this summer (jijiji), which is why I decided to write this post and show you what types of makeup products I take with me when I travel.

Before I get started with the makeup parade, one *Tip I want to give you: Don't over pack, leave room for the shopping. "Keyla, but I NEED choices!" Yes, yes you do my friend, but when it comes to traveling you need to make wise choices. Don't bring the blue and purple eyeshadows you never use because you might need them in case you decide to go out to a club where you miraculously run into Ryan Gosling and he will only notice you if you have purple and blue eyeshadow. It...will...never...happen. So my point is, if you don't wear it on a weekly basis, don't bother packing it, because you most likely won't wear it on the trip either.

Traveling is the perfect opportunity to break out all those minis, or Sephora samples you've been saving, just because  their convenient size takes up less space. I personally need a foundation primer because I tend to get rather oily during the day, and primer makes all the difference by keeping my make up in place all day. My favorite for a few months now has been the Smashbox Photofinish Foundation Primer, but another good, cult-favorite choice is the Benefit POREfessional.

Now when it comes to traveling with foundation, I don't like to take glass bottles because I always fear they're going to break. I would say just take one, but who am I kidding, I always bring two. First of is the Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet. This is a very, very lightweight foundation, it's so easy to blend, it has SPF, and 'velvet' is a fancy way of saying it has a matte finish. Even though it is matte, it looks very natural on the skin and is perfect for wearing all day. The second would have to be the NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer. Again, a very lightweight, easy to blend formula with SPF, that perfects the appearance of your skin. Unlike the Chanel, this one has more of a glowing/dewey finish.

To finish of my base, I just take one 'holy-grail' concealer. At the moment, for me that is the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, which I have mentioned in previous posts. It just does an amazing job covering up my dark circles, giving me that Kim Kardashian highlighting effect under the eyes, and staying put on my face all day. Other similar, really great options are the MAC Pro Longwear Concealer and the Makeup Forever Full Cover Concealer. Again, try to limit yourself to just one.

For cheeks I keep it simple, yet multi-tasking, and only take my Milani Baked Blush in shade 01 Dolce

Pink. I have a post all about these blushes and why I love them, so feel free to check that out. This shade is perfect because it goes with every makeup look, and since it is rather shimmery, there is no need for a highlighter. 

Next up: Eyes. Now if you have a favorite 'do it all' eye shadow palette like the Urban Decay Naked Palette or the Smashbox Full Exposure Palette, feel free to take it with you. I personally like something smaller, so I would bring my Urban Decay Naked Basics palette, which has five neutral matte shadows and one satin finish shadow (perfect for the inner corner and as a brow highlight), as well as two or three of my recent obsession: L'Oreal Infallible 24 HR Eye Shadow. Every time I go to the drugstore to pick-up whatever it is that I "need" that day, I always, always pick up a new one of these; they are just amazing! Really "buttery" and easy to apply with just your finger. They last really well (at least on me) and they have some b-e-a-utiful colors. Two of my favorites: 'Amber Rush'-- a really nice everyday color that fits all types of skin tones, and 'Bronzed Taupe'-- for a more smokey eye, evening look.

Now I'm a winged-liquid-eyeliner kinda gal, and my 'favorite-cannot-live-without-it' liner has got to be the Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid eye Liner. Long name, I know, but it is so good! It's a felt tip pen liner, as you can see in the picture above, but it is so thin it helps do the most easy and precise winged/cat eye liner ever. If you have trouble doing this type of eyeliner look, don't give up, seriously give this a try! Even though liquid eye liner is my go to, sometimes I want a more natural, relaxed line, and that's when I reach for a kohl eye liner pencil. My favorite at the moment comes courtesy of Rimmel Scandaleyes and it's in the shade 003 Brown. Now this liner is very creamy, which means that it is easy for me to smudge with a brush and still get that winged eye effect I love so much, yet in a more subtle way. It looks like a regular brown, but it actually has tiny specs of gold glitter which makes it absolutely stunning!

Next come brows. I've mentioned in a previous post that I have the worst eyebrows 'evah', which is why I need to pack something that makes me look a little less Whoopi Goldberg, a little more, well anybody else really. Enter my saviors: the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz, which has a spoolie at the other end, so I don't have to worry about bringing an eyebrow brush; and the Benefit Gimme Brow, which is like a tiny mascara for your brows that sets everything in place and makes them look fuller.

Last but certainly not least, come lips. Now this is where I can get carried away by taking my entire lipstick drawer. If you're like me, just give yourself a good hard look in the mirror and say: "No! You are only allowed to take three, JUST THREE! Discipline yourself and don't be a wussy. This is totally up to you and your color preference, but I would take a red, a nude, and a bold dark. 

-Even though I love my Sephora Lip Stain Cream, for a red I would pack the Bite Cashmere Lip Cream in the shade 'Sherry'. I just love that word "cashmere" because that is exactly what it feels like: A soft, pillowy, easy to apply, marshmallow goodness texture that just hugs your lips while giving them a hard to miss red-orange color. Ugh, I just love it!

-As for nude, I'd go for MAC Lipstick in 'Patisserie': A very easy to wear pinky nude (which are the best types of nudes for my skin tone) with a very creamy consistency that you can throw on with any 

make up look on any given day. Just an easy, 'don't-have-to-think-about-too-much' shade. 

-Finally for the bold dark lip, I would go for something like the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in the shade 'Train Bleu' (so fancy). I've been trying to get a hold of this shade for months! I went to Sephora on a whim a few weeks ago and it was back in stock! My immediate reaction was: "Shut up, and take my money!" It is just a gorgeous shade that goes on real easy on the lips, and since it is a pencil you can be very precise, which you need to be with a dark lip. This shade is probably as dark and vampy as I can go without going black, but still I know it's not for everyone.

You might be wondering (or maybe you weren't) why I haven't mentioned mascara or powder. I of course, do take both when I travel, but I am a real mascara and powder whor...se. I am not particularly loyal to one in particular except maybe the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder, so just pack which ever powder and mascara that work best for you.

Before I end the post, I wanted to include a beauty extra that I always carry around with me: the Caudalie Beauty Elixir. It's basically a face mist that soothes your complexion if you're face is

feeling a bit 'blagh" for lack of a better word. It also helps to blend in your make up perfectly if you are retouching during the day. I wanted to include it in the post because I know when you travel (especially by plane) your skin can get really tight/dry/icky, and this just refreshes it instantly. It has a really minty, herbal-y smell that I know a lot (including myself) may not like, but it just feels so nice and cool on the face that I overlook that small detail.

Well guys, that pretty much concludes today's post. As always I hope that it was of some help to you, after all that's why I'm here. If you have any questions or comments about some of the products mentioned please feel free to leave them below, I'd love to get your feedback! Also if you have any post requests (ex: haircare routine, skincare, everyday makeup, etc.) please let me know as well. You can also follow me on my social media (links down below) to catch up on my daily shenanigans.

Thanks for reading!