Tuesday 24 June 2014

What's in my travel makeup bag?

My final exam for the semester was scheduled to start at 9am -- 9am! I don't exactly live closeby, and a 9am exam start means having to get a 6.30am train at the latest. Luckily, I have a friend who does live closeby, and she offered to let me crash at her the night before. Of course, this meant having to sift through my makeup collection to see what I was going to take with me and what I was going to leave behind.

I packed all of my makeup in a shoebox. Yep, you read that right, a shoebox! I've got a couple of makeup cases, but I actually use them to store more makeup than I was planning to bring -- I was also packing everything into a weekender bag, and a shoebox fit the bottom of bag better than a case.

(In case you're wondering, my bag is from Kate Hill and if you adore handbags then I highly recommend you check them out. They can be a little pricey at times, but they are great quality and often have amazing sales on -- plus, they now ship to New Zealand, Singapore, the US and Canada!)

You might take a lot less with you when you're staying overnight somewhere -- personally, I like to be as prepared as possible, and I'd probably take just about as much with me if I were going away for a week.

The night before... 


Colgate Optic White toothpaste + a toothbrush -- You've gotta brush your teeth! I like to try toothpastes that make your teeth whiter -- I don't know if this is the best one I've ever used, but hey, it cleans your teeth. I also have like a cap to put on the top of my toothbrush, which protects the bristles from going all out of whack or being contaminated by anything else.



Mecca Cosmetica Clean Slate Triple Action Makeup Remover -- You obviously need to take your makeup off, and this isn't my favourite face wash of all time but I chose it for two reasons: the first being that it usually gets all my makeup off the first time, and the second being that it washes off really easy. Some scrubs are possibly more effective, but they can take a good while to wash off if they're gel-based. This one is a foam, so it dissolves with the water immediately, so I don't feel so conscious about taking up a lot of time in the bathroom.

On the day... My hair


Batiste Dry Shampoo in "Blush" -- This is a very recent purchase. I've seen heaps of people buy it but I heard about how it sprays white and then you have to brush it out -- I can lie, the idea of it scared me a little bit, and I didn't want to risk spending $10 on something I wasn't going to use. As it happens, I quite like this. Batiste Dry Shampoo does spray white onto your hair, but I just need to ruffle it with my hands and it disappears! The only other dry shampoo I've used was by Tony & Co., which is a much more expensive brand -- in my opinion, Batiste works much better.



Compact Tangle Teezer in "Union Jack" -- Err'body needs a hairbrush! The Tangle Teezer is the best hairbrush I've ever used. I've got two -- a purple one, and this mini one. I've got super thick hair, so when it tangles, it tangles bad -- this detangles my hair easily and without pain. I don't think you can get this with the Union Jack on it anymore, but there is a Shaun the Sheep one!



Dove Nutritive Therapy Nourishing Oil Care Nutri-Oil Serum -- Definitely not a hair necessity, but it's something I've started playing with recently (even though I've had it for ages!). I put a few pumps into my hands, rub them together and then run it through the ends of my hair. It's been a while since my last haircut, so I have this to kind of help with my dead ends a little bit.

Face


Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer -- This isn't my favourite primer but it's small, so it saves space, and it works really well. I've got more important things to worry about than redness when I'm staying away from home, so it's good to know that I can rely on this as a good base.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation in "NW20" -- I also need a really good foundation that won't melt away while I'm sweating metaphorical bullets before and during the exam, and this one does it for me.



MAC Mineralize SkinFinish Natural Powder in "Medium" -- This pretty much speaks for itself; my foundation needs a good dusting of this to ensure that it stays in place.

MAC Bronzing Powder -- To add some definition to my cheeks.


Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in "Radiant Magenta" -- This one is my favourite because of it's gorgeous natural colour and sleek packaging. It goes with nearly every look that I do.

Eyes


Too Faced Chocolate Bar Eyeshadow Palette -- This is a great palette with some really cute matte and shimmery colours. It's wonderful for everyday as well as night time looks, both neutral and dramatic.


Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Concealer + Treatment in "Light" -- I know that this is technically for your face, but I feel like I use it in relation to my eyes, so... I don't use it every day, but I'd definitely take it with me everywhere. You never know when you're going to wake up with incredibly dark or red circles  under your eyes!

Maybelline Eye Studio Hyper Glossy Liquid Liner in "Black" -- I'm finding that this makes a nice and easy wing, which is what I've been going for lately.

NARS Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner in "Via Veneto" -- You don't necessarily need to bring more than one eyeliner with you when you're travelling, and I don't use this one all the time, but I like it for my waterline.

 
L'Oreal Paris False Lash Butterfly Wings Mascara -- If you're travelling, you might need to narrow your selection down to only one, and this one is my favourite.
 

Lips

 
Rimmel London Apocalips Lip Lacquer in "Apocaliptic" -- Maybe I ought to restrict my colour choice down to one lip product, but I found that it wasn't possible! I like using this when I need a gloss that looks like a lipstick.
 
Elizabeth Arden Beautiful Color Moisturizing Lipstick in "Desert Rose" -- It's a very pretty pink neutral that goes with everything, and it's usually in my handbag.
 
Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick in "As You Want Victoria" -- This is a really cute lipstick with some incredible colour. I've got a review coming up soon!
 
MAC Maleficent Pro Longwear Lipglass in "Anthurium" -- I can't even begin to describe this. I am going to save my description for a review that I've got in the works, but all I can say is: thank you, Danielle!
 

Brushes

I've got to apologise for these being dirty, I haven't had time to wash them yet!
Real Techniques Stippling Brush -- I use this for my foundation, obviously! It's one of the smaller brushes I have and it's the most reliable one in my small collection.

Mecca Cosmetica Powder Brush -- This is for my setting powder. I've got a couple of other brushes that work just as well, but this gets product on lightly and evenly, whilst blurring my imperfections.

Unfortunately these aren't available, but I'll include some close dupes.
Napoleon Perdis Mascara/Eyeliner Dual-Ended Brush -- I don't have much use for the spoolie end, but I do really like the eyeliner brush with dark powder liners. (Similar brushes: the 2m Mascara Wand and the 5a Precision Angle Sable Brush).

Napoleon Perdis Shader/Contour Dual-Ended Brush -- These are my best (see also: only) eyeshadow brushes, and I quite like them. Lately I've been using the smaller one to pack on shadow. (Similar brushes: g10 Eye Priming Brush and the 10b Flat Shader Sable Brush).

Napoleon Perdis Blending/Concealer Dual-Ended Brush -- I don't really use the concealer end, but I do occasionally use the blender end. It's not my favourite, but it helps in a pinch. (Similar brushes: 10r Sculpting Brush and the g14 Conceal & Correct Brush).

Napoleon Perdis Blush/Powder Dual-Ended Brush -- I use these every day. I use the angled blush side with my Hourglass blush and the straight powder end for my bronzer. (Similar brushes: 15b Angled Contour Brush and the 20b Reflective Contour Brush).

 
Mecca Cosmetica Domed Eye Blending Brush -- Now this, this is my favourite blending brush. There is no way I could leave my house and not take this brush with me.
 
Mecca Cosmetica Eye Contour Brush -- I'm still getting the hang of this brush, but I'm having fun with it. I've been using it mainly on my outer corner, although I've been using it slightly more and more with my crease.
 

Other bits & bobs


Compact mirror -- You can buy these from pretty much any jewellery store. Sometimes they can be a little on the pricier side, but the best kind are the ones with a normal mirror on one side and a decent magnifying mirror on the other.

Lady Jayne Tail Comb -- I adore this for parting my hair. I don't always use it, but enough to have found it to be a general essential.

 
Lynx Anarchy For Her -- You've gotta have deodorant! This is one I have at the moment, although Rexona and Dove are pretty solid too, so I might go with them when this runs out.
 
What do you pack with you when you're going away?
 
Sarah xo

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