My Travel Makeup Kit

What makeups do I bring when I travel? I used to bring my Naked Palette every time I travel because I always want to look good, but sadly after some luggage mishaps, I have learned to stick with the basics and those brands that I can replace easily - both in terms of availability in malls or online shops, and second, which is very important: in terms of affordability.

Eyes
a. Eyeshadow
I need a palette that can stand alone. This means it should be able to create not just a low-key or daytime look but also a possible formal evening or party look. So the basic colors should be browns, taupes, creams and for the evening, it better include a matte black and some good shimmery shades.

b. Eyeliner
I am not a fan of eyeliners when I travel. This is something I can yield as long as I already have a black eyeshadow.

c. Mascara
I bring any mascara that I am planning to deplete, and do not care for waterproof or water-resistant formulas. Travelling is the only way for me to use something that I have almost forgotten.

Face
Concealer
This is important because I usually get blemishes for a week-long trip. It could be caused by the water, a kind of food I ate, missing to bring my sure shot skin care products, or maybe caused by some dirt I picked up while travelling. Whatever the reason, a concealer can just be the magic I need. I also use a concealer that doubles as a foundation and comes in a solid formula that I can bring in my carry-on bag. A good example is the Naturactor solid foundation and concealer. A dedicated review on this product is in this LINK.

Blush
I always bring a pink and/or a coral blush. These 2 shades never fail and work with most eyeshadow looks I make. Pinks will go with almost anyone and corals will go with medium warm tones. Better if I can bring a blush palette in a sleek packaging that comes in a shimmer and a matte shade inside, so this doubles as a highlighter too.

BB Cream/Tinted Moisturizer
The plane ride can dry my skin a lot, so I combat this by wearing a BB cream or a tinted moisturizer instead of just a foundation. Anyways, I have a reliable erase paste in the form of a solid foundation/concealer so I can still have flawless skin all throughout the travel week.

Lips
I bring one lip gloss and one lipstick. That's it. The lip gloss should definitely be able to soften my lips. And the lipstick should be a combination shade of pink and coral, again that is the shade that suits most of my eye looks, whether low-key or dark smokey eyes.

Brush
These are my travel essentials. I absolutely have to bring 9-10 types of brushes and they are most definitely the ones I cannot purchase from just anywhere. The makeups I can surely find quick replacements for if I left anything that should have been in my travel kit, but the brushes? Oh dear, they are quite hard to find when you are travelling. So I keep the following with me on all of my travels (from left):

1. A tiny stippling brush for pushing your tinted moiturizer into the skin
2. A pointed foundation brush
3. A buffing brush
4. A double ended brush - one side for targeted eyeshadow application on the corners of your eyes, the other one for application on to the eyelids.
5. A stiff angled brush for the concealer application.
6. A much thicker angled brush for eyeshadow application and the eyeshadow doubling as eyeliner as well using this brush.
7. A double-ended brush: one end as a blending brush for your eyeshadows and the other, a dome-shaped brush for patting on light, matte eyeshadows on to the lids.
8. A small detailer brush - just in case you need an extra tiny brush for the eyes.
9. Kabuki brush - which is also my everyday brush in the purse, used to powder my T-zone and apply the powder blush and highlighter.
10. Contour brush - just in case I have plans of contouring using an eyeshadow (yes I do not bring my big Bronze Goddess contour compact).

If you are asking me which ones I can let go out of the 10 brushes, it would be numbers 2, 3, and 8, just in case I still need to reduce the items in my hand carry. Don't ge me wrong, I super love my Real Techniques buffing brush, but if I need to let it go, my Ellana Kabuki brush and my no brand tiny stippling/flat top brush join forces as the substitute. But these brushes are so thin, I usually just bring all 10. And these are just 10 out of the many, so forgive me but it was actually a pain each time I had to decide which ones are coming with me and which ones are going to be left behind.

Lastly, I always bring my ever reliable Shu Uemura Eye Lash Curler. I know some of you would think this should not be part of the travel kit, but for me, it is a necessity as I have slightly straight (Asian) eyelashes. Also, since this product is very sturdy, I don't see any problems bringing it anywhere (I have a separate review on my 9-year experience with my first Shu Uemura Eye Lash Curler which you can read from this LINK).

As always, since most of the items (except for the tinted moisturizer) are solids, I bring them on hand carry.

I hope I was able to give you some pointers on how to plan your travel makeup. Surely, we all want to bring our latest makeups and brushes but think first: if anything ever happens to your luggage, will you be able to deal with any loss or damage? If not, then just leave those pretty shades behind and opt to bring those you can easily replace, or will not hurt your pockets too much to replace.

If you want to see more products that are affordable but will look good and can be worth using as a travel makeup, go browse through the other pages of my blog. Enjoy!