Packing Makeup for Vacation

I realized after writing the How To Pack Lightly for Vacation post that I should have made a little aside about packing makeup. But then I realized it could be a post all on its own. So here goes…

When packing for vacation I’m all about minimizing – taking as little as possible while still maintaining the desired look and meeting all the needs you’ll have for various vacation events. I fit everything I’ll need into a small makeup bag and figure if it does not fit it doesn’t need to come along for the ride.

What’s in my vacation makeup bag:

• Eye Primer. To be honest I consider this the number one must-have makeup item. It works miracles at keeping eyeshadow in place all day. Plus it doubles as a concealer, pimple masker, and black eye-circle diminisher. I use the Mac Eye Primer – and have been using it for years. One little jar lasts about a year. If you aren’t into Mac products there are a plethora of other options. Try: Laura Geller, Sephora, and e.l.f.
• Eye Concealer. This is good for the beginning part of vacation when you need to catch-up on sleep. I love that by the end of vacation, hopefully, you no longer need to use this under your eyes to hide the dark circles. Personally I like to use the ones that come in a tube like lipstick, such as this NARS product. I also use the NYC cover stick, which I reviewed last summer.
• Eye Shadow Pallet. Pick a pallet that is full of colors you usually wear on a day-to-day basis and also colors that can give you a variety of looks. My favorite pallets are by e.l.f. Although I also have some from Sephora and NYX that I use from time to time. (You can check out my review of the Sephora Colorful Artist’s Pallet here.)
• Mascara. A must, even if the rest of my makeup will be at a minimum. I like to have just that little splash of mascara to create more definition around my eyes. Right now I’m using the Maybelline Define-A-Lash mascara from Walgreens. It’s a great product and I have no complaints about it.
• Brush set. I like to travel with 4 different eyeshadow brushes. One for covering the eyelid, one for adding color to the middle, one small soft brush for filling in the corner triangle and one angled thin brush for applying powder eyeliner. To be honest I’ve never bought a full brush set but rather have created my own with individual brush purchases.
• Powder concealer. Currently, I use the Sephora-brand mineral powder concealer. After my face gets a little tan from the sun I tend to skip the concealer all together since my face takes on a much more even look with a little sun exposure.
• Lipstick. I’m not a huge lipstick fan. I just can’t seem to find a color that makes me look normal. Everything makes me look like I’m trying too hard. So I tend to stick with basic light colors that just add a little glow. I go with light pinks or nudes and have several CoverGirl colors.
• Chapstick. I never leave home without at least two tubes of this stuff. Chapstick keeps my lips moisturized and has SPF in it to keep them from burning in the summer sun.
• Travel perfume. Two summers ago I discovered that Sephora sells small perfume bottles in a wide variety of scents. They have a rollerball for easy application on the go and slip into any pocket or purse without any trouble. This year I bought Twirl by Kate Spade and used last year’s Stella by Stella McCartney.

Related posts:

1. Friend Friday: Vacation
2. Friend Friday: Vacation
3. How-To Pack Lightly for Vacation
4. Hobo Bags and Vacation Days