Travel Makeup | What’s in my Makeup Bag

I’ve mentioned MANY times that I am no expert in makeup, or makeup application.

I can barely get the crease of my eye looking right with eye shadow. I always end up looking like a bad boxer.

BUT I do know a few things about travel, packing lightly, etc. I am sure I’ve mentioned that before I quit my job to stay home full time, I worked at a job that had me, on average, flying to various parts of the country on business trips at least twice a month. I am really good at packing a carry on that has every thing I need!

Since we’ve just returned from a family trip to Colorado, I thought I would show you what products made the cut in the makeup bag!

(This is real life folks, dirty containers and brushes).

*None of the links below are affiliate links. I’m just not that cool. Just saying.*

Bag (similar size) | Foundation Brush | Powder Brush | Tinted Lip Balm in Honey | BB Cream in Light | Foundation in N1-2 | Mascara | Cream Blush in Sheer Berry | Concealer in Warm Ivory | Corrector in Light Bisque | Eye Shadow in Champagne | Perfume Rollerball | Blush/Bronzer Duo | Eye Liner in Espresso | Brow Pencil in Dark Brown | Brow Gel

This little bag from Forever 21 managed to hold all of my makeup items in one pouch (except the bronzer/blush compact – so close!). Everything I need to get my makeup on is all conveniently in one place. I may have a few more tinted lip balms in my diaper bag, but this is it!

Here are my face/base basics. (I could have cleaned off the foundation lid, but meh. Attention to detail, Katie!)

 Foundation Brush  |  BB Cream in Light | Foundation in N1-2 | Concealor in Warm Ivory | Corrector in Light Bisque

To start, I love this BB Cream! I could easily use it as a stand alone foundation, but I prefer a little more coverage. This Light color is a touch to tan for me, so next time I’ll pick up the Fair, but I like to use this as a primer before my foundation.

Speaking of foundation, I’ve talked about my love for this foundation before. It’s so dewy on the skin, and is a great medium coverage. This N1-2 color I have is perfect for my skin tone.

I’ve never been a huge brush girl, but I recently started using this e.l.f. powder brush to blend in my foundation. It’s cheep and gets the job done.

Finally, the Bobbi Brown corrector and concealer are two products that I’ve used forever. Seriously. Since I was a Sophomore in college. In 2003. *shudder* But my dark circles are no joke. That’s where the corrector comes in. It does a great job of covering up the dark patches. The concealer is also fab. I don’t typically get blemishes, so can’t really speak to how it covers those up, BUT the duo does a great job camouflaging dark circles.

Powder Brush | Blush/Bronzer Duo | Cream Blush in Sheer Berry | Brow Pencil in Dark Brown | Brow Gel

So I forgot to include my brow products, but I love the Milani Easy Brow pencil and the Sonia Kashuk clear brow gel. They both get the job done. I can also get away with using just one of the products, if I had to. But I’ve gushed about the Milani brow pencil before in my July Favorites post.

On to the rest of the face! Let talk the brush first. I’ve had this Bobbi Brown face blender brush for over 10 years! Talk about investing in quality! The sucker doesn’t shed, it’s so soft, and the bristles are the perfect shape for my face. Love love love!

For travel, I like a blush/bronzer duo, and this one from Neutrogena is really pretty on me. In particular, that blush color is just right. They both have a touch of shimmer, which is fine by me.

That tiny cheek stain stick is from Tarte. I received it as a free gift at Sephora, and thought it was the perfect time to give it a try. I just used the e.l.f. brush to blend it in. The cheek stain took up very little room in my makeup bag. Love trial sizes of luxury brands! Try before you buy!

Mascara | Eye Shadow in Champagne | Eye Liner in Espresso | Tinted Lip Balm in Honey | Perfume Rollerball

Finally, the eyes and lips. I already mentioned I’m eye shadow challenged, so when I travel I stick to just one neutral, everyday shade. I recently picked up the eye shadow in a champagne shimmer color at it’s so pretty!

I also keep it fairly simple when it comes to eye liner. I just use a pencil in brown (no preference on brand!). I feel like this summer was my chance to try bright lip colors. Maybe this Fall is branching out to liquid liner?

I’m not typically married to one particular mascara. I float around, trying different ones each time. I really like this Maybelline one, though. The brush is really great. The formula is just fine. Nothing too glorious there. I think this one is all about the brush! Really fine, tiny bristles to grab even the finest of lashes.

And then, lip products. I’ve always been a tinted lip balm girl. This Revlon lip stain/balm was decently moisturizing, but the color was pretty! Very fall-like. Plus, it was buildable. The more swipes I took, the deeper the color got. It started off as a “My lips, only better”, then built up to a nice, darker shade.

That little Coach Poppy roller ball is the best thing ever for travel! It’s really compact, and applying the perfume just feels glamorous!

That’s it! A full face look that fits in one tiny make up bag!

I could go on and on with tips for actually packing a carry on suitcase, how to strategize about the little ziplock bag to go through security, and so on! I feel like it’s the one thing I can actually say I’m an “expert” in 🙂 If you’re interested in anything like that, drop a line in the comments below and let me know what you’d like to know about!!

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