Anyone else really obsessed with mini-sized travel beauty items?! I will never wonder where my mini gets her love for anything and everything miniature.
It doesn’t seem to matter how old I get, I still love to watch ‘pack with me’ videos and even more love to watch what people pack in their travel makeup bag. Mainly because I am always looking for that new product that will do more than one thing so that I have even less to pack.
During the StoneyCloverXTarget collaboration release, I was able to snag the ‘GLAM’ makeup bag and because of the size and that it was clear and super cute, I made it my mission for it to be my travel makeup bag. Even beyond that, I wanted it to hold EVERYTHING (shampoo, facial cleansing products, moisturizers, makeup), the whole kit and caboodle. It is actually a really good size for it as it is not too big or too small and I decided to test the theory when we went to Disney for Easter.
Just to keep you on the edge of your seat, this is how it started…
Here is the truth of it, I bring a bunch of makeup with the idea that I am going to use it and get all done up and the reality is that all I end up wearing is sunscreen, mascara and my tried and true Revlon ‘coffee bean’ (IYKYK) lipstick that I have been wearing since the 90’s and if it is ever NOT sold I will go into full on hysterics as no other brand or color comes close. Why do I keep trying to bring makeup I will never wear is beyond me, but there is the crux of it.
lately, I have been loving THIS E.L.F. cosmetics palette. It is super slim, has ALL the colors that I wear and IMO is very pigmented (so it holds up in the Florida heat for an all day day in Disney). Mine is actually the Rose Gold Sunset as it has a variance of some nice cranberry tones and olives along with all my bronze and brown favorites. I feel that this is going to be perfect when we travel Internationally for both dinner looks (that I will end up not doing) and potential no makeup make up days, which involves any brown that I can put it in my crease….ta dah…that is the whole look. I also feel that if this cracks that it is an easy replacement and I will not be heartbroken over it (although I am noticing that I am not fnding this being sold online at Target anymore, so this girl has questions. I have two expensive ‘face palettes’ that I traditionally use regularly and by regularly I mean that I pack for Disney. One is so old that I am embarassed to say I still put it on my face, but I love it more than anything and it is the Becca Cosmetics collaboration they did with Chrissy Teigen (the first one…not the second) and it has two amazing highlighters, a bronzer and a blush (it is a pretty big palette which I do not want to travel with since if it breaks, I will be heart broken and honestly it is pretty big anyway to travel with and would NEVER fit in this bag) and the second palette is by Nars (it has these spike/crystal embellishments on it) and although significantly smaller than the Becca one, it is definitely more of a liability to break, so that was a no go either. since the point was to see what I would need for our trip, I opted to look for something else. I ended up purchasing THIS Maybelline palette and although the pigmentation is nowhere near as good, it stands up to what I want it to do and it was only $10. Again, if it breaks, I am not going into a rant over it and I actually get quite a lot of compliments on my makeup when I wear it, so who am I to argue over it?
Normally when it comes to ‘face’ makeup. I always go with a tinted moisturizer or something else equally light. I definitely do not like that full face feel as it gets hot and humid in Florida, it ends up not looking that great by midafternoon, and if I rub at my face at all, my eyes will start to sting since everything is rubbing into the sunscreen. THIS is my absolute favorite as it evens everything out and a little goes a long way as its really only a concealer and the medium-tan matches my skintone perfectly. Yet, I keep buying tinted moisturizers so I can ultimately be disillusioned. Strangely, I do not like the regular Revlon candid foundation at all, but the concealer is chef’s kiss. The concealer is another one of those tried and trues like my coffee bean lipstick that I will stage a coup if they ever get rid of it.
I use the (pictured below) real techniques travel buffer brush for anything liquid. I love how small this is, it barely takes up any room and it has the same sized buffer top as the actual full size. I am not sure if they sell this separately, but this brush is always released during the holidays in a plastic ball that is supposed to be an ornament and/or stocking stuffer. I swear by all real techniques brushes whether they be face, bronzer, highlighter, eye, you name it and I own it and travel with it.
Without fail, I always pack a face sunscreen (THIS, THIS, or THIS). I prefer the Clinique as it is lightweight, I never breakout and it does not leave a whitecast. However, I was REALLY impressed with the Hawaiian Tropic. My skin is sensitive especially on my face and for this having a fragrance, I have not broken out AND there is obviously a pretty substantial price difference. I wear sunscreen every single day, so I run out of the Clinique pretty on the regular, so this is something nice that I can throw into my routine without breaking the bank. I also like that the Hawaiian Tropic as a push top rather than a squeeze tube so I can see how much is left.
I literally cleaned the makeup brush, used the makeup brush and then took a picture of said makeup brush ::cue facepalm emoji::
Does it show my age with all the Clinique here?! I am still that girl that loves to go to Macy’s (and by go to Macy’s, I mean order online and have it delivered to my home) buy a suncreen or two and get the free gift. My skin absolutely loves Clinique skincare. The items are always REALLY nice (I always pick the gift that does not have makeup in it, but rather all skincare). I am a HUGE fan of the Moisture Surge and there is always a day and a night cream (the night mask is my absolute favorite) that is included and having travel sized items of my favorite things makes packing so much easier as I tend to just keep those items always in the bag. The mini ‘take the day off’ is an absolute gamechanger. I am a makeup cleansing balm snob, and this will forever be my top choice every single time. Not to mention, I do not have to worry about trying to get the full-size to fit in the small travel containers and then not remembering what is in them because I forget to label them (after promising myself that I will remember what it is).
Is that a face shaver and mini leg shaver?! Yes…yes it is (the face shaver is a non-negotiable)…no other conversation needs to be had and both are essential (the Venus razor always remains in my travel bag). The Cerave eyecream I have been using for YEARS. It is my absolute favorite, it feels amazing under the ol’ eyes, it is small and in a plastic tube so easy to travel with and it is inexpensive, so easily replaceable. Lastly, floss….because….floss. Tell me your best friend is a dentist without telling me your best friend is a dentist.
I do not wash my hair a lot so I can bring a really small travel conditioner mask or some Deva-Curl No Poo in travel sizes and then in a mini-spray bottle I have THIS Hask Heat Protectant (it can be greasy so be minimal and comb it in). Occassionally I will bring one of those sample packets of shampoo, but rarely do I. I always order them with my Sephora order so that I have them for when I do.
Here is everything that I ended up taking with me and it was PERFECT if I do say so myself. I used everything here and didn’t want for anything else or felt anything else could have been replaced or left behind. I do wish that more places had the darker (medium) version of the Maybelline palette as I do feel once Summer starts I will be using this an all over and less of a bronzer, but I can still live with it for travel without any gripes.
I feel that I did a really good job of getting everything in without it busting at the seams, worrying about anything breaking by trying to get it all in and I wasn’t worry about the hardware or zipper breaking, so pat on the back for me and look….I see space! Huzzah!
Are you a bring everything but the kitchen sink make up person as more is more perhaps?! Or are you so minimal that you are throwing it into a Ziploc bag and you are done person?! Is it weird that watching and reading about what people pack in their travel makeup bags is my guilt obsession?
