On The Road: Makeup Packing Tips

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This is the first edition of my On The Road series, which will cover all my female-oriented travel tips and packing advice, to allow you to still look great on the road, while saving money and traveling light.

When getting ready for a trip, many women -such as myself- face the same challenge: which makeup items should I pack? It seems that every year we face stricter packing regulations, and -particularly for those of us that prefer taking only one bag (be it a small suitcase, backpack, or duffel bag)- the fear of having our lovely make up products confiscated before we board the plane, can strongly influence the amount or the quality of products we take with us.

This is why I decided to put together a little list of make up products that have proven cheap, useful, as well as un-confiscable, -and dare I say necessary- for any trip I pack for.

-Waterproof Mascara I only take one tube of mascara, always waterproof. Why? Just in case. You never know when you will chose to hit the beach at dawn after dancing all night. So best be prepared for anything while wearing waterproof mascara. Plus, if you head to any tropical locations, constantly sweating might make your regular mascara run, and in turn, make you look quite unsightly.

-Light foundation with SPF My favorite is a very small and thin tube of “light” foundation with SPF 40, which also adapts to your skin tone easily. What does this mean? It’s light so you will never look like your makeup is “caked on”, but it still efficiently acts like a foundation should. It has SPF 40, so it protects your face, allowing you to use it everyday if you want: it’s practical, and Mom would definitely approve. Last: it adapts to your skin tone, meaning that when you buy it in “beige”, and after two weeks at the beach your skin tone turns to “medium beige”, you can still use it without looking funny or having to buy a new one to match your newly acquired skin tone. And last, but very important, since it’s light on your skin, it helps you avoid break outs that stress from the road, sweat and grime would easily cause when wearing heavier stuff on your face.

- One Eyeshadow Quad Yes, you can take one of those small boxes with a zillion colors. But trust me, all that any girl typically uses consists of 4 colors: 2 light/natural ones for day looks, and 2 darker ones for night looks. Chances are that during the day you will be so busy running around and enjoying your new destination that you won’t even bother with eyeshadow anyways, so a good-quality little box with 4 will prove more than enough. And, if it isn’t, eyeshadow is something you can easily borrow from any new friends you make at the hostel. I prefer the Lancome eyeshadow quads (they come with a mirror included). Tip: You don’t have money to purchase good eyeshadow? Me neither. I wait for Mom or my aunts to buy expensive products, and then raid the extra “presents” they get for their purchases. I have a lovely Lancome eyeshadow, lip gloss, and lipstick collection thanks to them.

-Kohl Eyeliner I personally prefer the old-school stick of kohl, which I purchase for less than a dollar when I go to places like Turkey, Morocco or Palestine. It makes a great eyeliner, giving you that exotic and sexy look. It’s cheap, simple to use and it’s particularly useful in protecting your eyes from harsh sun rays if you’re out in about in particularly hot climates.

-Moisturizer/Cream I usually take just one small pot or tube of moisturizer, to use for my face, hands and body. I prefer the Nivea 1 oz/30 mL pot for $1.

-Vaseline I take the smallest pocket-sized version. It works great as lip gloss (works as a good base for lipstick too), it’s useful if your lips are chapped, if you put in on your eyelids after applying eyeshadow it gives it a gorgeous “wet” look, or you can put it on your cheekbones after applying blush to make them “glow”, and finally, it also helps you combat any dry skin problems you may have while on the road. Magic in a pot! And for less than $1.

-Concealer/Highlighter I have a perfect small and thin tube that I purchased from E.L.F. for $2, which is a concealer matching my skin tone on one side, and a highlighter on the other. Both help me combat unwanted zits, blemishes or the more commonly found while traveling, under eye circles.

-High Definition Powder Why? Well… I’m not very photogenic otherwise (see pictures in blog link). By wearing this powder, I ensure that I have a 80% Me, with proper make up on. higher probability of obtaining better pictures, including those random “surprise” ones that friends love to take late at night after a few drinks. Basically, this masks small imperfections and has a “soft focus” effect on the skin, making you look better on-screen or on pictures. It’s also very light. This is the secret behind movie or TV stars looking so great all the time on-screen. I get mine from E.L.F, for $6. There are higher quality ones, but I still prefer to save my money for traveling!

-Makeup Remover Make sure to get a good one, so you can still be nice to your skin! Usually, when I go purchase things from Lancome or Clinique, I ask for “samples” of makeup remover. So I always have a “sample” sized make up remover to pack, easily avoiding the packing problems that the bigger containers entail.