Travel Makeup: Tips and What to Bring

When I was getting ready to travel through Europe for the first thing I did a lot of research about what you should pack etc. hat I found strange, though, was how little was said about makeup and how what was said often didn’t make any sense. If you go on most travel websites if makeup is even mentioned it is usually brushed off. The advice is often “Don’t bring it! It’s travel; no makeup needed! Do not worry about your appearance etc. etc.” Not only do I find this advice condescending, but I also find it unrealistic. Most people who are daily makeup wearer would not want to suddenly forgo makeup because they are going on a trip! And if you would look up travel makeup advice from beauty lovers it seems like you need to devote half of a suitcase to you beauty routine. Is there a mid-point; a compromise? I believe there is.

In this article I will be going over both long trip and short trip cases. For me, long case is at least two week, but geared more towards study abroad or long work trips than a little vacations. Short trips are anything from a weekend away to two weeks. Also, of course, you must take into consideration what you wear now and what occasions or events you will be taking part in as you travel in addition to luggage considerations.

My first tip and advice is basically this: You will not become a different person when you travel. If you normally wear no or little makeup then take little or no makeup. If you wear full on glam face every day you need to bring more than just tinted moisturizer and mascara.

Of course, even if you love hardcore contouring and strobing and five eyeshadows per look, a limited makeup bag is often necessary. Do you really have room (or need) ten lipsticks for a two week trip? Probably not. As with everything, moderation is often key.

What should you pack for a long trip, like studying abroad?

Face:

·         Foundation

·         Concealer (one type for you whole face is ideal, but a face and an under eye concealer is doable)

·         Powder (again, one powder is great, but two is fine. Compacts work better than loose)

·         Bronzer/ contour (one shade preferable, but two is okay. Also, if you really feel the need for highlighter only one!)

·         Blush (Two shades will be fine for most people)

Eyes:

·         Eyebrows (bring your favorite product [pencil, shadow etc.] unless you use more than one on a daily basis)

·         Eyeshadow primer (only if you use it everyday!)

·         Eyeshadow

o   I recommend one large palette that offers many looks such as nude, smoky, and bright. Bringing three different palettes (even if they are smaller) takes up a lot more space. I bring my Urban Decay Vice 3.

o   A smaller palette for on the go or smaller trips. Large palettes are unwieldly for short trips especially if backpacking so a small (3-10 shadows) palette is great for basic nude looks. I like a lorac palette called “vintage vixen” that has five shadows and can give a light or smoky look.

·         Eyeliner (two or three; since they are small you can bring a few favorites)

·         Mascara (you really only need one)

Lips:

·         Chapstick (and maybe a back-up for your bag)

·         Lipstick (I recommend a nude, a pink, a red, and another shade like purple, orange or another shade of one of the previous colors. Also bringing a liquid or cream in addition to a standard stick is often nice. Also, like eyeliner, they are small and so you can bring a few extra. But really, you do not need ten!)

·         Lipgloss (maybe up to three if you wear it)

·         Lip liner (only if you always wear it, and again, a nude, a pink, a red, and one other shade)

Nails:

·         Cotton pads/rounds/ balls (a small sandwich bag full)

·         Nail polish remover/ acetone (some planes may consider this a hazardous material, so I recommend buying this in country or putting it in your checked bags.

·         Nail polish (similar rules to lipstick; bring a few basic/favorite colors like a nude, red, etc. Not really more than five. And store in checked luggage because it may be considered hazardous because it’s flammable)

*Also remember, most counties do sell most makeup in case you forget to bring something. They might just not sell your shade of foundation or favorite brand of mascara.

And now for the hard part! What to bring on a short trip! (or if you wear less makeup)

Now is when you really need to think of bare minimums and how to save space especially if you are backpacking/only bringing a small suitcase.

Face:

·         Foundation

·         Concealer (one type)

·         Powder (one type, preferably compact)

·         Blush/Bronzer (a duo compact is best but otherwise one shade each)

Eyes:

·         Brows (one product)

·         Eyeshadow (one small palette with less than ten shadows; I have a lorac palette I mentioned above)

·         Eyeliner (one; two max)

·         Mascara (one)

Lips:

·         Chapstick (one; two max)

·         Lipstick (three max; nude, pink, red [or other favorite color])

·         Lipgloss (one; two max)

Nails:

·         I really do not recommend bringing nail polish on short trips. If you really must bring only one or two colors and bring presoaked cotton pads they sell in the travel section of the drugstore (or you can make yourself). So not fiddle with separate acetone and cotton balls.

And so, that is my pretty complete recommendations for travelling with makeup. Also, what I didn’t list is brushes/tools because that varies widely between people and I think it is common sense to not bring six eyeshadow brushes or three different foundation brushes. Also, again, so you don’t fill in your eyebrows regularly? Don’t bring brow products! Blush is your life? Maybe bring one more; just be careful you are not overdoing it! And, if you really need something or you forgot it remember that most places in the world sell makeup! And if you don’t look perfect on vacation? You are on vacation so have fun anyway!

I hope you found this helpful and a good medium between the dismissive (and often makeup shaming) professional travel tips and the often excessive beauty blogger/makeup artist recommendations. If you have anything to add or any questions please feel free to comment and I will try to get back to you!