I like to think of myself as a good packer. I roll clothes, compartmentalise my goods into cloth bags, decant where necessary – you know, the sensible ‘I do this a lot’ practises of we folk who spend a fair amount of time with a suitcase in hand.
On the cosmetics front, I slightly fall down on economy, but I shine on covering all bases – pun intended; this lot is designed to do my mum and sister’s make-up as well as mine. Given that it all fit into a single Catseye make-up bag (which by the by is still going strong without any smears or stains on its interior – all hail PVC), I think it’s perfectly permissible. Excuses made, shall I talk you through the old faithfuls and my newest discoveries?… //
Base //
The Stash / Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua for good skin days, the Chanel Loose Powder Foundation for when I need a bit more, my trusty Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage for spots, MAC x Chris Chang Finishing Pressed Powder for shiny days, and Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Flawless Wear Concealer for under eyes (more liquid than LMSC, also has an inbuilt SPF 30).
The Newest Find / Clarins Instant Light Radiance Boosting Complexion Base in Apricot is a dupe for the Tom Ford complexion-booster – very much ‘lights up’ the skin and erases any remnants of tired old travel face.
Blush / Bronze / Highlight //
The Stash / Hourglass Radiant Bronze Light Bronzer for when I need a bit of serious bronze, Nars x Christopher Kane Illuminating Multiple in Violet Atom for a pale shimmer atop cheekbones, and Nars Frenzy Dual-Intensity Blush for a flattering deep peach and gold highlighter in one palette.
The Newest Find / Guerlain Terra Magnifica Bronzing Powder Contrash Highlighter Face and Decollete is perfect for travel – comes in a tin so no breakages will happen on the road, the lid has a sizeable mirror in it, and once the little layer of spray-on gold has disappeared (for me this happened after one use), you’re left with a shimmer-free bronzer. N.B. This contains fragrance so give it wide berth if your skin’s very sensitive.
Eyeshadows //
The Stash / I’m currently into a cloud of shadow if wearing a nude lip and a nice flick if going for red. For the former, I’ve packed a few shadow palettes – Tom Ford Starry Night for a collection of cool blues that suit my mum perfectly, Bobbi Brown Greige Palette, which is now lamentably sold out but really wins on the neutral eye front, and Chanel Illusion D’Ombre in Mirage for the quickest lightly-defined bronze eye ever (I apply this with my fingers if in a hurry). Lancome Grandiose Liner takes care of flicks, and Nars Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base is my shadow insurance policy so I use it before long days out.
The Newest Find / Charlotte Tilbury The Golden Goddess shadow palette is in my number one spot at the moment. I use the cool brown all over the lid, the bronze as a liner (sounds weird but does wonderful things to the eyes), and whack the shimmer onto the fattest part of the eyelid for dimension.
Lashes //
The Stash / I wouldn’t go anywhere without Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers – my eyelashes are naturally dead straight. I’ve also brought Lancome Grandiose Mascara, which makes loading up lashes quick and getting into corners easy thanks to the swan-shaped neck (to see a video of me using it, click here).
The Newest Find / Clinique Lash Power Flutter-To-Full is a tubing mascara (so won’t budge until taken to with warm water) with a difference: you can turn the tube to three different settings to administer just the amount of mascara you’d like. I tend to use it dialled down for the day and on full mascara mode later on – the wand isn’t hugely special, but the customising thing is lovely – more please, Clinique. It’s out in the UK later this month.
Brows //
The Stash / Two lighter than light Suqqu Eyebrow Pens (my shade is Moss Green, though I’ll sometimes add in Brown if going for power brows) came with me. They’re ideal for travel as you don’t need a brush to apply the colour with and they’re waterproof so won’t sweat off.
The Newest Find / To set my brows in place, I’ve brought Benefit Ready, Set, Brow!, which has two different sized combs on the wand and therefore distributes gel in a very controlled fashion.
Lips /
The Stash /
– Lip balm: EOS Lip Balm (pleasing shape, pleasing sensation when rolled over lips, though not overly moisturising so I personally wouldn’t buy again).
– Punchy Red: Tom Ford Cherry Lush
– Pinky ‘Your Lips But Better’ Gloss: Perricone MD No Lipgloss Lipgloss
– Moisturising Pale 60s Pink (perfect on hot days): Tom Ford Moisturecore Lip Colour in Mustique
The Newest Find / Maybelline Vivid Matte Liquid in 50 Nude Thrill. I’m OBSESSED with this colour and finish – it’s sort of nude, sort of matte, looks amazing with bronzed skin. Pic of me wearing it:
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