I’ve done a what’s in my travel makeup bag once before, and that was in 2019. That was also my last time leaving the country. I recently went away for the first time since the pandemic began and packing for the first time in what feels like forever feels like a daunting task. Since then, I also made the decision to go CF with my makeup/ beauty, so what’s in my cruelty free travel makeup bag?
HOW I PACK
Last time I did this, I packed a lot of stuff. That was partly down to the ambiguity of how my skin would react to the flight and not being fully aware of what the weather would be like when I got there. This time there was a little more clarity on that*, which made packing a little bit easier.
*Lisbon, two hour flight so no major risks of travelling drying my skin, and weather forecast of 25-30c for the duration. Shouldn’t have been hot or cold enough for the climate to do strange things to my face either.
If you saw the last post, you’ll know that I like to pack my makeup bag a couple of weeks before I go, use the stuff for a few weeks, then add any extras or remove anything that seems to be surplus to requirements. And after not packing a bag for a couple of years at this point, I needed this system more than ever.
The following items are what I packed approximately three weeks before my trip. There are two products in there that aren’t cruelty free that I’m still using up, so I’m not going to mention brands etc for those two things, simply the generic item (eg brow pencil) so you know I didn’t forget to pack it.
This list was written before my departure, so please excuse the change in tenses used in the following section.
WHAT’S IN MY CRUELTY FREE TRAVEL MAKEUP BAG?
BASE
- Morphe Skin Tint – I’m trying to travel with just this one singular foundation/ tinted moisturiser type product. Which is practically unheard of for me. This skin tint is quite light and I wear it a lot when I do my day-to-day makeup.
- Powder Foundation (Not CF)
- Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder
- Elf Hydrating Camo Concealer – The perfect hydrating formula for my dry skin, but the palest shade is slightly too dark for me.
- Collection Lasting Perfection Serum Concealer – The palest shade is my perfect match, but this one is a little too dry sometimes. Might be able to use it alone, if not, it will be mixed with the one above.
- Colourpop No Filter Concealer (white) – I use this for mixing, and as a matte zero shimmer under base highlighter sometimes. May not need it, but always pack it.
CHEEKS
I pretty much only use cream products these days, so I have all of my favourite creams, but a powder blush and highlight just in case my skin happens to be really oily while I’m away.
- Elf Putty Bronzer (Feelin’ Shady and Tan Lines)
- Colourpop Blush Stix (Aloha and 25/8)
- Elf Bite Sized Cheek Duo (White Peach)
- Wet n Wild Highlighter (Blossom Glow)
- Bali Body Highlighter Stick
EYES
One cool toned and one warm toned palette, each with a good range of light to dark shades.
- Colourpop Flutter By Palette
- By Beauty Bay Fiery 16
- 1 brow pencil (not CF)
LIPS
- 2 Essence Lip Liners (Passionate, Unforgettable)
- 2 Charlotte Tilbury Lip Liners (Pillow Talk, Kiss n Tell)
- 1 Charlotte Tilbury lipstick (Stoned Rose)
- 2 non CF red lipsticks I’m using up
WHAT I ADDED
- Colourpop No Filter Foundation Stick (bronzer – shade 85)
WHAT I TOOK OUT
- Elf Putty Bronzer in Tan Lines
I decided that taking a cream contour and bronzer in the exact same packaging may get messy and result in a silly mistake if I tried to get ready in a hurry one day/ night, so I switched out the bronzer for another cream I use often.
WHAT I WISH I’D PACKED
Nothing! I know this may seem like a lot to some people, and possibly not a lot (to very few) people, but I used pretty much everything I packed and didn’t wish I had anything else once.
ANYTHING I DIDN’T USE?
The only items I didn’t end up using were the two powder cheek products; my skin was fine with my regular creams and I much prefer using cream formulas anyway, but I don’t regret packing the powders. They don’t take up much space, and I always think it’s best to have both.
