Besides beauty product reviews and makeup tutorials, I love reading posts about beauty bloggers sharing with their readers on ‘What’s in my purse’, ‘My top 5 beauty products’, ‘Makeup essentials for a trip’, you know, lists of favorites.
I’d just returned from a trip to Taiwan when I read Leesha’s post on what she brought on a trip. So that inspired me to write mine too! The picture above is also a Taiwan Tourism Logo inspired-picture! Must not copy exactly though, copyright issues! XD
I actually meant to get this post up long ago. Like reeeeeeaaaaalllllyyyy long ago. 5 months? It somehow got buried under and I cleanly forgot about it. But it's a good thing though, since now I would have reviewed more products than I did 4 months ago.
Some of the products mentioned in this post I may have stopped using by the time of writing - like mascara which must not be used for more than 6 months, and others which I may have found better alternatives. It's been 4 months, things get used up and there's always a new contender! =)
Now let's get started!
Here are what I brought with me on my seven days Taiwan trip!
I just HAD to bring that many makeup items. And I haven't even started on the tools yet!
I really tried to cut down, but these are my travel makeup essentials! XD
For the Face
Monistat Chafing Powder-Gel: This face primer is a must-have makeup item in my makeup kit. Read my review of the Monistat Chafing Gel as a face primer.
Revlon Color Stay Foundation (Buff) and MAC Studio Fix Foundation(NC25): I was deciding between these 2 because the MAC powder is obviously lighter and every ounce counts in total baggage weight (need allowance for shopping loot!). But the Revlon foundation has been my daily go-to foundation for the past few months and I didn’t want to risk looking or feeling ‘not my usual self’ in a foreign country. Moreover my friend who came back from Taiwan a week before my trip told me that Taiwan has lower humidity levels and the skin will be drier. Compact powder can make my skin look hmm, cakey and more ‘made-up’ and the drier Taiwan air would make it worse. But… eventually I brought both of them. HAHA! And I didn’t use the MAC powder at all. =.=
Amazing Cosmetics Concealer (Light Golden): Best concealer to cover undereye circles and blemishes. I like that it is a one-stop solution! When you’re travelling, there isn’t much time to use color correctors like the Sonia Kashuk Hidden Agenda Concealer Palette in the morning. You just wanna dabbady-dab-dab and GO!
MAC Beauty Powder (Too Chic): Subtle champagne highlighter for the cheek bones and nose. Religiously used every day.
NARS Loose Powder: I didn’t bring the whole jar actually. I brought my little sifter jar that I transferred some loose powder into. The NARS Loose Powder original case is not fit for travel at all.
NARS Blush (Orgasm): Gorgeous peachy pink blush color with golden sparkle. I love to brush this along the apples of my cheeks for a glowing, healthy look!
Benefit Dandelion: Sweet pink color with subtle shimmer. Sometimes I like the cute boxy packaging, sometimes I dislike it for taking up so much space.
For the Eyes
Urban Decay Primer Potion: I brought the cute little UDPP in Nude that came with the NAKED Palette, and also samples of Eden. I must say I like Eden more than Nude now that I’ve tried both. While Nude is just, well, nude in color, Eden has a tinge on beige and acts as an eye brightener. I might go for Eden on my next purchase of the full UDPP.
Urban Decay Naked Palette: Ever since I got my paws on the Urban Decay Naked Palette, there hasn’t been a day I didn’t use a color or two from this palette. The colors are just gorgeous and highly pigmented. I even love those shimmery ones! There are shades for the eyelid, crease area, outer-v, and inner eye corners. It’s just so versatile! True to its name, the looks created with the Naked Palette are more neutral, brown-inclined. You can create about a thousand (12!= 479,001,600 to be exact haha) simple or smokey looks with the 12 eyeshadows but as I’m not a neutral, brown eyeshadow makeup look lover, I brought the Urban Decay Ammo Palette along.
Urban Decay Ammo Palette:. You never know when you need that dash of blue or red or green to spice up the look! For trips, it is good to bring at least one palette with bright colors and another with neutrals, to create variety for many outfits.
MAC Shroom eyeshadow: I’ve been using the famous and well-loved MAC Shroom eyeshadow for the past few months and I like its subtlety. It’s not too white like Virgin in the Naked Palette or shimmery like NYX White pearl single eyeshadow. I’m still thinking of whether to depot it and place it in the Z-Palette.
MAC Fluidline Blacktrack: Definitely this over the Bobbi Brown Chocolate Shimmer Gel Liner. (At the time of writing, my MAC Fluidline Blacktrack has been reduced to a dry and cakey lump of black gunk)
L’Oreal HIP Chrome Eyeliners (Silver Lighting and Violet Volt): Colored eyeliners instantly add a dash of color to your eyes. I really like the L’Oreal HIP Liner in Violet Volt on my upper lashline.
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil (Bourbon and Zero): Double-ended eyeliner that came with the Naked Palette. I rarely use it though coz Zero smudges on me if I use it as eyeliner. I use it to tightline my upper waterline instead.
NYX Automatic Eyebrow Pencil (Dark Brown)
NYX Blush in Taupe: Instead of a contour powder, I found in this a good color for my eyebrows which I apply after shaping my brows with NYX eyebrow pencil.
Shiseido Nourishing Mascara Base: A must-have in my daily mascara application routine, to ensure mascara stays on my lashes - not on my undereye - for longer hours. Helps to hold curl as well!
Maybelline Volum’ Express The Falsies Waterproof Mascara: This mascara gives awesome volume to the lashes and stays that way throughout the day. The wand is TOO FAT for the lower lashes though.
Rimmel Glam Eyes Waterproof Mascara: I use the Rimmel Glam Eyes Waterproof Mascara for the lower lashes because its comb-like wand allows precise separation of the lower lashes. I always use this with a mascara guard mentioned below in the Makeup Tools section.
The first picture of this post shows my favorite Anna Sui Volume Mascara. That picture was taken on my first day in Taiwan, and then I threw the mascara away as it had become dry beyond use. All the other photos were taken back in Singapore.
For the Lips
NYX lipglosses: Smokey Look, Lollipop, Beige, Sweetheart
NYX round lipsticks: Thalia
Estee Lauder Lip Conditioner: My life saver in the dry Taiwan weather. I applied this whenever I lips felt dry, which was ever so often. I never used this as much in Singapore.
Makeup Brushes
Sigma F80: To apply Revlon Colorstay liquid foundation
Ecotools blush brush: To apply NARS loose powder
MAC 168: To apply Benefit Dandelion and NARS Orgasm
MAC 217: To blend eyeshadow on contour area
e.l.f Angled Contour Brush: To contour the nose
Loew Cornell Maxine's Mop 3/8 brush: Dupe for MAC #239
e.l.f professional Eye Shadow Brush: To apply MAC Beauty Powder Too Chic highlighter
Loew-Cornell 270-1/4 Maxine’s Mop: I love this for applying eyebrow powder
MAC 219: For precise application of color on lower lashline
Sonia Kashuk Bent Eyeliner Brush: To apply MAC Fluidline Blacktrack. Sonia Kashuk Bent Eyeliner Brush is my Holy Grail eyeliner brush! I just ordered my second brush (I feel insecure knowing I have only 1, just in case Sonia Kashuk decides to discontinue this one day)
Watsons eyelash brush: To smudge out eyebrow powder so that eyebrows look more feathery and natural. I like to use eyelash brushes for my eyebrows.
In the first picture of this post you can see the brushes being wrapped up in things that look like fruit sleeves. They're Brush Guards! I'm so glad I brought The Brush Guards along with me on this trip. Those brush guards helped minimize damage to my brush bristles and kept them in shape, especially with us checking into 4 different hotels in 5 nights.
In the first picture you also see a metallic pink tube - it's the Too Faced Retractable Kabuki Brush which I normally use to apply the MAC Studio Fix Foundation.
Makeup Tools
Small mirror: To apply mascara, I tilt my head up and look down into the mirror. That way, I can prevent getting mascara on my upper lids.
Hair velcro: To stick my fringe up and keep hair away from my face
Pencil sharpener: I don’t like to use eye pencils because they have to be sharpened. *Grumbles*
Water spray: I keep this little bottle of distilled in my daily bag to mist my face to keep it hydrated. The weather was so so so so dry!
Mascara guard: To prevent mascara from getting onto eyelids and undereye area (I wrote about the hair velcro and mascara guard as a guest post in Karen’s blog)
Shu Uemura eyelash curler. My staple! I have tried about a gazillion (okie, maybe 15) eyelash curlers and gone back to the very first eyelash curler I tried 9 years ago. Engineered to fit the contour of an Asian eye, I have found in the Shu Uemura eyelash curler a great tool for curling straight Asian eyelashes.
Gatsby Oil Blotting Paper (Not in picture): My face produced much less oil in Taiwan as compared to Singapore but this was still necessary in ensuring that my face didn’t shine like the underside of a pan in pictures.
Okie! Phew! What a long list!
Don't get me started on skincare!
Now, your turn!
Share with us what you must bring on a holiday!
What are your makeup essentials?
