When traveling I typically go on two different types of trips. There is the trip where I am going somewhere just to explore, eat my way through the city, and find a brewery to relax. Then, there is the type of trip where I fly somewhere and try to only take a carry on (usually when I travel internationally). This is the type of trip where I might be taking a lot of trains and I want to look nice sometimes, but mostly I am just hiking or walking big cities all day.

For a leisurely get away, I can be more indulgent in the products I bring. But, for a longer more adventurous trip I want to be more thoughtful and intentional about the products I bring.  For example, when I went to Europe for four weeks and Thailand for two weeks I did not want to keep up with a lot of items. I also did not want to worry about losing my favorite $70 foundation.

I am going to give ideas of how you can use some products in multiple ways. There is flexibility with exact brands and colors. Sephora has great travel size options. They can usually be found in the checkout section at Sephora (you know the section where it all falls apart? You think you are in budget, then grab 5 $20 items? You KNOW the one!).

Foundation

For my foundation when traveling I usually pick up an inexpensive liquid foundation or just roll with concealer. Concealer is just a heavier more pigmented version of concealer. I can thin it out and use it as needed on the whole face. These can also be used to contour and highlight. I usually will take 3 or 4 different concealer colors. Also, I make sure to have a moisturizer in my bag to mix with the concealer to thin it out and basically make my own tinted moisturizer.

My goal for beauty when traveling is to be able to look polished and feel nice, but take the least expensive and the least number of products that I can.  Concealer can double as your eye shadow primer. I am not saying this is what I would do on special occasions or what I do on my clients, however, when I am trying to be low maintenance it is a great option! Traveling with inexpensive concealers is what I prefer. I usually just roll with L.A. GIRL, TBH.

Eye shadow, Eyeliner, and Eyebrows

I especially love to travel with the baby eye shadow palettes My fav is the Tartelette Tease. I love this one because it has a mix of shimmer and matte shades. The medium brown shade is deep enough for me to turn into an eyeliner. And, I can layer it to smoke out the corners. BONUS TIP: when you have darker brows, this can be used to fill in the brows. You just got FOUR products out of one. If you want the powder to turn into a liquid … spray your brush with a setting spray (Urban Decay all nighter is a great option). You will have to take a setting spray no matter what so here is a second way to use it!

Making a contour kit work in multiple ways

For my cheeks, I like to just add a little blush while traveling, but you could bring this contour kit. This kit could also double as eye shadow. If you do not care as much about adding colors to your eyes but would rather have the contour powder for your face this would be a great option. Use this to contour your eyes (add depth) then highlight your lid with these highlight colors. I like to have the option of playing around with my eyes when I do go to a nice dinner so I opt for the eye shadow palette over the contour one. The darkest contour color here could still be used as eyeliner. Another product you may want to add in addition is an eyebrow pencil, I am not sure about making these contour colors work for brows. But, it may work for you!

Cheek Color

For my cheeks I opt for my glossier cloud paint in “Dusk” because it is a warm color. It does NOT replace what a contour color does, but it would add some warmth to me if I chose not to bring the contour along. Also, this could be doubled as a lip stain!

Two items I really cannot get away with replacing are setting powder and mascara. You can get a miniature mascara or an inexpensive one. And, your setting powder will be used to set your eyeshadow as well.

Stay Radiant and adventurous! ~xo