Changing up your beauty routine when you travel can be tough, since it's a change from the norm, but bringing your whole range of make-up and other supplies with you can be a bit overkill or may not even fit in your toiletry kit and 3-1-1 bag. When I travel, I pare down my beauty supplies and just bring the staples and then some smaller items that can take me from day to evening, if I need it. You don't need to go all out on your trips, because there are a few items that can give you some extra sparkle.
Makeup products that do double-duty are fantastic for travel, because they do the same job as two or three different items and also save space!
- Foundation with SPF - You gotta put on sunscreen if you're going to be out a lot during the day. Instead of bringing a second "facial" sunscreen, make sure your foundation has an SPF in it, which most of the department store foundations do. I am a fan of the City Base Compact Foundation from Clinique. It has a 15 SPF and doesn't let me down.
- Moisturizer with SPF - This is a great extra layer of protection if you are also wearing a foundation, or a a nice base layer if you don't wear foundation or can't find one you like with built-in sunscreen.
- Tinted Moisturizer - If you're looking to dramatically cut down on your beauty routine, a tinted moisturizer is one way to do it. Ditch the moisturizer and the foundation and combine them, with something like Stila Cosmetics Sheer Color Tinted Moisturizer. I have gotten this as a sample several times with Sephora and haven't quite broken down to get the full size yet, but it might be happening soon. Other great ones are Philosophy's Hope in a Tinted Moisturizer (it even has 20 SPF in it), Philosophy's Supernatural Poreless Flawless Tinted SPF and Laura Mercier's Tinted Moisturizer (also available in oil-free).
- Powder foundation - I love this product, because at home I can use it as a powder over my normal foundation. On vacation, I can forgo normal foundation and put this over a tinted moisturizer and have full coverage. Philosophy's Supernatural Airbrushed Canvas gives you flawless skin and lasts forever. Bare Escentuals has BareMinerals SPF 15 Matte Foundation. Light and easy to apply, plus it's also good for your skin!
- Use a bright shimmery white eye shadow in the corners of your eyes for brightening your eyes and then under your brows to make your eye shadow pop and give definition.
- Moisturizing lip gloss - Leave all your lipsticks at home and replace with two or three colored lip balms. It has been difficult for me to find a lip balm with color that is also moisturizing and lasts long enough to be as good as lipstick. My new favorites are Balmshell's many different shades. It is amazingly moisturizing and comes in fantastic colors. Smashbox carries O-Gloss lip gloss. It moisturizes and tints your lips their natural pink. You can get it in peaches (Gold) and berries (Noir) as well. Burt's Bees and Softlips have some bargain options for you.
- Changing from a liquid to a powder is also a fancy way to save room in your 3-1-1 bag. You can keep them in your carry-on and not have to drag them out for inspection at security or worry about where to put them when you're packing your way back home.
- Eyeliner - Do you live with liquid liner? If you think you must travel with eyeliner and need some space, try a pencil liner or even a good waterproof cake eyeliner that is applied with a small brush. Clinique has a new one that is seriously easy to apply (and I'm terrible at putting on almost any eyeliner). It looks like eyeshadow and is a powder. Bare Escentuals has a great powder liner that you just add a wet brush to and it glides on like a liquid.
- Here's another point for powder foundation.
- Lip Stain - Instead of lipstick, you can try a lip stain with moisturizing properties, like Clinique's new (back by popular demand) Chubby Sticks. They are like crayons and don't require a trip in your 3-1-1 bag. They come in some pretty colors and go on easily.
Trial sizes are your best friend. Know those great little sizes of beauty products you get free with purchase? They come with tiny bags that you now have a whole collection of and hardly ever use. Well, instead of using them up, save some that you love and pack away in your toiletry bag for your next trip. Tiny mascaras, foundation primers, compacts with several colors of eyeshadow and possibly a blush, dual lip glosses, little moisturizers. These are all wonderfully space-saving and perfect if you can get them of your favorite products. Next time you make a purchase at the department store beauty counter or makeup store, like Sephora, ask if they have any trial sizes of any of your most used products. Generally they have a good supply of items behind the counter.
Downsize your current products into smaller containers for more room in your travel bag. You don't need full-size bottles and jars for one to two weeks. Any drugstore or store that carries toiletry items will have travel-size items and also travel containers to downsize to. Another tip I've heard from travelers is to use contact cases to store items you need very little of, like moisturizer. Since I am a contact wearer, I think this would just confuse me, I use jars that are just a little bit bigger.
- If you're a nail polish wearer, as I am, you want to take a bottle with you for touch-ups. I have found that the Sephora brand nail lacquer is a brilliant addition to my 3-1-1. The bottles are small and the variety of colors is huge! The also offer great coverage with only one coat and are long-lasting. And inexpensive!
- While we're on the subject of nail polish, chips and peels are bound to happen. Don't take a bottle of polish remover. Instead, bring a compact container of polish remover pads like my new favorites from LA Colors. They come in funky scents like pear and grape and one tiny pad can take the polish off all your toes or fingers (maybe even both!). It doesn't have that horrible acetone underscent either that you end up smelling for 2 days. I love them! You can also get some wipes from Cutex in the travel-size section. They come in their own packets, so they don't dry out.
- A cream blush might be just the ticket to downsizing. I hated bringing a blush brush, because at some point it would end up getting wet and crushed in my toiletry bag and being pretty useless. After some searching I found a great alternative: cream blush. It's not creamy enough to warrant being put in your 3-1-1 bag and takes up a lot less space. My two favorites are by Laura Mercier and Clinique's Blushwear cream stick. You apply with your fingers and can blend as little or as much as you want for more or less coverage.
Pack beauty kits that have multiple items all in one compact. It save space and has everything you need all in one place. It keeps things from rolling around in your bag, too. If you like many colors, grab yourself an eyeshadow trio or quad or something that gives you a whole look in one place like these fun sets.
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