What’s In My Makeup Bag: Packing The Essentials

What’s In My Makeup Bag: Packing The Essentials

I’ll be straight with you guys here; I am the nosiest person ever, and finding out what people carry in their makeup bags daily fascinates me, what products they can and cannot live without.

We are constantly wondering what everyone else is using in searching for new products, and trust me; you’re not alone.

I know I’ve seen my fair few Youtube videos where celebrities review what they carry in their makeup bag, and I’ve gone and purchased the item I was looking to get based on their recommendation.

Anyone else?

What makeup products everyone uses is a hot topic over here at Beautists. So I thought I’d show you my go-to essentials that I carry with me whenever I travel.

Whether I’m traveling somewhere overnight, staying with a friend, or just packing a few things for work, I’m here to show you the nitty-gritty details of everything I include in my makeup kit.

Let’s jump in!

Everything I pack in my makeup bag when traveling

Right, let’s get down to the DETAILS. I’m personally someone who wears the same makeup wherever I go, but I tend to switch it up occasionally. Here’s what’s in my makeup bag:

Brushes:

Every girl will be lost without her makeup brushes, I had gone away before and forgot my foundation brush, and I’m going, being honest, those who apply foundation with their fingers are a different breed.

Now I have sworn that I will always remember to pack my brushes in my makeup bag. No one has space for every brush per product.

So for traveling, I have purchased a high-quality but affordable makeup brush set that accompanies me on all my travels. I personally love Real Techniques, but the second favorite of mine has to be EcoTools.

I love Real Techniques as they offer high-quality brushes that will fit nicely into your makeup routine; at home, I personally prefer to use Beautyblender for my liquid makeup, but Real Techniques makeup sponge is pretty brilliant too.

If you have your own preference for brushes, I recommend you pack an eyeshadow brush, foundation brush/sponge, powder brush, and contour brush.

Eye Shadow Palettes:

I am more of a natural bronze, nude girl at heart, so my eyeshadow palettes are quite basic when I travel; I have always been a personal fan of Urban Decay’s makeup palettes.

Don’t get me wrong, I do love Morphe too, but when I travel, my Urban Decay Eyeshadow Pallette will always make it in my makeup bag. I love their newest eyeshadow palette, ‘Naked Honey.’

I am a huge fan of neutral tones when doing my eyes in my makeup routine, these colors are so flattering on my skin, and they’re fairly easy to blend out. They’ll also go with almost any color.

Foundation:

My favorite foundation that you can guarantee will always be in my makeup bag is Double Wear Foundation by Estee Lauder.

Foundation is a fundamental part of your makeup routine, especially if you’re going to an event or a fancy dinner.

Estee Lauder’s Double Wear foundation offers full coverage without feeling cakey on your face; it leaves a lightweight, dewy finish that I absolutely love.

It lasts throughout the day; it is also buildable without looking too heavy or cakey, making it the perfect foundation for traveling or at home.

Concealer:

My favorite concealer that I have used for a few years now is NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer. It is incredibly long-lasting and offers amazing coverage over blemishes.

It also doesn’t crease around the eyes, which is quite rare from a concealer. I have also tried out Maybelline Instant Age Rewind if you’re looking for a more budget-friendly option. It is brilliant for the price point!

Mascara

I have been trying out a few different mascaras recently. I recently saw the hype for the Maybelline Sky High Mascara across social media. While it lengthens your lashes, I always found it left a residue on my eyelids after it took ages to dry.

A mascara I personally love at the moment is ILIA Natural Limitless Lash Mascara. Once I switched, you will never catch me ever using another mascara again; it’s brilliant!

Mascara is the foundation of your makeup look; unless you have lash extensions, it will tie your eyeshadow look and add the finishing touches you need.

Blush:

When traveling, I love using a blush and highlighter in one; packing both can take up too much space, and after trying Milani Baked Blush, it will always have space in my makeup bag.

The beautiful matte and shimmery shade highlights all my other beauty products and adds natural warmth and glow to your makeup. I use it every day.

Brows:

For my eyebrows, I tend to use a trusty eyebrow pencil to line underneath my brow and then brush my brows out with a tinted eyebrow gel or cream.

I am not a fan of fluffy brows. Personally, it doesn’t fit my brow shape, but I love brushing them out to give them a more natural look. Eyebrow gel is also brilliant for keeping them in place for the whole day too.

Depending on the look I am going for, I tend to switch between Anastasia and NYX brow gel and Benefit Precisely My Brow Pencil. Since they are quite small, they will always make an appearance in my makeup bag.

Bronzer:

I do love to highlight my cheekbones with a good bronzer to highlight my contour, but when I’m traveling, I tend to leave my contour at home and contour with my bronzer instead.

I have recently been trying this bronzer by Physicians Formula, and I am completely hooked! It leaves your skin looking sunkissed; it also looks super light and blends nicely into your skin.

Lipstick:

I am not the biggest fan of lipstick and would rather line my lips and go with a natural, nude gloss to finish my makeup.

I currently love the combo of MAC lip liner with their Lipglass in the shade Spice. It leaves a natural shimmer and will compliment any makeup look, natural and exotic.

Powder:

I do not tend to stick to one brand of product, now do I? I love to use a bit of powder to set my makeup or head to the store and need a little brightening in my face in the morning.

I cannot go anywhere without my powder, especially if I am looking for a matte finish that will last all day. I personally love Bare Minerals for their powder; it leaves a matte finish and minimizes the pores on my face.

I tend to use it every day, after applying my base makeup and before applying my eyeshadow and eye makeup.

SPF Cream

Now we all need to remember our SPF if we are going away, luckily I have tried a fair few sunscreens over the year, and I have found my favorite to put under my makeup.

They leave your skin feeling smooth and don’t leave a horrible white cast, which I absolutely hate. I personally love using tinted sunscreen as I can use it instead of makeup for a minimal coverage look.

My personal favorite sun cream is La Roche-Posay Anthelios Tinted Sun Cream or their non-tinted version Melt-In Sunscreen Milk.

What is the best makeup bag for traveling? 

When traveling, there’s nothing I love more than to keep things organized; I hate scrambling through my makeup bag to find my mascara hidden at the bottom. 

I recently came across cosmetic cases, and I am completely hooked. Now don’t worry, I don’t mean the massive suitcases for makeup, but you can get square makeup bags with organizers for every product. 

Our brushes get damaged the most when traveling, so I found that purchasing a makeup bag with a separate brush holder compartment really helped protect my brushes and make them last longer. 

Plus, I never have to scramble to find products again. 

However, not all cosmetic cases are practical; sometimes, we need a small makeup bag to do the trick; all I would recommend is keeping your brushes separate in this case. 

Check out my top recommendations here.

Summary

So there you have it, all the essentials you’ll need to pack in your makeup bag when traveling. Here’s a tip, pack beauty products you cannot live without in your routine.

As long as you have your trusty foundation, powder, mascara, bronzer, blush, brow pencil, and brushes, you should be covered when traveling.

We all want to feel like we are bossing our makeup look, even when we are away from home, and being organized and packing the right things means that you never need to worry again.

Happy traveling!