Products I Can't Be Without - Travel Essentials

There is nothing quite like packing to go away for a few days to truly make you realise that you use a lot of products on an almost daily basis. I get asked fairly frequently what are my go to staples so I thought since I'm packing anyway I would share my must have make-up items...


At the moment I am rather enjoying Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation but will say that L'Oreal True Match Foundation is certainly giving it a run for its money. As I have only tested out True Match twice and can't be entirely sure it will hold up in just about any condition Lancome Teint Miracle has been packed. Admittedly it does have a strong alcohol fragrance but it covers all imperfections, feels light on the skin and keeps my super oily skin in check without drying out my face. Yes it is somewhat on the pricey side but it is worth every penny in my book. I should really have stated that I prime using Max Factor Face Finity All Day Primer  - nothing and I mean nothing comes close to it. If you have oily skin or need your make-up to stay perfectly in place all day this really should be your next purchase.

My other two base essentials come from MAC - MAC Pro Longwear Concealer and MAC Prep and Prime Loose Powder in Neutralize. MAC Prolong Concealer is all I use on my under eye area as it doesn't crease or cake, a little goes a long, long way and you can also use it to highlight. Once you use this you won't turn back. More often than not I don't use concealer anywhere else on my face as my foundation offers me enough coverage but if I do have a large blemish I use Estee Lauder Double Wear Maximum Cover or Kevin Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer. As someone with really oily skin I do need to fully powder my face to ensure that my base will stay put, for the last few months I have relied on MAC Prep and Prime Powder in Neutralize which is a lemon tinted powder - think a more muted version of Ben Nye Banana Powder. This finely milled powder not only brightens my skin but keeps oil at bay without leaving me looking caked in make-up which certain powders have a tendency to do - that or I am just really heavy handed!

I have three go to cheek product, one to sculpt, one to highlight and one to add a pop of colour. For quite some while now my go to contour powder is NARS Laguna Bronzer which oddly only works for me as a blonde. This medium toned olive bronzer helps me to create sharper cheekbones and can be used to warm my skin up a little too. At the moment I have been using the NARS The Happening Palette which is from last year as it gives me the choice of an extra blush (NARS Orgasm Blush) and for extra eyeshadows. To know me is to know that my love for Illamasqua Tremble Blush runs deep, goodness knows how often I mention it but it is the only pink blush I have ever truly fallen for. It brightens my skin, gives a healthy burst of colour and looks great with just about any make-up look. Lastly I use MAC Whisper of Gilt In Extra Dimension Skinfinish to highlight which is from last year - should MAC launch another In Extra Dimension Collection snap up one of the highlighters immediately. The gel to powder formula is amazing, soft, doesn't settle in pores and gives the most beautiful glow - I kick myself daily for not snagging a back up.

It is only recently that I have began to really enjoy eye make-up, gone are the days when all I did was apply a little mascara and go! My staple eye make-up involves a base of Origins GinZing Brightening Cream Eyeshadow with a few shades from the Urban Decay Basics Palette blended on top. Yeah it is neutral, safe and I guess boring but it works for me. I finish off with a good few coats of Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara and a little flick of Bourjois Feutre Eyeliner in Noir Moka. As you might have guessed I use Hourglass Brow Sculpting Pencil in Blonde on my brows and that really is it. This waxy pencil is the easiest way I find to shape and fill my brows. It is foolproof.

For my lips all I have packed is MAC Naked Bud Lipstick which was a limited edition shade from a few collections back - MAC Angel Lipstick is very similar though. I tend to line and fill my lips with Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in East End Snob then I dab on MAC Naked Bud lipstick. I can't leave home without a lip balm of some sort - Carmex to the rescue and that is everything I pack in terms of make-up when going away from home!

Toilteries...pfft let's not go there a.k.a it is a smash and grab situation.