Saturday, February 28, 2015

the chosen ones.

As some readers from my previous blog may have noticed, I recently went on a pretty long holiday. 6 months to be exact. So what products does a girl who is obsessed with make up bring with on a 6 month backpacking trip?
When I was packing, I had to set myself a 'one of each product' rule. I had a 20kg limit on most of my flights and my rucksack could only carry around 15kg. That meant that I had to justify and be super selective about what I was going to bring with me and so, a majority of my products are holy grails and products I've used for years and am familiar with.


Do you even understand how hard it is to only use these products for 6 months straight?? 
I only brought one bag for make up and one bag for brushes. 


FACE & BASE. 

Garnier Moisture Match for Combination to Oily Skin - I was actually lugging around my Clinique Gel but I left it at my base and bought this because it was small and cheap. I really liked the feeling it left on my skin and worked really well under my make up. It was not as moisturising as I would've liked, especially at a night moisturiser but it kept me shine free for most of the day. I guess you win some and you lose some. 

Lush Tea Tree Water Toner - A long love of mine. I actually had finished a bottle and had to buy one while travelling. I used it to clean any left over make up on my face and to exfoliate and cleanse my skin. On the hotter days, I would spray this on top of my make up to freshen up. 

MUA Matte Perfect Primer - I love this primer. It's a great dupe for Benefit The Porefessional. It fills my pores and leaves my skin matte and smooth and it's only 4 quids ($8aud). Because MUA is a British brand, I stocked up like crazy when I was in London. It's the length of a finger so it's the perfect size for travelling. 

Benefit The Porefessional - I brought this with me because it's a small sample size but I didn't even finish it. I like it for the same reasons as the MUA Matter Perfect Primer but it has a steeper price. 

Face of Australia Face Base Primer - My HG primer that moisturises and provides the perfect base for my oily skin. 

Australis Paparazzi Perfect HD Tinted Moisturiser - Lightweight for everyday wear and it contains SPF 15 for those sunny and long European summer days. 

Maxfactor Miracle Touch Liquid Illusion Foundation - One of my all time favourite full coverage foundations. I wore this on nights out and a festivals. It's a tad too thick for everyday wear though. I originally only had one with me (#75) but I got so tanned that I had to purchase the darkest colour (Caramel #85).

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation - I purchased this a few weeks in because I wanted something lighter than the Maxfactor foundation for everyday wear and I also needed another darker foundation because I was so tanned. And yes, I had to buy the darkest colour they offered. I love that it leaves me looking glowing and radiant. It smells amazing too! 

Maybelline FIT Me Stick Foundation - I use the darkest colour in the range as a contour stick.

The Balm Sexy Mama Antishine Translucent Powder - My everyday setting powder that leaves me shine free for a solid 4-5 hours. 

The Balm Bahama Mama Bronzer - A matte bronzer that I use for contouring. I touched pan during my trip! 

Sleek Face Form Contouring and Blush Palette - I purchased this in London because I've been after a contouring palette for a while and can't get my hands on the ABH one. The contour colour was too orange for my skin tone so I barely touched this palette. I wish I had grabbed more of their blush palettes which are really pigmented and have colours similar to the Nars range. 







EYES & MISC. 

MUA Undressed Palette - A dupe and in my opinion, a better version of the Urban Decay Naked palette. The packaging of my Naked palette has been completely destroyed because I've taken it travelling so many times. This palette is a lot smaller in size and the small price tag means that I won't be upset if it smashes in my bag.

Anatasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade - My HG brow product thats waterproof, sweatproof and doubles up as an eyeliner. Absolute love. 

Anatasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz - I somehow took two of these with me and ended up losing one. I thought this was my HG until I discovered the Pomade. I love Brow Wiz but I cannot for the life of me, make the start of my brows even with such a thin tip. I now use this to fill in after lining with Pomade.

Urban Decay Primer Potion - I cannot apply eyeshadow without this. Enough said. 

MAC Eyelash Curler - I've had this for years and MAC does not sell replacement pads. It still curls pretty well though. 

Sephora Make Up Brush Cleaner - I purchased this half way into my trip to spot clean because I was too lazy to deep clean with the baby shampoo I had brought with me. Not only that, it was not easy to deep clean when the bathrooms and sinks in hostels were communal. 

Australis Multi Mega Lash Mascara - Is it weird to say that I'm falling out of love with this mascara? It feels like it doesn't lengthen or volumise my lashes as well as it used too. I think it's because I've been discovering other better mascaras. Don't worry Australis, you are still my favourite Australian brand. 

Savvy by DB Soft Glide Eyeliner - A cheap eyeliner that I quickly grabbed when packing. I use this on my upper lash line. I try not to line my lower water and lash line now because I feel that it makes me look a lot older. 

Korres Lip Butter Stick - I didn't know that Korres was a Greek brand until I purchased this in Athens after a week in the Greek Islands. My lips and the area around it was dry, peeling and stinging. I was freaking out because I thought I caught herpes or something (LOL) but a bunch of girls reassured me that it was just sunburn because I had not applied any SPF on my mouth area. This lip balm has a slight tint and contains SPF 15. I had learnt my lesson! 

Maybelline The Magnum Volume Express Mascara - I had to bring one waterproof mascara with me for those days at the beach or pool. This is the only waterproof one I own. I really dislike waterproof mascara because it's a pain in the bum to remove! I love this mascara though and wished that they stocked it here in Australia. I purchased this in a department store in Bali a while ago and from what I remember, it was only sold in the waterproof version. The brush is curved so it helps with holding my curl and adding volume, making my eyes look bigger. 





I was so overwhelmed when I came home to a zillion blush, lipstick and eyeshadow choices. It's been three months since I've been back and I still reach for these products because I was so used to using them everyday. If anyone wants a more in depth review of any of these products, please leave a comment below!

What are the products that you bring with you on your travelling adventures? Are you a bare minimum packer or is your make up to baggage room 10:1?

x

2 comments:

  1. I can't follow you on bloglovin coz your blog won't come up when I search it :c If you email bloglovin about your change of URL, they fix your link/page and carry your old followers over! Give it a go c:

    I can only imagine how overwhelmed you would have felt coming home to your entire collection! I think it was smart not to pack anything that you couldn't bare losing. The packaging of all the items you packed seemed light and practical for travelling too!
    I can't believe how dark you got on your trip, the foundation shades are crazy haha!

    Chloé⎪ status.chlo (previously à la foliee)

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  2. Holy smokes I can't imagine only having to live with so little makeup products for six months! Even when I went away to Hong Kong for a month I found difficulty trying to pick out necessities and carrying a very jam packed makeup bag lol. I think you did an amazing job with picking and choosing! :D

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