Travelling Makeup!

In two weeks, I'll be living out of a backpack for a month. I've done this once before, and I had the absolute worst skin of my life. I took barely any makeup because I assumed I wouldn't need it, but we were in India, and I hadn't counted on all the sweat, dirt and baking heat. Spots everywhere. Massive juicers visible from space... Never again.

So now I'm a careful packer, and although I have to travel very light, I don't cut corners any more - it's just not worth it. So here is what I am taking makeup-wise:

 Now I'll admit; this isn't quite everything. I'm still umming and ahhing over what concealer to take with me. I think I'm probably just going to buy a new one in a darker shade (any excuse).

Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream
Fairly standard. It doesn't give me all the coverage I need, but it's lovely and light with SPF - winner, winner.

Benefit Hoola Bronzer
Again, standard, but it's just the best bronzer I've used. I don't like to take shimmery face products as I feel they are for days when you're feeling particularly... 'Sparkly'. And that's definitely max once a week.

Topshop Lipstick in Infrared
It's orange, and honestly, I rarely leave the house without wearing it these days. It's my absolute favourite and I couldn't leave it behind - it makes me so sad to think of it alone in my drawer for so long.

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Hibiscus

Such a lovely product, especially when you have a tan. I love it on my lips and cheeks, although it does need lip balm too since it can be quite drying.

 The Body Shop Shimmer Cubes
This is one of those lovely little eyeshadows from the shimmer cubes boxes. Its a golden/peach kind of colour and I use it all over the place; inner-corner highlight, eyeshadow wash, cheekbone highlight and sometimes on my cupid's bow too. Such a convenient little thing!

 Maybelline Expresson Kajal Eyeliner - Silver Grey
This is a slightly softer alternative to straight black. I feel like black takes effort, because if I don't get it right it makes my eyes look small and piggy. I was so satisfied with this, until I saw the new Bobbi Brown Surf and Sand bronze eyeliner... I want it so badly!

Maybelline Brow Drama - Medium Brown
Now, admittedly, this is nowhere near as good as Benefit's Gimme Brow, but it's £4.99, and so simple to use. I'd normally use pencil and then this over the top, but it does fine on it's own and pencil is such a faff when you only have a little compact mirror. Also, because it has a bigger, wider brush, it makes quite a good mascara!

So there we have it. Other than perhaps two new additions, this is what I'll be using! I hope I made good choices!

Xxxx

...May Favourites!

I have been going very fuss-free this month - exam season and all that! Here are a couple of things that have been on my head almost daily...

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo - £15.50
When I'm stressed I get spots - humongous, juicy ones - blehh. And because I'm just so damned white they always leave red marks. I'm not going to say this is a wonder product, but I have definitely noticed a big difference in the size and quantity of blemishes and also how quickly they disappear.

Bumble and Bumble Pret-A-Powder - £21.50
Once again, exam season has meant all day library shifts, late nights and a serious reduction in giving a crap about my appearance. This lasts a million times longer than dry shampoo in a spray can and also gives a nice little bit of volume/texture, allowing me to look a little less homeless.

Benefit Gimme Brow - £17.50
I'm sure you're noticing a trend emerging here... Speed and laziness. This isn't that great by way of adding shape, but it defines brows well and makes them a bit more groomed.

E45 Cream - £2.39
A bit of a standard here, but I have been using it all over the place recently; especially to soothe the horrible flaky skin that some blemishes leave behind. I've been using it after shaving my legs and sometimes even in the place of my normal moisturiser. It soaks in quickly, is fragrance free and is such a hard worker that I think it deserves a little recognition.

Benefit Hoola Bronzer - £23.50
Every woman and her mother knows about this so I'll spare you. I've just been using it around the edges of my face to make it look as though I've been outside recently (N.B. I haven't.)

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Hibiscus - £19
I can honestly say, I think I'll still have this exact pot usable when I'm 80 years old. You need only to touch your finger to the cream to have enough for halloween makeup. I'm also a recent embarker on the cream blusher bandwagon too, and I'm very, very happy to be so! This is a lovely colour, albeit tough to blend sometimes. It's hard to tell if the red on your cheeks is from the blusher or the increase in blood flow from the fierce dabbing. Still a big fan.

Bourjois Cream Blush in Healthy Glow - £7.99
I love this since it's far more powdery and less of a task than Bobbi's. It's a really pretty colour and is very aptly named.

Topshop Lipstick in Infrared - £8
Despite my best efforts with the pictures (in natural light, I promise) this lipstick has ended up looking far more coral than orange. However, it IS orange, and that's what I adore about it. It's very bright if you layer it on thick, but becomes quite natural if you just dab a bit on and spread it with your finger.

And that's that.

Xxxx