Road Trip/Vacation Makeup Must Haves!!!

“It is better to be beautiful than to be good, but it is better to be good than to be ugly.”~Oscar Wilde

Its summer time and everyone knows what summer time is...ROAD TRIPS AND VACATIONS! They are super fun to plan but how do you go about packing your makeup?  Do you carry full size products or travel size minis? Well I myself was planning and packing for my road trip and came across the same question. So after a lot of research and thinking (yes thinking, have to think about what all you need and what not) I came up with this list of makeup road trip/vacation must haves! 

STEP ONE: Location, Location, and Climate

Yes, step one. This step is determining where you are going on your road trip or vacation. Once you figure out where you will be traveling you want to determine the climate. Nothing is worse than taking your new favorite lipstick on your trip to  Phoenix, AZ and discovering you lipstick melted due to the extreme heat. So location and climate due play a big part in your makeup packing.

STEP TWO: Storage Space

How much space for makeup will you have? Ideally for a road trip or vacation try to keep it all in a single makeup bag, unless you are going to a resort or something. Then a train  case would be a good idea...maybe.

The Urban Decay Quinceañera Bag is a good sized bag to fit your makeup. This bag is a bit pricey but there are others out there this size but for almost half the price. Try Sephora, Ulta, or even Wal*Mart.

STEP THREE: BRUSHES OR NO BRUSHES, THAT IS THE QUESTION.

Determining if you want to take your brushes on the trip or not is a difficult question to answer. If you are going to be doing simple makeup application or no makeup at all just some tinted moisturizer than brushes are not needed. Think about the locations you may visit on this road trip or vacation. Concerts, dances, fancy dinners? Or just camping, hiking, and exploring? Depending on this you will determine on yes to brushes or no. Maybe just sponge tip applicators. So think this through...

Now onto what you must have on you for this trip! 

1. Sunblock -I put this as the number one thing because it is summer and summer means being in the sun and you do not want to burn! Finding a good sunblock with good SPF is key. I prefer using Aveeno Continuous Protection Sunblock for Face in SPF 30. It is specifically designed for the face. Leave your face protected and doesn't leave it greasy at all. This product does go up to 

For the rest of my body I like to use Coppertone Ultra Guard Sunscreen with SPF 30 as well. You can use something higher if you would like.

Along the same lines as sunblock you also need some for your lips. Nothing is worse than having sunburnt lips. A good chapstick or lip balm with spf 15 is ideal. I have been using Neosporin Lip Health Daily Hydration Therapy.

Not only does it hydrate your lips but it also has and SPF 20. This is one of my new favorite lip balms. Its also perfect for hot climates because its already melted in a tube. Works wonders!

2. Moisturizer- Although this may just be a relaxing trip you do have to take care of your skin. For moisturizer I took along Aveeno Clear Complexion Daily Moisturizer. This product can be used as a day and night time moisturizer. For day just apply the face sunblock before the moisturizer.

3. Facial Cleansing Wipes- Nothing is more disgusting than the feeling of sweaty oily skin and if you have makeup on its even worse. Investing in a travel size of facial cleansing wipes is a good idea. I recommend Neutrogena  Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes. They work as a facial cleanser and makeup remover. Makes any makeup remover liquid as one less item you have to pack and carry.

(If you want to read my review on this product click here.)

3. Toner- I had to throw toner in here because you want to still take care of your skin. A lot of different brands actually make travel sized toners. Since I didnt want to spend a lot of money on a travel size item I went to my local Wal*Mart and purchased a small spray bottle from their travel/mini section. I just filled it half way with my favorite toner, Origins United State. 

I actually did a mini review on this product in another post (click here!). Like I said in my previous post I love this product. Perfect for combination skin! 

4. MAKEUP! - Now this is where you decided what to take and what not to take. For my roadtrip I packed the following:

*Primer- I am a huge fan of primer so I did pack my all time favorite primer, The Porefessional!

 It is really up to you if you want to take a primer. If you are going to a concert in say, i don't know, Phoenix, and want to get all dolled up for it then primer is a must!

*Foundation- I decided to pack the Josie Maran Argan Matchmaker Serum Foundation. 

This product is just amazing! (I will do a review on it soon!) It comes in 3 different color combinations. It blends right into your skin so you don't need to fuss over any color matching. However it is on the pricey side. So if you are not wanting to spend so much you can pack your own foundation or maybe a tinted moisturizer. 

*Bronzer/Blush- I was wanting to go for the nice summer tan look, so I took 2 bronzers with me. I took the NYC Bronzer in Sunny. 

This is a matte bronzer that looks great on any skin color. The other one I took with me was the E.L.F. Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder. 

The reason why I took 2 bronzers is because Sunny is a matte bronzer, perfect for contouring and giving you a very natural tan look. Now the E.L.F. was a two in one. It works as a blush (subtle shimmer) and the bronzer is perfect for contouring and has again a subtle shimmer. 

*Eyeliner- I actually took only 2 eyeliners and both were liquid. Since, once again, I was going to a very hot place I wanted something that wouldn't melt, like a regular pencil or gel would. I recommend taking two colors. Your basic everyday color, which for me is black, and a nice metallic color. Metallic colors are perfect for the summer since they give you a fun look. I took the Palladio Eye Ink in Black.

This is a very inexpensive but great liquid liner. It is small so its perfect for travel. The other eyeliner I took was the MUFE Aqua Liner in #7 (Diamond Black Purple). 

Added bonus to this liquid liner is that it is waterproof. So I could wear this swimming or in 100 degree weather. A great waterproof liner for about half the price is Milani Infinite Liquid Liner, which are also waterproof (review on these to come soon as well :)).

*Mascara- Mascara is a must! So for mascara I took my waterproof L'Oreal Voluminous.

This mascara is great for lengthening and giving fuller lashes. It is one of my favorites!!!

*Eyeshadows: Now this is a step that is up to you. If you want to take eyeshadows you can. I feel that small palettes work best for traveling. A good example of a great, inexpensive, and small eyeshadows is E.L.F. Brightening Eye Color in Day 2 Night.

This quad is small and so inexpensive. Its perfect for creating both day and night looks, hence the name of it.

*Lipstick/Lip Gloss/ Liquid Lipstick- This is also something that is totally up to you and depends on the weather. Like I mentioned before nothing is worse than finding your favorite lipstick melted from the extreme heat. So besides accidentally taking my Laura Mercier lipstick I brought along my E.L.F. Luscious Liquid Lipstick in 2 tones: Baby Lips (a soft subtle pink) and Ruby Slippers ( a nice deep red).

These work perfect for very hot climates because they are just like a lip gloss expect more pigmented. Nice thing about them is they have a mint smell. Makes your lips tingle.

*Brushes/Tools/Applicators- Like I had mentioned before it is completely up to you if you want to take any of these and well for me, I had to take my brushes. I actually took my MAC Travel Sized brushes that my husband got for me Christmas '09. They do come handy! 

*Setting Spray/Powder-I actually took my MAC Fix+ Spray with me for my setting spray. 

It was very handy and refreshing to use. Urban Decay makes a travel sized setting spray and if I remember correctly MAC does too. Now for my setting powder (which helps control oily spots) I took my travel size HD Microfinish Powder from MUFE. 

This setting powder works wonders and is very small it does not take up much space. However it is very pricey for the amount of product you get so for a less expensive alternative E.L.F also has a HD Setting Powder less than half the price of MUFE. It is quite bigger but works just as great and you get a lot more bang for your buck! 

Now you must be wondering if you should pack full sized products or not. Depending on how long your trip is you can actually place all the item (except eyeliner, mascara, eyeshadow, and sunblock) in travel size bottles or jars. Like I mentioned before I packed my Fix + spray and toner in a travel sized spray bottle.

They are inexpensive, small, and compact. You dont have to fill the bottle all the way up. Just enough for the length of your trip.

For the foundation and moisturizers I used a little jar. 

You can either purchase these or even the sample jars that MAC and Sephora give out will work too. Like I said it all depends on the length of your trip how much you need and if its even necessary to take the full sized product. You can also go out and purchase all the products in travel size if you would like, but if it were me, I would rather spend as little as possible and save that money for the trip.

I hope this helped a lot of you! If there is anything you would like to know more about or reviews on anything just let me know. Take care and have a fun and safe trip!!! :)

PRICE LIST:

*Urban Decay Quinceañera Bag: $26 (Sephora or Urban Decay)

*Aveeno Continuous Protection Sunblock for Face SPF 30: $8-$10 (Local Drugstore)

*Coopertone ultraGuard Lotion SPF 30: $7-$8 (Local Drugstore)

*Neosporin Lip Health SPF 20: $4-$5 (local Drugstore)

*Aveeno Clear Complexion Daily Moisturizer: about $13 (local drugstore)

*Neutorgena Makeup Remover Facial Towelettes: $4-$7 (local drugstore)

*Origins United State Balancing Tonic: $19.50 (Origins)

*Benefit Cosmetics The POREfessional: $29 (Sephora or Ulta) 

*Josie Maran Argan Matchmaker Serum Foundation in Light/Medium: $42 (Sephora)

*NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Powder in Sunny: $1.50-$2.99 (Local Drugstore)

*E.L.F. Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder: $3 (E.L.F. or Target)

*Palladio Eye Ink in Black: $5.99 (Sally Beauty Supply or Ulta)

*MUFE Aqua Liner in #7: $23 (Sephora)

*L'Oreal Voluminous Waterproof Mascara in Black: $4-$6.99 (Ulta or your local drugstore)

*E.L.F. Brightening Eye Color in Day 2 Night- $1.00 (E.L.F. or Target)

*E.L.F Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Ruby Slippers & Baby Lips: $1.00 (E.L.F. or Target)

*MAC Fix+ Spray: Travel size-$10; full size: $20.00 (MAC)

*Travel Size Spray Bottles & Jars: $1.00 ( Local Drugstore)