Travel essentials - light makeup edition

This is the second part of my "travel essentials" post - all about the makeup that I bring with me when I'm traveling. 

However, because of my fussiness about makeup looks, this post will only be for the products that I bring along with me for trips that require no heavy or fancy makeup looks! For those looks, I tend to bring a much bigger makeup bag filled with a lot more products haha. 

I have a lot of makeup bags, but I prefer to use a clear one during traveling just so that I can save seconds when looking for the products. It's not a lot of time, but the seconds add up! 

My current go-to traveling makeup bag is this Banila Co. one which Eve got for me from S. Korea. It's not so huge but it can contain a lot of products! Also, it's clear and it's bright orange. I'm sold. 

• Sunscreen - I always use sunscreen before my actual foundation routine. I'm paranoid of getting old and the sunlight is no longer my friend at this age!
• Concealer - MUST HAVE. Without a concealer, I think I will just stay indoors all day. 
• Two-way foundation - I always use the ZA two-way foundation. I have used more expensive powders and I still think the ZA one is the best. I will use the sponge for under-eye area, then use the everyday minerals brush for all the other parts. This way, my face will not look cakey! 

• Tinted moisturiser - I completely forgot to include this on the above photo! I will use my tinted moisturiser before concealer! I'm running out of my Laura Mercier one and I'm sad. :( 
• Blush + Bronzer - I have too many blushes and too many bronzers, but when I'm traveling, I will always bring my elf Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder because the packaging is not bulky and I get two products in one. I always apply them with my trusted elf blush brush!

I tend to bring more eye products. haha.

• Eyeshadow base - it's my habit to use an eyeshadow base because it makes whatever eyeshadow I apply last longer and smudge-proof. 
• A good neutral eyeshadow - the one that I like is Elianto's brown eyeshadow! Enough shimmer for everyday wear! 
• A good highlight eyeshadow - I MUST blend my eyeshadow to make it look more natural, so I will always bring a skin-shade eyeshadow. 
• Trusted pencil eyeliner - Urban Decay's 24/7 in Perversion (LOVE!) 
• Trusted felt-tip eyeliner - for the winged eyeliner look that I love so so so so very much. 

I don't really bring mascaras because I will be out and about, and hence I don't want my mascara to smear, melt or just create a mess lah.

The above products are must-brings for me, no matter where I go. In my makeup bag, these products will always be present. I will only add other things and never take the above products out. If I'm going to school or just going out in Singapore, I will normally just bring out my two-way foundation out.

Should I do another post on heavy makeup edition? I'm on the fence because I will be featuring many similar items and the post will be a bit boring then. :S Do tell me if you guys want to read a post on that though!

Have a good weekend and hope the two posts have been useful for your traveling plans! :)

Review: Banila Co. Face Love Blusher in 01 Love Story

I really need more highlighters in my makeup collection. Currently, I'm only alternating between an elf highlighter and a stila one, and I need more choices! 

Initially, I bought the Banila Co. Face Love Blusher in 01 Love Story for blushing purposes (lol blushing purposes, I don't know what made me type that), but the colour is so light that I think I'm gonna change its function as a highlighter instead! It's a perfect colour for highlighting too! 

I bought it for really cheap on sg-beauty. I think I paid S$5? It definitely retails much more than that. 

Packaging: It's very reminiscent to the M.A.C blushers/bronzers/highlighters packaging. I'm not calling it a blatant copy because so many brands are doing their packagings this way. It's a great idea because you can see the colour of the product without opening the lid.

Colour: Banila Co. Face Love Blusher in 01 Love Story is a very frosty pastel pink, with very fine silver shimmers incorporated in the product. It's a great colour for highlighting because of the shimmers. I don't think it serves as a good blush though, unless you are really really pale. I applied this as blusher and I looked so washed out; I had to cover it up with bronzer afterwards to get my "health" back. :P 

Pigmentation: The pigmentation of the Banila Co. Face Love Blusher in 01 Love Story is no joke. A little swipe is all you need to get the appropriate amount on your face. Do be gentle while loading your brush and remember to tap off the excess if you want to avoid looking like a disco-ball. The shimmers are very finely milled - no ugly chunks of glitter. It's great for that natural glow! I realised also that this product gave the best after-camera-flash photograph effect! So natural and dewy at the correct places!

Swatch taken with camera flash

The finely milled glitters which are really the reason why this is an amazing highlighter.

Application: A light hand is needed. This product delivers in terms of pigmentation, so you need to apply lightly. Building up the colour is ALWAYS better than removing excess product.

Longevity: I have no complaints about longevity when it comes to highlighters. Usually, I only apply once and that's it. No more touch-ups throughout the day. I think it's because by the third hour or so, my oily skin will start to resurface, and instead of shine at the correct places, I have shine EVERYWHERE. D:

Will I buy it again? I certainly will like to try Banila Co. Face Love Blusher in other shades. The pigmentation impresses me and if I get the chance to purchase it at an affordable price, then why not?