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! :)

Travel essentials - Skincare edition

I have been getting lots of queries on the products that I bring with me during traveling, so I decided to separate the products for double "travel essentials" posts! :) This one will be for the skincare products that I bring with me! 

Traveling is quite troublesome because if you take a plane, you have to keep track of what you put in your hand-carry luggage. Any containers above 100ml will be forfeited and thrown away at the airport! Hence, it will be better to keep all the huge containers at home! Travel bottles are available everywhere for almost any brands and also you can get travel containers at Daiso! 

I bought my travel skincare bag from Qoo10 and it's really quite useful! S$5.90 only!! Here's the link for the travel mate bag: http://list.qoo10.sg/gmkt.inc/Goods/Goods.aspx?goodscode=407421277 

The Travel Mate bag is amazing and I can pack everything into one bag, and then bring the entire thing to the washroom/shower! The only negative thing is that the bag is not waterproof, so you have to hang it away from the shower head. 

There seems to be too little space for products, but don't be fooled! The second tier also has a zipped pocket!

First up are my must-have health-related products. Medicated oil, eye drops and plasters! Medicated oil is my addiction. I love the smell and sometimes I apply it for no reason. Haha. Eye drops is also a must because I tend to get irritated eyes, especially in countries with bad air quality. Plasters are...well, essentials!

My travel body care products:

• Rexona deodorant - I don't have a preference for this. Anything that can make my armpits nice-smelling and not sweaty will be great!
• Hand cream - MUST HAVE because I have really dry hands now. D: 
• Body spray - I don't have a habit of applying perfume so I rely on body sprays instead. It's lighter and haha not so expensive #woesofanundergradwithnojob
• Sun Screen - I usually apply this on my neck and my arms. 
• Roll-on perfume - This Silky Girl one is REALLY cheap (like S$5 cheap), but it works and it smells like baby powder. LOVE. 

Make-up removing essentials:

• Make up remover - To remove makeup, I use cotton pads soaked with whatever makeup remover I brought with me. I focus more on removing eye makeup at this stage. 
• Two cleansing creams, one gentle and one for acne-clearing purposes - I always use two cleansers at night after removing makeup. This is to make sure I have removed EVERYTHING. Do remember that you need to remove your sun screen/sun block too! 

Skincare products:

• Eye cream - I'm paranoid about wrinkles so I'm starting young. 
• Tea tree lotion - I apply this on areas that are more prone to breakouts. I don't bring an acne cream with me during short getaways because my skin is under control now and this tea-tree lotion is quite powerful in protecting my skin against future breakouts. 
• A good moisturiser - no matter what skin type you have, you NEED to moisturise. 
• Trusted concealer - this is more for the mornings when I need to cover up red areas but still do not want to look like I have full makeup! 

I tend to not bring a toner along with me when traveling, hence I make sure that the cleansers that I bring are pH balanced (QV or Cetaphil cleansers fit perfectly into this category!).

The products that I bring with me always change for every trip simply because I always buy new products. However, I make sure I bring all the products listed above because you really need to take care of your skin since young! Some people ignore their skincare routine when traveling and that's really a taboo in my book. You have to be responsible for your own skin!

Traveling is almost always done to wind down and get away from stressful environment, so don't let your lack of skincare protection ruin your experience! :)

Everyday Make-up Routine + Jazzing it up a lil!

I have been asked quite a lot on the everyday makeup products that I use. So here's a post to answer all the queries that I have on that topic! 

I used to buy makeup products just for the sake of buying, but nowadays I keep repurchasing things that I like, and I hesitate a little more when it comes to experimenting with new brands. The reason is simple - I don't want to risk my skin from breaking out. As I get older, my skin gets more and more sensitive to the chemicals used in such products and so usually I take the easy way out and just stick with the products that I know will work fine on my skin. 

The first section is just for face alone. Not everything is used on my face at one go; I rotate between products or just simply apply what I feel like applying. 

ZA Two-way Foundation - has been a favourite of mine since secondary school days. I strayed in the past, but always come back to this powder because it's fantastic! 

Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Foundation - Not kidding about the "Stay Matte" claim. This liquid foundation also has no SPF in it, so it's good for days when you know there's a lot of flash photography involved. 

Maybelline Pure Eraser Mineral Liquid Foundation - My current favourite liquid foundation. Amazing product! 

Heroine Beauty Perfect Sunscreen - My default primer. Makes my skin so smooth and high SPF content too! 

L.A. Girl Pro.conceal - I used to hate this product but ever since my skin became the shipwreck that it was, I realised this was the only concealer that covers well but will not break me out. So I have officially jumped ship.

MISSHA Under Eye Brightener - I only use this for my dark under-eye areas. Works like magic.

everydayminerals blush in Viki's Radiant Creation - I use this blush when I feel like I need a more orange or coral cheek look. The fine sparkles are pretty too!

M.A.C Beauty Powder in Pretty Baby - On days in which I like pink cheeks, I will turn to this beauty powder. Extremely buildable and the colour is not too ra-ra!

elf Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder in SunKissed - I always turn to this product whenever I need to look more alive. I don't use this for contouring though because it's quite sparkly. Usually what I do is I apply after my blush to make my cheeks more radiant!

Go-to eye products! I always use them!

NYX Eyeshadow Base - This product deserves more love from the beauty community. I tried both the UD Primer and the Too Faced Primer. This one works as brilliantly. So why pay more? :)

Clinique Colour Surge Eyeshadow Trio in 12 Lotus Flower - I mainly use this for the nude colour. I will apply it all over my eyelid area and that will be all my eyeshadow work.

I like to layer my mascaras so here are my current two favourites - Tony Moly Cats Wink Mascara and M.A.C Zoom Fast Black Lash.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Perversion - The blackest of black eyeliner with an amazing amazing AMAZING formula and staying power. I'm just sad I'm using it so much. I need to get a new one soon!

Heroine Make Liquid Felt-tip Eyeliner - I always use this to do my cat-eye or winged eyeliner. Of course years of practice help when in comes to the perfect winged eyeliner but this is a good product to start with!

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Midnight Cowboy - I like to apply this on my inner undereye area because it creates the illusion of larger and more awake eyes!

When I see the need to jazz it up a little, or when I have a little bit more time, I turn to these products the most! More time equals to more products and more colours!

• Urban Decay Naked Palette
• Sleek Pout Polish in Electro Peach
• Too Faced bronzer
• Fresh lipbalm 
• elf Blush in Candid Coral

Yay! Hope this answers the queries! Have a good week ahead! :) I'm going to Bangkok in another 12 hours' time! Shopping galore!!! :D