Travel Gear Review: Inside My Round The World Makeup Bag

Travel, toiletries, and one tiny pack.

Something fun & girly in an otherwise practical backpack.

I love everything about packing. From the challenge of making my bag as small as possible to the excitement and anticipation, I feel like the fun of packing is an extension of the fun of travel. Even though I'm determined to pack as little as possible, I always make room for a few treats.  

Looking at it all written down, it seems like an extensive list of "treats", especially considering that I rarely wear any make up at home. But most of these items are tiny travel sizes or samples and, for the most part, they are very inexpensive. Together, these products will take me anywhere I need to go. Deep pink lipstick, dark lashes, and a smoky eye in Paris. Some bronze highlighting and shine buster in the Sydney sun. Glossy nails and polished, light eyes and lips for a Brussels hotel review. Rosy cheeks and pinned back hair to combat jetlag in San Francisco. The possibilities are endless! Here's what I'm packing in my make-up bag for our round-the-world trip:

All of these items fit in the little bag - with room to spare!

1.) Cute canvas bag with a soft leather tassel from Chapters.

2.) NARS The Multiple Stick in Maui and South Beach.  I was inspired to try The Multiple by TravelFashionGirl.com, who swears by the South Beach shade.  I had to pick up the Maui shade as well, just because I loved the destination it was named after (Sad!I know!). Designed to work on eye lids, lips, cheeks, and as a highlighter, I have to admit that they aren't perfect (and they are expensive) but overall they work well and I do love the colors.

3.) Regular hair clips and shimmery barrettes for dressier occassions.

4.) Simpatico No 8 Solid Perfume. My favourite, No 8, is described as a "blend of sugar and cream nested in a bed of freshly shaved coconut". Smells like vacation to me!

5.) Double sided nail buffer. Nail polish is way to tricky for travel!

6.) Tweezerman travel sized tweezers.

7.) The Body Shop's Mineral Powder Blotting Tissues - absorbs shine and works well with tinted moisturizer (in my 3-1-1 kit). 

8.) Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant by Eminence (This is one of my favourite non-liquid toiletries.) Just add a few drops of water and it becomes a creamy yet effective exfoliate. 

9.) Clinque Lash Doubling Mascara. Compliments of a drugstore gift-with-purchase, this product is a travel sized duel mascara/lipstick, with a mini tube of "raspberry glace" lipstick in one end.  I use the mascara frequently but rarely use the lipstick. However it is nice to have a really bright color for special occasions and the combo stick is still smaller than a regular mascara.

10.) Inexpensive beaded necklace. Purchased from Reitmans, this pretty necklace will dress up any outfit and only cost about $10.

11.) Bonnie Bell EyeDefine eyeliner in "Slate." Cheap & tiny, it takes up no space but adds big impact when I have to get dressed up.

12.) Clinique Eye Shadow Duo in "Like Mink". Tiny and versatile, another gift-with-purchase.

13.) Vaseline - I always carry a tiny tub of Vaseline. It works as my make up remover, cuticle smoother, dry skin balm, chapstick, and more. 

14.) Clinique Almost Lipstick in "Black Honey". Technically, this goes in the makeup bag, but in reality it will always be in my purse. I've also used it as a cheek stain.

UPDATE!!!! After several major trips, I'm happy to report that the contents of my bag are about the same but there have been changes. First, I have abandoned my pretty, dainty make up bag. I loved having something girly with me, but alas practicalities have won out. I'm currently testing out a new toiletry bag that has a slot for all my makeup items and using it makes my packing more streamlined.

​Secondly, I'm going to start leaving behind my Maui NARS Multiple Stick. I love the color but they are too large to bring two sticks and I already have a rosy shade through the Clinique Black Honey. Third, my combo/mascara is finally shot so I'm looking for a new replacement. And Fourth: I think I'm going to invest in two travel sized professional make up brushes. The space and weight would be minimal but they could have a big impact in making my small amount of products go a long way. I'll let you know how it goes!

I'd love to hear from you - what are your favourite travel makeup products? How does your routine change between home and travel? 

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