When I’m on holiday, I like my make-up to be effortless and easy.  I like to look polished and nicely presented but I don’t want to have to spend much time getting ready.  When I’m visiting warmer climates, I also like my make-up to be very light and fresh; I prefer not to have much on my face at all.  Over the years, I’ve managed to whittle down my holiday make-up bag to those products that I know I will use.

I thought it would be fun to do a post featuring those products, as I know how hard it can be to leave products behind when you are a make-up lover! This post features my favourite face, eye and lip products for taking on holiday.

Before I apply any make-up, I moisturise my face and neck.  I like to use a light moisturiser with SPF so that my skin stays supple and is also protected from the sun.  I then apply my eyeshadow, face and cheek products, mascara and lip products.

Eye products

When I’m on holiday, I usually take one eyeshadow primer that will go with everything, an eyeshadow palette and a mascara.  Here’s a pic of the products I took with me this year (see below):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Urban Decay Primer Potion in Original is my go-to primer as the translucent formula works with any eyeshadow combinations.  I’ve also taken MAC Painterly with me on other occasions too, as it is close to my skin tone and goes with anything.

I love the Urban Decay Vice eyeshadow palettes, as they have a great range of colours and finishes (matte, satin, shimmer).  I took the Vice 3 one with me when I was in Italy this summer and it allowed me to create some easy, pared down eyeshadow combinations.  On many days, I wore either Downfall, DTF or Angel in the crease, patted shades like Last Sin, Alien and Bobby Dazzle on the lid and then applied Truth on the lid.  I also wore Alchemy in the crease with Alien on the lid.  The beauty of having a palette like this is that you can deepen the look up easily in the evening by adding in darker shades (try Heroine, Bondage and Revolver) to deepen the crease or adding them into the outer v.  

Eyeshadow palettes are great, as they allow you to have a range of shades in one place.  I’ve also taken the Sleek palettes with me on other holidays, as they are really light and small.

For more inspiration on combinations using your favourite eyeshadow palettes (think Urban Decay Naked Smoky, Urban Decay Naked 3, Urban Decay Vice Palettes 2, 3, 4), look for the sub-heading ‘Palette Series’ under the ‘Make-Up Inspiration’ Tab on the menu bar.

I took one eyeshadow single with me – Urban Decay Blunt – as this shade makes the eyes look so bright, fresh and wide-awake.  I used this shade on the lid several times with Downfall in the crease and Truth on the lid.

I took Maybelline Colossal Cat Eyes Volume Express Mascara with me, as this product makes my lashes look long, curled and naturally voluminous.  Mascara is always a must for me when wearing eye make-up as it finishes off the look and really opens up the eyes.

I took a few make-up brushes with me too for creating easy combinations.  I used: the Bare Minerals Precision Eye Brush (double ended, with flat shader brush and domed pencil brush on opposite ends), the MAC 217 Crease/Blending Brush, the MAC 226 Tapered Crease Brush (for highlighting the browbone) and the MAC 224 Blending Brush.  I also used the Real Techniques Setting Brush to set my under-eye concealer with face powder and to lightly dust powder on the rest of my face.

Cheek products

I like to keep things really simple on my cheeks when I’m on holiday.  I love using blusher sticks and highlighter sticks as I can just swipe them on my face and blend.  They are really easy to top up during the day if I find the colour has faded a little in the heat.  It also means I don’t need to bother with using brushes – keeps things really simple.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love the No 7 Pop and Glow Cream Blush Sticks.  I have two which I alternate between on holiday: Classic Rose (a medium rose-pink) and Mango Sorbet (a light-ish peach-coral).  Don’t be put off by the brightness of the shades when you swipe them on as they give a subtle wash of colour when they are blended out.  You can wear them as sheer or as bold as you like; just sweep once on the cheeks and blend for a sheer wash of colour or apply again for greater colour intensity.

I love the No 7 Instant Radiance Highlighter Stick and the No 7 Instant Radiance Bronzing Highlighter Stick.  I use the Instant Radiance Highlighter Stick for highlighting the high points of the face (cupid’s bow on the lips, tops of the cheek bones, browbones, sometimes above the brows).  It gives such a beautiful glow to the face.  When my face has more colour, I sometimes use the Instant Radiance Bronzing Highlighter Stick (in place of the Instant Radiance stick) for highlighting the high points of my face.  You can also use the Bronzing stick for adding warmth to the face by applying it under the cheekbones and blending it out.

Face products

On holiday, I generally stick to just wearing face powder and concealer on my skin.  I wear very, very little as I like my skin to feel very fresh on holiday and I don’t want to have to top up much.  For this holiday, I took three different types of concealer with me as I sometimes like to alternate between products, depending on how my skin is feeling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Illuminating Concealer is my go-to for adding brightness under the eyes and covering any dark circles.  I always conceal under my eyes when wearing eye make-up, as it helps to finish off the look.  I use shade 20 Ivory (the lightest shade).

The Urban Decay Naked Skin Complete Coverage Concealer (click here to read more about this product) is a fantastic all-round product, in that it can be used to conceal blemishes on the face or cover dark circles under the eyes.  You could easily just take this one concealer on holiday and not take any others; I just took the other two as I sometimes like to vary my concealers.  I use shade Medium-Light Neutral.

I like to use the No 7 Match Made Concealer Stick for concealing blemishes on the face.  The stick form makes it very easy to apply the product; just swipe it onto the blemish and blend lightly with your finger.  You can also use a brush if you want more precision or you don’t want to apply the concealer directly to your face.  I use shade Deeply Ivory.

I like using Revlon Colourstay Pressed Face Powder (click here to read more about this product) on areas of my face that are prone to shine.  I apply a very light dusting of powder to my nose, underneath my eyes, centre of my forehead and on my chin.  I sometimes also apply a little around the edges of my cream cheek colour to smooth things out.  I alternate between using shade Light-Medium in the summer (when my skin has more colour) and Light in the autumn/winter months when I am a bit paler.

Lip Products

You might be seeing a trend with my holiday make-up products, in that I also love using chubby lip colour sticks for my lips.  I like these types of products as they are really easy to swipe on the lips and are low maintenance.  They also feel very light in texture; I prefer not to wear lipsticks in hotter climates as they can feel a little thick on the lips.  I take five different chubby lip colour sticks with me so that I have a choice of shades: glossy light pinky-coral, hot pink, bright orange-coral, red and berry-plum.  You can find these types of lip colour sticks across many brands as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I like using the Revlon Colourburst Just Bitten Balm Stains (click here and here for more information) in shades 045 Romantic (a soft apple red) and 005 Crush (a deep berry-plum).  These particular shades give the lips a deep ‘pop’ of colour.  They also leave behind a beautiful stain as they wear down on the lips across the day.  If you aren’t keen on darker shades, the Revlon Balm Stains come in lighter and more natural colours.

I like using the Revlon Colour Lacquer Balm in shade 120 Vivacious, a bright and glossy fuschia pink.  The Lacquer Balm has a glossier finish than the Balm Stains and gives the lips a really pretty sheen.  The Lacquer Balms are also available in other colours, whether you prefer bolder or more natural shades.

The Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in 04 Heftiest Hibiscus is a bright orange-coral.  This product is very bold and gives the lips a real ‘pop’ of colour.  The Clinique Chubby Sticks come in a range of colours, from very bold to sheer nudes.

I love the Soap and Glory Sexy Mother Pucker 3D Gloss Stick in Technicoral.  This particular gloss stick gives the most beautiful, glossy pinky-coral hue to the lips.  There are various other shades available in the range, as well as matte versions too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also took two of the Benefit Pop Passion Oil Lip Balms with me, one in Tangerine Pop (a bright orange) and one in Plumberry (berry-plum).  These are really beautiful lip products, as they give luscious colour, as well as moisture to the lips.  You can apply them lightly for a sheer wash of colour or you can build them up for a more intense hue.  They leave behind a beautiful, soft stain as they wear off across the day.  There are various other shades available in the range.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love the Bourjois Rouge Edition Aqua Laque liquid lipstick-glosses.  The Aqua Laques are really interesting, in that they a lip gloss-liquid lipstick hybrid.  The texture is in incredibly light on the lips and it also has a cooling sensation on application.  Very refreshing on a hot day! I have two shades: 01 Appechissant, which is a medium nude-pink and 07 Fuschia Perche, a deep bright raspberry.  There are other shades available in the range too.

I am a big fan of the Bare Minerals Marvellous Moxie Lipsticks and have a number of mini versions (from QVC sets and Christmas sets).  I took one lipstick with me as sometimes I like to wear a bolder lip colour in the evening on holiday.  I took the shade Risk it All with me, which is a deep bright hot pink.  This colour gives the lips a wonderful ‘pop’ of colour and really freshens my face up when I have been out all day.

So that’s my holiday make-up bag! There were some items that I took with me and didn’t use, but luckily not that many.  Products I took but didn’t use included: one black pencil eyeliner, a couple of MAC glosses and one other mini Bare Minerals lipstick (I think it was a muted coral).  

It’s worth noting that this is just what I like to wear on holiday and what works for me.  You might prefer to wear more or less face make-up, bolder or lighter eye make-up or not wear anything at all.  Wear what makes you happy :o) .

What make-up do you like to take with you when you are on holiday? Do you take the bare minimum or do you like to have some choice? Any tips for holiday make-up packing or any products you love? Let me know in the comments section below.