Staff Picks: Our travel must-haves
Are you traveling soon? With fall season underway and long weekends coming up, we at Project Vanity have planned a few trips for some much-deserved R&R. We take beauty seriously so we thought it'd be interesting to pull out travel kits for a little show and tell.
By the way, in case you're still completing your travel essentials, we've curated the Wanderlust Kit (P1,450 and now at free shipping) to include everything you'll need for a trip. Ready to see what's in our own kits? Here goes!
Liz: I'll be traveling a few times before the year ends so I'm already thinking about what I want to bring this time. Last time I was abroad, I took three custom Project Vanity pouches with me: one for retouching on the plane, one for skincare, and of course, another just for makeup. So happy that these pouches are so roomy! They can fit SO many things.
I was all for traveling light before but I just hated having gaps in my routine; it's still better to have exactly what I need on hand instead of improvising. If you're curious to know exactly what's inside those kits, here's the whole story on it haha. It's way too long to write down here!
Tellie: I always end up overpacking anyway, but it usually starts with a "skeleton" kit. I try to bring a "drunk-proof" eyeliner, an eyebrow product, a mascara and a curler, LORAC PRO Palette and eye primer, concealer, color corrector, lipstick, and nice foundation. I have a handy dandy travel brush set which covers all my basics, so I always bring that, too.
Everything here is "negotiable" but the LORAC PRO is always with me, whether at home or during travel. It has so many colors in spite of its compact size, and I will rave about the shades and textural variations to my last breath!
Marielle: I don't have a good grip on the concept of packing light, especially when it comes to my makeup bag. I bring a full bottle of foundation on any trip! And since I choose makeup colors by mood, I feel like I have to have a selection of lipsticks at the very least. I usually pack a neutral shadow palette, a universal blush, highlighter, eyeliner, and all my kilay products. These are things you'd usually find in my daily kikay kit. Then I'll bring one nude lipstick, one evening/dark lipstick, one lip gloss, and one "crazy" lipstick color I'm trying to pull off.
Katsy: My travel makeup kit changes with my current makeup mood more than the weather or the location (though I still try to adapt to where I'm going!) Ideally, I would have a selection of lip products just because. Plus an eye palette which would likely remain unused during the trip, a staple brow product, a go-to blush/bronzer/highlight combo, and a dependable base.
Claire: I always take multipurpose products that I know will survive all weather conditions, and can take my look from casual to formal in a jiffy. I might not end up using all of them during my trip but I love having options! Benefit's The Porefessional makes my pores less obvious. For base, a good BB cushion like Laneige Pore Control is a given as it covers all the bases (pun intended). Versatile palettes like Sephora Collection's Palette to Go in Neutral, Pink Sugar Honey I'm Good Eyebrow Kit, and Essence Shape Your Face Contouring Palette take care of face, cheek and eye color. I like prepping my lips with tinted lip balms like the one from Burt's Bees, and I love having several options for lips and cheeks with Benefit's Benetint and Skinfood Fresh Fruit Lip & Cheek Trio. And of course, a mini mascara like Benefit's Roller Lash! Believe it or not, everything fits into the Girl Boss Glam pouch!
Stacie: Whenever I return to my province (and stay there for at least two weeks), I bring every makeup item from my stash with me, plus basic skincare and a few mask sheets! For shorter trips though, I just bring the basics: a BB cream or cushion (my current love is The Face Shop's CC Cover Cushion), an eyebrow pencil, and a tint. Sometimes I throw in an eyeshadow or mascara, too. I always go for multipurpose, can-be-used-without-tools kind of makeup.
Charlie: I don't really do a lot of traveling but if I did, I'd bring makeup products that aren't bulky but can get the job done. I really like the Quick FX No Shine Mattifier to keep my oiliness at bay. And since I can't be without sunblock, Bath Junkies' Sunblock Gel is my safest bet as it is best for oily skin and it dries easily. For a bit of coverage, I like iWhite's BB Holic and my long-time fave 4u2 Dream Girl BB Powder. I always have a tint with me (KJM Cheek Lip Tint), a lipbalm (ChapIce Mixed Berries), and a brow pen (Nichido ActiBrow). A good long-lasting brown eyeliner like Essence Long Lasting Eyeliner in Hot Chocolate also sometimes finds its way to my kit for times when I feel like putting on a bit of color on my lids.
Crystal: I try to bring as little as possible when traveling. I usually bring a BB cushion like The Face Shop My Other Bag and set it with an oil control powder. I'm currently using Karadium Oil Correct Pact. I find that bringing GWP's like the Clinique palette is really handy because it has blush and eyeshadows already. I bring brow stuff with me that I can apply easily like the Daiso eyebrow pencil and Maybelline browcara. I always bring a lip balm with me like my favorite Fresh, and a lipstick like MAC. And to top it off, I pack a perfume mini like Elizabeth Arden Pretty so I smell good, too!
Karla: I always try to bring as little makeup as possible when traveling, and try to bring palettes so it's easier to pack. My current faves are the bareMinerals Complexion Rescue tint (it already has SPF!) and my NAKED palette for every eye look possible. For cheeks/face contour, I bring the Makeup Forever Pro Sculpting Palette in shade 30 for its amazing bronzer, blush, and highlighter!
I also love bringing more nude/brown lipsticks so this Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipstick in Androgyny is my favorite for that 90s lip. Maybelline's Lash Sensational is a mascara I am falling in love with- it actually wears just like Benefit's Roller Lash!
Gett: The amount of makeup I bring depends on the trip duration, where I'm going, and what the weather is like in the place I'm going. For weekend trips, I bring the necessities: a base, concealer, eyelash curler, eyebrow stuff, lip & cheek tint, and a couple of lipsticks. If the trip is longer, I also bring my Urban Decay Naked palette and more lipsticks!
My picks include Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream, Pink Sugar My Li'l Secret Concealer, Shiseido Eyelash curler, Etude House Auto Eyebrow Pencil, Nichido Brow Mascara, Tony Moly Tony Tint Delight, and lipsticks I'm in the mood for.
Which of our kits most resembles your collection? Are you a light packer or do you take everything plus the kitchen sink? What are your travel beauty staples? And if you have any travel beauty hacks, do share them with us in the comments!