What’s in my Cosmetic Bag?!

A girl can never really go on a vacation without her cosmetics essentials and I’m here to share with y’all what goes in my standard cosmetics kit when I travel! I asked for your vote on Instagram & y’all voted, so here it is!! All the products below are linked on my LikeToKnow.it profile & at the end of this post!

Basic Skincare

Cleanser – All the buildup that your skin sees with or without makeup needs to be cleaned well and I don’t want to be in a situation to use Hotel’s cleanser as I don’t think they’re always the best when it comes to pampering your skin 😉 Always carry a travel size cleanser even in flights as they are handy and helps to cleanse your skin well during the travel time. I personally use Lancome’s cream cleanser and change it to a non-cream cleanser in summers.

Serum– Wearing makeup all day can make your skin dehydrated and serums are the best way to rejuvenate your skin. I always make sure to apply serum before applying my night cream as its made of smaller molecules that penetrates deep into your skin! I have been a fan of Estee Lauder’s advance repair Night serum for quite a while now and the best deal on it is when they have the ‘Gift with Purchase’ promos going on. I would recommend being in the client list of makeup experts at Macys, Sephora etc., so they can text you when new promos come up!

Day/Night Cream– Moisturizing your skin is of utmost importance and having a good day and night cream is the basic start of a good skin care regimen. I’ve shared in the past on my instagram stories how I love my Estee lauder creams and have been using them for over an year now! If your Day cream doesn’t come with built-in SPF, mix your sunscreen to the day cream before applying.

Everyday makeup

My everyday makeup routine is pretty sent and the only difference between everyday makeup and party/going out makeup for me is highlighting, contouring, eye shadow & blush!

Primer– I literally NEVER apply my makeup without a primer because it just holds the makeup so well and prevents the skin from soaking up the foundation, hence leading to a long lasting wear! I have tried a few primers but eventually ended up with Smashbox photo finish primer. I always buy this in travel size at Macys or Sephora and absolutely love it!

Concealer – I have been using Mac’s NW25 shade cream concealer for God know’s how long now and its absolutely perfect for spot coverage! I also use it in combination with Lancome’s liquid concealer sometimes (mainly for under-eye) but both of them provide great coverage which is what a concealer’s primary purpose it!

Foundation – Liquid foundation is one of the most common ones and gets applied evenly whether using a brush or a beauty blender. I personally prefer using a beauty blender given the easy cleaning process and just how its spreads the foundation smoothly without giving a dry effect . I’ve used both Mac (NW25 Studio fix) and Lancome (350 Bisque Ultra wear) but currently my main foundation is the latter!

Setting Powder – Its very important to settle any makeup with a powder and I’ve been very happy with Lancome’s dual fix face powder (380 Bisque). My powder is two shades darker than my foundation as I don’t want it to shine too much on my face but also lancome shades are very close, so its not a drastic difference! I recently also got a complimentary setting powder with my points at Sephora from Kat Von D and loved it too as it has a shimmer to it and I use it all the time for my party looks!

Eye Makeup: My eye essentials are an eye liner, kohl/kajal, mascara & eyebrow pencil/filler. I usually pick up my liquid L’oreal eye liner from Target – it comes in both regular and water proof and is super easy to apply with its pencil like tip. My kohl is usually from India but linking a Maybelline one here that I found to be similar and my Mascara is Monsieur from Lancome and trust me its one of the most voluminous mascaras that I’ve ever used! You can always use a mascara Primer too but I don’t usually use it.

Lips: I’m totally a red lipstick girl and sometimes go to Pinkish shades but I have my brand loyalties!! My everyday lipstick is either Nykaa (an Indian brand – Cher & Frida shades) or Estee Lauder (Frosted Apricot shade) & L’oreal (350 British red Shade). Linking all of my favorite shades below! I also love Liquid lipstick (Vermillion red shade) from Laura Mercier for my Party looks as it definitely stays longer.

Setting spray: I love adding that moisture at the end to ensure my skin does not end up looking dry after the makeup and as the name suggests, it just sets the makrup in place and is such an important part of my makeup routine.

Party Looks

In addition to the above routine, I add a few extra steps to my party makeup to bring up the glam factor and here they are-

Contouring: I like contouring once in a while and Kat Von D from Sephora is one of my favorite kits. They have recently introduced smaller kits which totally helps wastage as you end up using only two shades from the bigger kit. Don’t forget to grab a contouring brush and a highlight powder to compliment your conturing. Linking my favorites below.

Eye Shadows: I love adding a shimmery touch to my eyes and hence all my palettes at least have one shimmer color. To be honest, all my eye shadow palettes have been a part of ‘Gift with Purchase’ promos and I hardly ever buy them separately 😉 I have a couple of glitter eye shadows (single palettes) for some extravagant looks occasionally!!

Highlighter & Blush: Who doesn’t love to highlight their Cheek bones with a lil shimmer to add glam to the look! I use a creamier version from Sephora and end up finishing it with a shimmer setting powder that I shared above! And of course, I finish my look with a light pink blush (followed by the setting spray) for that extra lush when you smile 🙂 I use my Powder blush usually to apply the blush.

All the Products are linked below:

Hope this will make it easier for you to pack your cosmetics for a trip or otherwise and as I always say, if any of these products are new to you, don’t shy away from asking for 10 days samples and try them out before you invest in them! Hopefully this was helpful & I’ll be more than happy to answer any questions here or through my Instagram DMs 🙂 Again, all the products are linked on my LikeToKnow.it profile… xoxo!