Makeup I'm Taking On Holiday

Since I'll be spending my first Christmas up north with the in-laws this year (yikes!), I have started to put together a travel makeup bag filled with products I love and adore to get me through the tropical heat while still looking fabulous. I have a bunch of cult-favourites that fellow makeup enthusiasts swear by as well as a few by Rimmel and Revlon that are absolute winners.

RIMMEL KATE SCULPTING PALETTE

As I was digging through my palettes trying to find a travel-friendly number, this little gem popped up and I remembered how lovely this trio is. 'Coral Glow' comes with a subtle yet beautiful highlighter, a contour shade that isn't too warm and a pretty pink-peach blush to add a touch of colour to your complexion. Each shade applies like butter to the skin and blend seamlessly so it's very easy to use and buildable as well. All I need to contour, define and highlight my face are all in this one handy palette.

L'ORÉAL PARADISE MASCARA

I personally think this mascara is slightly better than the ever popular 'Better Than Sex' by Too Faced for one reason; it doesn't flake. It was a no-brainer when it came to which mascara I wanted to take along with me because if you haven't heard, it's amazing and a very good dupe too! It separates my lashes nicely and gives them plenty of volume for that full, fluffy lash effect without the use of falsies. The formula is quite thick and can clump your lashes fairly easily, but the best way to avoid that is by simply scraping off the excess from the wand and you'll have a much better result. It is 100% worth trying for yourself because I think everyone needs this mascara in their makeup bag.

HOURGLASS VEIL MINERAL PRIMER

My love for this primer is still strong even after the years of hype died down, and I still consider to be a holy grail of mine (even though I've neglected it lately for Urban Decay's Optical Illusion Primer). It doesn't matter how many primers I try and enjoy, I always come back to this one because it truly is perfection in a bottle. This primer makes your skin feel velvety smooth and helps to diminish the appearance of large pores. I love how my foundation just glides over the top and my makeup always looks flawless when I use it. It's definitely an expensive product ($110 for the full size - ouch!), but I keep repurchasing the travel size and it lasts a good while because half a pump goes such a long way. It's a beautiful all-in-one primer that won't let you down.

MAYBELLINE MATTE + PORELESS FOUNDATION

It was a toss up between the YSL All Hours Foundation (which is hands down in my top 5) or this cult classic and I was seriously considering just packing both, but that wouldn't be ideal. Besides, it's about time I gave this foundation some love as it's been sitting there patiently for months waiting to be used again. It is the ONLY foundation at the drugstore with a whopping shade range of 40 to suit the lightest, darkest and every skin tone in between. This gives me medium coverage but easily buildable without the heaviness and it dries down to a soft matte finish - not a flat, drying, powdery matte that can look a little unflattering. I only wish it had a pump dispenser, but the formula itself is what really matters and it's fantastic!

REVLON CREME EYESHADOW

These cream eyeshadow pots are perfect for the time-poor or lazy and I am definitely the latter, so with these I can take my makeup look to the next level using minimal effort because I really don't want to be messing about with eyeshadow whilst on holiday. What makes these so great is that for a cream product, they don't feel thick or greasy whatsoever and they never crease on my eye lids. I have a bunch of their gorgeous shades, but I was looking for one that is versatile to wear day or night and 'Praline' is neutral enough while still being a little glam for the holidays. 

NARS SOFT MATTE COMPLETE CONCEALER

Of course I'm taking this baby along because my under eyes will be needing some serious attention after Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations. The full coverage formula melts into the skin and doesn't crease into fine lines under the eyes, it also works wonders to cover imperfections like acne without it caking up or emphasizing it even more. It's a lovely all-rounder concealer that does the job extremely well, so I don't need to worry about packing one specifically for my under eyes and another for imperfections. I highly recommend it, it is totally worth the hype!

RIMMEL THE ONLY 1 LIPSTICK

I know I've said this multiple times but if Rimmel do one thing really well, it's lipsticks. These particular lippies aren't ultra long wearing so regular reapplication is needed (especially if you're spending Christmas day eating non-stop) however, the level of pigmentation and how moisturising they feel on the lips is why I adore this range. One of the shades I never get tired of wearing is 'Mauve-ment' because it is such a flattering and easy to wear colour.

What are your go-to makeup products to take on holiday?