Rebuilding My Travel Makeup Kit from Scratch
The travel essentials I restocked after losing my bag
This summer, my suitcase was lost on a direct 1-hour 45-minute flight between Sicily and Liguria. Yes, you read that right. Yes, I had an AirTag. No, it didn’t work because the battery had died a month earlier, and I hadn’t replaced it. Yes, I’m definitely annoyed at myself.
But, silver lining—I realized this would make a great Substack post. So, lucky you, readers!
For those who don’t know, I travel a lot. And working in beauty, I have a lot of products. I keep separate makeup and skincare bags just for travel (a tip I picked up from Rea Ann Silva, the founder of beautyblender, back when I worked there). Which means, I didn’t lose my entire makeup collection but I certainly lost many of my favorites. And nothing makes you realize how much you love something until it’s gone, right? So the fact that I repopulated my bag with this item shows I really love it.
Here’s how I rebuilt my travel bag from scratch.
Saie Foundation– this was the first thing I repurchased. It’s a nice, light everyday foundation. I’m shade 7. For events, I’ll do something more full coverage/ less glowy but when I travel, I usually keep it super simple.
beautyblender– duh. Use this for foundation, concealer, cream blush etc.
One dual ended fluffy brush + a denser brush – honestly, you don’t need much more than a blender + two brushes when you’re traveling.
NARS concealer– This concealer has been a Sephora best-seller for literally EVER —and for good reason. It’s creamy, buildable, and leaves a radiant finish. I find that many concealers either feel too light to make a difference or too heavy and look cakey. NARS strikes the perfect balance, delivering natural-looking coverage with a subtle glow.
Patrick Ta Blush– Actually I did not lose these in the suitcase but they are my new favorite blush so now I can’t imagine living without them. I have shade Just Enough and She’s a Doll and love them both. There are multiple ways you can use it but I like to use the cream under my foundation for the lit-from-within look and then use the blush powder on top. Patrick has great tutorial on TikTok. I have already ordered 3 other shades…
Kosas Bronzer–I use this in my eye crease as well. It’s the perfect, easy, bronzer that you can just liberally apply on your face.
Eyebrow Pencil– I switch between Sania’s Brow Pencil, Kosas Brow Pencil or Anastasia. This time I got Kosas,
Mascara– guys I will die on this hill. you do not need an expensive mascara. Get a L'Oréal one from the drug store. I only have expensive ones because I work in the industry and get them for free. Save your money for all the other expensive things I tell you to buy, like this LED light.
Lip Liner– RMS nighttime nude. The way I describe this pencil is “comfortable”. It’s not fussy. It goes well with everything.
Lip Gloss–Saie! They are hydrating and easy. Shades Dip and Kiss are my favs.
Highlighter– Saie again. I use the mini one because I use so little.
Quilted Makeup Bag to house all my new goodies!
Setting powder- I have been using the Laura Mercier setting powder for a decade so I decided to venture out and try the viral Huda one that everyone loves in the mini size!