What's In My Travel Make-up Bag: Two Weeks in Tuscany

We're flying to Italy tonight! I'm choosing to disregard the fact that we still need to haul ourselves to JFK by subway, spend 9 hours on a transatlantic flight, wait another couple hours at Charles de Gaulle in Paris (probably my LEAST favorite airport in the world) and then, at long last, we'll finally reach Florence. In an attempt to dispel some of that Reisefieber, I'll be sharing the contents of my fortnight travel make-up bag with you today.

In the spirit of simplifying and what not, I've tried to only pack a minimum of products that would still allow me a little bit of variety for different occasions. Essentially, our family holiday in Tuscany is going to be very casual: we're staying at an old country house, and we're planning to spend our days lounging, sightseeing, visiting wineries and gorging ourselves on glorious local fare. I also don't want to spend a long time getting ready in the morning and fiddling with my make-up when I could be spending that precious time with the family instead - so I'm aiming for a quick, pulled together look that can take me from roaming between the vineyards to dining at a cosy restaurant in the city.

The bag itself was a gift from a friend but I believe it came from Forever21. It is the perfect size for all my essentials, and it's just a bit padded for extra security. Starting with face products, one category I don't want to skip is my facial SPF, which is why you're seeing both the Paula's Choice Resist SPF 30 and the Bourjois CC Cream SPF 15. The reason I'm putting the sunscreen in my make-up bag is that I've recently taken to mixing it in with my foundation (or CC cream), or applying one after another in quick succession. I feel that this method allows for better blendability, and a more natural look to the skin. I'll be using the Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Concealer on both my under eye area and my blemishes, and setting everything with MAC Pressed Blot Powder in Medium.

For my cheeks, I've actually been going back and forth and considering only taking the Stila Convertible Color in Lillium from my Project Make A Dent. I'm really not sure if I need theBalm Bahama Mama bronzer (I've been a bit ambivalent towards bronzers lately and mostly use them to match my white neck to a darker foundation on my face, but the Bourjois CC Cream is a good match at the moment), or the Canmake Cream Cheeks in Clear Pink Joy, but they're in the bag for now.

On the eyes, I've wanted something fuss-free and neutral, so I went with the Maybelline Bad to the Bronze Color Tattoo (either alone or as an eyeshadow base), Dior quint in Earth Reflections (suitable for both subtle and more smokey looks, and the pale shimmery shades can double as a cheek highlight) and Pixi Beauty Endless Silky Eye Pen in Copper Glow (either to quickly smudge along the lashline, a subtle wing or definition in the waterline). A good, long wearing mascara is also a must, and I've been enjoying my tube of Mally Beauty Volumizing Mascara in Black the past couple of weeks. For my brows, I opted for the NYX Micro Brow Pencil in Taupe - the handy spoolie on the end saves me from packing a separate brush for my brows.

I've been debating over my lip choices for a long time, but in the end went with two lipsticks from my panning projects: Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait for a shimmery peach and Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Monte Carlo for an easy, sheer red. I also added a tube of Maybelline Color Elixir in Caramel Infused for my MLBB pinky mauve fix.

Lastly, for perfume I'm planning to decant one of my perfume minis into a refillable travel spray - this one is from BornPrettyStore. Fun fact, nearly all of my deluxe samples of perfume are 5 ml, while a regular small sample vial of perfume holds between 1,5 to 2 ml. So I could be just taking three small perfume samples with me (I know for a fact that it's more than enough for a two week trip), but you know, gotta use those minis at some point too.

I hope you enjoyed this quick peek into my current travel make-up bag; here's the last version from winter 2013 if you're curious. I realize that what I consider a more streamlined make-up bag may actually be someone else's entire make-up collection, but come on people, we're all beauty addicts here. If you'd like to see MOAR ideas for packing make-up, here are two helpful posts: one from Kar Yi on space-saving solutions for your travel make-up bag, and another from Larie on packing a carry-on beauty pouch for weekend getaways. Do you travel light make-up wise, or do you like to have options? Do you have any special travel tricks or tips up your sleeve that help you save both time in the morning and space in your suitcase? I'd love to know!