What I Actually Used From My Travel Makeup (Dec 2019 – Jan 2020)

Hello everyone! I have seen a few people do this type of reflection on YouTube (LaurenMaeBeauty and Melissa Gold are some examples) and I wanted to try it out for myself. Essentially, I tracked how many times I used each product that I brought with my over winter break back home to see what I actually ended up using and what I could have left at home.

To be clear, I don’t usually pack as much as I did for this trip back home. I was gone for a month and had some specific content I wanted to create while I was away so I brought more with me – a lot more. For a more typical travel makeup bag, check out this post (note that the products I bring always change, but that post outlines a more typical makeup bag for me for a shorter trip).

I literally wrote down all the names of the products I brought with me and then added a tally every time I used it. This is the first time I have ever tried doing something like this, travel makeup or otherwise, and I actually learned a lot about my personal makeup usage. I didn’t force myself to use any certain product just for the sake of using it, although I did have a few looks planned here and there. Furthermore, not all products listed are indies. My collection is a mix of mainstream and indies, so that’s what I brought with me.

I’m going to break down the list in categories, and I’ll add how many times I used each product, along with a few notes on my thoughts why I did/did not use the product much and what I do/do not like about it. At the end, I’ll break down what percentage of products I actually ended up using out of what I brought with me and do a quick reflection on what I learned.

*Some of these products were sent to me, and those products will be marked with an asterisk (*). This post is not sponsored, and all opinions are my own.

Traveling Days: 24

Days I Wore Makeup: 20

I actually am both really surprised and not surprised at all that I wore makeup so often. Doing my makeup is really relaxing for me and soothes my anxiety, so I try to do it as often as I can. At the same time, I don’t feel like I *need* to wear makeup, so there are days where I just can’t fit it into my schedule and that’s okay. On to the products themselves.

BASE

Solana Luxe Renaissance Primer: used 5 times (25%)

This is the only primer I have, and thus the only primer I brought with me. I don’t really have my full thoughts on it quite yet because I have been dealing with some skin sensitivies (which I now believe are due to hyaluronic acid in my sunscreen). So I definitely want to keep testing this out once my skin calms back down.

Solana Luxe Briar Rose Dewy Skin Mist: unused

I’m just not in the habit of setting my makeup after I finish because I don’t use foundation. So I’m not surprised I didn’t reach for this. I have used it a few times before this trip and it does feel nice. I will have to play around with it more eventually.

Glossier Stretch Concealer: used 3 times (15%)

I really love this concealer for priming my eyes, but it has cacao butter so I can’t use it on my face. That being said, I brought this as a “just in case” option just in case (haha) I didn’t like the River Organics Concealer. I ended up loving the River Organics concealer, so this ended up going a bit neglected…

River Organics Concealer: used 18 times (90%)

I truly ended up loving this concealer. It is so strange because in the container it is almost rock solid, but as soon as you warm it up with your finger it becomes really emollient. The formula is a bit thicker than the Glossier one, but it sheers out wonderfully. It can also be built up to be a bit heavier coverage. I like how it blends into the skin as well. The color match is also perfect for me – it actually helped me understand just how yellow my undertones actually are (Liv is like this as well – I’m going to assume it’s an Italian thing). First impressions are that I really enjoy this, and I want to keep using it so I can form more complete thoughts, especially as my skin continues to recover from the break outs I was experiences last year. The only thing I struggled with is not being able to pick it up with my sponge right out of the container, so I am going to be figuring out how to work with it with a sponge.

Glossier Wowder: used 9 times (45%)

I am so on the fence about loose powder. I think I always end up using too much on accident. I made it a point to really go light over the break and it actually ended up going pretty well. I haven’t tried many powders so I can’t really say this is the best I’ve tried (also because it’s not foolproof for me to use). I feel like this product does it’s job. It’s functional.

HIGHLIGHT

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter for a Superstar Youth Glow: used 14 times (70%)

I love this product. I love layering it under my blush and doubling it up with Fat and the Moon Beam for an extra highlighted look. When I wanted a .2 second look, this is what I reached for. It blends into the skin beautifully and gives that lit-from-within glow that I love so much.

Fat and the Moon Beam highlighter: used 12 times (60%)

I was surprised that I ended up using the Flawless Filter more often than this, but I suspect it’s because the Flawless Filter was a bit of a newer product to my collection and I was just having fun with it. I did use this a lot as a quite inner corner/browbone highlight. This will always be a go-to for me. It also gives a beautiful glow to the skin and really melts into the skin. It truly is a beautiful cream highlight. I am so so so close to hitting pan in this, and I’m super excited for when I do because I’ll be pretty close to finishing it then. I’ve dug out the sides quite a bit.

Colourpop Flexitarian: unused

I’m not surprised that I didn’t end up reaching for this, even though I love this highlight. I really reserve this for days where I really want to shine crazy bright. In other words, I almost exclusively use this for events. I didn’t have any events, really, so this went unused.

BRONZER

Milk Makeup Bronzing Stick in Baked: unused

Y’all, I used to be someone who LIVED for bronzer. I used to hate blush (I thought it always made me look way too red) and only wore bronzer. Recently, though, that’s been flipped on it head. I’m not gonna lie, I sort of expected this to go unused, but at the same time, I thought I might use it once. Nope. Didn’t happen. Like I said, I didn’t force myself to reach for products, and I didn’t reach for this. That being said, this is a great cream bronzer. Shade range is really not great, though.

EYES

Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy: used 2 times (10%)

Love this stuff so much, I just didn’t have much reason to use it over the break. I kept my eye looks pretty simple and pretty neutral.

Twinkle Apothecary Black Eye Tint: used 1 time (5%)

Love this stuff as well, but I reached for the brown shade way more often.

Twinkle Apothecary Cocoa Eye Tint: used 19 times (95%)

This is my favorite mascara ever. I made an IGTV video about how to use it here in case you are wondering how I use it (I used the black shade in the video because I didn’t have the brown one yet). It holds my curl in all. day. It darkens my lashes just enough. I don’t have enough good things to say about this product. If you are at your wit’s end with holding a curl in your lashes, give this a go. I love the brown shade in particular for natural looks, and reach for the black shade when doing more colorful or impactful looks.

Colourpop Brow Gel in Dark Brown: used 20 times (100%)

I love this brow gel. It’s the only product I use in my brows, actually. It holds my brow hairs in place all day and fluffs them up perfectly. I was at the end of the tube (I ended up opening a new one once I got home in the shade Soft Black) so I always ran it backwards through my brows before brushing them upwards to really get the product worked into them.

Sephora Mascara Sample and Shiseido Mascara Sample: used 20 times together (10 each) (100%)

I always use whatever mascara samples I receive on my lower lashes. I ended up finishing the Sephora sample and happened to receive a Shiseido sample when I went to repurchase the pads for my eyelash curler, so it ended up working out well. I don’t love the Shiseido one, though, it’s quite a wet formula so it tends to smudge on me.

Colourpop Mr. Bing Eyeliner: used 18 times (90%)

I adore this shade of eyeliner and use it all the time in my lower waterline. I feel like it really pulls the gold out in my eyes. However, I can’t say this is my absolute favorite eyeliner formula. I think it is just a tad drying, so I will likely try to find a similar shade in a different formula once this is gone. It also tends to break because it is such a dry formula. I would go back to it, though, if I don’t find something close enough to it, because the shade is perfection.

Moonrise Creek Black Eyeliner: unused

I actually really love this liner, I just didn’t have a reason to use black liner in my waterline at all over this break. I generally use this, like Colourpop Flexitarian, for more intense looks, and I really didn’t wear any.

Fat and the Moon Earth Eye Coal: used 4 times (20%)

This is a product that I raved about on our stories, and I still feel the same exact way. It glides on super smoothly (you just have to be sure to warm it up before you start using it because it is made up of waxes and oils) and I don’t find that it creases on me throughout the day. It’s also such a beautiful shade of brown, and I love using it. I want to keep getting practice doing my liner so I can get quick at it for an everyday look paired with a red lip.

Dose of Colors When in Rome Liner: used 1 time (5%)

I do really enjoy this liner, as I do all the Dose of Colors I have, but I kept most of my looks very simple, so I clearly didn’t reach for it much. When I wanted a simple liner look, I used the Eye Coal from Fat and the Moon.

Dose of Colors Laid Back Liner: used 1 time (5%)

Again, love these liners but I just didn’t reach for them much over the break.

Dose of Colors Rodeo Liner: used 1 time (5%)

Same goes for this liner. I do particularly love this shade, though.

Colourpop SuperNova shadow in Constellation: unused

This is starting to dry out on me, so I really want to make it a point to use it from here on out. I kept my looks a bit more neutral than this shade, though, so I just ended up not reaching for it.

Colourpop So This Is Love Super Shock Shadow: used 1 time (5%)

I adore this Super Shock Shadow, it’s one of my favorite shadows for a one and done look. That being said, I definitely reached for my Roen shadows more often for that one and done look over this break.

Roen Beauty Disco Eye: used 2 times (10%)

I love this as an accent shade in particular, but I did one look with this all over the lid paired with graphic liner which I ended up being quite happy with!

Roen Beauty Summer Disco: used 2 times (10%)

The times I used this was as a one and done look. One of my favorite shades to reach for for such a look. It’s got gorgeous sparkles all throughout it.

Roen Beauty 75 Degree Warm Palette: used 7 times (35%)

I reached for this for those one and done looks as well. I also used the shade Obviously as an inner corner and brow bone highlight quite a bit. You can see my full review of Roen Beauty here for a more in-depth description of how I use these shadows and why I love them!

Colourpop Give It To Me Straight Palette: used 7 times (35%)

This palette is actually in my Pan in Every Palette Project (I was concentrating on the shade Candid) so I brought it with me, but I didn’t end up using that shade at all, whoops! Still, I used the mattes in this palette quite a bit. The Colourpop formula is always great.

Colourpop She Palette: used 1 time (5%)

I love this palette’s color story and the shimmers in it, so I’m actually surprised I used it so little. The Roen shadows really took over this break, lol!

Ace Beaute Flair Palette: used 3 times (15%)

I used this palette to film a 3 looks 1 palette, so I used it 3 times. I always love using this palette, I am always inspired using it and I love every shade in it. I’m really excited to share that, it is going up next month! Keep an eye out 🙂

BLUSH

Rituel de Fille Creme Pigment in Lust (sample): used 2 times (10%)

I brought this with me intending to use it up, and I failed miserably. That’s okay, though! I do want to use this up soon. The formula and color are just fine, but I’ve got quite a few cream blushes and I just want to narrow my collection fown a bit.

Tower 28 Beauty Magic Hour: used 1 time (5%)

This is another product that surprised me by how little I used it. I actually really love this blush, it is such a nice nude shade on me and it blends out beautifully. I think there just were a few products (we’ll get to them) that just really ended up getting all my attention.

LIP AND CHEEK PRODUCTS

Olio e Osso Balm No. 10 in Tea Rose: used 11 times (55%)

Here is one of those products that I just couldn’t put down. I loved using it both on my cheeks and my lips, and it is one of the few lip products that heals my chapped lips and keeps them away. It also gives my cheeks a beautiful glossy effect, I cannot get enough of it. I also did mix this a lot with the Linda Hallberg Fantastick in Famous on both my cheeks and my lips.

Olio e Osso Balm No. 5 in Currant: used 1 time (5%)

I feel the same way about the formula of this as I do of the other shade I brought with me (aka I love it), I just ended up reaching for the other shade more.

Linda Hallberg Cosmetics Fantastick in Famous: used 11 times (55%)

I love this so much, again both for the lips and the cheeks. It is a true neutral shade and was so easy to use for day to day. I would swipe it on my cheeks and then tap it out with my fingers. It is a really flattering shade on me and, like the Olio e Osso balms, has a glow to it. It’s not as dewy as the Olio e Osso balms, though.

Fat and the Moon Lip Paint in Wood Nymph: used 4 times (20%)

This is another product that I actually really love but I just didn’t end up reaching for that much because of the Olio e Osso balm and the Linda Hallberg Fantastick. I love this shade as a nude lip, though, it is really flattering and soft on me.

Fat and the Moon Lip Paints in Clay Idol, Mortar and Pestle, Hecate, and Dusk: unused

Same goes for these guys. I love them all, but I just ended up going for more neutral shades for the most part or the Olio e Osso balm due to my chapped lips. Not that these are drying, they just aren’t as moisturizing as the Olio e Osso balms.

LIPS

*Unpa Bubi Bubi Lip Scrub: used 1 time (5%)

So this is more of a lip care product than a makeup product. Before I went on the trip I was using this two or three times a week, actually. I think this is another case of liking a product but traveling making habits a lot simpler/pared down. I actually really like this product, it does a great job at exfoliating my lips!

*Unpa Bubi Bubi Lip Ampule: idk tbh

I brought two different lip balms. I was keeping track of how many times I used this while I finished my other lip balm, but after that I stopped keeping track. This is definitely a very hydrating lip product and I have enjoyed using it and will definitely use it all the way up, but I personally will not be buying this again for sure because it has hyaluronic acid in it, which breaks me out. While it is fine to use on my lips, I just don’t want to risk smearing it on my face for whatever reason.

Colourpop Oh Snap lip liner: used 3 times (15%)

I really enjoy the Colourpop lip liner formula, but I don’t use lip liner very often. Generally, I pair it with a sheer lip product when I want to overline, which is not super often on the day to day.

Nabi Orange Lip Liner: used 3 times (15%)

This lip liner has a stiffer formula, but it isn’t drying. I like this a lot paired with my red orange lipsticks. It is perfect to overline with and it’s the perfect shade of orangey red as well. I just reached for nude shades more often over the break.

*Eclectic Beauty Cosmetics Rose Red lipstick: used 3 times (15%)

I adore this lipstick. The shade is a perfect red orange shade, and I can’t get enough of it. When I want a red or bright lip, this is what I reach for. I loved pairing this with the Fat and the Moon liner on the eyes. But again, I mostly went for nude shades on the lips over the break.

B’ellegant liquid lipstick in Red Wine: used 1 time (5%)

B’ellegant makes my favorite formula of liquid lipsticks, and this shade in particular is absolutely stunning. I love how it looks on me, but again, I kept it quite toned down over the break! I am glad that I brought this option with me, though.

Fierce Beaute Gloss in Oh La La: unused

I actually brought this with me in order to use it up and once again, I failed. That’s okay, though. If I wanted a red lip I reached for the Eclectic shade this break. It is what it is, but I will be focusing on this now that I am back at school!

Tower 28 Beauty Chill gloss: used 11 time (5%)

Another product that I absolutely love but was set aside for a bit while I went crazy for those Olio e Osso balms and the Linda Hallberg Fantastick. This is such a great gloss, though. It’s not heavy at all and looks so stunningly glossy on the lips. Huge fan, here.

Marc Jacobs Pretty Thing gloss: unused

Andddd once again another product that I love that got passed over. Whoops! I do adore this gloss though, and it’s a sentimental product for me as well. The shade is a really nice pinky nude on me and it’s so nice and glossy.

CONCLUSION

Total products brought with me: 48

Total products used at least once: 37

Percentage left unused: 23%

So, I think I actually did a pretty good job! The products that really bumped my unused number up were actually the Fat and the Moon lip paints. Without the four that I didn’t use, I actually would have ended up using 85% of the products I brought with me! So, overall, I’m pretty happy.

I think I know what I reach for when I travel and I know my taste. I also brought enough with me that I never felt bored or like I was doing the same look every day (even though it probably looked that way, lol!). I think the only thing I would change in the future would be to try to focus more heavily on the products that I was trying to finish, but for this specific break I am okay with the fact that I gave myself almost a month to just wear what I felt like wearing without any pressure to reach for anything. I wouldn’t leave the Fat and the Moon lip paints behind. Even though I didn’t reach for them much this time, they are such a versatile product, and when I go on shorter trips they always make the cut for my travel makeup and they always end up getting used.

What do you tend to bring with you when you travel? Do you find that you reach for the same few products or do you like to give yourself lots of options? Please let me know below! I love reading about what people bring with them!