Packing For Two Night Trip ~ Pared-Down Skincare & Makeup

I’m just back from my big 2-week beach vacation and I’m heading out for a 2-night trip to Miami to deliver my daughter to college. Packing for the beach vacay was easy… it’s only a short drive away so I pack the car to the gills and I’m ready for anything! Packing to fly is another story… I can’t bring an entire suitcase full of makeup and skincare so I have to pare-down my routine to the essentials (but being away only a couple of nights makes it easier).

I’ll be leaving most of my “big-guns” skincare like Retin-A and Vitamin C serum at home along with all but the most versatile of makeup products. What I will bring are the multi-taskers that help my skin fight the stresses of travel so I can still look polished whatever the day brings (we’ll be doing everything from moving boxes to attending a bar-b-q with the president of the University).

This is my first child leaving home, and I can’t even think about it without getting weepy, so the #1 item I’m packing is waterproof mascara! Second most important is travel packs of tissues…

CoverGirl Full Lash Bloom Waterproof Mascara*

The most important feature is that it’s waterproof so I won’t have black puddles under my eyes! It’s a silky formula that gives lush, natural looking lashes without any clumps.

The skincare items I’m packing are:

Kirkland Daily Facial Towelettes*

These soft, gentle wipes do 90% of the makeup removing job. They contain cucumber, chamomile flower extract, aloe, and vitamin E to moisturize and soothe while being really effective at makeup removal, including waterproof mascara! I pull out 3-4 towelettes and put them in a snack size zipper bag for the trip leaving the bulky 30-pack at home.

Eucerin Sensitive Skin Redness Relief Soothing Cleanser*

This facial wash is specially formulated to clean sensitive skin while being non-drying and soothing with aloe and licorice root. If I was carrying my luggage on the plane, I’d transfer this into a TSA Carry-On Approved Squeeze Bottle*.

Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Serum*

For travel, I’ll leave my Timeless Matrixyl Serum* in it’s breakable glass bottle at home and use this Olay peptide serum both morning and night. Olay packs palmitoyl pentapeptide-4, niacinamide, glycerin, hyaluronic acid and vitamin E into this silky lightweight serum.

CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizer*

The PM just means that it doesn’t contain sunscreen so this is my go-to travel moisturizer! I use it morning and night after the Olay serum. It’s got ceramides, niacinamide, glycerin, and hyaluronic acid. I apply CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizer all over my face, neck, chest and backs of hands and layer sunscreen over it for day.

Exuviance Sheer Daily Protector SPF 50 PA+++*

Since we’re heading to Miami in August I’m taking along this spf 50 broad spectrum sunscreen. It has a slight tint so it doesn’t leave a weird whitish mask and it’s not shiny so I can wear it alone. It layers well under makeup too so it makes a great base under foundation.

Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Night*

I’m leaving my Retin-A at home so I’ll swap in this OTC Retinol serum to use at night. It’s gentler on my skin than the prescription version, but for the two nights, it’ll keep my skin in the “retinoid zone”! I’ll apply this to my whole face, neck, chest, and backs of hands at night before bed.

RapidLash Lash and Brow Enhancing Serum*

I’m really loving my results with Rapidlash (see post) to lengthen my eyelashes and re-grow my brows, so I’m taking it along. The tube’s so compact and convenient, it’s easy to squeeze it in to keep the results going!

 

That’s it for skincare, just 7 small tubes! On to the makeup:

IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream SPF 50*

The IT CC+ cream will do double duty as foundation and extra sun protection in the Miami sun. It’s foolproof to apply with just the fingers and looks great all day!

Becca Perfect Skin Mineral Powder Foundation*

I’ll also take along my Becca Perfect Skin powder. It can be used alone or layered over the IT CC+ Cream for more coverage and skin perfecting.

IT Cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Dual Ended Foundation Brush*

This brush is perfect for travel, it’s compact and can handle both concealer as well as all over liquid or powder application.

IT Cosmetics Live Laugh Love Vitality Face Disk*

This is a 3-In-1 compact containing my favorite bronzer, blush, and highlighter! It’s large but flat so it’s not bulky.

Tarte Clean Slate 360 Creaseless 12-Hour Smoothing Eye Primer*

 

Eyeshadow primer is necessary when visiting hot humid places like Miami. This tube’s tiny so it doesn’t add any bulk and the primer will keep my eyeshadow “on fleek” from morning to night.

Urban Decay Naked2 Basics Palette*

This is the perfect travel palette because it’s petite, has a big mirror, and can do a variety of eyeshadow looks from barely there to full on drama.

Beauty Junkees Eyeshadow Brush Set* (Use my code: HOTANDFL for $5 Off at checkout)

I’m just taking the 4 brushes from this set of 8 that I use daily for just about any eyeshadow application which are the Pencil brush, the All Over Shader, the Crease brush, and the Tapered Blending brush.

Pur Minerals Double Ego Eyeliner in “Swiss Alps”*

This skinny pencil contains both a mechanical pencil liner and a super slim felt tip liquid liner so it’s great for travel! Both ends glide on easily and stay put all day with no smudging or fading.

Boots No 7 Stay Perfect Shade and Define in Cool Mink*

This chubby crayon doubles as shimmery eyeshadow and eyeliner. It’s great for amping up an all matte eye look from the Naked 2 Basics palette!

Make Up For Ever Aqua Lip Liner in 3C*

MUFE Aqua Lip in 3C is a really creamy sharpenable pencil that’s not at all drying to wear. The color is very natural on me and works well under nude, pink, and berry lipsticks, and it has great staying power.

Laura Mercier Paint Wash in Nude Rose*

Laura Mercier’s liquid lipstick has a doe foot applicator like a lip gloss but the feel is so much better then a sticky gloss, it feels soft and cushiony with a whipped up texture that feels great on the lips. The finish is somewhere between soft-gloss and matte.

It seems like a lot when each item’s listed out like this, but taking just these multi-taskers will save so much space in my luggage! Maybe I can pack that extra pair of shoes… 😉

Wish me luck, I know it’s going to be one of the single toughest/saddest days of my life. XO ~angie