What I Packed: Toiletries & Beauty

One thing I think everyone hates doing is packing. I mean, unpacking is the absolute worst, but packing is just terrible. At first it's fun and you think about cute outfits you're gonna wear, and items you bought specifically for a trip or pieces you don't get to wear enough, and then the doom sets in. Can I bring just two pairs of shoes and make them work for everything or do I really need to pack all four? How can I pack such and such without ruining/wrinkling/breaking it?

A few weekends ago, I started this blog post for my beauty items and just didn't get it finished in time to post before we left.  I thought about scrapping it altogether, but I always like to see beauty and travel posts and went ahead with it. Full disclosure, my beauty/bathroom bag tends to be larger than my clothing! Since we were gone for just less than two weeks, had a full agenda including a wedding, I thought out what I’ll be packing that will get me the most use and be versatile. When I first seriously started thinking about what I wanted to pack I promised myself that I wouldn’t overpack and paid attention to which products I used most often and which I could leave at home.

MAC Warm Palette // Tarte Tease // L’Oreal Primer // Maybelline Mascara

Urban Decay Primer Potion // MAC Shadow Brun (for brows)

NYX Micro Brow in Taupe // NYC Liquid Eyeliner 

MAC Studio Fix C4 // L’Oreal True Match Foundation W3 // NYX Matte Bronzer
Maybelline Eye Brightener // Real Techniques Blender // MAC Blush Springsteen & Dollymix Maybelline Concealer Ivory

MAC Lipstick Crème D’Nude, Hue, Pure Zen, Pink Nouveau, Creme Cup

MAC Gloss Boy Bait // MAC Gloss Angel // NYX Liners Pink Nude, Pinky, Peekaboo Neutral

My day to day makeup bag is pretty hefty, plus I have a drawer and purse full of lipsticks, and a gazillion palettes, but I’ve been thinking about this trip for a while and what I wanted to bring with me that will be used the most. I thought I would use all my lip products while I was there, but I really only used Pure Zen, Creme D'Nude, and my Angel gloss. While there, I also picked up NYX Fortune Cookie and it's perfection with Creme D'Nude for the perfect nude lip that doesn't look like concealer.

Neutrogena Makeup Remover // Neutrogena Face Wash // Bioderma Micellular Water 

 Hyaluronic Acid // Neutrogena Moisturizer 

There are a few more things here I’d prefer to have with me, and even things I wouldn’t bring if we were going for less time (using wipes instead), but I pared it down to just the essentials. These two face washes are some of my faves, I’ve been using the makeup remover wash for years now. Bioderma sent me a few products a while ago and I’ve become obsessed! It’s amazing, makes my skin feel great and doesn’t dry it out! I’m a total convert now. I can’t imagine going anywhere without my hyaluronic acid, it has made such a difference in my skin! My skin is terrible right now, I've ran out of my favorite Image Skincare products so I'll be stocking up soon! With the crash of having a baby a year ago, stopping nursing, the return of my cycle, it's just a hormone nightmare. I've been terrible at my regular skin routine too. That's all for another post though.

ColorProof Travel Set // Redken Guts 10 // Big Sexy Spray and Play Hairspray // Phillip B Serum Conair Detangling Brush // Fromm Brush // Big Sexy Hair Powder Play 

Scunci Elastics // Curling Iron

One task I hate doing is washing and blowdrying my hair. I seriously just loathe it. It only takes me like 12 minutes to blow dry it and even less time to style it, but I still consider it a chore. If I use all of my “good” products on it and blow dry it well, I can get several great hair days between washing without even a hint of dry shampoo so it’s totally worth it. When at home, I typically use more products in my hair- leave-in conditioner, mousse, root spray and more through the week, but I’m really focusing on bringing only the big guns.

I'm so glad I brought this ColorProof travel set, it was much needed. My hair has been extra dry every since I tried a new colorist and had to have it fixed back in April and this set made my hair so silky soft! I've been using it at home too and will definitely be getting the full sizes. Each one had a different scent and I loved the mint in the conditioner. The treatment is amazing! They're TSA approved and include 2 oz sizes of ColorProof’s top selling products that are essential for keeping your color in check during your travels. I've never used ColorProof products before, but I love that they are 100% vegan, gluten-free and sulfate and salt-free.

What are your must-have toiletries when you travel? Where do you draw the line with your necessities?