Travel Beauty

Just after Christmas I had a mini break to Amsterdam, I spent 4 nights there taking in culture and getting lost down endless canal lined streets. As we only had hand luggage on board the plane, I was limited in my beauty stash. I had to whittle it down to a few essentials, which was hard to say the least, but here I will show you what products made the final cut.

Make up

Clinique Anti-blemish Solutions liquid foundation |17 Phwoarr Paint | Maybelline Color Tattoo in 'on and on bronze' | Dainty Doll cream blush in '| Maybelline Brow Drama | Soap & Glory Thick & Fast Mascara | Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette | Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in 'vanilla' | Blistex Raspberry Lemonade Blast lip balm | Soap & Glory Gloss Stick in 'Nudist' | 17 Supreme Shine Lipstick in 'deep secret'

Tools

Real Techniques Buffing Brush (cream blusher) | Real Techniques Expert Face Brush (foundation) | Topshop angled brush | flat topped stippling brush (concealer) | tapered blending brush (eyes)

Skincare and then some

Sure roll on deodorant | Batiste Dry Shampoo mini in 'original' | Umberto and Giannini Glam Hair 'Backcomb In A Bottle' | The Body Shop Seaweed Mattifying Moisture Lotion SPF15 | Origins A Perfect World Antioxidant Cleanser (mini) | Origins Modern Friction Nature's gentle dermabrasion (mini)

The tip is to pack multi-purpose products. The Naked Basics Palette is an eye shadow palette, yet the shade 'faint' is a perfect match to my eyebrows and with the angled brush I can fill them in quite naturally. The same brush can also be used with the shade 'crave' along the lash line as an alternative to black eyeliner. Using your ring finger, 'venus' can be applied very lightly to the top of your cheek and brow bones as a highlighter.

My lip products of choice were the S&G gloss stick in 'nudist' (review here) and the 17 Supreme Shine lipstick. My reasons? One word... moisture. Going to a cold country calls for all the nourishment you can get on the lips. Of course I had my trusty Blistex lip balm in my pocket at all times but for when you want a bit of colour, tinted lip balms/glosses are the way to go and this nude shade is great for everyday wear.

The Nars concealer was thrown into my travel stash as I knew I would be spending long days out without returning to the hotel before the evenings. This concealer is great at refreshing your make up look by applying to the areas where you're looking a little dull... chuck on some red lippy and hey presto!

I am going to Glastonbury again this year where I will almost certainly need to downsize my make up to travel friendly portions.

What Brush Goes Where?

Now the function of a make up tool is simply a matter of opinion (in my opinion har-har), and most products out there are multi-purpose regardless of their name!
Here's a sneak peak into my current make up toolkit, a low down on my brushes' business...

Real Technique Expert Face Brush - This brush, with its tightly packed bristles and slightly domed top, is my perfect gizmo for applying liquid foundation. It blends seamlessly, with minimal effort - there's no need to spend hours working your foundation into your skin with this baby.

Topshop Kabuki Brush - Okay, so this is quite a large brush, but I love how easily I can give my paley pale face a wash of colour using a natural looking bronzer. A quick swoop in the hollows of my checks and around my temples and you would think I'd traveled the world! 

Sigma Duo Fibre Powder/Blush F15 - I rarely use powder, but when I do I use this brush. I powder mainly my T-zone and chin, this brush distributes and sets the powder so lightly you can hardly tell its there.

Real Techniques Contour Brush - This little friend helps me tackle the nightmare that is my dreary morning eyes (anyone else?). With a creamy concealer, this brush can work wonders on dark circles, perfectly fitting around my eye socket for max coverage.

Topshop Angled Brush - I'm not a big lover of liquid/gel eyeliner (mainly because I'm impossibly rubbish at applying it) so I usually use black eye shadow just on the upper outer part of my lid, as close to my lash line as humanly possible. This angled brush from good'ol Topshop is perfect for the job and also comes in handy with my eyebrows too...

Real Techniques Buffing Brush - Of course this brush is going to make an appearance, how can a girl live without it!? Well... I seem to have moved on from the 'buffing in my foundation' craze and now only use this brush for applying cream blush - which it does so brilliantly. A light stipple on the cheeks and your good to go.

Real Techniques Blush Brush - Just as it says on the tin, I use this brush to apply blusher on the apples of my cheeks. An all round good'un I'd say, real techniques never disappoint.

So there you have it - my toolkit. I wonder, do you use any of these brushes for a completely different function?