Backpacking Packing Guide: Capsule Cosmetics Collection

When I decided to go backpacking, my friends and family pretty much all said the same thing, 'You can't take your entire makeup collection you know'. I confidently replied that I'd have no problem compressing my collection into a capsule makeup bag. No problem whatsoever. Then I looked at my train case... Oh dear.

*The image which sparked fear in my cosmetics-obsessed mind pre-travel*

Ok, don't panic, I thought. You can do this. You need two 'looks'; one for daytime and one for night-time. Keep it simple. Less is more. I began applying the bare minimum makeup face that I would feel comfortable wearing out shopping or whatever... I know it looks like a lot, but here's what I came up with.

*A mattifying primer by LOreal, Maybelline's BB Cream, my Royal&Langnickel foundation brush, 24hour Maybelline concealer, Ecotools contour brush, benefit CORALista blush, Nars Orgasm Illuminator, benefit BrowZings, Ecotools fluff brush, Urban Decay Naked Palette, benefit They're Real mascara, Revlon Peach Parfait Lip Butter*

The most important thing was to appear dewy but not sweaty. Hence the mattifying primer. Plus I wanted a natural look so the BB cream was light enough to give this look. Revlon's Lip Butters are so beautiful and hydrating, plus the Peach Parfait colour matches my CORALista blush perfectly. Coral colours always look fresher and more natural. The Nars Orgasm Illuminator kept the look dewy also. I used the colour 'Virgin' to brighten my eyes without making them look too 'done'. And this is the natural, fresh, daytime face I came up with:

  

I was happy with this look. NEXT I wanted the kind of look which I could wear on a night out. Something a little more obvious... snazzier. So I'd need a brighter lip, rosier cheeks and a smoky eye. Thanks to my Naked Palette I didn't need to include any more eye shadow. However, I knew I'd need eyeliner, blush and lipstick. Here's what I grabbed for this look. 

*Everything is the same as above until my LOreal True Match face powder, benefit HOOLA bronzer, Lumiere Mauvelous mineral blusher, NO7 Deepest Red lipgloss, Urban Decay Primer Potion, InColour Fabuliner and MAC lipstick in Sin*

I wanted my evening look to be a lot more matte than my daytime one with a lot more contour in the cheekbones. I used Virgin by Urban Decay in the corners of my eyes, Gunmetal from two thirds of the lid out and Creep in the crease and outer corner, and dragged a little into the lower lash line. Obviously I slicked on some eyeliner and piled on the mascara. Here's what it looked like:

Now, I know I should have stopped at this point. But I started fiddling around with the makeup I already had in the capsule collection and had to add just a couple more things in order to create a third look. This third look is a more versatile look which I thought could be easily transferable from day to night without looking too overdone during the day or too underdone at night. These are the products I used...

*As you can see, I only really added the brown InColour Fabuliner... I also added benefit's POREfessional and my Burt's Bees lipbalm. See, I was REALLY well-behaved realistically!*

And this is the look I came up with using the above products:

*I figured this would be cute for a nice lunch out or an early gig or beach party. I used coral-ly colours, a relatively dewy base and a gold-brown based eye with Urban Decay's Half-Baked, Buck and Smog.*

And that was it! I decided I did not need any more make-up than this. If I was going on a night out, I layered a second painting of BB cream on for slightly heavier coverage and did the same with blusher and mascara too. I was able to play more with my Naked palette than ever before as the colours inside were the only eye shadows I had. In times of desperation needs must!

*My entire capsule cosmetics collection... And these were my absolute essentials.*

*I set my tools out separately. This was VERY hard having to choose just four brushes! And my eyelash curlers had to stay at home as they just wouldn't fit in the bag :(*

I was really quite proud of myself! If I wasn't so into makeup, I could quite easily have taken just my BB Cream, BrowZings, one blusher, mascara and lipbalm. But you know what I'm like! It was actually kind of fun trying to create so many different looks out of such a bare collection while I was away. Not that I'd rush to do it again in a hurry. I'm currently rolling around in all of my beloved cosmetics and I refuse to be parted with them again for the foreseeable future. Its all I can do to prevent myself from putting it all on at once in fact... *Clown-face warning*

Anyway, have you ever needed to compress your cosmetics collection into JUST ONE BAG for an entire 6 week vacation??? What would be your essentials? What are your tips for transferring your look from day to night with the smallest amount of extra products?

Love and snuggles

gabriellasofia

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