When going on holiday there's nothing worse than forgetting something, especially when it comes to makeup - what happens if a pesky spot decides to make an appearance and you've forgotten your trusty concealer?!?!?! The answer is, dilemma! That's why planning and packing is essential to ensure nothing gets accidentally left behind.

I'm off to Spain this weekend for work experience with my auntie who lives out there and this week leading up to it has been nothing but packing, planning and organising. As I'm only taking hand luggage I'm restricted to how much I can take and the amount of liquids I'm allowed and so thorough planning is paramount.

Although I'll feel vulnerable and practically naked without a full face of makeup on, I've decided to only pack the bare minimum to give my skin and break and save time in the mornings to allow me to get the most out of the time that I'm there.

To be realistic I've decided not to take anything too fancy/expensive/something I can't live without because you never know what could happen! I could leave it there accidentally, it could get lost somewhere or could just simply get broken en route and aint nobody got time fo' dat. So for said reasons above, I'm only taking the bare minimum cause y'know hand luggage restrictions and saving the room for my potential (I say potential but who am I kidding, it's probs defo going to happen) splurges in Sephora and Zara, ahh dreamy.

Yeah anyway, makeup time.

Foundation

As I currently look like a pale slug, with all my fake tan scrubbed off *insert cry emoji* (no actually) *insert tears streaming down the face emoji*, there's no question about foundation as I have to take it to save myself from looking somewhat abnormal. I've opted for my medium coverage and semi dewy number of Rimmel London's Match Perfection in 200 Beige. It's so easy to blend in and hassle free so no time wasting there - plus it's got SPF 20, no burnt cheeks for me then.

Concealer

Trust my concealer to be on it's last legs right before I go on holiday. However with some good scrapping skills and tilting it at the right angle, I can just about scrape enough out to last me until I visit Sephora. Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Cool Medium 2 is my go-to concealer for hiding anything from horrendous dark circles to spots and discolouration - it's an all rounder really. It's neat and compact and something I'll definitely have to replenish when I'm home.


Powder

There was no way I'd take any powder other than a cheapy Collection one because I cannot be dealing with broken bits of powder when my oily face is screaming for some mattifying. One drop from a substantial height and that's it, your powder is broken into a million and one pieces and gently tapping a kabuki brush onto said a million and one pieces to try and get some powder is not worth the effort. So I've packed a trusty Collection Powder that is not different to any others I've tried; it mattifies my face, minimises the appearances of pores and doesn't look too cakey.


Mascara

Now this was a tricky on. At the moment I'd describe myself in a bit of a mascara rut. My current mascara routine (if you could call it that) involves three mascaras and can leave me with anything between mediocre lashes to BAM HELLO ARE THOSE FALSIES. So you can kinda see my problem. There's not one mascara that I can fully rely on to give me my needed BAM HELLO ARE THOSE FALSIES look. Currently my mascara routine involves Natural Collection Lash Lengthening Mascara to give my lashes an initial coat and increase the length, then Rimmel London's Wonder'ful Mascara to add extra length and separate any clumps that may appear and to top it all off I use the wand from L'Oreal Paris Volume Million Lashes Mascara for volume and a single coat on my bottom lashes. I'm guessing I'm going to have to take all three so my desired mascara look can be achieved on a day-to-day basis and I'm defo not taking any chances.

Eyeshadow

I was in two minds about whether or not to pack eyeshadow. Firstly because of the spacing issue. Most of my favourite eyeshadow combinations involve shadows from 2-3 different palettes and taking 3 palettes would just be unreasonable. And secondly, would I even need to wear it? However I've decided to limit it down to two; Naked Basics and a 32 piece one from e.l.f. They both contain my favourite shadows, I turn to Naked Basics for matte and quite frankly basic shades and powder for my eyebrows and the 32 piece e.l.f. palette for more shimmery and pinky-toned shadows. Both work wonders hand-in-hand and can be used for anything from everyday wear to a more smokey and a prominent eye look in the evening. They're both quite compact and don't take up too much room and if I don't get round to using them, at least I've had the option to.

Lipstick

I've never really been a lipstick kinda gal and if you've read my blog for a while you'll know how much I sound like a broken record when I always say how I'm not that into lipsticks, don't get me wrong I'd love to be but I'm still treading on unknown territory when it comes to lip products that aren't lip balm. However, I've decided to step (somewhat) out of my comfort zone and pack two lipsticks that aren't too daring to wear. The first is MAC's Honey Love and is a gorgeous nude shade (step aside Kylie Jenner) and the second is a Bobbi Brown pinky shade called Pink Petal (you can read my reviews about them). Both are simple yet make a statement which is what I look for in a lipstick - if I do look for a lipstick that is. I've also decided to take my Clinique Chubby Stick in Woppin' Watermelon for when I'm looking for a bit of colour but nothing too dramatic (you can read my review about it here).


Other

A few other makeup bits and bobs that I'll be taking with me are for a "just in case" because you'll never know what could happen. My e.l.f. Contouring Blush and Bronzing Cream, Barry M Nail Polish in Mushroom, Rimmel 60 Second Nail Polish in Double Decker (a girl needs more than one nail polish fo'sure) and a sample size of Benefit POREfessional Primer (something I'm definitely replenishing in Sephora).


And that's all for my makeup edition of what's in my travel bag. Stay tuned for the beauty edition coming your way soon!

Thanks for reading!

Bethany x

To contact me, or for business related inquiries, please feel free to email me at bethany@bethanyemerton.com