what i packed in my travel makeup bags for 3 weeks in italy

I normally don't like to pack too much when I travel since I despise checking in luggage, but this was my honeymoon so I made an exception because I wanted to look pretty in my travel pictures for once.  In preparing to pack and edit my makeup for the trip, I considered a few key factors:

• longlasting - I wanted to bring longlasting, mattifying makeup since i was traveling during the summer and I didn't want to have my makeup melt off me or make me look greasy.
• versatility - I wanted to be able to create many looks with fewer products.
• size - I considered the size and packaging of the products since I didn't want to bring too many bulky items.  I usually hoard mini and deluxe samples just for travel.  Also, you can always go to Sephora and ask them to give you a few samples of your normal products for travel purposes.  In my experience they've always been very nice about that.

So, what did I end up with?



mini-bag (for the airplane ride):  Since I was going to be on a long non-stop flight from LAX to Rome, I planned to do a mini-spa treatment on the plane before applying some natural makeup when I land.  I had to split my products into 2 bags - one for liquids and one for non-liquids.

• cleansing wipes - mini pack of yes to cucumbers towelettes.
• cleansing water & cotton pads - Koh Gen Do cleansing spa water deluxe sample size - a fancier version of Bioderma - good but not worth the extra price
• toob travelbrush - see my review here
• face mask - Misian NANO Hydro Whitelily Essence sheet mask (you can get this at Asian markets or beauty supply stores)
• blotting sheets - Clean & Clear oil absorbing sheets - in my opinion the best of the drugstore options
• face moisturizers - deluxe sample of Clinique Moisture Surge Intense cream to combat dehydration on the plane and sample of Giorgio Armani Regenessence multi-firming cream with SPF 15 to use when I land in Rome
• lip balms - Christian Dior Creme de Rose - no spf, but so smoothing and calming; not greasy at all; and a mini sample of Fresh Sugar Rose balm with SPF 15
• body & hand moisturizers- a packet sample of Sephora super supreme body butter and a mini-sized Weleda Skin Food that I got at Whole Foods, and a mini-sized Crabtree & Evelyn ultra-moisturizing hand therapy
• powder foundation - mini sample of Bare Minerals powder foundation (med beige) - I still think the original version is the best of the bunch
• mascara - mini sample of Estee Lauder Sumptuous Bold Volumizing mascara - I haven't tried this yet but it's small and handy
• eyelash curler - Shiseido- must curl those lashes to look awake!
• eyebrow pencil - Anastasia Brow Wiz - my favorite! I use Medium Brown or Dark Brown.
• eyeshadow - By Terry Ombre Blackstar creme eyeshadow (L09)(Bronze) - really simple to use and lasts forever
• lip pencil - Estee Lauder lip pencil  in Spice and Cafe Rose- I've exclusively used this model of lip pencils for 14 years - craziness
• lip stain - Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Stain (honey) - my lips but better nude with a soothing peppermint scent
• blush - Jouer cream blush (petal) so pretty and natural - just dot on your cheeks with fingers and blend

makeup (in my check-in luggage):

• primer
• Kiehls Micro-Blur Skin Perfector , a mini Skindanavia Makeup Primer Spray, and a mini sample of Clinique superprimer
• For eyeshadow primer, I brought an Urban Decay primer potion (but I must say I recently used a Lorac sample, and thought that was actually better but I wanted to use up what I have).
• foundation/tinted moisturizer
• Estee Lauder Doublewear Light (2.0) - quite light, matte and ultra-longlasting; a recent favorite and perfect for a summer trip.
  
• it Cosmetics CC cream with SPF 50 (medium) -  like a tinted moisturizer; I'm still testing this out but I wanted to bring something with a high SPF.
• concealers
• Nars radiant creamy concealer (custard) - easy to use; decent coverage; can use for undereye and blemishes
• Maybelline Age Rewind concealer (brightening) - I just use this to brighten my undereye area. 
• powder
• Estee Lauder Double Matte Oil-Control Pressed Powder - I'm still testing this out but it seems pretty good so far
• bronzer/blushes/highlighters - this was hard to edit but I really tried!
•  Perricone MD No Blush Blush - this is a new product but I loved it at first try!  It gives a gorgeous flush to the cheeks and looks super natural.
• NARS - mini sample of Nars blush (in orgasm)
• Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil - natural looking bronzer and smells like chocolate!
• Mary-Lou Manizer - pretty highlighter
• NARS Illuminator (Copacabana) - mini sample
• eyeliners
• Physicians Formula Eye Booster eyeliner (Ultra Black) - I find this the easiest to use of all the liquid liners I've tried
• Giorgio Armani Smooth Silk eyepencils (black & eggplant)
• Rimmel Scandaleyes eyepencil (nude) - to brighten up eyes
• eyeshadows - oy!  too many options - must control myself!
• Naked 2 Palette - to give myself options
  
• mascaras
•  Perricone MD No Mascara Mascara - new discovery, but this has been pretty amazing!
• Maybelline Rocket waterproof mascara - this is ok - natural results, but it's the only waterproof mascara I had and I need it for my beach time in Capri
• lip products - also difficult to pare down...
• Urban Decay lipstick (Fiend - a nude-y pink)
• Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm (Unapologetic)(coral-pink)
• Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Stain (Love Sick)(hot pink)
• NYX butter gloss (peaches & cream)
• YSL Volupte Sheer Candy (#4) - so moisturizing and smells so good!
  
• setting spray
• Urban Decay all-nighter setting spray (mini-sized)
• perfumes 
• Elizabeth & James Nirvana Black - deluxe sample
• Tom Ford Purple Patchouli - deluxe sample (discontinued - sniff)
• necessary tools
• cotton swabs
• brushes - foundation, blush, bronzer, powder, eyeshadow
• beauty blender - best thing for putting on foundation flawlessly

Ok - I know this seems like a lot, but most of this stuff was mini or sample sized so they all fit in neatly to a few cosmetics bags and barely took up any luggage space.

What are your makeup travel staples?

(8.19.2014 update)
Ok, so in hindsight - I clearly overpacked.  While I was in Italy, I pared down my products and noticed I was using the same things over and over again.  It was also quite hot so I naturally used less makeup.  Moreover, I got lazy on vacation and didn't want to be bothered.

So basically I only really used the following:
- It cosmetics CC cream - loved this and it has a spf of 50, which is awesome for the summer
- Anastasia brow wiz - holy grail
- Perricone MD mascara - loved this!  a bit "wet" but once it sets you get naturally pretty thick lashes
- eyelash curler & 3 brushes
- powder
- Perricone MD blush - loved this!  nice natural flush
- YSL volupte sheer candy - so luxe and comfy on the lips
- Revlon just bitten (honey) - another holy grail staple
- urban decay setting spray
- ByTerry eyeshadow stick -  ok, clearly i shouldn't have brought a huge palette when i could just smudge some color on my eyes and go....

In the future, I will remember this and try to pack less makeup!