I’ve spoken before about my daily makeup, though in truth there’s probably even less that I would consider absolutely essential. This past week has seen me stay at W’s for a good while, and I had extremely limited space to pack my clothes and makeup…
It made me really re-evaluate what I saw as essential. I didn’t want to be suddenly in need of something, but I didn’t want to pack excessively. Turned out the teeny-tiny makeup bag I brought was more than enough to cope with late-night library sessions, wedding dress shopping and a cocktail night out! My clothes packing wasn’t quite so on point. Let’s just be thankful that Primark knickers are so cheap!
Skincare
I do keep a small amount of ’emergency’ skincare at W’s – I hate traveling with it normally as I’m terrified it will leak. I decided to risk just sticking with what I had, despite normally only relying on it for two nights maximum, and I was pleasantly surprised. The Garnier cleansing lotion has bee a firm favorite of mine for years, I’m pretty sure it was the first cleanser I ever used. Even now I keep a bottle lying around for late nights as it’s a purely lazy option, but so much better than wipes! I also stuck with my trust Garnier Moisture Match moisturisers – perfect for a foundation-free glow.
I will say, though, that my skin did start to break out towards the end of the week. Luckily I dug out a sample size bottle of Pixi Glow Tonic, which got my skin back on track. Turns out this is also an absolute essential for me!
Forgoing foundation is something I do most days, however going away without it?! A risky game to play, it felt quite strange without the ‘comfort blanket’ of knowing I could hide away breakouts if needed. That said, the bits I did decide on taking worked perfectly fine – I was more than comfortable heading out for the evening (and standing in wedding dresses surrounded by mirrors!) with what I had.
For days in the library, a combination of concealers hid a multitude of sins. The Barry M Light Reflecting one is simply the best I’ve tried for under-eye circles, managing to hide late nights effortlessly. Whilst it’s not high-coverage, it’s reflective and moisturising, keeping the eye area naturally refreshed and awake-looking. And for any chocolate-induced spots (my late-night library snack of choice last week was half-covered hobnobs…) 17’s Stay Time is my go-to. Ridiculously pale, and stupidly long-lasting, this is definitely one of the best concealers I’ve tried at actually concealing.
Eyes
My original plan was to just grab a mascara (Max Factor False Lash effect is currently in use, but it’s pricey – I’ll be back to Natural Collection next!) and go, and it would have worked fine had the week just been about studying, and possibly a casual drink down the local pub. However some of the bits and pieces I gt up to needed just a little bit more, so I was super grateful to find a dark matte brown eyeshadow lurking in W’s cupboard. Perfect fr tidying up brows and adding a touch of definition to my eyes, it made me look so much more done.
Ah, now this was the tough one for me! As you all know, I love my lipstick and I usually take longer to deliberate over which one to wear than I do to get dressed in the mornings! In the end I just forced myself to grab some as I was leaving the house, taking the time to make a decision would have resulted in far too many being packed! Keeping it simple with a red, a pink and a nude meant all bases were covered. Yes, I might have wished for a more dramatic dark oxblood-red on one day, but was it the end of the world? Not really!
What are you absolute makeup essentials? What couldn’t you live without?
