You cannot believe how many things I packed that I did not need on my trip. My backpack became excruciatingly heavy, so fortunately I was able to ship a lot of the extra load back home. I’ve truly embraced that I was backpacking across Europe. I didn’t need all of the extra things. (I also read “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed. It’s a true story about how she backpacked across the Pacific Coast Trail, a hiking trail that runs from Mexico through California, Oregon, Washington, and into Canada. It’s inspired me to live more simply.)
Anyway, this post was photographed before I left to Europe, and my collection of makeup change throughout the trip. (I shipped a good amount of makeup home. Sorry, mom. I should have listened. It was too much. & to think I wanted to pack a whole palette!)
But I still wanted to share my selections with you. I think these items create a great, simple, natural look. All of these products are cruelty free, vegan & super affordable.
Brushes
My brushes are from E.L.F., Eco Tools & Bare Minerals. Almost all of Bare Minerals brushes are not vegan, they are made with boar hair. But the one I have is synthetic & I purchased it before I became vegan. (Bare Minerals is also not cruelty free.) From left to right in the photo I use the first & second Eco Tool brush for my brows, the two E.L.F. brushes in the middle for my eyeshadow, the Bare Minerals brush for concealer, and the last brush for my mineral foundation. I love E.L.F.’s Daily Brush Cleaner. Not only does it smell amazing (like I would want to use it as a body spray) but it gets the job done.
Face
For my face I packed E.L.F.’s Personal Blend Foundation which has SPF 15 and 4 shades of similar color so you can blend them. I packed E.L.F.’s Maximum Coverage Concealer which is good for under the eye discoloration and for spots. I received the blush (the name isn’t on the packaging anymore) from the VeganCuts Beauty Box. It’s a solid blush that I put on my cheeks with my fingers and blend it in. And I used the Modern Minerals shimmer called Sakura (which I also got in the VeganCuts Beauty Box) as a highlighter. I put it at the very top of my check bones (just below the eyes) and in the inside corner of my eyes. I absolutely love that Modern Minerals shimmer. Using it as a highlighter really gives my face a little extra something. I am definitely interested in purchasing more colors and products from Modern Minerals. You should definitely check them out!
Eyes
I decided to pack my neutral E.L.F. Essential Flawless Eyeshadow palette. It’s a perfect everyday look. The colors are labeled too, so you know which colors go where on your eyelid. It’s helpful for a makeup newb like me. I also packed E.L.F.’s Studio Eye Liner, which I put in my waterline.
Mascara
I packed two types of mascara. Wet n Wild is a cruelty free company with vegan options. A decent amount of their mascaras are vegan. I’ve done the research on which ones are & pinned them to my Vegan Makeup & Beauty pinboard. The first one I tried was their Mega Volume Mascara. It works fine. It doesn’t blow my mind, and it’s not bad either.
I also packed Pacifica’s Waterproof Aquarian Gaze Mascara. I purchased this mascara after listening to this review. The Feminine Review Beauty talks about how natural and chemical free the mascara is. I knew I wanted to try it out. I was also interested because Pacifica has released a lot of new makeup items that I’m excited about. I’ve tried their tinted lip balms and love them, so I wanted try some of their new products. When I purchased this mascara, I didn’t realize it was waterproof. I’m not much for waterproof mascaras. It really does work. It really stays on. I figured it would be good for beach days.
Lips
The top lipstick and the lipgloss next to it layer really well together. I really love E.L.F.’s Lip Exfoliator. You can see in the picture that it’s more than halfway gone. It’s great. Then I also packed a bright red for a pop of color and a dark brown/red lipstick. The dark brown/red fades away nicely. You know those lipsticks that fade away and look awful? This one fades nicely because sometimes I don’t want to be bothered by reapplying.
What I Shipped Home
I really love all of these products but like I said earlier, I cut back a lot. I ended up carrying more than my men travel partners, and I was suffering for it. Not only was it extra weight but I shouldn’t have been spending that much time in the bathroom getting ready for the day. I should have been out exploring Europe!
As much as I love my Modern Minerals shimmer, I needed to be brutal with my selections. The blush went too. I technically do not need all of the lip color options & I used my toothbrush to exfoliate my lips (anyone else do that?). I used soap to clean my brushes. I only needed to apply my foundation, eye shadow and eyebrows with brushes. The rest I could apply with my fingers. & instead of waterproof mascara, I’m opted for no mascara at the beaches.
I’m happy with the products I packed and the products I decided to keep around. It was nice to be even MORE minimalistic with my makeup than I already am. I hope you enjoyed taking a mini peek into my makeup bag! What do you think?
– Christina