Best Travel-Friendly Beauty Products

I’ve probably mentioned in the past that I rarely use makeup and while that still holds true, there are events here and there that do warrant it in my life (most recently, the climbing formal and the annual salsa performance), so today, I’m sharing my recommendations for the best travel-friendly beauty products!

I’ll be rolling out a couple other posts on my recommendations for travel-friendly skin + hair care as well in the upcoming weeks, so stay tuned!

No filter, hooray for lighting and the products mentioned below!

I received three of the products mentioned below free in exchange for an honest review. As always, my opinions are mine and mine alone!

Best Travel-Friendly Beauty Products

Laneige BB Cushion Pore Control

I’ve mentioned BB creams before but I don’t think I’ve ever talked about BB cushions. (I’ll have a separate post comparing a bunch of em’ next month!) In the interim, just think of BB creams as something like tinted moisturizers but filled with skin-nourishing ingredients as well as skin protection and packed into either a tube or a cushion compact!

This was my first experience using a BB cushion–I’d been curious about em’ since December, when my intern and I were talking about skin care and I commented on how flawless her skin always was. She told me she owed it to the magical world of BB cushions, and that they’d be perfect for me because it takes less than a couple minutes to apply. (She knows me so well. :P )

The Laneige BB cushion is super easy to apply, blends really well, and you can build on it if you want to. I wasn’t trying to find something to cover my freckles, but if I wanted to, a couple extra layers of this would’ve done the trick. I got it in No. 23 (Sand) and it matches my skin tone perfectly. It doesn’t dry my skin out (just the opposite, in fact) and provides an all-day coverage that feels so lightweight and airy that I forget I’m even wearing it at all (I hate that chalky/powdery feeling so this is definitely a plus for me).

I love how convenient this is to use too! You press the applicator into the cushion and pat it on your face a couple times to tap around it to blend. This BB cushion also comes with one refill and the compact includes a mirror for easy application. :] It’s the only thing I’m wearing in the first + last photos in this post other than the eye makeup and lip tint!

5/5, $36 currently on sale for $28 at BeautySesh!

MILK Makeup Luminous Blur Stick

The MILK makeup blur stick is oil-free and silicone-free and gives your skin a matte but glowy finish while minimizing your pores. If you have dry skin like me, I’d definitely recommend moisturizing first (I always recommend moisturizing first though, har har). I tend to use this more as a highlighter to give my skin a healthier glow, but at times when I have nothing else and want to look slightly more put together, this works well on its own. Why am I not sharing a photo of this? Great question–I recently put it in a bag and can’t remember which one. I hope it reappears soon. :'( #dontjudgeme It’s on the pricier end, so if you’re looking for something to just even out your skin all-around, I’d recommend the BB cushion over this (use both if feeling extra fancy).

4/5, $36 at MILK Makeup

MISSHA Color Fit Stick Shadow

At $9 a pop, you may be questioning this choice, especially if you’re an infrequent makeup-user like me and used to drugstore brands/prices. Butttt hear me out! These are retractable shadow sticks formulated with coconut and sweet almond oil that are suuuper easy to use, glide on smoothly, and can be used as both an eyeliner or an eye shadow. The fact that it comes in stick form makes it perfect for travel, and the colors are long-lasting and super pigmented! They have a number of colors ranging from pinks to browns to oranges in matte/shimmer/glitter shades. I have two of em’–Irish Latte is a shimmery medium brown color and the Cacao Pound is a matte super-dark brown.

5/5, $9 at BeautySesh

Alternatively (if you don’t want to buy each color individually/want a bunch of colors), there’s also…

W7 Colour Me Buff Eyeshadow Palette

I happened to find this for $4.99 at TJ Maxx so…definitely worth it. The Colour Me Buff palette is all about neutrals/nudes with a mixture of shimmery vs. matte. They’re powder eye shadows and the colors have good staying powder + pigmentation. W7 is also a cruelty-free company, which is always a plus in my book!

5/5, $4.99 at TJ Maxx/8.99 on Amazon

ETUDE HOUSE Dear Darling Tint

This is the first lip tint I’ve ever used, so I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. You apply it like a lip gloss, but it doesn’t have a glossy finish, so if that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll likely want to look elsewhere. (I’d recommend applying chapstick before using it!) The lip tint has a jelly-like consistency and applies super smoothly. It takes a little time for it to set completely, so definitely keep that part in mind and avoid licking your lips/eating right after applying it. After it does set, you can build on it for deeper/richer colors. I got this in RD301 (“Real Red”)–best represented by the first photo in this post! (The last photo is what happens if you forget you’re wearing makeup and eat/wipe your lips shortly after applying it).

4/5, $6 at BeautySesh

W7 Showing Out Mascara

This mascara was also a TJ Maxx find ($3-4)! With that price tag and the fact that it definitely made my lashes look longer/fuller, there’s not much to not like about it! I got it in Blackest Black and had actually been attempting to experiment with putting false lashes on for the RU Salsa Project but failed miserably (haha) so I decided to stick with good ol’ mascara instead. This is super portable, applies easily without clumping, and gives my lashes volume/length.

4.5/5, $3-4 at TJ Maxx/Amazon

• What are your favorite travel-friendly beauty products? (Or just tell me about a makeup/beauty product you love!)