Beauty Products for an Overnight Trip

The most annoying thing about packing your beauty stuff for a quick overnight trip is that you still need all (or at least most) your basics, your skincare routine, effective color products, and usually an item or two that can take you from day to night. Add even the minimal application tools, sunblock, and stuff to get yourself clean. Then consider shoes, your electronics and their chargers, and please pack something to wear. One night or seven, you need to pack with thought and care.

The Husband and I had a one night getaway just before the new year. It was a casual thing (hence my favorite pair of Converse), the weather was rainy, we had a nice dinner planned, which required not wearing  said sneakers. Beauty-wise, it was almost like packing for a week, but at least I could stick with minis and travel size items for almost everything.

You'll have to forgive me for not featuring the shower bag (toothpaste, tooth brush, body wash, deodorant, etc.). It's the usual suspects that get packed for every trip no matter its length. Instead, let's look at skincare and makeup bags (the standard Paul& Joe layout, which I think is brilliant).

The stars of my skincare bag include a travel size Tatcha cleansing oil. It's a one step item, as efficient as they come, can be bought separately as well as used for decanting the oil from the full-size bottle. Other notables are Hada Labo stuff, most important the sunblock (SPF50), a mini of Lauder's Advanced Night Repair, which on a one night trip I don't mind using both day and night. There's a hydrating toner (a mini Sisley that I wanted to finish on that occasion), a mini Lancome Bi-Facil (their GWP events keep me stocked, and hair/body oils in travel size), and a lip balm.

The makeup bag was kind of bursting at the seams. I use Goss Anniversary set as my travel brushes, so I don't need to pick and choose from my massive collection and end up forgetting a blending brush. Then there are palettes: MUA Nudes (available at CVS and a better performer than a lot of stuff you see at Sephora), and a really ancient Lancome one that includes their excellent pressed powder as well as a favorite blush, Aplum (this beaten palette has traveled the world with me). I could have gone with a mini Laura Mercier face primer, but wanted my staple protective one. Picking out are a NARS eye primer mini, a sample tube of MAC Strobe cream, NARS lip pencils (Rigukien and Cruella, both in the small size from Sephora's Birthday Gift Set), Cle de Peau concealer, Serge Lutens foundation compact, and Rouge Bunny Rouge Stick blush. You can also spot a Lancome eyeliner pencil (the new gel thingy), Lancome Hypnose mascara sample, and a mini Laura Mercier lip gloss.

As I said: one night or seven, a girl needs her palette (and lipsticks, and highlighter, and sunblock, and everything). There was also a little pouch with various decants that I grabbed and put in my purse, and an extra pair of socks. Always travel with extra socks.