You know what it’s like: your alarm goes off earlier than you’d like and you slip one arm out from under the warm covers to hit snooze. Unless you’re one of those lucky ducks who actually has your life—well, mornings, at least—together. I’m personally of the belief that if you’ve got your mornings together, it must feel like you’ve got your life together, because for this night owl, mornings are a STRUGGLE! (It’s hard to put that books down, sometimes! 😉) So, if you’re like me, your alarm goes off earlier than you’d like, and you reach out to hit snooze. Eventually, the pup can no longer be plied with tummy rubs and, unfortunately, the snooze button doesn’t actually stop time and the clock keeps ticking. On those rough mornings, it’s nice to have a go-to arsenal of products to help you feel prepared for the day. They’re the products that you know work for you. You know how they work and you know they’ll do their job when you’re trying to make your hair look presentable, drink a cup of coffee, put a little makeup on your face, pack to leave for the day, and get dressed all at the same time. It’s like that’s an unreasonable request. Bonus points if these products make you feel like a million bucks once you reach your final destination. (Because after a rushed morning you typically don’t that way on your way OUT the door!) Here is my arsenal.
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Note – I purchased all of the products listed in this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. No affiliate links were used in this post.
I brought my all-time favorite foundation, the Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Foundation. It’s the foundation that I think looks and feels the best on my skin and I knew I’d want my tried and true foundation while running around a foreign city. To top it off I use the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish, which ensures that my foundation stays in place. I’ve been really happy with this product and would definitely buy it again when I run out, although I’d also be open to trying something new. I opted to skip concealer for the trip… I wasn’t looking for flawless coverage and, to be honest, I kind of like it when some of my “flaws” peak through. I feel more human without a flawless base.
I had originally planned to take a different eyeshadow palette alongside my make-up bag, but I really wanted it all to fit in the bag and I knew I wouldn’t need a bigger palette. I didn’t use every shade in the Too Faced Natural Eye palette as it was. I kept eyeshadow pretty simple while I was gone and mostly used Silk Teddy on the lid with Velvet Revolver in the crease, but I did swap out Silk Teddy for Honey Pot one day. I love this palette because I can create all of my favorite neutral looks with it and it’s nice and compact. For blush I took along Benefit’s Rockateur which has been my go-to blush lately. I’m usually not the biggest fan of blush, but this one has been a fave ever since it first came out. It adds a nice flush to my cheeks without being too much.
Mascara and eyeliner are two products that I reach for even when I decide not to wear most others. I brought this nice travel-sized version of the Benefit Roller Lash mascara, which is one of my favorites. For eyeliner I brought a couple of options, all from Urban Decay: Perversion, Tornado and Roach. Tornado is my favorite of the bunch, but I forgot to sharpen it before I left and I forgot to bring my sharpener with me, so I stuck with Perversion most days and threw Roach into the mix when I didn’t want as bold of an eye liner look.
For the lips, I brought two of the Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks in Lolita 2, a shade that I always receive compliments when wearing, and Berlin, for a pop of color. These are so comfortable, they don’t transfer and they stick around for quite a while.
