Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Makeup I Packed For My Eurotrip


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 reviewThe 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

13 comments:

  1. Quality wise, do you like Elf products or are you still searching for alternatives? I've heard some of their products are amazing but others are only so so. Supposedly eyeliners and primers are their best stuff and I've heard mixed reviews about the shadows. I am switching to cruelty free makeup this year. It's kinda a slow process because I do want to use things I actually like. Do you know if the Modern Minerals work kind of like MAC mineral skin finish aka a powder that gives a little glow? I love the MAC mineralize skin finish but I won't be buying more of it since they test on animals. Any advice you have is more than welcome!

    http://aroseisinbloom.blogspot.com/

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  2. When I saw the first photo, I was about to say, "I can't believe how much makeup you brought with you!"...Then I scrolled down and saw all the products you didn't really end up using and sent home haha
    I can sympathize with you because I do the exact same thing (except x100) I always pack more than I need. Like way more. A backpack full of stuff would only get me through two days I'm sure. I'm actually currently trying to pack and decided that I would only bring one suitcase to the US with me this time. I'm just so bad at planning what I'll actually need. And let's be honest, I end up wearing the same few outfits anyway haha


    Also, that Modern Minerals Shimmer sounds amazing...as if I need to add anything else to my beauty wish list...


    xx Chrystin
    http://amateandarottweiler.blogspot.com.ar/

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  3. I should be more conscious about using cruelty-free cosmetics...I know it's not impossible, in fact it's probably something that I can easily control, but as you said there are certain products from certain companies that work wonders...now we just need to find the cruelty-free dupes I guess!

    So, I'm currently looking at a list of cruelty-free cosmetic companies and I noticed Hourglass on the list. Have you tried any of their ambient lighting powders? Supposed to give a really beautiful glow. Might be something you want to look into. I have the ambient lighting blush palette and it's really pretty (although it was pretty darn expensive, and then to add insult to injury i freaking knocked the palette off my table and broke one of the blushes...) Anywayyyy....I think you should check them out at Sephora haha

    http://www.crueltyfreekitty.com/ultimate-guide-to-cruelty-free-makeup/

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  4. I have looked at Hourglass, but they are so dang pricey. Anything from them would have to be a Christmas item lol. I might look at the powders at Sephora though, just in case.

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  5. Oh dear lol. Good thing you were able to ship some of those things back home :P I usually just use the small eyeshadow brush included in the palettes. It feels like I don't have to pack something extra to use it :D

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  6. e.l.f. products are hit or miss (but I do like the company). The ones I use on a daily basis, I like. I went from Bare Minerals to e.l.f.'s mineral makeup, I didn't notice any difference. It was the same. The other thing about e.l.f.'s items are they are reviewed heavily on their website. A lot of girls give feedback on the products, so when I'm shopping I take that into consideration. & because it's so cheap, I risk it sometimes. I use their shadows, but I'm sure there are better eyeshadows out there. I honestly haven't tried anything else from Modern Minerals except that eyeshadow/shimmer. I notice they do have Finishing Glows http://modernmineralsmakeup.com/collections/finishing-glow and they have a trail size section in their website: http://modernmineralsmakeup.com/pages/order-trial-sizes I'm going to compose a post about more commonly known vegan and cruelty free beauty companies and blogs to make your research easier. :)

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  7. Ya, I packed so much more than I should have. Now I know for next time! I definitely wore the same outfits multiple times. Well I guess that's a given. But I would wear the same outfit 2 days in a row. I don't care, haha. & ya, I definitely want to try more Modern Minerals products!

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  8. Ya, I'm happy I was able to ship them home so I wouldn't feel inclined to throw them away. It wouldn't be that big of a loss because e.l.f. products are so cheap. Keeping the free eyeshadow tool and a great tip!

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  9. Girl I do not know how you did it! I know it was out of necessity but I could not have done it. You go girl. I love my makeup to much.

    I looked up VeganCuts I might subscribe to it for a few months to learn about a few different brands! I am trying to be more mindful of my purchases and only buy cruelty free items. So i think it would be good for me to try it out!

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  10. Exploring cruelty free items is so much fun! Let me know if you need any help! ;)

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  11. That's something I really love about traveling (especially in the summer/when you're in the water)... less or no make up! I always try to pick out just a few products and I still end up with a lot more than I need. Good thing you were able to send some home! I'm thinking I need to try out some e.l.f. products :)

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  12. Let me know if you need any advice about e.l.f. products :)

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