Backpacking: What I Carry in my Makeup Bag

What I carry in my makeup bag was a HUGE question for me when I first left on a long-haul journey. I’m usually the girl who packs 15 lipsticks for a 1 week vacation and obviously, that will not fly while backpacking abroad. And as a quick aside, if you’re trekking through Asia, a classic red lippie won’t actually get much use.

I traveled for a year with nothing but a carry on backpack and a small duffel bag, which left little to no room for makeup. But I did manage to bring just enough. So here’s what I traveled with!

My Makeup Bag Checklist

• 1 neutral lipstick

• 1 tinted chapstick

• Silver highlight

• Pink blush

• Setting powder

• 2 Eyebrow pencils (a backup in case I ran out was a great decision!)

• 1 tinted CC cream

• 2 concealers - normal and waterproof

• Silver eye shadow

• Bronzer

• 2 mascaras - 1 good for daytime wear and a heavy-duty version for nighttime

• 3 brushes - one for blush/setting powder, another for highlight and one for bronzer

That’s it! Sweet and simple. With the exception of lusting after a few more lipstick options, I was actually pretty happy overall with what I had for the year. Bear in mind, many days were makeup free which meant I didn't run out of anything I needed.

One note - personally, I’m quite pale. It did get to a point where I couldn’t rely on my CC cream to match, so I relied on my concealer and a heavier hand with bronzer to sort myself. You may want to consider some bases that will fit you when you’re a bit darker!