Road Trippin Cosmetics...

Going on a two week road trip was quite the adventure. My husband, two kids—ages 8 and 10, my brother-in-law and his wife, and me….all in a seven passenger minivan! So when I say ‘adventure’ I mean craziness! Could you imagine the luggage alone for six people for a two week long trip? We actually did pretty good at packing minimal bags especially since I am a notorious over packer. The one thing I absolutely could not do without…even if I had to carry it on my lap for the entire trip…was my beloved MAC train case. Even though I had to be very choosey with the makeup, skincare, fragrance, and hair care products I wanted to bring—it would all be safe in my sturdy, heat resistant, water resistant, case.



So after our entire trip was said and done I have to admit that I fell in love all over again with a few of my favorite products. Everyday I would use Purity Made Simple face wash by Philosophy to cleanse my face in the morning and the evening. It smells so good and really does a gentle deep cleaning. I am from Southern California and traveling through the South and on the East Coast with that very hot humid weather…my face felt so grimy by the end of the day. I’m used to the dry heat and needing tons of moisturizer…but on this trip a daily deep cleaning felt necessary. Now I am addicted to using that cleanser for its gentleness and I will definitely be repurchasing it. As a side note…I also used the Amazing Grace shower gel every day. That stuff just smells sooooo good and fresh. And my skin felt so incredibly soft. I have always loved the whole Amazing Grace line and for some reason I had it stashed in the back of my medicine cabinet. One thing for sure is….it’s definitely staying out of the closet and in the shower for now on!

As far as makeup goes…you all know how much I love it. I didn’t think I would be in the mood to wear it everyday because of the weather but I think because I started out with such a great base (clean, moisturized skin) I felt very comfortable wearing it just about every day. A light coat of MAC Face and Body Foundation mixed with BeneFit’s Do It Daily SPF moisturizer was a nice way to keep my skin protected and even looking without looking or feeling like I had on foundation.

I either wore Tarte’s cheek stain in Flush, MAC’s Dollymix blush, or just bronzer on my cheeks each day.


As for lips it was either a Sephora brand sparkly lip gloss I have (not sure the name but it is a nude pink with refined sparkles in it). I love that gloss so much! Or I would just wear cheery chapstick…forever a favorite!

Now eyes….no matter what kind of eye shadows I wore I knew my base needed to be there. I swear by MAC Cosmetic Paints. They are totally tried and true and I think a must-have for EVERYONE! I personally either wear “bare canvas” or “stilife” on a pretty regular basis. Of course I had a little bit of everything as far as eye shadows go. The range was from neutrals, some bold and bright colors, and of course some darker colors and all different kinds of textures. I carried several different lines but no matter what I would start with that MAC paint. One of my favorites that I had was this really pretty Dior Palette –“stylish move 970.” It’s a great palette of five colors that you can do a lot with. I love the rich plum color along with the lighter shades which really provide a lot of versatility.

Eyeliner is another must-have…in my never so humble opinion. Again I can swear by all Power Point Liners made by MAC Cosmetics. My two must-haves that I actually carry in my purse everyday are “Stubborn Brown” and “Engraved.” They work great in the inner rim of the eye…if you are into that look. I am…I swear I am such an eyeliner lover. I can’t get enough of it and I love to wear it. I also like that the Power Point liners go on so smooth like a kohl liner but then set to a more smudge proof and water resistant liner. I still set it with eyeshadow just as added protection but I love that I can get a real defined lined or the perfect smudged and or smoky look. Blinc’s Kiss Me eyeliner also made its way in my case. I just can’t go on a long trip like that without such a long lasting, heavy duty, liquid liner. That stuff has CRAZY stay power! It is seriously the most Perfect product for that retro wing-tip liner that my husband loves whenever I wear it. I’m more of a “smoky” girl but once in a while a clean, wing tip, upper lid lined eye is simple and chic.

And of course makeup isn’t complete until you frame those eyes by taking care of our eyebrows. I was so thankful for the Anastasia Eyebrow grooming kit. Everything I needed and then some in one kit. I totally fell in love with the eye brow gel while on my trip. That stuff works so good and doesn’t get flaky at all. A total bonus in my book. Of course I had to finish eyes out with a hefty layer of mascara after a quick curl with my Shu Uemura curler. I had Loreal Voluminous mascara. I love it. Two coats and lashes look thick, long, and black!!!

I finished everything out with a light dusting of MAC cosmetic’s invisible set powder. I’ve been using this stuff nonstop since the bridal season began this year. A sheer dusting of this light weight product does the trick in setting make up and absorbing shine. It’s a winner!

Now that I am home I have a much deeper appreciation for all these wonderful products. I have drawers full of all kinds of different face, cheek, lip, and eye products which I have a total separation-anxiety-panic-attack when it comes to trying to weed some of the products out because I love it all…it was a good reminder to me that I can still have lots of options and versatility with limited supply. So my friends and daughter are stoked right now knowing that I will be going through my stuff and sharing all my treasured goodies. Of course this stuff has a shelf life and I am happy to share with other makeup enthusiasts’ like me!