The Exact Products A Beauty Editor Packs for Europe

Pack and go

My bag of choice was the completely transparent CEE CLEAR cosmetics case, which was smart, durable and made seeing what I had so easy. Note the size I took, ‘small’, was deemed too large by a very humourless man at Heathrow. To be fair, it did fit a truly enormous amount of product. My husband’s ‘mini’ size still fit plenty and is what I’d recommend any non-beauty-obsessive person take.

IMAGE: INSTAGRAM @CEE__CLEAR

First class skin prep

Do you absolutely need to use high-end products to ensure happy skin while travelling? No. Might they make the unbearable moments (a never-ending flight, say, or travel plans going awry) more pleasant? Certainly, if you choose wisely.

On the plane itself, the Sisley Floral Spray Mist felt like a skin-and-mood saviour. Dry skin? Headachey? Generally irriated and a bit nauseous and desperate-to-get-out-of-this-tan-can-this-instant? Spritz yourself. The gentle floral scent is fresh and revitalising; ‘softly glamorous’, if you will. Many brands don’t pay enough attention to the misting mechanism, seemingly not caring if we are drenched or left yearning for more. This one hits that perfect Goldilocks mark. My skin actually felt quenched afterwards, though not like I had hosed myself down.

Otherwise, my skincare heroes were Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream, topped off with the immaculate Sisley Black Rose Precious Face Oil. This combination ensured tired, dry and dehydrated skin was instantly lifted back to life. During the day I had a wonderful, glowing base for makeup, and at night my skin could repair itself from the cold, dry northern hemisphere weather in utter luxury.

Makeup on the move

IMAGE: INSTAGRAM @CEE__CLEAR

I can neither confirm nor deny whether I also packed a large separate bag of cosmetic wonders like false lashes and sparkly red lipstick, but what I want to focus on here is my ‘main’ makeup items. I really did try to keep this pared back to true basics, especially for what I took on the plane and what I had easy access to in our hire car. For complexion, that amounted to Trinny London Just A Touch Foundation + Concealer, a handy little item housed in a neat pot that can be blended out to act as foundation if need be, and two blush options depending on my mood and location – Rare Beauty’s Stay Vulnerable Melting Blush in Nearly Berry, a soft wine hue for moody Paris, and Violette’s Bisou Blush in Ines, an enlivening pink for a flush of health when tramping about the countryside. The latter comes in a stick format with a brush on the end, which really comes into its own when you’re travelling and don’t want to stick potentially unclean fingers into your products. For eyes, my go-to was Kylie Cosmetics Kyliner Gel Pencil in Matte Dark Brown. The deep espresso shade is a little more forgiving than black, especially if you’re applying in bad lighting or in a hurry, and the formula really stays put. I am not blessed in the brow department but having the Benefit Cosmetics Gimme Brow+ Volumizing Eyebrow Gel Mini helped me to feel groomed in seconds, and their The POREfessional Super Setter Makeup Setting Spray Mini kept my makeup where I wanted it throughout long days, while taking up only minimal room.

The standout item that helped me pack so lightly and yet achieve any look I wanted, from basic day to day definition to more dramatic and playful look for special nights out was the Rae Morris Travel Brush Set Deluxe. Its utterly ingenious design, not to mention impeccable craftsmanship and usability, thrilled me all over again each time I reached for it. In fact, I love it so much, I have written about it before.

Blow It Out or Slick It Back

I have very long, fine curly hair that is prone to frizz and worst of all, limpness. The GHD Duet blow Dry 2-in-1 Hair Dryer is now my all-time favourite heat tool, both because of the smooth bounce it helps to create, but also because it does so with the absolute minimum of damage. (I have used and loved a far more affordable version in the past, but the damage it caused was real.) Out of the shower, I’d immediately wrap my hair into a microfibre towel then do my makeup. These towels help my hair dry so quickly that it really cuts down on time spent styling with a heat tool. I always added a healthy coating of ColorWow Dream Coat Supernatural Spray beforehand to help ensure I could get the absolute most out of one styling session, no matter the unreliable autumnal weather. And you should know that, like the GHD brush, this product isn’t particularly affordable, but I’ve never used a similar product that comes close to its frizz banishing performance level.

I didn’t always have the time or inclination to heat style, especially in consistently wet weather. So, whether prior to air-drying or after heat-styling, I fell in love with adding in the Kérastase Elixir Ultime Hair Oil. (Happily, they make a very travel-friendly mini version with a secure twist top.) After washing, I added it to my ends and a little through the lengths to help nourish and soften – to an almost unbelievable degree – and I also eked out an extra day or two between washes by adding it all over my dry hair and opting for a slick bun.

Then, of course, it was time to crack on with getting out to see the world. I knew once adventuring that it wouldn’t matter one jot what I looked like, but I had a certain spring in my step nevertheless.

Story by Zoe Briggs. Main image @cee__clear via Instagram.