Packing For A City Break

Anyone heading off for a city snoop around this Summer? If you are, JHM has the travel guide on how to pack beauty for a city break. Packing is something I seriously struggle with, really guys, it's an issue. I can't seem to just pack the essentials, (beauty and clothes wise) I end up bringing my entire wardrobe and not even wearing half of it. As for beauty? Every blush, lipstick and bronzer on the planet makes it's way into my suitcase. Oooops. So, as I'm heading to London for a couple of days soon for birthday celebrations with ma boyyyyf and will be sharing a suitcase with him, I don't actually have room to pack my entire makeup collection so it was time to find the essentials and shove em in a bag. As it's going to be 33 degrees in London when we arrive, I need something long wearing but light, fresh but not sweaty looking and two lip alternatives, basically I want the stuff that can easily be transformed from day to night. Easy, right? I've put together a little makeup bag for you which is rammed full of essentials and one that will (hopefully) help you when it comes to packing up a travel beauty bag. 

For city breaks I find the best way to store your toiletries is in a clear makeup bag, this way you can easily see where everything is and it makes the whole unpacking or mid journey touch ups much easier. Something I always do along the year is try to save all of the mini beauty products I have collected for when I go away, what better a way to use up those minis than a city break, no one wants to be lugging around big bottles of hair products or cleansers so mini hair samples and skincare sachets are essential for me. All tucked up into a clear bag, you have everything you need and you won't be wasting any product. 

To keep my hair refreshed throughout the day then a mini dry shampoo becomes a hand bag essential and right now i am loving my Colab Paris Dry Shampoo for a light bouncy finish that holds a fresh scent. I don't tend to do much with my hair when I go away but one thing I always do when styling my hair is adding some texturising spray and as you regular readers will know, Toni and Guy Rough Texturiser is a current firm favourite. You will always find a mini This Works Shampoo & Conditioner floating around in my toiletries bag and some kind of hair oil to tame fly aways and keep my hair hydrated in the heat. 

Although I've been sticking to a strict skincare regime recently and my skin has been as happy as ever, I can't carry around 200ml cleansers and bottles of toner so it's time to break the regime and bing out the travel samples. To cleanse my face I will be using the Neal's Yard Rejuvenating Cleanser which gently soothes and cleans my face. Paired with the Neal's Yard Rejuvenating Facial Oil my skin will be sucking up the hydration and preparing itself for a layer of Jurlique Herbal Recovery Serum and Eye Serum. For my daily moisturiser I'm giving the new Body Shop Vitamin C Glow Boosting Moisturiser a go so I'll be taking a few testers of this with me. 

Instead of having lots of single eye shadows floating around in your bag, a palette for me is  a must have and one that include shades for day and night is an essential. For this, my NARS Dual Intensity Eye Shadow Palette is being packed in my bag. I'll be dusting over some of the lighter pinks and bronzes on my eyes in the day and adding some of the metallic silvers and midnight blues for an intense evening eye makeup look. A mascara that does it all works well when travelling as it saves you having to take 3 different ones. YSL Babydoll has been in my daily routine quite a lot lately so I've chucked that in the bag. I'm being very strict on my lip products this year and will only be taking two with me - a dusky Topshop Naturist nude for the day and Clarins Rouge Eclat to mix things up in the evening. With every bold lip comes a lip liner and to perfect the red lip, MAC Brick Liner is an essential. I am taking Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk with me just incase i want some extra definition in the day and this also makes a really soft option for the day time.

Picking a foundation was the hardest product to pick and when it came down to the last two, I just chucked them both in as I though i'll need one for day and one for night anyway. To lightly even out my skin in the day then i'll be wearing NARS Pure Radiance Tinted Moisturiser and in evening when I want something with more coverage and longevity, I'll be buffing in my trusty Giorgio Armarni Luminous Silk. For under eye highlight I'll be swiping on my Estee Lauder BB Brush On Glow and to cover any blemishes, of course I'm taking my Urban Decay Naked Concealer. Cheek wise, I'll be taking my Kevyn Aucoin Creamy Glow Duo, Philosophy Creamy Blush, Soap and Glory Solar Powder and MAC Hush Cream Colour Base to give me the ultimate summer highlight. For brows, I'm keeping it simple and taking my Kevyn Aucoin Precision Brow Pencil in Brunette which lightly adds colour to my sparse areas but keeps everything incredibly natural and light looking. 

What are your city break beauty essentials?