I am the worst for overpacking and my recent 4 day trip to Malaga was no exception, I vastly overpacked. I literally took 7 eyeshadow palettes and didn’t use a single one, so I thought I would share what I should have packed vs what I actually packed. My biggest concern is not having enough options, I had enough clothes in my suitcase for two weeks and I did not need it. So my advice is to go for your favourite pieces, your most comfortable sandals. Do not forget your flip flops or your sunscreen and please do yourself a favour and leave the mascara and cream contour palettes at home. You will not need them, Living in England I always forget how the heat makes me feel. I hate anything heavy on the skin so keeping it very basic and easy was an absolute must. I would have saved myself so much time and energy and if I had packed more thoughtfully instead of taking as much of my life with me as possible. I think you just get bogged down with wanting to look “good” and society dictates that this involves long lashes, flawless skin with an all over glow, perfect hair and a million other things that aren’t worth our time. You go with the best intentions but it took everything in me just to apply the It Cosmetics CC+ SPF 50 Cream in Tan on my face every day for my requisite sun protection. So just toss all your vanity into the sea and be beautiful just the way you are, to quote an extremely sappy Bruno Mars song.
Obviously, you need your normal shit like toothpaste, deodorant and if you don’t trust hotels try and cram in some conditioner and shower gel. I do trust most hotels and prefer to buy a cheap bottle of shower gel either in duty free or a random pharmacy rather than fussing around with empty plastic Primark bottles or buying extortionately priced travel size products. On top of this I packed my trusty Jo Malone perfume because I like the idea that a fragrance can take you back to a holiday and my It Cosmetics CC Cream as mentioned. The only other items I used on my face were the NYX Highlight and Contour Palette which not only contains contour and warm bronzer pans but also a beautiful highlight and setting powders. The Nars Light Reflecting Setting Powder is so compact that it was easy to take with me and kept my skin looking soft and diffused.
For brushes I am genuinely embarrassed I packed so many, truthfully I only needed these 3 and that is this fat Blank Canvas Cosmetics FO1 Quick Brush with the hot pink handle. I love this for foundation. I used the Real Techniques Multitask Brush to set my face and the Bdellium Tools eyeshadow blending brush to contour my nose and add some bronzer to my eyes on the days that I felt like it. I did use one other brush another from Bdellium Tools to contour and overall bronze my face and neck. As for cleansing and makeup removal I packed my Emma Hardie Amazing Moringa Cleansing Balm, Rio Rosa Mosqueta Cream Cleanser and Nude Skincare Exfoliating Brightening Powder. These three got my skin perfectly free of makeup. I even bought my Nip + Fab Glycolic Night Pads. All of this added to the weight of my suitcase of course but most of them aren’t considered liquids.
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this post. What do you guys struggle most with when packing? Do you too pack a bunch of shit that you never use or have you become packing experts? I forgot to mention that I also packed some Vaseline and face wipes, I took several lip products but in the end all I needed was a lip balm (Burt’s Bees). I tried to switch off completely this trip and not check my socials as much. I would love to hear what your travel essentials are so please share them in the comments below. Hope you have a fantastic week. Take care.
What do you pack when you go on a break?