Best Travel Makeup Kits & Palettes

Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Cream Kit

The Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Cream Kit is a great choice for any traveller. You’ll get six shades – three for highlighting and three for contouring, so you’ll be able to use the palette even when you get a tan. For me that’s a huge bonus, since there’s pretty much nothing worse than getting so tan that your makeup doesn’t match your skintone anymore.

The kit is available fore three different skintone types: light, fair and medium. Choose one according to your own skincolor, and you’ll have the perfect-travel friendly face kit! And you could use the lighter shades as concealers, so really it’s an all-in-one kit. Talk about saving space in your makeup bag.

TARTE Color Your World Color Correcting Palette

While some of you might be able to just bring one concealer on your trip, there are plenty of us who simply cannot do that. Not when you have to hide your spots with one concealer, your under-eye bags with another, and huge pores with a third one. Yes, it’s exhausting, and packing about five different concealers in your makeup bag is a waste of space.

That’s why you should get a concealer palette. It will hold all the colors you need for correcting and concealing, and usually a few more for contouring.

Oh, and you could conceal with a cream contouring palette (like the Anastasia Beverly Hills ones), but that only works if you have somewhat clear skin. If you really need to conceal like a pro you’ll need the greens and the reds, and probably a few more shades to suit your new tan.

If you’re a simple gal, the Tarte palette could probably be all you need for your skin for the entire trip.

NYX PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP Concealer Color Correcting Palette

If you’re not really that simple, you can pair the NYX palettes with some powder contour kits for the ultimate combo.

Benefit POREfessional Mini

We both know that these aren’t the only face products you love from Benefit. Can you really even do your makeup without their all-time best-selling Porefessional primer? I didn’t think so.

Well, the good news is that Benefit makes pretty much every product of theirs in a travel size, and the primers are no different. The mini Porefessional contains 0.25 oz (75 ml) of product, which will be more than enough for your trip. And you’ll have some to spare when you get back home!

NARS NARSissist Cheek Studio Palette

The point of travel-friendly makeup is to bring as many products as you can in small packaging. That’s why this palette is so awesome – you get seven different products in one palette. So, if you chose to buy it, you probably wouldn’t need to bring anything else for your cheeks on your trip.

And come on, it’s NARS. You know that the blushes will be wonderful – you probably own some of them anyway. The same goes for the  best-selling Laguna bronzer that is included in this palette. And the best part is that it’s incredibly affordable – on Amazon.

Probably because it’s from an older collection, but who cares! If you can get a NARS palette for less than $50, what’s there to think about?

You get four blushes, two contour powder, and one highlighter. The exact shades that are in this palette are Laguna, Paloma I, Paloma II, Icy Lilac, Sausalito Sunset, Shimmering Rose Peach, and Blushy Pink.

The different blushes will work well with different makeup styles, since you get both lighter and darker colors. It really is an amazing all-in-one cheek palette, and you should definitely consider getting it.

Benefit Hoola Matte Bronzer Mini

The Hoola bronzer was so popular at one point that it won awards. That used to baffle me – until I actually tried it that is. And there is a good reason why this product is so incredibly popular – it is pigmented, it smells heavenly and it stays on your face until you decide to take it off.

But, its packaging is so bulky and inconvenient for travel. Especially since the box is pretty much half-empty. And that’s true not just for the Hoola bronzer, but also for their blushes and highlighters. But luckily, you can find mini versions of all of these products.

They are very travel-friendly, due to their slim packaging, and you get plenty of product in there. You’ll get about 0.1 oz (3 grams) of product in the mini packaging, which might sound like it’s not a lot, but trust me it is. It will be more than enough for your trip, and you’ll be using that mini blush for months to come.

Benefit Cosmetics Blush Bar "Cheeks on Pointe" Blush & Bronzer Palette (Limited Edition)

If you like to mix and match their blushes and highlighters, this is a  great travel-friendly option for you.

The palette comes with a classic Benefit brush, which could come in handy – especially since the brush is so small and fits perfectly inside the palette. Just keep in mind that the palette is about three times more expensive than the set of individual, travel sized products.

Urban Decay Naked Flushed Palettes

You didn’t think I would forget about these, did you? Of course not! These Urban Decay cheek palettes are great for trips because they hold all the products you need – a blush, a bronzer and a highlighter. As long as you get the right shade for your skintone, you won’t need any other face products on your trip.

We’ll also talk about the other Naked palettes a little bit later – you can’t have a complete travel makeup kit without at least one of their eye palettes. But for now, these blush/bronzer palettes are what you want to get for your travels. They are small, slim and could fit into your wallet. What more could you need from a travel-friendly face kit?

HOURGLASS Ambient Lighting Palette

The good news is that now you finally have an excuse to splurge on this amazing palette – you need it for your trip. It just makes sense to invest in this palette, instead of buying travel-sized versions of all your fave cheek products. You’ll actually save some money in the process, so it’s more than worth it. And it will easily fit into your makeup bag, which is the entire point.

Urban Decay Naked Ultimate Basics Palettes

The Naked Basics palettes are an obvious choice for travelling. They’re small, sleek and they hold enough shades for several different looks – from day to night. And they could easily fit in your makeup bag, alongside your Naked Flushed cheek palette.

The larger of the two palettes is the better choice, at least in my opinion. There’s more diversity in it, so you could do more looks with it – a nude eye, a smokey eye, a chocolaty eye, a gold eye… The possibilities are endless as long as you are willing to experiment.

URBAN DECAY Naked 3 Eyeshadow Palette

In addition to that, if you own any of the regular Naked palettes, you could always bring one of them on a trip. But I wouldn’t suggest you buy them if you’re specifically looking for travel-sized palettes, as they are somewhat bulky and they won’t fit into a smaller makeup bag. Packing them in your suitcase is always a risk, and you definitely don’t want them to end up ruined.

In terms of the quality of these eyeshadows, I don’t think I can tell you anything you don’t know. They’re pigmented, last for ages, and are just gorgeous. After all, any serious makeup lover owns at least one of these palettes.

Tarteist Pro To Go Amazonian Clay Palette

This particular palette is an all-time favorite among frequent travelers. That’s because of its​ size – the Pro To Go palette is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. And if that isn’t the ultimate travel-friendly product you can get, I don’t know what is! :>

You get six eyeshadows, which isn’t a lot, but it’s enough for a shorter trip. You get some matte shades, some shimmery ones, and two that are iridescent with a micro-shimmer formula. All the shades are different colors, and you can mix and match them to create several different looks. And best of all, the colors are just perfect for a fun, summer eye!

Smashbox Cover Shot Palettes

I think you’ll love these. For one thing, they are incredibly small – pretty much credit card-sized. That means that they will fit into your makeup bag easily, and won’t take up much space.

But what’s even better is that just one of these tiny palettes holds eight different eyeshadows. So if you get two, you could pretty much do a different makeup look every day for a month. And that’s what we’re looking for here.

Generally, Smashbox is a high-quality brand. The eyeshadows are pigmented, and they pretty much won’t budge after you apply them. Of course, you should definitely use an eye primer to ensure they stay put and look flawless, and we’ll check out a few travel-sized ones really soon.

As for the individual palettes, the Punked Eye is the best choice if you’re looking to complete your travel makeup kit with night-time eyeshadows. Since these are pretty dark they are great for a bold eye, which is more appropriate in the evening.

The Ablaze palette is great for a day bold eye since the colors are pretty out there, but still pretty bright. And the Neutrals palette is a classic and you definitely won’t regret getting it. You’ll also probably use it the most since it has all the shades you need for a classic nude eye.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Obviously, you can’t do eyeshadow perfectly without an eye primer. It just helps it go on more smoothly and ensures that it will stay on until you decide to take it off. And one of my all-time favorite eye primers is available in a tiny travel packaging – the Too Faced Shadow Insurance.

I seriously can’t praise this product enough – one time it held my eyeshadow in place for about 12 hours, and if that’s not impressive I don’t know what is.

Elizabeth Mott Thank Me Later Face Primer

This is probably the best kit you can get for your travels – a tiny Urban Decay primer potion and their famous setting spray. If you have an event at one point and you know you will need your makeup to stay flawless for hours, definitely get that setting spray. It works like a miracle and it will save you from having to top up your makeup every hour or so.

Urban Decay Brow Box

The Urban Decay Brow Box is great for anyone who doesn’t need a lot of product to get their brows on fleek. Just comb them, define them a bit and you’re done. It’s also very small and great for travelling, since it will fit into your makeup bag quite easily. What I especially like about it is that you get some convenient tools in the bottom compartment – travel sized brow brushes and tweezers.

Aesthetica Brow Contour Kit

The Aesthetica Brow Contour Kit is perfect for those of you who don’t want to take any chances. It has pretty much every shade you could need for your brows and all the tools you’ll need to make them look perfect. The only thing I’m not a fan of is the size of the kit – it’s not too travel-friendly. But, considering how many products you get in it, it’s great.

Anastasia Beverly Hills - Brow Kit

Anastasia Beverly Hills is a brand that primarily exists because of its amazing brow products. These are no different – you know they’ll do their job perfectly. And these palettes are smaller than the Aesthetics one, so they will be much easier to fit into your makeup bag.

MAC Snow Ball Rose Gold Mini Lipstick Kit

t’s always useful to have a mini version of your favorite lipstick. It’s easier to bring it along on a trip, but it also fits in a tiny clutch much easier than your regular one. And when you are traveling, you can pack much more of them, than you can regular-sized ones.

But here’s the thing – purchasing mini lipsticks is usually not worth it. They aren’t much cheaper than normal ones, and you get much less product. However, purchasing sets of them is a good idea, since you will get much better value for money.

We will obviously begin this section with our MAC favorites. This is from their 2017 Christmas collection, and it’s a miracle that they’re still available on Amazon.

So, you better grab them while you still can! The large Snowball set is amazing since you get 12 different lipsticks, including some of their all-time best-sellers like Ruby Woo and Velvet Teddy. Plus there is a lot of color variety – you got your reds, pinks, nudes, oranges, and dark browns. What more could you need?

Mac SNOW BALL MINI LIPSTICK KIT - PINK

The other, smaller sets are a great choice if you don’t think you need 12 different lipsticks. You get all the basics, and you could mix and match them to create some new colors. And you get a cute little pouch to use as an additional makeup bag, which is pretty useful.

NYX PROFESSIONAL MAKEUP Lipstick Set 10-Piece Soft Matte Lip Cream

Liquid lipsticks became incredibly popular overnight, and they continue to be popular even today. There’s just something about their formula that makes them stay on your lips through thick and thin – even after you munch down a whole pizza. They’re pretty much my favorite makeup item ever, precisely because they are so long-lasting. They are also really easy to use and come in an abundance of fun colors.

Now, you might think this set is a bit excessive – it is. But I’m not suggesting that you bring 10 different liquid lipsticks on your trip – just that you choose the colors that you think you’ll want to wear.

I had to show you this set because it is great value for money – one of these NYX matte creams costs anywhere between $4-$7, depending on how popular the shade you want is. Granted, they aren’t the best liquid lipsticks out there – they take a while to dry and they transfer to glasses, but they are still pretty good.

Kat Von D Everlasting Love Mini Liquid Lipstick 6-piece Set

I like the Kat Von D set the most out of these three, as it has the most fun colors, which is just perfect for summer. But also because she has one of the best liquid lipstick formulas on the market – just try taking it off without coconut oil.

Colourpop Fall Bundles (Out and About)

Another option is the Colourpop set. It’s affordable, it has 3 vastly different colors that could go great with 3 different looks and it’s just awesome. But, pretty much any of these would be a great choice for your travel makeup bag.

Urban Decay Vice Metal Meets Matte Lipstick Palette Limited Edition

The third and final type of lip kits that are travel-friendly are lip palettes. I have to admit I am not a fan of these because they’re not convenient for going out – you have to bring along your entire palette just to be able to top off your lipsticks.

However, I also have to admit that they are very useful for traveling since you get so many different shades in travel-friendly packaging. And since all of these palettes are pretty small, they’re not that inconvenient to carry with you on a night out. Just remember to pack a brush – you don’t want to have to reapply them with your fingers.

This palette is loaded with 12 must-have shades of Vice Lipstick— from matte to metalized. You can experiment on your looks with new shades to cult favorites.  There are six metalized shades and six matte shades in different hues, organized by finish and color family.

Bobbi Brown BBU Lip Palette

As you can see, these palettes are pretty small. They feature an abundance of different lip colors, with the Bobbi Brown one probably having the most variety. But it’s also the only one that doesn’t come with a brush, so there’s that. But generally, any one of these could fit easily into your makeup bag and would make a great companion on your trip.