Travel Makeup: Everything You Need, Nothing You Don't

There's a specific moment on every trip where you look at your makeup bag and think, did I really need to bring all of this? Usually on day three, in a hotel bathroom with one working plug, trying to find somewhere to put your mascara so you don't drop it down the sink.

We get a lot of feedback from customers about travel. Maggie got to the heart of it:

"So easy and quick to use. Adding BB Cream and mascara and you're done for the day. You only need these 3 products to take away on your holiday." — Maggie., verified.

And that's all there really is to it! But if you want the longer version, here it is.

The whole travel makeup kit, in three products

If you skim nothing else, skim this:

1. Excellent BB cream your base, makeup and skincare in one tube that does the work of a few.
2. Bam! Bam! Bam! one multi-use stick for lips, cheeks and eyelids from the same bullet. Rosé for daytime, Red Wine for nights out.
   
3. You're Welcome a tubing mascara that resists smudging through humidity and long travel days.
   

Three products you can hold in one hand. Works for a long weekend in Sydney, two weeks in Bali, or a month in Europe. As Renate put it in her review: "It's all I need for travel!!!!" If you've read our 5-minute makeup routine, this is the same idea, packed for the airport."

One stick, three steps: lips, cheeks and eyes

This is the bit that makes the kit work for a whole trip. The single product that covers three steps. Rosé is your easy, natural daytime colour, the one for museums, markets and a coffee that turns into lunch. Red Wine is the deeper one. Worn lightly it's a soft daytime lip; built up, it's ready for dinners and nights out.

If you're only taking one, take Red Wine. One of our customers called it "beautiful for night time looks, but love it as a lip colour for work," which is exactly why it travels so well: it does both jobs, so you're not packing a second product for the evening.

Why three is actually enough

The instinct on holiday is to pack everything just in case. We've all done it. You end up with a three-kilo toiletries bag, half of which never leaves the room, and you still buy something at the nearest chemist on day four because "you need it."

The honest reason three works is that each product does more than one job:

1. Excellent BB cream is a moisturiser, a base and buildable coverage. Three products collapsed into one tube.
2. Bam! Bam! Bam! is a blush, a lipstick and an eyeshadow. Three more collapsed into one stick.
   
3. Tubing mascara handles lashes. One job, but it's one of the few you can't fake with something else.
   

So three physical products is actually seven jobs. Which is, realistically, more makeup than most of us wear on an average day at home

"I use it on my cheeks most days, but it's awesome for when travelling to use it on your lips and eyes too… one product, three uses!! Bloody brilliant!" — Rebecca., verified.

What to leave out (and why you won't miss it)

We know it feels risky. Here's what we'd genuinely leave at home:

A separate concealer. Layer a second dot of BB cream on anything you'd rather play down. Usually plenty for a trip, and none of the extra space.

A blush palette. The stick does blush. That's the whole point.

Eyeshadow. Same, the stick doubles as eyeshadow. One product, one less thing to pack.

Lipstick. Same stick. Layer a lip balm on top if you want shine, which, on holiday, you probably will.

Makeup brushes. Don't take them. The whole point of the kit is that it applies with your fingers. BB cream goes on with a fingertip. Bam! Bam! Bam! applies straight from the bullet and blends with a finger. Mascara has its own wand.

A separate makeup bag. Controversial, but three products slip into a small pouch or the front pocket of your bag. You don't need a dedicated makeup case for three items.

"Just returned from a month's trip to Europe and this Booie was a perfect travel companion. I used it everyday. It saved me taking extra cosmetics in my bag too." — Heather., verified.

Different trips, different approaches

Not all travel is the same. A rough steer:

Beach and tropical holidays. The tubing mascara earns its keep here. Standard mascaras soften in humidity and end up under your eyes by 11am. (We've written about why this happens if you want the longer version.) A tubing formula holds up far better through humidity, sweat and the 34°C walk to dinner. Go lighter on the BB cream if you're genuinely tanning, and let Bam! Bam! Bam! in Rosé gives you a natural "holiday cheeks" look.

"Took this away to Bali and it was just the right thing to give a bit of colour where needed without feeling like I had make-up on." — Tracey, verified.

City breaks. This is where the shade decision matters most. Rosé for daytime museums and cafés, Red Wine for evenings out.

Long-haul and multi-stop trips. Carry-on only, every time. Planes are dehydrating, which is where the BB cream earns its keep: it's skincare and makeup in one, with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid, coconut oil and vitamin E, so your base is doing some of the moisturising for you.

Camping and festivals. This is where the "no mirror needed" part of a cream stick really earns out. Our customers regularly mention applying Bam! Bam! Bam! with just a finger, no mirror, in the front seat of the car. Off-grid, a stick is far easier than powder.

TL;DR

Skimming to the end? Here is the whole post in 3 lines.

Three products cover every makeup need for travel: a BB cream (base), a multi-use cream stick (cheeks, lips, eyes), and a tubing mascara.

• Three products cover every makeup need for travel: a BB cream (base), a multi-use cream stick (cheeks, lips, eyes), and a tubing mascara.
• Your BB cream and mascara are the liquids for carry-on security. The stick doesn't count, which is a space win.
• Keep it in your hand luggage, out of direct sun once you land, apply with your fingers, and skip the brushes.

Three small products, a handful you can grab on the way out the door, for a weekend or a month away.

Want to try the kit for your next trip? Grab them on their own or as a bundle. The BB cream is Excellent BB Cream, the multi-use stick is Bam! Bam! Bam! (Rosé for day, Red Wine for evenings), and the mascara is You're Welcome.