3 Neutral Lippies I Brought on My Trip
I used to be an overpacker for most of my life, but a few years ago something changed, and I somehow turned into a packing minimalist. I’m not at the point of only traveling with a single backpack for a month yet, but making sure everything fits in a standard carry-on bag is my new goal, regardless of how long the trip is. “If it doesn’t fit, it stays home” is the new motto. With that said, I have the hardest time deciding which makeup to bring, and it’s one area I honestly struggle with.
I can somehow narrow down my eye makeup to one palette, and stick to a single blush, but there’s something about the lipsticks that makes me feel like I’m forced to choose a favorite child. I love all of them, how can I pick just one? What if I want something sheer and glossy for the daytime, and later change to something more matte and pigmented for the evening? It’s also nice to have several color options too, depending on what I’m wearing that day. That’s definitely not my minimalist mindset speaking here.
Here’s how I managed to narrow down my options to “just” three:
- First, I assessed my collection to determine which colors I gravitate to. Turns out, it’s mauvey pinks.
- Then, I checked all formulas to see which ones are the most comfortable to wear. I really don’t like reapplying makeup, especially on vacation.
- Tentatively, my next criteria would be to find a few top choices that are the easiest to apply without a mirror.
- Finally, I swatched them side by side to make sure they don’t look identical to one another.
In the end, I kept the lippies I could see myself wearing every day, but different enough in shades and finishes to mix things up. Here they are!
NARS Afterglow Lip Balm Orgasm* – There are tinted lip balms and there are Tinted Lip Balms. NARS Afterglow lip balms are definitely the latter! They have it all: beautiful packaging, easy to apply and impossible to mess up even without a mirror, plus the shades actually show up on the lips. I currently own two – Orgasm and Laguna – and love them both to pieces. Like any lip balm, they wear off fast, but you can easily reapply whenever and wherever. Perfect for when you want to look more put together on a hike without getting too dolled up.
NARS Velvet Lip Glide in Cozumel* – It’s a bummer that this was a limited edition product, because I love it so much. The formula is something between a liquid lipstick and a lip gloss: pigmented, but also has a nice slip and helps mask any lip lines and imperfections. It never feels sticky and even leaves my lips soft and moisturized after it wears off. NARS really needs to bring these back, they were phenomenal!
Merit Signature Lip in Millennial – I like the vibe of this brand, they kind of keep it low key but classy. The products seem to be targeted for people in my age group [30s-40s and up], there are no super trendy colors and everything is kept more muted and natural, à la French chic. I currently own this lipstick in three shades and Millennial is my most used one. It’s the perfect muted mauve, a kind of old money pink that doesn’t look too bright or juvenile. The formula is beautiful, too – very pigmented, yet lightweight, you don’t even feel like you’re wearing anything on your lips. Sometimes I even did a lip check throughout the day to confirm that the color was still there, because you literally can’t feel it. Which by the way, it has a surprisingly long wear time – 6 hours or longer on average before I need to reapply, with careful eating and drinking.
I know, three lipsticks is still a lot and probably an overkill, but I ended up using all of them every day, which makes me think I chose well after all. Goal for the next trip though would be to narrow down my lippies to just two, but that’s a headache for another time 😉
How many lip products do you bring on vacation? How many is too many, in your opinion?
*indicates PR samples
