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If you could create a perfect travel palette, what would it be?


If you could create a perfect travel palette, what would it be? What would you put in it? How large would it be? Share!

Two or three blushes (a brown, coral, and plum), one highlighter, nine eyeshadows (mix of neutrals and colors).

Thanks to reader CeeBee for today’s question idea Do you have a question idea? Submit yours here.

36 Comments

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Lucia Avatar

I’d use all cream formulae, so I wouldn’t have to carry a brush! Probably a pearly highlighter, three blushes– a pink, a coral, and a red that can be sheered out. And the rest would be eyeshadows (a gold, a matte taupe, a shimmery cream peach, a matte brown, and some colors, maybe blue, purple, and orange). And ideally the blushes would be eye-safe too, haha.

Maggie Avatar

4-6 Cheek colors: Bronzer, Contour, 1 Pale Pink, 1 Med Rose, 1 Light Apricot, 1 Medium Coral.
10 Eye Shadows: mix of neutrals & colors, mix of satins and mattes.

lisa Avatar

Truely? I’d create a line of palettes that would all be variations of one shade, like 6 shadows that all belonged to the taupe family or various slate colors. I know it’s not perhaps the most functional idea but when I like a color I like subtle variation

Maggie Avatar

You know, I thought of Clinique shadow palettes when you said that (but mostly quads). Also the Sephora Collection palettes (which are 5 pans and I KNOW that there is a taupe-based one that swatched alright in person). Tarina Tarantino has a purpley one that I love (5 palettes). You could also DIY that with Inglot shadow pans. Just sayin’ from one beauty lover to another.

Sylirael Avatar

Hm…It would have spaces to hold the following:

Eyeshadows: a shimmery champagne (UD Sin or similar), a matte medium dark brown (Lancome tres chocolat) a shimmery taupey grey (still looking for a favourite actually), a gold and a couple of fun colours (say Sleek Simbad’s Seas and UD Fishnet). Chanel Fantasme to add sparkle anywhere I want it.

Liner: UD would oblige me by making a magical *triple*-ended pencil in Demolition/Junkie/Zero, LOL!

Blush: A peach (like Clinique Peach Pop) and a pink (Chanel Affinite)

Foundation: a pan of YSL pressed powder foundation.

Obviously it would also have slots for Revlon Fire and Ice and Guerlain Roselip lipsticks, a lip balm (random Nivea one probably), and my mascara sample of the moment. And my eyelash curlers.

OK, so it’s more like a Travel Bag of Holding… 😉

CeeBee Avatar

A compact double decker magnetised cardboard palette with 6 neutral eyeshadows (matte cream, shimmery gold, matte dark brown, shimmery warm pink, satin mushroom taupe and satin greyed lilac), 2 blushers in rose gold and matte coral pink in the first layer.

Then you flip it over and you have a separate section with it’s own mirror for cream products – say 5 lipsticks (rosy mauve, petal pink, a peachy nude, soft berry and warm coral), 2 multi-purpose cream highlighters (soft bronzy gold and a metallic golden peach) and 2 cream or gel eyeliners in black and bronze.

It’d have a pretty vintage brocade pattern and come with a matching travel brush roll and zippered pouch.

Rachel R. Avatar

Mine would have all powders, except for the lip colors. I’d have three sheer but build-up-able blushes: candy pink, coral and dusty rose. A matte light taupe contour and a champagne highlighter. Three lip colors: Bright red, candy pink and medium pinkish-brown. A clear, super-sparkly gloss. Eight eye shadows: Matte nude, matte dark brown, satin milk chocolate brown, a sheer slightly shimmery white, an outstanding shimmery bright purple, olive green with gold shimmer, satin medium pink and a satin deep burgundy. Black eyeliner pencil. Black mini-mascara. And a little slot in the bottom to hold and dispense blotting papers.

breyerchic04 Avatar

A set of powders that work for face or eye in a variety of finishes including a pale gold, pearly pink, warm rose, plum, taupe, warm tan, and a very light sparkle shade.

mariamarvel Avatar

It would have 4 or 5 cool-toned, taupe-leaning nude eyeshadows, highlighter (something like MAC Lightscapade), neutral pink blush (Benefit Hervana) and a lip product like Armani lip wax in a cool-toned plum shade

MissJae1908 Avatar

My perfect travel palette already exist! It’s called the Amrezy palette! I can do day time, night time, and festive looks with pops of color. Plus it has awesome transitions shade for my NW47 skintone! The only thing that’s missing is two blushes. I would add Raizin by MAC (or Toasted Almond by Black Radiance) along with NARS Coeur Battant!

MissJae1908 Avatar

Ugh, I hit post comment too soon. Here are my other add ons.
Bronzer – Shea Moisture’s Mandaly Dusk
Contour – Sleek Makeup Contour Kit in Dark
Highlighter – theBalm Betty Loumanizer, NARS Albatross, and Sleek Makeup Blush in Rose Gold

xamyx Avatar

This is an impossible question to answer… Am I travelling for business? Fun? With family? There are way too many variables. When I travel, I pack entirely way too much makeup, but I don’t mind. I’d rather take one less pair of shoes, wear my jacket/sweater, or whatever it takes to make the space for my makeup bag. Sometimes, I’ll even pack an extra suitcase/backpack. Other times, I’ll sacrifice lip/cheek products, and bring the bare minimum, as long as I can bring a massive stash of eyeshadow. I need my options, LOL!

Ludmila Assumpção Avatar

1 contour color – matte with cool undertones
1 bronzy color – with subtle reflects and warm undertones
3 blushes – a peachy (matte), natural (something like Exposed and matte), and plum (shimmery)
1 highlighter – with gold reflects (like NARS Albatros or The Balm Mary Loumanizer)
9 eyeshadows – black (matte), dark brown (matte), medium brown with warm undertones (matte), mauve (matte), light pearl (matte), light champagne (shimmer), gold (shimmer), taupe (shimmer), burgundy (shimmer)
I´m all about nudes!

LaDana Avatar

One light neutralish pink blush, a deeper plummy blush, matte bronze for contouring, satin or barely shimmery highlighter in bone, matte eyeshadows in cool tan, deep plum, mauve, chocolate, black and shimmery/satin shadows in oyster and taupe.

Beth M Avatar

For ages I’ve been longing after the perfect travel palette and have yet to find one! I’d want 3 neutral eyeshadows (nude colour, light brown, dark brown) that could also be used for my brows, a black gel eyeliner, a cream concealer, face powder, blush, matte contour powder, MLBB lip colour, a mini mascara (like the sample sizes) and a double ended brush (one side to blend eyeshadow, one side angled.). I feel like I might just make it myself with an empty tin!

MartiHanba Avatar

I found the perfect travel palette for me a couple of years ago. It is the smashbox photo-op mega palette. Great quality products, including 56 eyeshadows, mixing satin and matte, 2 blushes, 3 highlighters, 4 lipstick/gloss, 4 eyebrow powders, 8 cream eyeliners. All you need is a set of brushes and you are ready to go.

lm Avatar

A mauve blush, a matte contour shade, and marylou manizer. Satin nude, matte light pink, lilac rose, wisteria, silver-blue, and a duochrome purple for shadows. Charcoal and navy shadow/liners. Underneath a couple double-ended brushes for face and eyes and a double-ended lippy with a pencil type buildable dark wine lipstick on one end and a sheer sparkly rose gloss. And a good size slightly magnifying mirror in the top.

MizLottie Avatar

I like Inglot, you can pick exactly what colors into whatever palette would be most convenient for your trip. Colors are vast and vivid and long-lasting, even has palettes for cheeks and contour. Used it this past weekend and love it.

AudreyNZ Avatar

Well, if I’m travelling, I’d most probably want my makeup palette to be light and fuss free. One standard look is all I need. Something along the lines of Chantecaille Les Macarons Face Palette would do me just fine. The colours in that palette wore well throughout all seasons. I can use the dark eyeshadow as an eyeliner as well and the cream highlighter can also be used to highlight the inner corners of eyes. The only things missing from that palette are a blush brush and a fine tip eyeliner brush.

Dandy Ramos Avatar

a double deck palette, one for cream formula like lipcolor and cream blush, and eyeshadows like 4 to 6 colors, 2 blush, 1 highlighter, a tube of sample size mascara 🙂 i don’t really like mixing cream formulation and powder in a palette since the powder pollutes the cream 🙂

Quinctia Avatar

To me, the design of the Naked Basics palettes are perfect for traveling. Size wise, though, I think 9-12 pan with a group of three neutrals, a few colors, and a good shimmer sort of inner highlight color.

Non specific on the colors, because ideally, there’d be a selection between 2-4 different assortments. Personally, I’d do well with something that had some neutrals, some plums, some grays, but I know other shades would be someone else’s ideal color assortment.

And, yeah, it’s all eyeshadow because it’s my eyeshadow that would often have trouble fitting in a makeup bag.

Genevieve Avatar

In my travel makeup palette I would have: a black mascara, eyebrow pencil, a peachy blush and 10 eyeshadows. The eyeshadows would consist of: very pale grey, mid grey, silver, gold and a taupe. Underneath I would have a mint, forest green, pale blue, navy blue and a khaki.
I would include a few different lipsticks: a red, chocolate brown and an orange/coral.

Nicole Avatar

Something flexible and light with less content. The size of a double creditcard, maybe two stocks, one for blush / bronzer and one for mostly satin nude eyeshadows and one glitter color to highlight.

Anna Fantasia Avatar

Being a green eyed gal, I think Clinique just created my ideal travel palette. Copper, Browns and Purples. Hopefully the color payoff and quality will match the pan. Oh its called A Black Honey Affair.

Erin Avatar

2 blushes, a highlighter, 6 shadows and an eyeliner. The blush would be a pinky coral and a muted bown-y plum. Highlighter would be a pearl shade with a neutral color, and the shadows would be essentially be a mix of plum, pink/ivory highlighter, taupe, and black. The liner would be a soft black.

Donna Avatar

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation
Three creme blushes, pink, coral (can also be used on lips) and brown – the brown that can be used for contour and/or bronzer
Eyeshadow in bone, taupe, charcoal, pink, dark navy and a brown that can also work on brows.
MAC Pearl Highlighter
would need to be a large palette or small products.

Hannah Avatar

I’d say one that is suitable for Deep Winter types. With cool-toned mini eye-shadows including champagne, light taupe, brown, light-cool green, deep green, light cool-toned purple, deep plum/purple, smokey charcoal and a slightly shimmery silver violet. A light cool toned pink blush and a highlighter powder similar to hourglass ethereal glow. Two balmy lip colours, one a natural rose pink and the other a build-able plum stain. A dual ended eyeliner- black and cool toned brown. A mini black waterproof mascara. A natural cool toned brown brow pencil with brow brush on other end. One double ended eye-shadow brush. One side for application and other for blending. One double ended blush and highlighter brush.
Very specific, I know…. but a girl has her needs!

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