What's in My Travel Makeup Bag?

Paul & Joe Makeup Bag and Furla Makeup Bag

The last time I did a "What's in my Travel Makeup Bag" video or blog post was in January, and I've travelled so much this year, so this video and blog post is long overdue!

Inside my Paul & Joe Makeup Bag

Like so many women, I do tend to take too many products with me.  I know that I have never ever used absolutely everything I've ever brought with me while on vacation. 


I also use travel time to test out new products and play with samples that I may have forgotten about , or just never got around to using.  Often I find that I have more time in the morning to apply makeup and style my hair than I do in my regular day to day life.  


I did splurge a little and I bought a new foundation brush (Louise Young), a new eye brush (Edward Bess), and a new eyeshadow palette just before I left to go on this vacation.  It was the perfect opportunity to experiment with the new shadows and brushes.


And all of these products fit comfortably into the Paul & Joe makeup bag!

All of this makeup fits inside the Paul & Joe Cosmetic Bag!

On this road trip we traveled to Washington, D.C., Manassas and Leesburg in Virginia, and to Gettysburg Pennsylvania for a vacation seeped in American Civil War history.

The Hakuhodo makeup brushes (on the left) are my all time favorite!

We saw The White House, took bus tours, auto tours, visited museums and monuments, shopped in Tysons Corner Mall and The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, ate cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes, saw $64 million in cash money at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and sat down to a Witches Brew Tea at a plantation in Virginia!

Furla Makeup Bag filled with Chanel Particulière Nail Polish and nail tools.

I found that I used everything that I brought with me, except for two makeup brushes, the nail polish remover wipes, my backup mascara (explained in my video) and the NARS highlighter.  I just wasn't in the mood to use the highlighter.  So all in all, I feel that I did pretty well and didn't overpack too much this time around.


I took all of my nail tools with me because I gave myself a mani-pedi in my hotel room.  I don't use lip gloss and I rarely use a primer or concealer, so I didn't bring those products with me.


2009 Paul & Joe Waterproof Cosmetic Pouch:

• Lipsticks MAC Creme d' Nude, NARS Bangkok
• Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation
• MAC Blush Dame
• MAC Beauty Powder in Light Sunshine
• Anna Sui Beauty Mirror Rose
• Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Eyeshadow in Stone
• Mally Beauty Volumizing Mascara (this might just be my favorite mascara of all time!)
• Laura Mercier Mascara (backup)
• NARS Highlighter in Luxor
• Too Faced Eye Love Sephora Eyeshadow Palette
• Stila In the Light Palette
• Mbeze Sweet Sanura Natural Perfume 
• Boots No7 Beautiful Brows Pencil
• Makeup Brushes:
• Hakuhodo
• MAC
• Louise Young
• Edward Bess

Furla Makeup Bag:

• Chanel Particulière Nail Polish
• OPI Base Coat
• Essie Super Duper Top Coat
• Nail Clippers
• Cuticle pushers
• Bloom Nail File
• All Season Sanding Stick
• Polish Off Nail Polish Remover Pads
• Nail Buffer

Click here for a link to my YouTube Channel: The Sassi Wench

- The Sassi Wench

My Hakuhodo Makeup Brushes (Fude) from Japan

For years I have had a love/hate relationship with makeup brushes.  I usually apply makeup with my fingertips or a sponge applicator.

This does have it's limitations, however.  It's difficult to get precise lines with your fingertips!  After doing some research I decided to take the plunge and invest in some makeup brushes again.  And it was during this time that I realized what I have been doing wrong all these years... I have always been using the wrong - i.e. cheap makeup brushes (usually the ones that they give you a free gift with a makeup purchase).

As it turns out, not all brushes are equal.  I started buying some MAC travel size brush sets, and as I used them I figured out what style of brushes I really liked to use the most. Recently, I even bought a Cover FX #160 foundation brush (http://sassiwench.blogspot.com/search/label/cover%20fx), and I could immediately see what everyone is raving about, with regards to using  quality makeup brushes versus inferior brushes, or sponge applicators.  

Then I decided to search for the best makeup brushes around, and that's how I found the Japanese brand, Hakuhodo who sell Fude (makeup) brushes.  I ordered 5 brushes - gave one away as a gift, and I kept these four:

Instructions on how to care for the brushes are included in the box

The brushes come packaged in a pink box with orange tissue paper

2 lip brushes - Small Lip Brush (top), Kokutan Lip Brush (bottom) 

An angled face powder S100 Finishing Brush, and S142 Round Eye Shadow Blending Brush

Hakuhodo

The brushes are all cruelty-free, hand-made in Japan with real animal hair.  The brushes themselves are stunning examples of quality and experienced craftsmanship.  For the S100 series, the handles are made of wood, coated in vermilion, which is a traditional Japanese color.  The ferrules on these brushes are brass with 24 karat gold.

Do some research before purchasing any makeup brushes.  For example, Goat hair brushes are good for oily skin, and the Blue Squirrel hair brushes are better for those with dry or sensitive skin.

I have no doubt that they are the softest, most luxurious brushes out there, and worth every penny. The hairs are virgin hairs - meaning the tips of the hairs have not been cut.  Any inferior hairs are removed by hand during a special combing process.  The result is simply stunning.

I'll use these for a month and post an update.

Check out their site: www.hakuhodousa.com

- The Sassi Wench