Hello, beautiful creatures! I’ve just returned from a transformative six-week journey through the enchanted realms of New Zealand. The landscapes in NZ sing a symphony of wonder, and I’m thrilled to share my curated best makeup for travel that captured my heart along the way. This magical escapade was a serendipitous gift from my beloved Dave, a radiant blend of Yule magic and Anniversary bliss, that has forever altered our path. New Zealand’s spell has woven itself into my soul, inspiring dreams of calling this ethereal land home.
We Love New Zealand
Dave and I surrendered our hearts to the enchanting allure of New Zealand. We departed from sun-drenched Florida on a Monday, arrived amid the mystical embrace of this land by Wednesday, went camping on Friday, and by Sunday, its wild, untamed beauty had captured us completely. Our longing to wander this beautiful country began in 2012, though both previous times we were supposed to book our trip to NZ we had to reschedule. The first time was in 2020 because of COVID and the second time in 2023 because of my double mastectomy surgeries.
Everything purchased by me except where marked PR. All opinions my own.
Zuca Bags
All of my makeup fit into a single Zuca bag that went into my carry-on backpack. For this journey, I embraced the art of minimalism, curating essential travel makeup without redundancy. I’ve got a very fair neutral cool skin tone, so I prefer my makeup to be cool to neutral toned. I rarely wear warm colors as they tend to turn an unflattering orange on me. I’m still searching for my perfect ‘nude’ blush, so took a few products with me to try for that. Previously theBalm Balm Beach was my perfect ‘nude’ blush, but it was discontinued.
Highlighters and Blushes
One Size Cheek Clapper 3D Blush Trio Palette
One Size Cheek Clapper 3D Blush Trio Palette in Attention Seeker – described as a true bubblegum pink blush trio (cream, matte, and shimmer). Attention Seeker is my daily wear blush, usually the cream with the matte powder layered on top.
Haus Labs Bio-Radiant Gel-Powder Illuminating Highlighter
Haus Labs Bio-Radiant Gel-Powder Illuminating Highlighter in Rose Quartz– described as a light magenta. I like to use this as a highlighting blush and will layer it on top of the pink cream from Attention Seeker.
Haus Labs Color Fuse Longwear Hydrating Glassy Lip + Cheek Blush Balm Stick
Haus Labs Color Fuse Longwear Hydrating Glassy Lip + Cheek Blush Balm Stick in Glassy Hibiscus. This is a lovely deep cool toned nude mauve blush for my skin tone.
Urban Decay Face Bond Luminizer Waterproof Glow Drops
Urban Decay Face Bond Luminizer Waterproof Glow Drops in Silverlake – It’s describes as y2k frosted glaze shimmer. I like this for a neutral liquid blingy glow.
Kaleidos Space Age Highlighters
Kaleidos Space Age Highlighters in Moon Cruiser (rich neon lilac with a cool, moonlit cobalt shift) and Star Surfer (smooth, rosy champagne with silver undertones). Moon Cruiser is my everyday wear highlighter. I like Star Surfer for when I’m doing office professional makeup.
RMS ReDimension Hydra Powder Blush
RMS ReDimension Hydra Powder Blush in Crystal Slipper – Described as a sheer, sunkissed buff, this is a light beige brown with subtle pink iridescent shift. If you’re very fair complected and you’re looking for a blonzer (blush plus bronzer) cheek product, I recommend looking at Crystal Slipper. It’s great for subtle all over color.
RMS ReDimension ReDimension Hydra Bronzer
RMS ReDimension ReDimension Hydra Bronzer in Beachwalk Betty – Described as having the sweet kiss of sun with neutral nude undertones for fair skin. I used this a few times when I tried to experiment with a sunkissed look.
RMS ReDimension Hydra Powder Blush
RMS ReDimension Hydra Powder Blush in Hanky Panky – I did not take this blush with me but just received it in the mail so I included it in this set of swatches. It’s described as an iridescent magenta plum and reads as a nude plum on my skin tone in my opinion. It’s going to be perfect for layering on top of Glassy Hibiscus.
In retrospect based off of what I used, I could have skipped packing Pink Mushroom, Beachwalk Betty, Glassy Hibiscus, and Silverlake in my best makeup for travel. I didn’t use these nearly as frequently as I used Attention Seeker and Moon Cruiser.
Fair Complexion Perfection Products
LYS Triple Fix Blurring and Hydrating Skin Tint Foundation Stick Review
LYS Triple Fix Blurring and Hydrating Skin Tint Foundation Stick in LN1 Porcelain (very fair skin with neutral undertones). My friends, allow me to unveil the magic of the LYS Triple Fix Blurring and Hydrating Skin Tint Foundation Stick in LN1 Porcelain—a true treasure for my fair skin. This radiant potion is my current beauty muse; I’m so grateful to have a stick foundation that’s easy to use daily. The About Face the Performer liquid foundation is a close second for the days when I need more coverage.
Why I Love It
I cherish this stick foundation more than I can say, after having spent a few years without a good stick foundation that I loved. Its application is a delightful ritual: a direct caress onto the skin, blended gently with my fingertips, as the brand recommends, though a brush may also serve if one prefers. In my meticulously planned packing, my foundation brush was left behind, yet the magic of this stick foundation shone through, proving its beauty in its purest form. It liberates me from the need for a primer, for it performs as an all-in-one serum, primer, and skin tint, elegantly softening the appearance of texture and pores.
Wear Test
I’ve done a wear test for the LYS Triple Fix Blurring and Hydrating Skin Tint Foundation Stick, as well as the Axiology Fungdation (#3 on my best foundations list) on my IG stories prior to me going to New Zealand, and both looked great after 12+ hours of wear. If you need a new foundation, I highly recommend checking out LYS Triple Fix Blurring and Hydrating Skin Tint Foundation Stick. I love it for its blurring properties and ease of use.
The artful blurring technology grants just the right amount of coverage to let one’s inner glow flourish, making it one of my top picks for the best makeup for travel. At a most accessible treasure of $25 for .25 oz and offered in a palette of around 22 shades, this marvel is both a practical indulgence and a testament to beauty’s boundless versatility.
Wearing the lovely black jade necklace Dave bought me in Rotorua
Haus Labs Triclone Skin Tech Hydrating + De-puffing Concealer
Haus Labs Triclone Skin Tech Hydrating + De-puffing Concealer in 01 Fair Neutral (fair with balanced undertones). The Haus Labs Triclone Skin Tech Hydrating + De-puffing Concealer in 01 Fair Neutral has been my favorite concealer for the past year and it’s still going strong for me. It consistently performs well at hiding my blemishes, being pigmented, and blending into my skin tone.
Rare Beauty Positive Light Under Eye Brightener
Rare Beauty Positive Light Under Eye Brightener in Light (neutral undertones to brighten fair to light complexions). The Rare Beauty Positive Light Under Eye Brightener in Light is just the right amount of coverage for my under eye area to diffuse and misdirect from shadows underneath the eyes. There were a few days when I only used the Positive Light Under Eye Brightener under my eyes and spot concealed with the Triclone Skin Tech Hydrating + De-puffing Concealer around my face.
Huda Beauty Easy Bake Blurring Loose Baking & Setting Powder
Huda Beauty Easy Bake Blurring Loose Baking & Setting Powder in Poundcake (golden undertones brighten and disguise under-eye darkness). I love this formula so much! The only formula I’ve found that I like better is the Silk Naturals Brightening Powder, but unfortunately they don’t have a dupe for the Poundcake shade. This loose powder formula is vastly superior to the pressed formula in my experience. I feel like the pressed formula doesn’t perform well for me at all, though I’m going to try a different application method with it next time I wear it.
Huda Beauty Easy Bake and Snatch Pressed Talc-Free Brightening and Setting Powder
Huda Beauty Easy Bake and Snatch Pressed Talc-Free Brightening and Setting Powder in Poundcake (fair to light-medium skin tones. golden undertones brighten and disguise under-eye darkness). This is the only makeup product that I brought with me that I found disappointing. I need to try a different application method to see if that helps with its performance. While I was hoping that I could use this for touch ups and to set my foundation, I got shiny when I used this on my own instead of just the loose powder. Instead of using a makeup sponge with this product, I used the same dense brush I normally use with the loose powder version.
One Size On ‘Til Dawn Mattifying Waterproof Setting Spray
I’ve been singing praises of the One Size On ‘Til Dawn Mattifying Waterproof Setting Spray for the past two years and have no plans to stop. It works so well for me, no matter if I’m in hot humid Florida, humid muggy windy New Zealand, or freezing cold once in a century New Orleans snow storms. I spray this and my makeup holds all day.
Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Ultra-Fine Mist
Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Ultra-Fine Mist. I bought the mist at the recommendation of my friend Kat. It’s perfect for when my makeup is looking cakey to help it meld into my skin and remove any powderyness or cakeyness.
Lip Products
Buxom Power Line Plumping Lip Liners
Buxom Magnetic Mauve Power Line Plumping Lip Liner – This is a beautiful cool toned mauve pink lip pencil that is my go-to for a MLBB lip pencil. I wore this pencil paired with VE Innocent gloss the most during my trip to New Zealand.
Buxom Hush Hush Henna Power Line Plumping Lip Liner – Hush Hush Henna is a nude pink pencil that functions as a neutral warm hue for my skin tone. It looks great when paired with Half-Magic Frosty B*tch Magic Drip Gloss. I used Hush Hush Henna with Half-Magic Half-Magic Y2K Cherub Magic Drip Gloss during this trip.
Buxom Recharged Ruby Power Line Plumping Lip Liner – I always need a cool toned red in my life and this pencil is perfect for it. I used this with Kaleidos Penthouse gloss the most.
Kaleidos Blue Agave Softening Lip Mask
Blue Agave Softening Lip Mask – The Blue Agave Softening Lip Mask was my go-to lip treatment to help my lips stay hydrated.
Kaleidos Untamed Glow Glossy Lip Glazes
Untamed Glow Glossy Lip Glazes in Freefall and Penthouse. Penthouse is described as a diamond shine shifting from fuchsia to rose to gold. Freefall is described as semi-translucent shimmer, like sparkling diamonds.
Essence Super Peptide Glossy Lip Treatment
Essence Super Peptide Glossy Lip Treatment. I bought this to see how I liked it as a another way to hydrate my lips on the trip. It’s ok but I greatly prefer the Kaleidos lip mask.
Half Magic Magic Drip Glitter Lip Gloss
Half Magic Magic Drip Glitter Lip Gloss in Y2K Cherub. I adore the Half Magic Magic Drip Glitter Lip Gloss formula, especially Y2k Cherub (bubblegum pink with periwinkle and pink reflects), Problem Child (black with multicolored reflects) and Frosty B*tch (icy peach with multicolored reflects). I love the iridescence in this formula.
Ve Glamour Magic Gloss
Ve Glamour Magic Gloss in Innocent (PR)(Use code CORDELIA to save 10% at Ve). I love the multichrome iridescence of Innocent! The shimmer and finish are so eye catching and the color shift is strong. Even a very minimal layer of gloss gives gorgeous shine and dimension. I wish this had a red and blue version with the gorgeous iridescence.
Black Moon Liquid Lipsticks
Black Moon Liquid Lipsticks in Sorrow and Armageddon. Sorrow (blackened deep blue with flecks of artic blue) and Armageddon (blackened metallic red with flecks of copper and lavender) are two of my favorite lipstick colors and formula that Black Moon has created. I only ended up wearing Sorrow once while in New Zealand, but felt like I had to bring liquid lipstick with me.
Flower Bitten Lip Stain
Flower Bitten Lip Stain in Sass (blue pink). I wore this lip stain a few times while I was in New Zealand. I’m not sure I get the appeal of lip stains as they do wear off, but I love this specific cool toned blue pink hue. It’s a great color for me.
Based on what I wore, I should have only packed the following lip products: Buxom Magnetic Mauve and Recharged Ruby lip pencils, Ve Innocent gloss, Kaleidos Penthouse gloss, Flower Sass lip stain, and Black Moon Sorrow liquid lipstick.
Eyeliners and Eyeshadow Pencils
I wanted to share swatches of the liquid eyeshadows, eyeshadow pencils, and eyeliners I brought with me. I also included swatches of 3 of my favorite Urban Decay eyeliners which did not go on the trip with me – Reflect, LSD and Alkaline.
Silk Naturals Tour Loose Eyeshadow
Silk Naturals Tour loose eyeshadow (use code CORDELIA to save 10% at Silk Naturals) is the perfect sheer black matte that is a dream to work with! I dye my brows blue black these days and use Tour on a slim angled brush to fill in any gaps in my brows. While Tour is also beautiful as an eyeshadow, it’s become my go-to product for filling in my brows.
Kaleidos Sea Sparkle Epiphany Glow Melt-On Eyeliner
I love the Kaleidos Epiphany Glow Melt-On Eyeliners (PR). Sea Sparkle, which shifts through silver, icy blue and denim blue, is gorgeous, especially when paired with other grey eyeshadows.
Nyx the Brow Glue
Nyx the Brow Glue in Clear. Now that I’m regularly tinting my eyebrows blue-black, I only need to fill them in minimally. I find they look best if I just use a clear brow glue to hold them in place.
Nyx Epic Ink Liquid Liner
Nyx Epic Ink Liquid Liner in Black. I love the look of a big black wing and iridescent eyeshadow with a bright red lip. Nyx’s Epic Ink Liquid Liner makes it easy to create that look.
REM Midnight Shadows Lustrous Liquid Eyeshadow
REM Midnight Shadows Lustrous Liquid Eyeshadow in Fembot. I love this liquid eyeshadow in specific. Fembot is a gorgeous shade that shifts to pink, blue, and violet from a mauve beige base. It gives a wet look that is eye brightening. I don’t know if these liquid eyeshadows are being discontinued or not, but they’re currently on sale at Ulta.
Sigma Eyeshadow Primer Base in Bubbly
Sigma Eyeshadow Primer Base in Bubbly. Bubbly is described as pinky peach champagne shimmer, and I find that highly accurate. It’s great for a minimal makeup look or as an eyeshadow primer.
Fun Cosmetics Holo Boss Eyeshadow
I love this eyeshadow so much! I brought it because we went to a festival while we were in New Zealand and the holographic rainbow effect was perfect! Just this eyeshadow all on its own plus black liquid liner was stunning.
Julep Eyeshadow 101 Crème-to-Powder Waterproof Eyeshadow Sticks
Julep Eyeshadow 101 Crème-to-Powder Waterproof Eyeshadow Sticks in Sand Shimmer (light beige champagne shimmer) and Vanilla Matte (light yellow beige matte). Sand Shimmer is the one I used the most.
I like using these eyeshadow sticks as tinted eyeshadow primer bases and they look great with multichromes. They’re currently on sale right now and I’ve picked up Mint (cool-toned pastel green matte), Marigold (yellow gold matte), Periwinkle (blue-violet matte), Black Cherry (burgundy matte), Midnight (blackened blue), and Evergreen (blackened green). Please let me know if you want to see swatches.
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Waterproof Eyeliner Pencils
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Waterproof Eyeliner Pencils in Faux Doe, Cool Coyote, Space Cowboy and Perversion. I’ve purchased a few of the newer Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliners recently.
Space Cowboy was disappointing to me because it’s too dark to use as an eye brightener, and I really can only use it as an eyeshadow or eyeshadow base.
Cool Coyote pulls more brown than grey on me, which I did not expect, but is great for more subtle makeup looks and if you’re struggling for a color to put on your lower waterline that will enhance blue-green eyes without overwhelming them, it’s a good option. It’s a nice neutral-cool for me. Faux Doe is beautiful and perfect for eye brightening on my lower waterline.
Perversion is perfection for matte black and great for tightlining at my lashline to make the most of my lashes.. Urban Decay Reflect (multidimensional golden green), LSD (deep navy blue with turquoise reflects), and Alkaline (deep wine matte) are three of my favorite UD 24/7 eyeliner pencil shades and they don’t get enough love from me!
Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions
Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions in Brynn. It’s no secret that this is my favorite mascara ever! It’s vegan, cruelty-free, tubing, and comes in lots of lovely hues including Black, purple, hot pink, green, and blue. I need them to make a burgundy wine shade!
Singles Palette
I brought this singles eyeshadow palette along to have a few of my Devinah shades with me. I needed Fairy Fire and Frost Bane, as I wear those two the most.
Half-Magic Cheek Fluff Soft Blur Cream Blush
Half-Magic Cheek Fluff Soft Blur Cream Blush in Pink Mushroom. I adore this hybrid cream to powder formula that is blurring on the cheeks and easy to blend. I wish it was more cool toned but it functions as a neutral warm blush for me.
Devinah Pressed Eyeshadows
Wearing Flower Beauty Sass lip stain with Devinah Fairy Fire on the eyes
Devinah pressed eyeshadows in Fairy Fire, Frost Bane, Starfire, Lucius and Ethereal. (use code CORDELIA to save at Devinah) Here are the shades I had to take with me:
Fairy Fire – yellow beige base with green to blue to turquoise shift
Frost Bane – iridescent lavender pink with pink blue violet shift and iridescence
Starfire – burgundy, violet pink, coppery orange, magenta
Lucius – cool toned mauve plum matte
Ethereal – cool toned muted nude taupe plum matte
Fairy Fire and Frost Bane are eyeshadows that I wear weekly because they make me happy. I love the color shifts and how they catch the light. I love to use Starfire as an accent at the outer lid. Ethereal works as a cool-toned muted nude taupe plum shade, which is a great crease color to make my blue green eyes pop. Lucius is a lovely berry mauve crease shade too.
I always pack a singles eyeshadow palette made up of my favorite eyeshadow singles whenever I’m packing my best makeup for travel. I always need shades like Fairy Fire and Frost Bane with me.
BellaBeauteBar Morally Grey Palette
Morally Grey Swatches on Fair Skin
The BellaBeauteBar Morally Grey palette had to come with me because of the beautiful cool tones and iridescent shades. (use code CORDELIA to save at Bellabeautebar) Not a Villain, Moral Compass, Ambivalence, Indecisive, and Bittersweet were the eyeshadows used the most. See my Bellabeautebar Morally Grey Palette review here.
Wearing Dead Roses Palette
For the multiple video interviews that I did, I kept my makeup very minimal and neutral, using the BellaBeauteBar Morally Grey palette. Morally Grey is definitely one of the best makeup palettes for travel for neutral and smoky makeup looks.
Bellabeautebar Dead Roses Palette
I used the Bellabeautebar Dead Roses palette the most! Friend Zone, Not Yours, As If, Drop Dead, U Wish, Thank U Next, and UR the Worst were my most used shades. See my Bellabeautebar Dead Roses Palette feature.
I wore the Bellabeautebar Dead Roses palette the most because of all the beautiful multichromes in it. It’s very easy to create a quick, eye catching look with a multichrome on the lid and crease, then using a matte shade to add definition at the outer corner.
Jet Lag
Jet lag has been brutal on the way back. Despite meticulously planning our return flight to get in around 9pm, our flights were delayed by several hours, pushing an already long 22 hour travel day past 24 hours. It’s taken me a week to get to where I feel something close to normal. I was sleeping for 12 hours at a time but never feeling truly restored.
Main Difference Between New Zealand and the USA
I’m so grateful to be able to visit New Zealand and experience what everyday life is like there. The easiest way I’ve found to describe the difference is that American culture is very ‘me’ focused, while New Zealand culture is very ‘we’ focused. And I prefer the ‘we’ focus, to make society a better place. That’s probably why I loved both Scotland and New Zealand, is that they are more ‘we’ focused with their cultures.
Not enough people care about community, their neighbors, and people who are not like them in the USA. The lack of empathy is a real problem. I’m tired of having to explain to people why they should care about others who are not exactly like them. I’m exhausted that people don’t understand that we need to take care of the environment and not pollute it. It’s disgusting that there are individuals who think that those with chronic illness should just die and that vaccines don’t work. I’m #TeamScience all the way and horrified at what’s happening right now.
Final Thoughts
Unrelated, I’ve drastically cut back on my time on social media platforms. I check in on the Facebook Group five days a week and I’m on Reddit, but took all social media off my phone for my sanity. I’ve not been updating Instagram daily like I used to. Instead I’m reading as many books as I can manage so that I’m not doom scrolling. What are you doing for self-care and to protect your health? Are you part of a local community?
More to See
