Nikol's travel system is a hanging toiletry bag refilled with her daily skincare, a few multi-use products that can stand in for forgotten items (like a brow pencil doubling as lip liner or blush), and a simple travel-friendly face using Eye Primer, BB Crème, Just Peachy Color Corrector, Brow Mascara, Volume Up Mascara, Classic Beach Glow, and a lip liner-lipstick-gloss combo.
Key takeaways
- Pack a hanging travel toiletry bag and keep it stocked with daily essentials so you can grab it and go.
- Refill small bottles and jars with your favorite products instead of buying extra plastic travel sizes.
- A Skinny Brow Pencil can double as a lip liner or even a cream blush if you forget those products.
- Crystal Clear Invisible Water-Proof Lip Liner helps keep lipstick from migrating into fine lines around the mouth.
- Layering a sheer lip gloss first and a bolder lipstick on top lets you control how much color shows up.
- Washing brushes with Lux Brush Soap once a week keeps them travel-ready and gives a cleaner makeup application.
Nikol's step-by-step routine
- Prep the skin, then tap a thin, even layer of Eye Primer over clean, dry eyelids to keep shadow from creasing.
- Buff BB Crème into the skin with the Foundation Buffing Brush using small circular motions for an even, lightweight base.
- Tap Just Peachy Color Corrector (or Simply Apricot for deeper skin tones) under the eyes and over any discoloration, then blend with the Concealer Brush.
- Fill in sparse or gray brows with Brow Mascara in a shade like milk chocolate.
- Curl lashes, then apply Volume Up Mascara starting at the base and wiggling the wand through to the tips for lift and fullness.
- Using one brush, add cream blush, highlighter, and bronzer from the Classic Beach Glow compact, blending along the cheekbone.
- Line the lips with a WaterProof Lip Liner Pencil, fill in with a Shiny Velvet Cream Lipstick, and finish with a lip gloss such as Good Vibes Lip Gloss #443; for a softer look, apply the gloss first and pat a bolder lipstick on top.
How can you simplify packing your travel makeup and skincare bag?
Nikol's approach starts with the goal of flying carry-on only, which she has done successfully on a couple of trips. She keeps a hanging makeup/toiletry bag stocked with everything she needs daily so she can simply grab it, pack it, and hang it up in the hotel bathroom when she arrives.
Rather than buying extra travel-size plastic bottles, she refills small jars and bottles with her favorite cleansing balm, toner, and serum from her full-size products. She also saves deluxe samples that come with orders and tucks them into the travel bag so nothing goes to waste.
What travel skincare staples help with dryness, puffiness, and tired eyes?
On a hot, dry trip, Nikol relied on a cooling gel-type mask and body product to calm overheated skin. She also keeps disposable self-heating eye masks and lid wipes in her bag as part of a wind-down ritual, especially helpful if you deal with dry eyes or a lot of screen time.
She also keeps a gentle, lightly scented face wipe on hand for a quick refresh after a flight or workout, since it's meant to cleanse and hydrate rather than remove makeup. For hands, she looks for a moisturizer that absorbs quickly and doesn't feel greasy, and she avoids packaging that's hard to open or close with one hand on a plane.
What should you do if you forget a key makeup product while traveling?
Nikol has forgotten her Eye Primer and her lip liner on past trips, which taught her to always pack the night before and to keep backups of her must-use products. When she forgot her lip liner, she used her Skinny Brow Pencil in taupe to line and define her lips, noting that a lighter touch would also work with the brownie shade.
A Skinny Brow Pencil can also double as a cream blush in a pinch: pat it onto the cheeks and blend. Separately, when her eyes needed brightening, she lined her waterline with a nude pencil to cancel redness and open up the eye area, a trick she picked up from working on set.
How do you layer lip liner, lipstick, and gloss for travel-friendly color?
A WaterProof Lip Liner Pencil can be used as a full lipstick on its own if you're missing your usual tube, since the formula is soft enough to fill in the whole lip. If you want to wear a bold shade like Confidence Shiny Velvet Cream Lipstick #173 but build up to it, Nikol applies a lip gloss such as Manifest & Glow #183 first, then presses the bolder lipstick on top for a sheerer, more blended color.
For lips that show fine vertical lines, she traces a Crystal Clear Invisible Water-Proof Lip Liner around the lip border before applying color, which helps keep lipstick from migrating into those lines. The same clear liner can also be used along the sides of the nose where makeup tends to settle into deeper folds.
How do you put together a quick, travel-friendly face?
After prepping skin with Fiercely Smooth Face Primer, Nikol taps a thin layer of Eye Primer onto the lids to prevent creasing, then buffs BB Crème into the skin with the Foundation Buffing Brush using the entire brush head for an airbrushed finish. She uses Just Peachy Color Corrector (or Simply Apricot for deeper skin tones) under the eyes and over any pigmentation before blending with the Concealer Brush.
Gray or sparse brows get filled in with Brow Mascara, and lashes are curled and coated with Volume Up Mascara starting at the base and wiggling through to the tips. To finish, she uses one brush to sweep cream blush, highlighter, and bronzer from the Classic Beach Glow compact onto the cheeks, following the natural line from the top of the ear down to the cheekbone for bronzer placement.
Crème Brûlée can double as a bronzer or, in a pinch, as a cream eyeshadow swept over the lid, and Nikita Banana Brightening Powder can be used to set and brighten underneath the eyes in humid climates.
How do you keep makeup brushes clean and ready to pack?
Nikol washes her brushes with Lux Brush Soap, using the textured silicone mat to work out product from different brush shapes, running water down and away from the brush head so moisture doesn't seep into the ferrule. Once the water runs clear, she reshapes the brush and lays it flat on a paper towel to dry completely before storing it.
For precise lip and eye pencils, she uses the Pencil Sharpener and reminds you not to over-sharpen; just one or two twists is usually enough. The small pick on the back of the sharpener is designed to clean out leftover product from the blade.
Shop the look
Nikol uses Eye Primer, Just Peachy Color Corrector, Simply Apricot, Skinny Brow Pencil. Explore the face collection for more of the pro-aging makeup she created for women over 40.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best way to pack makeup and skincare for a carry-on trip?
Keep a hanging travel toiletry bag stocked with your daily essentials and refill small bottles and jars with your favorite products instead of buying extra travel-size plastic.
What can I use if I forget my lip liner while traveling?
A Skinny Brow Pencil in a shade like taupe or brownie can line and fill in your lips in a pinch, and can even double as a cream blush.
How do you stop lipstick from bleeding into fine lines around the mouth?
Trace a Crystal Clear Invisible Water-Proof Lip Liner around the lips first to create a border before applying lipstick or gloss.
How can I make tired eyes look brighter while traveling?
Line the waterline with a nude pencil to cancel redness, and tap Eye Brightener into the inner corners before blending with the Concealer Brush.
How often should mascara be replaced?
Nikol replaces her mascara every three months and keeps a small tag with the date on it as a reminder.
How do you keep makeup brushes clean on the road?
Wash them with Lux Brush Soap on a textured cleansing mat, rinse until the water runs clear, then lay them flat to dry before packing them away.
