I was supposed to travel to Riga today, for work, but the said work has gotten so intense that all travel plans have been cancelled. This is sub-optimal, as they say, for several reasons – including the fact that I had in mind at least three travel-related posts for the blog. After some moping and rage against the unfairness of the universe, I realized that nothing is stopping me to from telling you what I PLANNED to put into my travel make-up bag. I’m not entirely certain whether anyone would be interested, but I always like to see what other people actually use and carry in their bags.

The aim of the perfect travel make-up kit is to be efficient without feeling deprived. My rule is only to take options where one would actually need options: lip and eye colours, mostly. Foundation, concealer and mascara will work no matter the clothes you’re wearing – but of course, if mascara is your thing, you might need seven to choose from. I’m not judging. The content of the kit will depend on the specific circumstances: this one is meant for a two-day work trip:

1. Base: Chantecaille Just Skin Tinted Moisturizer in Bliss. I am not leaving the country (or the house) without a base product. Nobody needs two for such a short trip, but one foundation or tinted moisturizer is essential in my case. I prefer a tube to a glass bottle, as I can usually I get away with this not being classified as a liquid.

2. Concealer: Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage. This is long-lasting, excellent for spots and has two colours you can blend to create a custom tone. Not ideal for under-eye, but will work in a pinch or if mixed with foundation. I’m not too worried about my dark circles anyway, so can live with this.

3. Cheeks: Chanel Les Beiges Blush No 20. I love everything in the stick format and the sticks are especially good for travel – no brushes, no fuss. This is a nice neutral one for summer, although it’s not perfect with all lip colours. Which brings us to…

4. Lips: Korres Lip Butter in Pomegranate, Dior Brilliance Lip Gloss in Swan, Chantecaille Lip Chic in Nocturn and Tom Ford mini lipstick in Luciano. This is the category where I usually have the most variety, but for a two-day trip, four lip choices is plenty. I have picked a coral balm (the plane!), a natural pink gloss, a medium berry sheer lipstick and a serious red. These cover almost every occasion you can think of. I also use all of them except the Dior as blush, when I don’t have all my blush options with me (see above).

5. Lashes: Kevin Aucoin The Volume Mascara. I always pack my current favourite mascara, whatever it happens to be. It would make sense to have one that is buildable, so you can do a natural and a dramatic look with the same product. The Aucoin doesn’t really offer that (I would not call it a volumizing mascara at all), but I like the elegant result it gives both for day and night. Bonus: it’s a fiber formula, so comes off with warm water.

6. Eyes: Laura Mercier Caviar Sticks in Moonstone and Rosegold, Korres Twist Eyeshadow in Olive, Chanel Stylo Eyeshadow in Azulejo. I am not an eye shadow person, but I like to have a couple of options. Again, sticks are convenient and versatile and hardly take any room. With this selection I can do both warmer and colder, lighter and darker looks. (As an afterthought, I added Chanel black eye pencil and Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill No 12 – in case I’m going out in the evening).

If for some reason I needed to drastically downsize, I’d take the tinted moisturiser, mascara and something to use as both blush and lip colour. If I have more room, I’d add a second blush, Tom Ford Shade & Illuminate duo and maybe a powder compact. The make-up bag pictured is from Zara and too large, but it doubles as a clutch – practical when travelling. And the face brush is there only because I needed it to keep the other things from rolling around: I very rarely take brushes when I travel. Life is too short. (And I need that space for lipsticks.)