Travel makeup +

So I was out of the country and I've had people ask what I brought with me in terms of makeup. I didn't think people really cared in terms of what I normally wear...I am glad someone does :)


I was out of town back in March and I took even less stuff with me back then. I left the country for family reasons, and there were a couple of nights where I had to wear at least a semi-full face.

From left to right:


Le Metier de Beaute Peau Vierge: I wore it almost everyday as my tinted moisturizer. The two main reasons I took this with me is because I had tried a new skincare product (samples) that broke me out and I wanted my breakouts to heal quickly. Second reason is that on my last trip, I took Chantecaille Future Skin foundation so I wanted to rotate. Last summer when I was out in the sun, I got serious rashes from the sun since I work nights. Being in the sun as of recent with this foundation, I had no adverse skin reactions (as in my skin didn't burn or fall off). I was in warmer weather climate and my skin didn't get darker, but my arms and my legs surely did (and for reference,  I wore SPF 30 sunscreen on my hands/arms/legs). I look weird now that my face is a lot lighter than the rest of my skin now. Ah well. lol.


By Terry Baume de Rose: I used this as my lipbalm about every other day. I felt the maximum benefit at the airport because for some reason my lips get really dry. It could be the air conditioning or something with airports/airplanes.


Le Metier de Beaute Fraise Lip Creme: I wore this almost everyday too. I wore it for the times that I had to wear a semi full face as well. I like dark or vibrant reds, but I had to keep it tame for my family and for the events I had to go to. It's definitely a wearable color, even for daytime. So for those who are concerned about wearing bright or vibrant colors, I consider it an office-friendly color. I'll review this at a later date.


Giorgio Armani Rouge d'Armani #103: This is my go to lipstick for serious events, as well. I wore this twice, which is odd. I think due to the warmer weather I didn't wear it as often as I'd like. Sunnier weather=slightly more vibrant colors? I mixed this with Fraise lip creme and it looked pretty awesome. Neat discoveries are always a good thing.


By Terry Misty Rock cream eyeshadow: I'm not a big eyeshadow person, but I did wear this when I had to wear a semi full face. I just used it for those times and that was it. I really do mean it, this cream eyeshadow does live in my purse if I'm going out at night last minute and I need to do a quick face. Apply from the tube, blend with fingers and bam! you're out the door.


By Terry Touchee Veloutee: I love this stuff, as it is my under eye concealer. If I am having a great skin day, I use this on red spots on my face and under my eyes. If I go out at night I wear my regular foundation and use this to brighten the area under my eyes. Since I was wearing a luminous tinted moisturizer, I didn't feel the need to use it, since Peau Vierge brightens those areas by itself. So note to self: if wearing Peau Vierge, no need for this too. Otherwise, must have Touchee Veloutee in bag.


Armani Eyes to Kill mascara: It's a mini. my ultimate mascara. Need I say more?


Shu #14 brush: I recently bought it since it was highly recommended. I'll review this at a later time. Wonderful brush and I used it when I had to wear...


Giorgio Armani Sheer Blush #5: The perfect beige nude blush that fits the bill on so many levels. This needs a review on its own at a later date as well.


Bioderma Crealine H2O (not pictured): I had this in a small sample jar.

Bioderma Crealine H2O

So I just finished using my regular makeup remover: Trilogy Cream Cleanser. I like the idea of a cream cleanser because it's not as drying on your skin, but overall this particular cream cleanser slightly burned my skin. Why? I know I'm just overall sensitive to most skincare that has a lot of fruit ingredients. I'll review this at a later date, but it is great if you aren't sensitive to those kinds of ingredients.

So I've seen in various places about this particular cleanser/makeup remover and how awesome it is. I went to a boutique pharmacy in Chelsea, NYC called New London Pharmacy and purchased the larger bottle. This location also sells other French brands Embryolisse, Nuxe, among other niche skincare brands.

The formula: definitely the consistency of water. No smell, or at least none that I can detect.

How to use: apply some on a cotton ball and just glide across sections of your face. It's not emulsifying, nor does it leave your skin feeling tight or dry. It's literally the same feeling as if you have water in that cotton ball. Simple enough. There's really no need to clean your face with a separate cleanser, at least for me. My skin really feels clean with  just this product alone.

What makes this item so great? You can remove heavy duty makeup, including waterproof stuff with 1-2 swipes. Most makeup removers require the extra step of washing your face afterwards. I'm a person who is always on the go and saving myself an extra step is a big plus. Another thing is that my face doesn't turn red with this product. Nor does this make my eyes sting/burn woo woo woo !! :) It's truly a magical product. This stuff removes just overall gunk on your face. I want to use this as my new overall skin cleanser/toner. I truly <3 this item.

When I purchased this item, the checkout clerk asked me: Are you a makeup artist? I replied "no, but why do you ask"? He basically stated that not many people know about the product and the few people that do purchase it are makeup artists.

Downside: limited supply in this location. I think it's the only place in NYC that sells it, and they sell out very quickly. I'm lucky I grabbed a bottle because it will last me a while. Overall this item is hard to find since it's from France.

Price: $48 at New London Pharmacy for 500 mL. I know it's sold a bit less elsewhere, but at least I know this now, plus there's nothing better than instant gratification :). I'm not one to order items online because I'm never home to pick it up.

Ingredients: water (aqua), peg-6 caprylic/capric glycerides, cucumis sativus (cucumber) fruit extract, mannitol, xylitol, rhamnose, fructooligosaccharides, propylene glycol, disodium edta, cetrimonium bromide.

What I've tried in the past for reference:

Shu Uemura cleansing oil: green, pink and white.
Ponds Cold cream: This is a good method if you have super dry skin, but it's a bit time consuming because you're removing cream off your face.
Lancome Bi-facil: which was my HG mu remover for a while, but again I have to wash my face after. 
YSL makeup remover: overpriced and it I just wasn't that impressed.
Trilogy cream cleanser: love this if I wasn't allergic to either the carrot or grapefruit extract. It really leaves your face clean.
MAC makeup wipes: burned my eyelids and made them raw. Talk about a serious chemical burn.

all of these are great, but Bioderma has taken center stage, front and center. <3