Beauty 101: Getting the Perfect Daytime Glam While Traveling
With spring break ahead and summer just around the corner, it's essential to have the perfect makeup look for everyday travel that will last all day in the sun. Whether you're heading somewhere tropical or just looking for a sun-kissed look, having a glam routine you can rely on is key to ensuring you stay fabulous all day long. Having the right products in your makeup bag will make a huge difference, and it can be the difference between a long-lasting look and one that fades in the heat. Below, I’ll guide you through each step and why to create a glowing and natural daytime glam that's perfect for traveling.
Before we jump in, here are a few things to remember:
Why This Routine is Essential
Sun Protection: Traveling often means increased sun exposure. The right products will help protect your skin from harmful UV rays.
Longevity: Long flights, sightseeing, and outdoor activities can take a toll on your makeup. This routine is designed to last.
Versatility: This look is suitable for a variety of destinations and activities, whether you're exploring a tropical beach or a bustling city.
Confidence: When you look good, you feel good. This routine will boost your confidence and help you enjoy your travels to the fullest.
Skin Prep
Starting with your skin is crucial. It's not just about applying makeup; it's about creating a flawless base that will allow your products to last longer and look better. The first rule of travel glam is to ensure that your skin is properly prepped. With a solid skincare routine, this not only affects the way your makeup is going to come out, but it also determines the way your skin looks underneath all the layers of coverage. When traveling, you want a glow that's natural and sun-kissed. While it's easy to go overboard and end up with a matte or cakey base, this can easily be avoided with quality products designed to give you a radiant, hydrated finish. This is why skincare is also a necessary step before getting into primer. To achieve this, you must start with a cream that best fits your skin type—whether it's oily, dry, or a combination.
The skin cream I love to use for traveling is the Fresh Rose & Hyaluronic Acid Deep Hydration Moisturizer. This product is the perfect barrier to provide and lock in hydration, especially for dry skin in the humid weather. Pairing this moisturizer with a sunscreen is a must, especially when traveling to sunny destinations. I love the Isdin Fusion Water Mineral Sunscreen to protect the skin from the sun and keeping a bronzed finish is the perfect duo to prepare for a daytime look.
Face
Now that your skin is prepped and glowing, it's time to focus on creating a radiant base. One of my favorite techniques is to use many cream products before setting it in with powder. Using this technique helps the makeup blend together and sink into the skin to create a seamless and beautiful finish. To start, I neutralize any darkness on the skin and provide brightness to awaken the look of my eyes using the Peach Bobbi Brown Skin Color Corrector Stick.
To prime and keep the glowy look, I then use the fan-favorite Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter to illuminate my skin before going in with my current staples—the Too Faced Born This Way Super Coverage Multi-Use Concealer and Mac Studio Radiance Serum-Powered Foundation. These two products are a dream combination for travel because they're buildable. Whether you want a light, natural look or something more full coverage, these products can deliver. I love that you don't have to carry multiple foundations with you, saving space in your makeup bag. This is a small tip to avoid overpacking. Bringing a product that is buildable in coverage can be used for multiple looks, providing different finishes—perfect for vacation use. When using this duo, you can either choose to use it for a natural look, full glam, or both!
Then going in with the Charlotte Tilbury Beautiful Skin Sun-Kissed Glow Cream Bronzer, I use this product to contour and sculpt to keep the skin looking glowingly tanned. These are my favorite base products that help keep that long lasting freshness, all while having a full glam.
Source: Charlotte Tilbury
While on-the-go, I like to lock in these cream products with a lightweight fine powder to continue blurring the skin and giving an airbrushed effect using the Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish. A light dust of this all over the face is perfect for creating a dewy, glowing look without looking overly matte. Believe me when I say, setting the face is a crucial step to truly achieve flawless looking makeup!
Even with something as simple as soft glam, or “no-makeup makeup looks”, powder is what helps prevent the makeup you apply from moving around, especially in certain climates. Because this certain product is a finishing powder, its main purpose is to leave the face with a flawless complexion. Unlike loose setting powders or powder foundations, this item is often used as the “final touch” meaning it's lighter in coverage and perfect for natural makeup.
Finally, going in with the final face product by topping off a little bit of color to the cheeks, I use the Nars Powder Blush in the shade Orgasm. This is perfect because it is marketed to last up to 16 hours of wear and comes with a variety of the Orgasm shades made to fit other skin tones. The formula also comes in different finishes such as shimmer or matte to accompany different looks. Blushing is necessary to bring back the natural flush of our skin and complement the cheekbones, making our appearance seem more vibrant and awake.
Eyes
To prevent overfilling my makeup bag while traveling, I like to carry all my eyeshadows in a palette so I know it's all in one place. The Tarte Tartelette in Bloom Clay Palette is another one of my staples I love to carry with me on any vacation. It has the perfect shades made for any day or nighttime looks and has versatile shadows that can be used all around the face, such as highlight and eyeliner.
Once I've got a good matte color in my crease, I love to bring out my eyes with the Maybelline Tattoo Liner Gel Pencil and smudge it across the waterline to bring soft blended definition around my lashes. When it comes to everyday glam for vacation, I like to keep things simple, but effective with some subtle smoky shadows across the lashes. I then follow it with the Tarte Maneater Mascara to give volume and drama. Making sure that my lashes are coated well, I will start brushing the lashes down, then up to really make them appear fuller and thick.
Although many people would be hesitant to utilize dark liner for a daytime look, it's the best trick to make you appear “wide eyed” and draw attention to that part of your face! If black liner feels too bold for daytime, you can always opt for brown or even white eyeliner for a softer look. The Maybelline Tattoo Gel Pencil comes in several shades, so there's a liner for every style.
Lips
No glam look is complete without the perfect lip combo. I first use the iconic Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Lipstick & Liner Set in the shade medium to coat my lips with the creamiest pinky-nude. I like to enhance the shape of my lips with the MAC Lip Pencil in Soar, which is a slightly deeper pink. This creates a contour effect that gives the lips more fullness and definition. To complete my daytime glam travel look, I add a finishing touch with a layer of Morphe's Dripglass Gloss in the shade Polished Peach. This high-shine gloss delivers a boost of moisture and a beautiful sheen. The subtle peach tint enhances my natural lip color, adding a touch of warmth and radiance that perfectly complements my sun-kissed skin and overall makeup look. The non-sticky formula feels comfortable on my lips and lasts for hours without needing to be reapplied, making it a must-have for any travel makeup bag.
Source: Ulta
As I spritz the waterproof Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray onto my face, I am confident that the fresh face of makeup I just applied will stay throughout a long day of traveling and still look as good as ever. This will lock your makeup in place, keeping it fresh and flawless for hours, no matter how long your day is. With this final touch, I'm ready to take on my day in a tropical destination like Cancún, Mexico, with a glowing, sun-kissed look that lasts from morning to night.
This glam took less than 30 minutes and you should try it too! The most important thing is to feel confident and comfortable in your own skin. This guide is meant to be a helpful resource, but feel free to adapt it to your own preferences and needs. With the right products and techniques, you can achieve a natural and glowing makeup look that will last all day long, no matter where your travels take you.
You can check out this look in my Instagram reels if you want to follow along. If you'd love to hear more about makeup tips and different looks, stay updated on barbiepatel.com and barbiepatell on Instagram.
