Quick Tips for Beauty on the Go

Your home makeup kit is probably pretty complete, but how do you maintain when you’re at work, after a workout, out on the town or on the road? Here are my quick tips for looking your best while on the go:

At Work
You definitely want to invest in duplicates of your at-home makeup basics to keep in your desk drawer at work. This enables you to freshen up before a big meeting or retouch your face if you’re going out right after work. Your basics include:
• Concealer
• Foundation
• Pressed powder (with mirror, of course)
• Blush
• Lip balm, color and/or gloss
• Black eyeliner and white or silver eye shadow to create a quick evening eye
• Mini brushes
• A small, travel-sized toothbrush and toothpaste set
• Perfume

In Your Gym Bag
After a good workout, you want to clean your face and reapply your makeup from scratch. Be sure to bring:
• Face-cleaning cloths
• Moisturizer
• Customized face palette, or at the very least a concealer, tinted moisturizer, gloss and mascara

Evening Bag
Tiny purses look great, but don’t fit a lot so be selective and pack the smallest versions you can find of:
• Gloss
• Lip pencil
• A powder compact or blotting papers
• Customizable palette with concealer, stick foundation, cream blush and lipstick
• Mini perfume
• Breath mints (so your breath will be as fresh as your face!)

For Travel
I recommend keeping a travel beauty kit packed at all times so you never have to worry about arriving at your destination without your essentials. Invest in several small, airline-regulation size plastic bottles, label them and fill them with your beauty staples. Add mini brushes, mascara and a small eye palette. Here is your “must-pack” list:
--Travel-size shampoo and conditioner
--Body and facial moisturizers
--Makeup palettes with all your basics
--Mini mascara
--Face powder, bronzer (great pick-me-up for travel-weary skin)
--Self-tanner
--Lipstick or gloss
--A brush roll of travel-size makeup brushes
--Tweezers
--Hairbrush and hairspray
--Perfume in a mini or compact version
--Perfumed body creams

Tip: Collect deluxe samples from makeup counters—they’re perfect for all of your kits, plus they’re a great, no-risk way to try new products for free.

To keep your kits fresh and healthy, you’ll want to get rid of any makeup that’s past its expiration date:
Two years for liquid and cream foundation, concealer, powder, eye shadow, powder blush, cream blush, moisturizer, sunscreen and face cream.

12 to 18 months for lipstick and lip and eye pencils.

6 months for mascara and eye cream.

And by the way, while I’m a big fan of makeup brushes (and will be sharing my top tips on brushes in an upcoming column), nothing beats the warmth of the fingers to blend makeup into the skin. Lipstick can be blotted onto the lips to create a stained effect. Face cream, balm or oil rubbed between both palms and then gently pressed onto cheeks adds moisture and a youthful glow to the face. I use my hands to warm concealers, blend foundation, and mix lip shades together. I also use my hands to work makeup into the face so that the makeup feels like a part of the skin and not like a mask.