Long Lasting Eyeshadow Sticks: A Travel Essential.

So it’s 5 weeks until my next overseas adventure, and I’m already starting to think about what I’ll pack in my makeup bag. I’ve amassed a fair few cream eyeshadow sticks and I’m beginning to really love them. Swipe, blend, go. Perfect for the days when you sleep in before work, and equally perfect when you’ve 10 minutes to get ready before setting out to explore on your travels. Plus – you really don’t need to spend much to get your hands on a great one.  Here are some from my collection that have made my travel shortlist so far:

The Original: Clinique Chubby Stick for Eyes in 02 Lots o’ Latte. Clinique led the way with their chubby stick range and other brands were fast to follow suit. This is a solid offering in a lovely cool toned brown - I really love the shade name too! With a primer this lasts about 5 hours on me, and makes a great base to build on with powder shadows.

The One from Across the Pond: Make Up Forever Aqua Shadow in 30E.This brand is on every beauty addict’s US shopping list. I actually picked this up in Copenhagen Sephora, and realised I’d paid a pretty penny for it once I figured out the exchange rate! The shade 30E is a warm rosy gold which is shimmery but not glittery.The wear is excellent on these but be warned: blend the second it hits your eye, as once this sets it Does. Not. Budge. 

The Bloggers’ Favourite: KIKO Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadow in 25, 07 and 38.The fact I have three of these is possibly testament enough. These are smooth, long wearing and hold their own used solo, but are easy to blend together for a more dynamic evening look. Kiko’s offering are a strong contender to be the only eye shadows I travel with! 38 is a particularly special shade…it’s a rich, taupey lilac with finely milled silver and gold glitter. Love it.

The Ones I Hunted High and Low For: Smashbox Waterproof Shadow Liner in Chrome and Luminous Fig. The minute I read Sali Hughes’ love letter to the Smashbox Shadow Liner I knew I had to get my hands on these. My Mum found a stash in a Cosmetics Company Store and I swiftly put in my order with her. I must admit I don’t love these as much as I’d hoped, but if Sali loves them then I think I just need more practice. I picked up a grey shade in this formula, which is definitely harder to master than my standard beigey browns!

The Wild Card: Barbara Daly Make Up Long Wear Eye Shadow in Shell and Shimmer Sand. Barbara Daly makeup reminds me of sneaking pastel eyeshadow into my Mum’s Tesco shopping trolley when I was a teen. But a recent revisit to the brand has really come up trumps – these are fabulous. I particularly love shell as an inner corner highlight, but worn all over the lid with liquid liner and a red lip would be a perfect city break look.      

So which am I going to pack for my upcoming trip? Erm…Can I take them all? I guess what I didn’t mention is that they’re so compact that you can definitely pack a few!  

K x