Our Foolproof Guide to Makeup for Travelling
Planning an array of looks is an exciting part of packing for a holiday – and with so many opportunities for flawless and sophisticated makeup styles, you’ll want to have plenty of options available. Whether your destination is a luxe beachfront or dazzling city, the right makeup for travel matters. But it’s not possible – or practical – to fit your entire collection into a suitcase.
To avoid losing your favourite products to unfortunate breakage, our travel cosmetics are designed and packed with long sojourns (and small suitcases) in mind. Especially for trips that involve flights, travel-size makeup is a necessity – after all, no one wants to leave their beloved cleanser or foundation with airport security.
The best makeup for travelling is designed with space and usability in mind. So, to ensure you don’t sacrifice on style, we’ve compiled a comprehensive guide for checking in with confidence. Read on for our top tips and recommendations for your travel makeup bag.

Makeup for travelling – things to consider
At home you may have your makeup routine sorted: but suitcases, backpacks and check-in restrictions can’t offer the same ease of access. With limited space, makeup for travelling becomes about utilising what storage you do have in savvy ways. Below are some mobile hair and makeup tips to consider when packing.
- Plan looks beforehand: One advantage to holiday packing is that you tend to have a fairly clear idea of how you’ll be spending your time. Determining what look you’d like to achieve prior to any trip will save space and deliberation once you’re there.
- Using multifunctional products: Products that can be applied to more than one area of the face (for example lips, cheeks and eyes) not only take up less space but are on trend. Monochromatic looks are simple and sophisticated ways of achieving cohesion with makeup.
- Wrapping properly: Even travel makeup can break in rocky flights, coaches or cruise ships. To keep your go-to travel cosmetics intact, you can store liquids in separate compartments or place a cotton pad over blushes and powders before shutting their lids.
- Consider the destination: Seaside destinations may call for plenty of sun, swimming and relaxation, but they probably also mean lighter makeup. Think about the climate you’re travelling to – and what formulas, coverage and skin tone shades are best suited for the environment.
Armani beauty’s top 4 essentials for your travel makeup bag
Makeup for travelling is about ensuring you have versatile products that allow you to curate as many looks as possible with as few products as possible.
From skincare essentials to must-have cosmetics, find out how you can build out your travel makeup bag to achieve glowing skin and a flawless complexion while on holiday.

Skincare
Makeup looks its best when skin tone is even and the complexion is hydrated. When we travel, however, evenness and hydration are easier said than done – and our skin can face some challenges when we’re on the move. Faced with changing climates, different time zones, long-haul flights and air-conditioned hotel rooms, the skin can easily lose moisture.
Though you may need to pare back multi-step skincare routines, there are a few steps you should always follow to nourish and protect your skin while travelling:
- Hydration is paramount during travel, so we suggest the Crema Nera Supreme Reviving Cream, which is enriched with Reviscentalis™ to improve your skin’s texture and appearance. It’s also available in 30ml and 50ml sizes, making it the perfect size for your travel makeup bag.
- Pack a nourishing and deep-reaching serum like Crema Nera Reviscentalis Meta Concentrate. It’s formulated with skin-loving ingredients like hyaluronic acid, ferulic acid, ceramide, plus a blend of vitamins and amino acids to support hydrated, radiant skin.
- SPF is another essential item to shield your skin from harmful UV rays. If there’s room in your travel makeup bag after packing your dedicated sunscreen, reinforce your skin’s protection with Armani beauty’s UV Master Primer.
Travel-size foundation
When on the go, regular-sized foundation often isn’t an option. To achieve the same level of luminosity and flawless finish while travelling light, then, try the Luminous Silk Foundation Travel Size, which comes in an 18ml, travel-size makeup format. With medium buildable coverage this formula is suited to warmer, humid climates, as well as dryer weather.
For those who wear powder foundation, the compact design of Power Fabric Compact Foundation makes it perfect for slipping into small travel makeup bags. With a high-coverage, matte velvet finish and a mirror included in the case, your skin can look seamless and bright wherever you go.
If you’re travelling to particularly humid or hot areas where you’ll spend most of your time outdoors or in the water, you may want to forego foundation all together. If this is the case, simply use the Luminous Silk Lightweight Liquid Concealer to brighten darker areas and cover any imperfections.
Eyes
For the eyes, a compact palette like Eye Quattro offers an array of different colour options for your trip. Included in each palette combination are eight highly pigmented eyeshadows in an ultra-creamy texture.
If you want to scale back your makeup for travelling even further, though, reach for a single eyeshadow that will complement a myriad of looks. Our pick is the Eye Tint Liquid Eyeshadow in ‘18M Beige’ – a stunning neutral with an iridescent trace of pink.
Of course, no travel makeup bag would be complete without mascara, so try the Eyes To Kill Classico Mini Mascara – it delivers volume, length, and definition in a transportable size.
Cheeks and lips
Rounding out our travel makeup must-haves is a multi-functional lip and cheek product to imbue the skin with natural flush. Armani beauty’s Neo Nude A-Blush delivers a translucent veil of colour that can be built up as desired. It’s also designed for use on the cheeks, lips and eyelids – making it perfect for the truly minimalist packer. Slip it easily into your travel makeup bag to create a number of end looks, and feel your most confident self on holiday.
When you’re travelling, makeup might not be your only priority for a finished look. So next, discover which Sì perfume is the best choice for you.