These 10 portable makeup essentials are truly made for optimal convenience and easy application. From a skin-loving foundation stick to a luxe eye shadow palette smaller than a credit card to a few brands entirely dedicated to the cause of keeping your makeup bag streamlined, there’s truly a solution to every makeup lover’s qualms.
1 Trinny London Stacks ($120; trinnylondon.com)
Trinny Woodall is a beauty star (especially with our friends in the U.K.). Her namesake brand, Trinny London, offers one of the best solutions for carrying-too-much-stuff syndrome we’ve seen — these brilliant stacks. From skin tints to eye shadow to lip and cheek colors, the possibilities for a customized stack are endless and make it easy to keep your whole look together, in (literally) one piece.
2 Alleyoop Multi-Mood ($32; meetalleyoop.com)
We’re pretty obsessed with newcomer brand Alleyoop. In fact, we recently profiled the founder, Leila Kashani. Since then, the brand has added more multi-tasking products to its unique line-up, including Multi-Mood. The lip trio is based on the idea that most of us have a lip color we stick to pretty religiously, whether it’s berry, red, or nude, and offers a trio of finishes in that shade — a matte, cream, and gloss — so you can go from meeting to date night with a click and swipe.
3 Tom Ford Soleil Neige Highlighter & Blush Glow Stick ($55; sephora.com)
On a good skin day, there truly isn’t much more you need than a flattering shade (there are three) of this dual-ended blush & glow stick. A pop of color and a bit of luminosity and you’re good to go.
4 Fenty Snap Shadows Mix & Match Eyeshadow Palette ($25; sephora.com)
These Fenty Snap Shadows palettes are one of our favorite recent launches, point-blank. The miniature eye shadow palettes come in eight color families, each of which is a reasonable $25. But they’re meant to be mixed and matched — and that’s where these get even cooler. Any two palettes (which can be purchased together for $45) snap together for prime portability.
5 RMS Beauty Living Luminizer Glow Quad Mini ($25; sephora.com)
Whether you’ve never tried the cult-favorite RMS Living Luminizer, or you just prefer options when it comes to your highlight, this mini multitasking palette is a must-have. Though technically this palette holds three highlighters and one bronzer, the possibilities are endless — these creamy formulas can double as eye shadow for a monochromatic look.
6 trèStiQue Essential Eight ($175; trestique.com)
With these eight products, according to trèStiQue, you’ve got a full face in less than five minutes — and most impressively, half a pound. Each of trèStiQue’s products is either multi-functional or features its own built-in applicator or tool. For example, the Good Vibes Mascara includes a half lash curler, the Lip Glaze Crayon comes equipped with a primer, and the Brow Pencil comes equipped with a pencil on one end and a tinted gel on the other.
8 Westman Atelier Lip Suede ($85; westman-atelier.com)
Celebrity makeup artist Gucci Westman’s brand, Westman Atelier, is still a new brand, but with the level of devotion it inspires, you’d think it’s an old staple. The clean, pro-quality, and easy-to-apply products are must-haves, and this new Lip Suede palette is a perfect example of why. Rather than carry around four bullets, simply carry this chic palette with four hues that can be mixed and matched for a million other combinations.
9 Wander Beauty Dualist Matte and Illuminating Concealer ($29; sephora.com)
Whether you’re simply not in the mood for a full-coverage face or just need some damage control on-the-go for a breakout, this dual-ended Wander beauty concealer has you covered (pun intended). The matte stick makes concealing blemishes and redness simple, and the moisturizing luminous liquid on the other end reinvigorates a tired complexion.
10 Milk Makeup Flex Foundation Stick ($36; sephora.com)
Sticks are probably the single most convenient makeup application form we have — and this Milk makeup stick gets our vote for most-worthy-of-space-in-your-bag. The formula is fortified with hydrating and calming ingredients like chamomile and blue lotus and easy to blend with your fingers. It’s a win-win!
Also Read: The Best Makeup Bags For All Your Travel Needs
11 Victoria Beckham Smoky Eye Brick ($54; violetgrey.com)
This luxe mini palette is smaller than a credit card and entirely plastic-free. It’s also just really pretty. The sets of four colors are designed to create easy smoky looks (like the ones Victoria Beckham wears herself).
