What To Pack for College: Makeup Essentials

Packing for college was an absolutely daunting task, let alone tying to pack while finishing up a summer job. As a college junior I was looking back on the packing mistakes I made a few years ago. One of those big mistakes was  taking my entire makeup collection to school. Not only was it impractical, but just not smart in general. A lot of my favorites were cracked and much if the school year I didn’t have the opportunity to use some of the things I brought! So today I decided to give you all my makeup essentials for the college student.
The First thing I’d have to touch on would be eyeliner. Being busy with classes you’re not going to have too much time to get dolled up, but no one wants to go to class looking like they don’t have it together. Stila makes the best eyeliners ever, they stay all day, they don’t aggravate the eyes and their color power is amazing. My essential colors are black and damsel, which is a pretty chocolate brown. The liquid black eyeliner can give a number of looks,I’m especially fond of making a cat eye on days I like to feel a little more fancy. The brown is great for lazy days to give a little life to your eyes,I like to use it on the top and bottom to give a mysterious smoldering look if I’m going out. You can find these on the cosmetics website, but they are way cheaper through ebay.

My next essential would be brow gel. It makes it easy to give my brows some shape without taking too much time. the pigment is very light and easy to clean up if you make a mistake. I recommend the NYX brow gel  ,It’s cheap and you can get it at Ulta and most Targets.

My next essential is a good mascara. I really like the Benefit’s They’re Real. Its a cult favorite and I like the volume and length. If I can’t do face makeup, I will usually just do my eyes to make myself look awake.

This is probably the biggest essential in college and that is concealer. It’s very likely you will spend some nights awake drilling flash cards or pouring over a paper and then have to present in the morning. I find that there are three types of concealers that work to make myself look wide awake when in actually I’m having fantasies about expresso. The first would have to be a brightening concealer. I really like the Clinique Airbrush Concealer. I happened upon this product on accident when I ordered the wrong color, but I found when I mix it with my other concealer it provides the perfect bright under eye.I’m in the color Medium Caramel.

The second concealer would be that of my NYX Photogenic Concealer. I’m in the color Nutmeg. This concealer is very close to the Nars Creamy concealer wand but the NYX one is much much cheaper and easier to obtain since the Nars one is sold out much of the time. I usually mix this concealer with the Clinique airbrush and if you would like to see how I use this check out my “No Makeup Makeup” blog post and Youtube link.

The last concealer is more of a just in case kinda deal. It’s the Nars Stick concealer in Cocao. This concealer matches my skin color and is perfect for covering up breakouts. I use this many times during test weeks or finals because I break out when stressed. Since I don’t use it much it lasts a long time but I think I’d search for a cheaper option

This is the fun part, lip products! I like these because they don’t take up space and you could bring a ton. but these are the three that I find are essential. The middle one is the Nars Cruella. This is a very Taylor Swift lip color. It stays all day but can be very drying. I like to put lip balm on top to soften things up. This color is perfect for a date or a night out and I love the tiny size.

The top color is the Sugar Fresh lip treatment. It’s very moisturizing and I like the tint of color. This is great for school because you don’t have to think about it when putting it on and it’s perfect for winter.

The last color is the NYC lipshine which can be found in most drug stores. Sadly it doesn’t have a color name sticker. It’s a very summer/spring color and has just enough sheen and color balance.

Next up are my foundation picks. I really had to think of these because of the climate and occasions in mind. I chose Urban Decay’s Naked Skin. I love the light formula and staying power. It’s very high coverage for how light it is and it’s not very fussy. This is good for professional meetings as well as some presentation days.

The second choice is the Maybelline BB cream, which can be found in drugstores. I like this for everyday because it provides good coverage and SPF. It doesn’t melt off your face and it prevents acne so it’s a win-win all around.

My blush choice was the NYX Love Mosaic Powder. This is a blush/bronzer/highlight option which is great for on the go! The color is great on every skin tone and the packaging is so sleek! this blush is very good quality for the price and with all it’s components it’s great for class days to add a little flush to your look.

Since the beginning of the semester is hot for the most of us, I decided that a powder would be just too much product, especially for a college girl. I chose the NYX Matte Setting spray. To me this is just as good as the Urban Decay de-slick, it keeps your face matte all day and the thin mist is divine. Tip: Buy two to keep in your car and pop one in the fridge for an extra cool mist!

My last category would have to be eyeshadows. I know eyeshadow might be a huge effort but I like to have a few key pieces for nights out or days that I just feel like doing a little extra.

I chose the Sonia Kashuk Island Dreams quad for a little bit of color. This is my newest eyeshadow and I really like the colors for summer and the taupe color is an absolute must! Next is the Stila in the Light pallet. All of the shades are very neutral and great for all occasions. Both of these pallets can be found on Ebay since they’ve been discontinued by their brands. All and all you can’t go wrong with neutral pallets and maybe a quad or duo for your college collection

Lastly my absolute staple for fall semester, cream eyeshadow! The Maybelline color tattoos are great and come in an array of colors, my favorite is Bad to the Bronze, which can be found in most drug stores. This color looks great with a cat eye and by adding a little bit of darker color in the crease can make a really put together look.

Anyways thanks to everyone who checked out this post though it’s kinda lengthy! Hope this helps all of the fearless girls heading of to College! Until next Time, Stay Chic!