Compact Travel Makeup Kit

I recently came across PressPlay cosmetics, a compact travel makeup solution. I plan to travel a fair bit in the next couple of years so I thought it worth giving it a try. I purchased the Boss Babe ready-to-go pack, and you can see below what it comes with.

Pack Includes:

• Pressplay Capsule
• Renato Concealer
• Roman Face Paint
• Christian Face Paint
• Alexander Eyeliner
• Christopher Black Mascara
• Walter Lip Gloss
• Ralph Blush Powder

It is very sleek, and as you can see, fits easily inside your handbag.

Pics from Bali

Below are some pics from Bali, where I used the compact for a minimal, everyday and evening look.

• Minimal: Renato Concealer, Christopher Black Mascara, Blush, Christian Face Paint as Lip Stick
• Everyday: Renato Concealer, Christopher Black Mascara, Ralph Blush Powder, Christian Face Paint (Bronze), Zachary Lipgloss (matted by blotting with tissue).
• Evening: Concealer, Roman Face Paint (eyes), Christian Face Paint (Contour), Alexander Eyeliner, Christopher Black Mascara, Ralph Blush Powder, Zachary Lipgloss.

Now that I’ve used the compact for a while, I thought I would do a review of the product for anyone interested because it is a fabulous Christmas present idea. The ready-to-go compacts are the most affordable (there are 6 different types). They are not cheap at $129, although when breaking it down per product, it is reasonable. You get 7 (travel-sized) products and the compact, so that works out at $16 per piece. There are a wide range of other products that fit into the compact, for example, foundation and powder, depending on your needs. Although if you customise your own kit, it works out to be much more expensive.

Pros

It really is extremely compact and easy to travel with. The compact is sleek and the tubes fit nicely into the top slot which makes finding your make up simple and quick. There is a nice variety of makeup (in the Boss Babe ready-to-go pack I am reviewing here) so you don’t need to take a lot of other makeup with you. My favourite products are the mascara, which coats the lashes beautifully for a natural yet stunning look and the lip gloss, which is easy to apply, thick and long-lasting.

Cons

It is on the price-y side. I do a fair bit of travelling and like taking makeup with me, so for me, it was worth it. In terms of the quality of the makeup, some pieces held up better than others. I’ll go through them one by one and rate them out of 5 stars.

• Concealer – It’s not a bad or amazing. I would say it’s an average concealer. The sponge brush applicator is a bit thin so sometimes you can feel the hard underlay as you apply. 3 Stars
• Lip gloss – I like the lip gloss, and I find myself often using it (even outside of travel). It’s thick and stays on very well. It is slightly sticky, but I don’t mind that. It gives that lovely glossy full look. There is no real taste. 4 stars
• Face paint – It took me a while to get used to the face paint because I’m not used to liquid makeup (apart from foundation/concealer). Initially, I tried using it with my hands, but I could not achieve a proper blend. However, when I used a brush it was great (the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush is a useful general brush that can be used on the face and eyes). Again, the quality of the applicator let’s the product inside down a bit. I feel it needs to have more body to the applicator so it glides on more comfortably. That said, it blends well with the brush and stays on well. 3.5 stars
• Mascara – I find myself coming back to the mascara often which is a good sign. It gives a natural (not clumpy) look and coats all the lashes really well. 4.5 stars
• Liquid Eyeliner – The eyeliner is solid. It glides on well and as far as liquid eyeliners go, it’s easy to use. I don’t use liquid eyeliner often so I am not the best judge, however, I was happy with the quality. 4 stars
• Blush – The blush is lovely and has dense pigment so you don’t need much on the brush. 4 stars.

The quality of the makeup was solid, but it did not blow me away. Yet the convenience and compact design won me over — it helps me travel lighter and do makeup quicker. If I want to go simple, I can just travel with the below 5 pieces.

Products

1. PressPlay Compact – Boss Babe
2. Makeup Sponge (this is just a cheap one from Reject Shop)
3. Brush – Real Techniques Expert Face Brush (for best results, I would pack an additional eyeshadow brush)
4. Sunscreen/Foundation – Ella Bache Great Safeguard Foundation 40+
   Note: This is a good sunscreen foundation, but I find it is very thick so I tend to have to mix it with moisturising cream. I do prefer the IT COSMETICS CC Cream (which is 50+)
5. Eyebrow Gel – Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Gel

I am NOT a beauty blogger/expert, but if you want to see me using the products to achieve the looks below (the only difference between the two is the lip gloss), there is a video too. I did this in front of the camera, however if I was doing in front of a proper mirror, I would blend the eye area a little more but hopefully, you get an idea of how you can use the products.