A couple of weekends ago, Brad and I packed the car and set off down to Australia’s beautiful South West early in the morning for a quick getaway. It’s not so often we can write a whole two days off like that, but my goodness, is it worth it! When it comes to road trips, it’s always best to pack light, especially on the beauty front, so today I really wanted to share with you my makeup bag edit for a weekend away. For me, I prefer a fresh face with natural looking and feeling products when I go on a low-key getaway that will easily fit in my Charlotte Tilbury Makeup Bag (there’s no time for a bag bursting at the seams).

It was a tough choice for foundation, but in the end the IT Cosmetics CC+ Illumination Cream won out over the Clinique Moisture Surge Tinted Foundation for its brilliant SPF 50+, a must-have when you’re spending a lot of time outside in the elements. It gives a full coverage that feels light and looks natural, making it perfect for a weekend getaway. It probably comes as no surprise that the Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer also made the edit, just incase I needed a little extra coverage under my eyes or on a new blemish (of which i actually managed to avoid - yippee!). I also packed the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette since it not only sets the foundation, but also highlights and bronzes; a great compact trio. To finish the base and add a flush of colour, I brought along the brilliant Charlotte Tilbury Beach Stick in Moon Beach, another natural looking product that I raved on about here.

When it comes to quick getaways, I like to keep the eyes and brows super simple. The ModelCo More Brows Eyebrow Gel is easy and fast to apply, and thickens up the brows just that little bit (because that’s how I roll). The Urban Decay Basics Naked 2 Palette is also one of my must-have makeup palettes for travelling, as its six neutral matte and satin shades are incredibly versatile, whether you want to create a deep smokey eye for nighttime or add a little depth daytime exploring. And, of course, no look is complete without layers of mascara, with my latest go-to being the Paulas Choice Fantastic Lash Mascara that I began using during the #7DayMakeupChallenge.

Finally, it was the Clinique Chubby Stick Intense Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm in Curviest Caramel that tickled my fancy and found its way into my beauty bag for the weekend away. During the day I was able to dab it lightly onto my lips for a light wash of colour and then smear it on later for a much more pigmented look. Oh, and you’re not going to end up with flakey lips, so that’s also a big plus!

In terms of brushes, I only packed four. The first isn’t a brush, but I couldn’t possibly leave the BeautyBlender from Sephora out of the equation. It’s perfect for blending foundation and concealer, as well as doing any touch-ups. The second was the Too Faced Powder Pouf Brush, one of my all-time favourites, which can be used as a, yes, powder brush, but also to apply a highlighter and bronzer by pinching the bristles flat with your fingers (a tip I picked up from the amazing makeup artists at Mecca Maxima). For my eyes, I mainly used a Kit Crease Brush, but also chucked in the Smudge Brush too just incase I wanted to press a dark shadow along my lash line for a smoked out eyeliner look.

What are your must-have beauty items for a weekend away?