WHAT COSMETICS TO PACK FOR A 4 MONTH TRIP?

As i've slowly been gathering my belongings together for my 4 month trip around south east Asia, the most difficult items to chose to pack are my cosmetics.

I am a bit of a make up fanatic at heart so even the idea of only picking a few staple products make my eyelashes quiver. Now, to narrow my choices down, i had to bare in mind the weather conditions that i would be in. I'm expecting pretty humid, hot, sauna-like weather around SE Asia so i'm not going to want to feel like I'm wearing another face because of my makeup.

With humid conditions, you will want to steer clear of any oil based foundations or concealers. Your skin will be producing more than enough natural oils due to the humidity of the air around you therefore applying an oil based foundation will clog your pores up and will probably only last around 3 hours as it will literally slide right off your face.

If you're a bit like me and can't really bare to be without that beautiful flawless coverage that foundation provides; meet in the middle. The best solution is a bb cream (otherwise known as a beauty balm). These are basically facial moisturisers which include pigments. The coverage is nothing military but not entirely sheer. Most brands usually have only a few shades to choose from, i would opt for one that is slightly darker than my natural skin tone as i'm expected to get a nice tan! I would recommend the bb cream by garnier or the cc cream by loreal, the cc cream is a green speckled colour but when rubbed into the skin adapts to the pigmentation of the skin it is applied to!

If you can afford to push the boat out a little, i would also heavily recommend face and body by mac cosmetics. Fair play, the stuff isn't cheap (you're looking at around £27). This product works well in a hot climate as it is a water based AND water resistant foundation (perfect for monsoon weather and wet seasons!). It is suitable for all skin types in around 13 different shades. The coverage of the foundation is similar to that of a bb cream, the finish on this foundation is a slightly sheer finish with good medium coverage. It isn't called face and body for no reason. Not only does this foundation look beautiful ob the face but can work wonders on the body too! Had a drunken fall the other night and left with a bit of an unsightly bruise? No worries! Slap a bit of the product over the area and bobs ya uncle, fannys your aunt: bruise be gone!

As for mascara, i need one that i know will not dry up quickly as well as makes my lashes look amazing. I've beeb through alot of mascara in my teenage years and i can hands down say the best mascara is lancome hypnose drama. My mum gave me a small travel sized mascara which i neglected for the best part of a year, when i rediscovered it the mascara was still nice and wet! I've beeb using the same mascara for the passed 2 months now and with every application my lashes look as beautiful as they did the first time i used the product! It's not the cheapest mascara ob the market but it will be the one i purchase for my 4 month trip. Other great and more affordable madcaras are the Loreal telescopic mascara and maybelline collossal lashes.

Should you bother with lipstick? Yes!!! Every girl should allow herself the luxury of making her lips looks fabulously sexy, even when she hasn't had an thorough wash in a week with greasy hair. Lipstick can make a big difference to any woman's overall appearance. I would recommend a classic Russian red lipstick. You can never go wrong with red lips, will come in handy when you wanna glam up a little bit for a full moon party or posh dinner! Also be sure to use a good lip balm because your lips WILL get dry in the heat along with air con in buildings. I'm not a massive fan of using vaseline on the lips but i would however recommend carmex, really moisturises the lips and come in different flavours like strawberry, cherry and mint!