What goes into a daily makeup kit? Consider it the modern-day version of everyone's favorite "desert island" question, but tweaked for everyday reality. What beauty items should you always have handy while out and about, and perhaps equally relevant, which products can you leave for your vanity or even do without entirely?
The answer can, and will, obviously vary person to person, but seemingly universal is the sentiment that it can feel impossible—even downright overwhelming—to condense your wide stash of favorites into a well-curated, foolproof makeup kit of products that deliver each time, on every occasion.
For women on the go, whittling this list down can get even more challenging. There are countless of books and guides out there for all sorts of space organization, teaching us to discard anything that doesn't "spark joy" in our closets and homes alike. But what of our cosmetic essentials? Do we just set aside the hours we've spent finding the best foundation out there yet simply bring dupes with us on the road? How does one categorize need vs want vs have to have, and then streamline that further into what we should be carrying with us on the daily?
Lugging around products you don’t need can really weigh down your purse (and in some cases, crucial prep time), so you always want to make sure you’re only taking the bare necessities—with perhaps a few extras for emergencies. Luckily, there are so many products out there that check all those boxes and function in more ways than one, so you can get multiple uses out of just one piece.
Makeup kit must-haves, according to the experts
We spoke with world-famous beauty mogul Bobbi Brown, CEO of newest cool-girl staple Jones Road Beauty (and certified ageless cool girl herself) on what constitutes a well-stocked, practical yet fun everyday makeup kit.
Basic makeup kit products
“A great moisturizer, something to conceal redness and blemishes on the face and lighten dark circles (I use Jones Road Beauty Face Pencils), a balm to add moisture and tint to the skin (I use Jones Road Beauty Miracle Balm in Tawny), black mascara, brown pencil or shadow to do up your eyes and brows, a lip gloss or stick, and at least one compact with a mirror,” she says of the essentials.
Multi-tasking products for an on-the-go makeup kit
Versatile lip-and-cheek creams
Celebrity makeup sessionist and Light + Fit Collagen Antioxidants partner Nina Park explains how multi-tasking makeup can make all the difference in streamlining a makeup kit, giving you focused control over what you really need during the day. A creamy lip-and-cheek product is no exception. “It’s an easy way to touch up without using too many products,” explains Nina. “It’s the perfect way to instantly look more awake and put together. Honestly, a few swipes of mascara plus a little cheek stain is all you need to look alive and tackle your day,” she says.
A product that is condensed in a jar or stick is super easy to throw in your bag and reach for when you need it. A multi-tasker like Noto Botanics Organic Oscillate Multi-Benne Stain for Lips + Cheeks can be used on cheeks, lips, and lids to add some color with the pat of a finger or to hydrate a dry pucker.
“I really love formulas that you can use your hands to apply,” adds Bobbi. “Take the Jones Road Beauty Miracle Balm (which has the easiest application), for example: You can blot on the lips as a stain, and use for color and shine on the cheeks and eyelids. I also love a pencil because you don't need a brush—just use your fingers to smudge.”
Overachieving moisturizers
Nina loves a multi-functional moisturizer like the cult favorite Weleda Skin Food because it can be used as a hydrating spot treatment, a mask, or total moisturizer for the entire face, or on the cheekbones to add a little extra highlight. It’s the perfect moisturizer if you want to pare down your makeup look and go natural.
Bobbi concurs and offers a beauty tip for women seeking to enhance a basic face for special occasions: “Make sure you apply moisturizer, which is the first step in getting a youthful appearance, and stick to formulas that are creamy, not dry. Also, don't be afraid of a little shine and shimmer, especially on high points of the cheeks and eyelids.”
Tinted SPF
As you age, sunscreen is one of the most important ways to fight deep lines, discoloration spots, and wrinkles. Keep a thin tube of tinted moisturizer in your bag to get your SPF in and get a little color on your face as well if you’re concerned with uneven skin tone or redness.
The special add-ons to a basic makeup kit
If you have some wiggle room after you've got the basics covered, an add-on or two for special occasions or emergencies can round out your makeup kit, ensuring you're pretty much bulletproof for whatever occasion strikes.
Shimmer products
“For evening, I love shimmer and an uber-black pencil. I also love a brighter blush stick or lipstick that you can blot on your cheeks and lips,” Bobbi says.
Gua sha tool
When you find yourself with a little extra time, like getting stuck in traffic or attached to a conference call that won’t end (we feel you!), using a facial tool like gua sha is a great way to pass the time while giving yourself some TLC.
The best makeup kit sets
There are a myriad of already-curated makeup kit options for every kind of beauty enthusiast, with some either providing a great foundation for a robust starter kit, and some being hardy enough to go the distance on their own. We rounded up our faves:
The best makeup kits
If you're looking for a practical, hardworking set with an edge that ticks all the boxes for both a casual and evening-worthy glam, then the Jones Road Beauty Start-Up Kit is right up your alley. The set includes full-sized versions of her star products: Just a Sec Eye Tint in Golden Peach, The Best Eyeshadow in Dark Brown, The Best Pencil in Black, and Cool Gloss in Original (Clear). All are meant to work intuitively with your own skin tone and coloring and may be used in bespoke ways (she recommends even covering gray roots in a pinch with her highly pigmented eyeshadow). Apart from their clean—yet pro-grade and unsurprisingly appealing—approach to ingredients, minimalists and '90s fans alike will love the no-nonsense yet elevated take on beauty basics meant to enhance and flatter—signature Bobbi.
Leave it to millennium fave Glossier to come up with a solution to dreaded video-call face fatigue. The Screen Time Set culls together their greatest hits—Boy Brow (brow mascara), Haloscope (stick highlighter), Cloud Paint (gel blush), and Balm Dotcom (universal skin salve)—into one practical bundle. The fact that you can pick and choose your particular shade for each item is probably its main draw; but whether you're looking to save a few coins on a package of their bestsellers as opposed to buying them a la carte, or are truly in the market for a curation to make you look alive on those 9 a.m. Zoom calls (the horror), this highly customizable set is sure to deliver.
Come for Black Honey, stay for Take the Day Off: Whether you're a longtime Clinique fan or a complete newbie to this dermatologist-vetted brand, you'll appreciate this tiny but mighty curation of best-sellers that will easily nestle into your work drawer, glove compartment, or purse makeup kit with no issues. At $20, you're certainly getting your money's worth (good to note that the lipstick is in a plastic, travel-friendly tube in this offering) and we're definitely supplementing with some foundation picks to fill in the gap in the set, which includes a full size of their High Impact Mascara in Black (mascara), Quickliner For Eyes Intense in Intense Ebony (eyeliner); Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm (cleansing balm); and Almost Lipstick in Honey Black (sheer brownish pink stain). However, it's a great gateway to their MVP items for sure, or even if you just want to try your hand at a double cleanse cleansing balm for a fraction of what's out there.
For the purists and workout junkies out there, the Kosas Mini Clean Start Set has all you need to refresh while you do your thing: KosaSport Lip Fuel Hyaluronic Lip Balm (lip balm), Chemistry AHA Serum Deodorant (deodorant); The Big Clean Volumizing + Lash Care Mascara, and crowdpleaser Wet Lip Oil Gloss in Dip (neutral pearly nude gloss). No other makeup kit we've seen included a deodorant, which this one ticks off the list (and a clean roll-on, at that), which makes it a no-brainer for a gym locker or even an overnight tote. What it lacked in cosmetic offerings, it made up for in active-day essentials, and we wish our $29 got us something in the foundation department over a balm, but all in all a thoughtful curation to build on, particularly if you're all about clean beauty.
On the other end of the Kosas spectrum lies the fun, splashy Milk Makeup Glossy Glow Full Face Makeup Set, which, despite what its name suggests, actually works much better as a supplementary makeup kit if you're already stocked up on the fundamentals and need a fun second set for your carry-on and overnighters. At nearly $40 we'd love more inclusions, but we're quick to forgive though as it does include items not normally curated for an everyday set, such as the Electric Glossy Lip Plumper in Charged (pink lip plumper); a mini version of their Hydro Grip Primer (makeup primer); a mini version of their Matte Bronzer in Baked (bronzer); and perhaps the winner of the collection, a mini Kush Mascara in Boom (black mascara)—making this a quality one-stop shop of Tier B essentials, if there ever was one.
Glam, trendy, reliable, and pretty much all you need color-wise, Charlotte Tilbury's The Uptown Girl set is a distilled version of nearly everything required for a full face (we're a bit salty we're not getting her best-selling foundation in the mix, but oh well). Arguably the most sophisticated of her ten iconic looks, The Uptown Girl offers a ton of makeup mileage to fit in its luxe lipstick-patterned pouch: Full Fat Lashes Mascara (mascara); The Classic Eyeliner (Eyeliner); Cheek to Chic Blush (blush); Lip Cheat Lip Liner (lip liner), KISSING Lipstick (lipstick); Lip Luster Lip Gloss (gloss); and Luxury 4-Eyeshadow Palette (eyeshadow), and all in the versatile and highly flattering The Uptown Girl palette, a combo of peachy pinks, shimmery nudes and matte neutrals. We especially love stowing this in our work desks for those crucial coffee-to-cocktail situations, as a few makeup sets can rival this one when it comes to getting a chic, professional-looking face in minutes.
Welcome to the most comprehensive makeup kit you'll probably ever see, in your whole life, well, ever. Chock-full of clean ingredients and do-good natural and actives-infused formulations, we expected nothing less from Honest Beauty's No Makeup Makeup Kit, which is an ingenious bundle that includes everything you'll need for a full, flawlessly fresh face, and then some (really): Everything Primer, Glow +2HA (award-winning hyaluronic acid makeup primer); CCC Clean Corrective with Vitamin C Tinted Moisturizer (tinted moisturizer); Eyebrow Pencil; Lit Powder Blush in Flirty (peachy coral blush with gold shimmer); Extreme-Length Mascara with Lash Primer (dual-ended mascara + lash primer); Luminizing Glow Powder in Dusk Reflection (baked powder highlighter in shimmery beige); and Tinted Lip Balm in Summer Melon (watermelon pink stick balm). All its missing is its own pouch and an eyeliner ('cause here we are, splitting hairs!), but at under $100, really nothing more to say except add to cart immediately.
woman&home thanks Bobbi Brown of Jones Road Beauty and Nina Park courtesy of Light & Fit Collagen + Antioxidants for their time and expertise.
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