My Go-To Makeup Brand For Travel (And It Happens To Be Clean, Non-Toxic, Paleo, & More!)

I’ve been an “eye makeup only” girl forever…in fact, I hadn’t worn face makeup (foundation, powder, etc) since my early 20s.  I’ve always been blessed with basically perfect (if a bit oily on occasion) skin, and putting gunk on top of it just seemed to upset it.

But over the past several months, that all changed (I’ll talk about why in a minute), and so I went on a search for awesome clean makeup brands.  But specifically, they also had to stand up to the rigors of travel.  And after some trial and error, I have definitely found my winner!

Why I started looking for new makeup

Almost a year ago, out of nowhere, I started having rosacea on my cheeks, and then tiny breakouts everywhere.  It kept getting worse, and started to make me really self-conscious (and hate photos of myself when traveling).

So I decided it was time to revisit my stance on face makeup.  I tested out a couple other natural makeup brands, and while they weren’t terrible, I didn’t really fall in love with how they worked for me.

I first heard about Araza Natural Beauty through a coworker who has been on her own personal healthy journey (shoutout @haleylevitch), and decided to give them a try.  And I loved their products from day one!

In the rest of the post I’m going to talk about how the products perform when traveling and also a bit on Araza’s ingredients and approach.  I loved it so much that I reached out to them about being a brand ambassador, and so if you decide you want to try them out, you can use this link and code ONEGIRL to get 15% off your first order.

Just a quick note—this post contains affiliate links & I may make a small commission from any purchases that come through clicks on them (which I greatly appreciate, and at no extra cost to you).  All opinions stated here are, as always, COMPLETELY my own!

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Why it had to be a clean, natural makeup brand

On top of the immediate skin issues I’d been having—and I haven’t talked about this on One Girl, Whole World as much as I have on my food blog—I’ve been on QUITE the health journey over the past couple years, and in particular working to detox things like heavy metals, molds, and other environmental toxins from my body to help alleviate various health issues.  (If you’re wondering if I have actual evidence of this, the answer is yes, I’ve done quite a bit of functional medicine testing to pinpoint stuff.)

And that’s made me take a much closer look at the products I’m putting ON my body…because our skin is the largest organ in the body, and it absorbs sooooo much (I saw a stat that was like 60-70% of what ends up on it??).

The problem is, “clean” and “natural” are so overused (and they’re not standardized/regulated), so can be hard to sift through the marketing noise and fluff.  I was reading something the other day and their personal definition made a lot of sense, so it’s what I’m going with:  I want my makeup to be chemical and toxin-free, without endocrine-disrupting chemicals and preservatives, and organic whenever possible.

That doesn’t seem like too much to ask!!  And yet, in today’s world, it is.  Most makeup is chock-full of super harmful chemicals, including ones that mess with your hormones and even cause cancer.  Araza, instead, crafts their products ONLY with healthy fats, organic plant-based ingredients, and minerals which work together to feed and nourish your skin.

I’m also going to do a separate post that speaks to the other natural (but still effective!!) beauty products I travel with, such as moisturizers and face wash, so stay tuned.  But for now, let’s talk about why we’re really here…how Araza’s makeup held up during travel.

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Why is this the best makeup for travel?

All the natural, clean ingredients stuff is well and good but…if it doesn’t work awesomely, I’m just not going to use it.  A lot of natural beauty products have good ingredients, but the textures are weird or they smell funky, or they’re so finicky when it comes to storage, use, etc. that they won’t realistically work in my life.  ESPECIALLY for travel.

First off, travel is really hard on your skin.  There’s a lot of dryness on airplanes, dirtiness, your sleep schedule and food are off which affect your skin, and so much more.  And then you have to deal with the makeup getting banged around in your suitcase, extreme variances of heat and cold, etc.

But I was shocked by how well Araza’s products served me while traveling.  In hot weather, it doesn’t melt off me or get greasy…on the contrary, it made my skin feel great and provides some natural sun protection.  In cold weather, it was very protective and moisturizing.

And they offer tiny sample sizes that are perfect not only for figuring out what shades work best, but I stock up on them for shorter trips so I don’t need to bring my whole makeup arsenal along.

You can see in a few of the photos below that my makeup looked really good despite spending hours on a boat whale watching, driving around in a car with no A/C, and other profuse sweating on my recent Azores trip.

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This was at work the other day, but I wanted to show it looking a bit more glam and so you can see the lip gloss better.

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The specific Araza products I’m obsessed with

I’ve tried out several of their products but not all of them yet (for instance, they have a mineral powder foundation I haven’t tested).  There are three or four that I use every single day, whether at home or traveling, and I’ll briefly talk about each of them.

Coconut Cream Foundation:  I am completely in love with this natural foundation.  It’s made with deeply nourishing ingredients, has a natural SPF 28 from non-nano zinc oxide, and gives me a dewy finish (not oily OR too matte) that totally reduces any redness on my skin.  It doesn’t clog my pores and I’ve actually found that it’s helped calm my rosacea and breakout issues down.

Primer + Finishing Translucent Clay Powder:  I truly thought I’d never wear powder again, but this has changed my mind.  It’s super light, can be a primer before foundation then provide a lovely smooth finish after.

Rejuvenating Coconut Lip Color:  This has been a gamechanger for me, because my lips are super weird and sensitive and I can’t usually wear lipstick or lipgloss!  But the colors and texture of this are amazing and my lips don’t get mad at me when I wear it.  I have several colors, but Heartthrob is my go-to.  It’s packed with natural ingredients like organic coconut oil extract and organic castor seed oil for moisture and doesn’t have a weird smell or taste.

Mango Cream Color Pots:  Since rosacea (pink/redness) has been my issue, I’ve been lightly dipping my toe in with these and the new cream bronzer.  I love the Dusk color in particular, and the texture and blendability.  Plus, I can not only use on my cheeks but swipe some on my lips as well, so it does double duty!  And I’m still tan but in a month when I’m pale that bronzer will be clutch.

I’ll add that they’re currently reformulating their eyeshadows so I’m stoked to test those out when they’re ready.  Araza has become my absolute favorite clean makeup brand and—for my money—the best makeup for travel.  I’ll be sharing more on my social channels about how I use the products, my routine, how they look, etc.

In the meantime, Araza has generously offered to give my readers an exclusive discount code so you can grab some goodies yourself.  If you decide you want to try them out, simply use code ONEGIRL to get 15% your first order.

I’m so excited to have finally landed on a clean makeup brand with natural foundation that works for me—not just in the healthy sense, but WORKS for travel.  It stands up to all of the demands of my life, whether that’s a long day at work and then an evening event, an overnight flight going directly into a full day of touring, or just helping me conquer my skin’s issues.  You won’t be disappointed if you give them a try!

Other must-have travel items that you’ll fall in love with:

• The Best Korean Face Sunscreens & Moisturizers for Travel
• Why Fleece-Lined Leggings Are A Travel (And Life!) Game-Changer…& The Best Pairs I’ve Found
• My All-Time Favorite Bra for Travel
• 5 Winter Travel Essentials: Must-Have Items For Cold Weather Travel
• The Best Travel Pillows For Different Sleepers

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