Islands are hot—like really hot—and in peak summer, you basically feel like a slow-roasted entrée. I knew my usual foundation wasn’t going to cut it. I needed something weightless, hydrating and built to last. That’s when I turned to Armani’s Luminous Silk foundation—I used the shade Tan To Deep Olive. Some days, it gave me the perfect medium coverage and on others, it levelled up to full coverage. It blurred my pores, smoothened my skin texture and gave me a fresh look in just a few pats. We were island-hopping (which sounds dreamy, but takes hours) and this foundation didn’t budge. The best part? Traveling can seriously stress your skin out—but this formula is known to be packed with 89% skincare ingredients. So my skin stayed calm and happy through the day. This is a total vacay catch.

If you thought concealer was just for under-eyes, allow me to introduce you to this travel essential that does a lot more. I swore by this bottle the entire trip; and here’s why: not only did it keep my under-eyes bright and glowing (like I’d slept more than four hours), but its high-coverage formula covered every blemish and scar—even on days I didn’t use the foundation. It has this weightless feel that makes it comfy to wear all day long. I wasn’t lugging around a brush set, so I used my fingers to blend it out and it worked well. I’ve always been a bit nervous about applying concealer all over the face because of dry patches and greasy T-zone. But this product flipped the script. It’s got hydration powers that lasted up to 24 hours and the oil-free formula kept my skin looking fresh, not shiny. Bonus: I forgot my highlighter, so I dabbed a bit of this on my cheekbones and brow bone—and yes, it totally worked.

As a lipstick girlie, I’m never not wearing one. Like, ever. And a whole vacation without a trusty tube couldn’t be me. This liquid lipstick came with me on the flight, to the hotel, on every cab ride, on the island, even on the boats—it was my unofficial plus one, everywhere. And even now in India—for good reasons. The texture felt soft and velvety and wrapped my lips in full coverage that just stayed. I’m talking eight hours of wear, even after taste-testing my way through Malaysia’s best dishes. I wore it with my go-to dark lip liner to deepen the shade.  This one should definitely go in your getaway fanny pack.

No island girl moment is complete without blush—and this one gave me a just-got-some-sun kind of flush. I used to be the girl who would reapply and overapply before every photo, only to have the colour vanish the second the flash went off. But that wasn’t the case with this one. It’s highly pigmented but somehow soft and glowy. It catches the light in the most effortless way. There’s a reason they call it a Glow Blush. Also, it comes with a mirror, which makes it perfect for touch-ups (or just admiring your cheekbones) on the go.

While the above products totally held their own, setting them with this pressed powder took things to another level. Not only did it lock everything in, but it gave my skin an airbrushed finish. In Malaysia’s hot and humid weather, this compact basically lived in my fanny pack. A quick tap before snapping a photo or walking into a new place gave me a high-coverage, soft-focus finish—without ever feeling cakey. It looked matte, but in a velvety kind of way. The weather was all over the place (hello, random rain showers), but this powder held up. Waterproof, sweatproof and basically melt-proof. I even wore it solo sometimes; and it still looked like skin—just better. If you’re someone who loves an on-the-go touch-up that actually does something, this one absolutely deserves a spot in your beauty bag.