A Giveaway for Stowaway Cosmetics’ Right-Sized Makeup Kit!

When was the last time you finished a lipstick? I’m pretty sure I never have. I did, however, recently toss a half-full lip gloss that I scored at a White Elephant gift exchange. In 2010. Yup, I’ve been dragging that sucker around for five years, long-since bored of the color and truly beginning to question the health implications of wearing it, but unable to convince myself to throw it away because gosh darnit that thing retails for $32! And that’s the story for most of my makeup; it expires, or it explodes in a purse, or I simply tire of it, and it ends its life half-used in the trash. The truth is that what we buy at the department store is not the right-sized makeup for our real lives, and the wastefulness of the situation makes me queasy. I’ll bet you guys can relate 100%

Well, we’re not the only ones who are tired of throwing away money (not to mention precious natural resources!) on lipstick and mascara. For makeup artist Chelsa Crowley and marketer Julie Fredrickson, the problem was troubling enough that they started a company to solve it. From their breakfast bonding sesh over eggs Benedict and bulging makeup bags, Stowaway Cosmetics and the brilliant concept of ‘right-sized’ products was born. It’s an industry game-changer, you guys, and I’m not even mad I didn’t think of it myself. I’m just so glad it’s here!

The idea behind Stowaway Cosmetics is forehead-smackingly simple: makeup packaging portioned to hold the amount you’ll actually use before the product expires. These cute little wonders are bigger than a sample size, but small enough that you can fit a your touch-up essentials in a clutch—and still have room for your other on-the-go necessities. Stowaway also offers the customizable Stowaway Kit, a complete set of their products to be kept in the car, the gym, or the office. And as if this idea weren’t great enough, Stowaway is free of the dangerous preservatives that many other brands contain. After all, they don’t need to add shelf-life extending chemicals to make their lipsticks last til the end of time—they’ll long since be used up! Instead they’ve focused on healthy, high quality formulations, like silky BB cream from Korea and color cosmetics from Italy. There are no sacrifices here, just thoughtful, responsible, and indulgent beauty products.

Because I’m so excited about Stowaway, I’ve teamed up with the brand to gift two readers a complete Stowaway Kit that includes the colors of their choice! CLICK HERE to enter! And in the meantime, everyone gets an additional FREE lipstick with any Stowaway kit purchase. Select your unique shades and then add a free lipstick of your choice to your cart. Use code ANNESAGE at checkout. Happy primping, friends!

Photography: Echo and Earl. Hair and Makeup: Kesley Zahn. Thank you to Stowaway Cosmetics for sponsoring this post, and thanks to you guys for supporting the brands that enable me to bring you fresh inspiration daily!