Travel Beauty

I brought a ton of products with me on my road trip, so I thought it would be a fun to show you a peek inside my skincare bag. I also linked all my makeup products that I brought with me in the widget at the end of the post!

1. Tatcha Pore Perfecting Sunscreen – I love this sunscreen as a makeup primer. It helps to minimize the appearance of my pores, mattify my skin and my foundation glides effortlessly over it.

2. Kate Somerville Goat Milk Eye Balm – I had trouble sleeping many times during the trip because being in a new bed every few days can make me restless. As a result, I woke up with puffy eyes many mornings and this soothing, comforting and intensely hydrating eye balm was the first thing I would reach for. Sometimes even before I washed my face, I would swipe this under my eyes to soothe them and then go grab some breakfast. It is an absolutely brilliant product with a gorgeous texture.

3. Sisley Sunleya Age Minimizing Sunscreen – On days that I wanted a bit more sun protection, I would always reach for this. It is an SPF 50 and is probably one of my favorite sunscreens in my whole collection. It feels like a hydrating moisturizer rather than a greasy sunscreen, and leaves my skin with a natural finish.

4. m-61 Hydraboost Eye Serum – I ended up using this eye serum a ton during my trip because it is so hydrating and lightweight. It absorbs immediately and worked well for both morning and night. I could see an immediate difference in how smooth and taut my skin looked after applying. 

5. Ole Henriksen Truth Serum – I have been using this serum for years and it is still a staple in my collection. It absorbs easily, hydrates, brightens and never makes me break out. I can always guarantee that my skin will consistently look great when using this serum.

6. Mario Badescu Facial Spray – Not only is this intensely hydrating, but it calms my skin instantly.

7. Aerin Gradual Tan For Face & Body – I am not a fan of self-tanners typically, but this is so slight and gradual that it works wonders for my pale skin. I added it to my legs each day to give them a healthy look.

8. m-61 Hydraboost Eye Cream – I usually paired this with the serum when I needed a bit more hydration under my eyes. Especially at night I felt quite dehydrated after being in the sun all day and this was a welcome comfort for my under eye area. It immediately smooths out any fine lines and soothes the area.

9. Murad Hydro-Dynamic Essence – I usually reached for my Mario Badescu spray most days, but there were a few times that my skin felt extra dry so I would add this after the MB spray to give a more intense boost of hydration.

10. Kate Somerville Exfolikate Cleanser – When I wanted a slight exfoliation, I would use this as my second cleanse.

11. Murad Oil Control Mattifier – This has been my holy grail mattifying primer for years. On days that it was super humid, I would pull this out and wear it under my makeup. I can usually get a full 8-10 hours of matte skin with this on. For an added layer, I dust this powder over my skin to really help lock in my makeup for all day wear.

12. La Prairie Essence of Skin Caviar Eye Complex – This was my favorite eye serum to use most mornings. It has an immediate tightening effect, absorbs instantly, hydrates and smooths out any fine lines. And concealer applies flawlessly over top.

13. Ren Bio-Retinoid Cream – I don’t ever leave home for a trip without this cream. It does wonders on my breakouts and I often use it as a spot treatment when a blemish rears its ugly head.

14. Tatcha Deep Hydration Eye Serum – I realized that I brought an abundance of eye creams and serums, so I didn’t end up using this much. Typically I love it as a hydrating serum either alone or under a richer eye cream.

15. L’Occitane Shea Cleansing Oil – One of my favorite cleansing oils ever. It removes every last stitch of makeup effortlessly.

16. Kate Somerville Goat Milk Cleanser – The rich balm texture of this cleanser made it perfect as a second cleanse. I could use this to remove makeup, but I preferred to rub it in and let it sit on my skin for 2-3 minutes as a treatment. My skin felt soft, supple and hydrated after removing it with a wash cloth.

17. Sunday Riley Tidal Moisturizer – This moisturizer is like a shot of water for my skin. Since I was out in the sun almost every single day, I would pile this on at night to help replenish my skin.

18. Paula’s Choice Skin Perfecting Liquid – I didn’t use this every night, but when I had a breakout – I would put this on a cotton pad and swipe all over my face. After I would follow up with the MB facial spray, serum and moisturizer.

19. Shiseido Ultimate Sun Protection Lotion – I typically would reach for my Sisley sunscreen most days, but I would occasionally use this SPF as well. It gives me high sun protection, and leaves my skin matte and smooth. I also brought this sunscreen with me which I enjoy because it has a slight tint to it (full review on it here).

20. Pixi Glow Tonic – This is one of my top 3 favorite exfoliating toners. I use it morning and night after I cleanse, and before I apply the rest of my routine. A few times during my trip, I would use these pads instead for a stronger exfoliation and I swear my skin looked so even and perfect the next morning!

Universal truth: everyone loves to go on vacation but everyone hates to pack.  And in light of some recent travel and an upcoming weekend jaunt, I thought I would share what is currently in my travel beauty bag.  Just because I am off the grid, does not mean that my skin can be – so it is essential I bring products with me that keep it looking its best while I am away.  Naturally my suitcase is overloaded with far too many shoes and clothes so my skincare items must be teeny tiny.  Now these may change depending on what samples I have at the time, but I have a general rule of thumb for what I bring with me.  Shall we?

1.  Cleansing Oil – I simply cannot live any day, whether vacation or not without a cleansing oil.  It is certifiably the best makeup remover/cleanser out there.  Shu Uemura offers these samples upon checkout from their website often so I try to hoard as many as possible.  

2.  Clarifying Cleanser –  After this recent post, you know that I am serious about cleansing.  Often it is the key to keeping skin clear.  So while I always have my cleansing oil, I do also like to bring another cleanser with me to use after.  Here are some m-61 glycolic face cleanser packets I have from a recent purchase at Blue Mercury.

3.  Molton Brown Shower Gel – I can barely keep myself together while traveling, so leaving it up to the TSA agents to delicately handle my bags is not happening – therefore I like to choose scented shower gels to bring rather than my perfume bottle.  

4.  Pantene Shampoo and Conditioner – I am forever trying out new hair products so my shower runneth over with bottle after bottle of shampoo and conditioner.  However, Pantene is still one of my favorite brands of all times and the last thing I want to deal with on vacation is a bad hair catastrophe.  Therefore I will go with what works – and practically every drug store from here to the moon carries these in travel sizes, so I am never in jeopardy of running out.

5.  Mario Badescu Buffering Lotion – Since the actual full size bottle is compliant with travel standards, I just pop this puppy into my makeup bag and off we go.  This stuff is my miracle pimple healer.  The drying lotion is good but this stuff is what clear skin dreams are made of – so therefore it makes the cut.  Vacation pimples are no bueno.

6.  Face Exfoliator – I believe in sloughing off those dead skin cells on the regular, so having an exfoliator with me is a must.  Here I have a Mario Badescu sample of their Almond and Honey scrub (scent = yum), and simply adore it.  And with the generous sampling that MB provides with their orders and at their spas, I make sure to request these specifically when I restock my basics.  

7.  Night Cream – Since flying dehydrates the you-know-what out of my skin, I like to keep a sample of a moisturizing and hydrating night cream with me to help repair things my first night.  Plus – vacations often involve a lot of time outdoors (sun or snow), so replenishing at night helps my skin stay balanced during the trip.  Here is another MB sample (told you I stock up) of their seaweed night cream which I love.

8.  Body Lotion – I debated whether or not to just write body lotion because frankly the ONLY body cream I will entertain on a trip is Kiehl’s Creme de Corps.  It is the most effective and supreme body lotion in the history of the world.  And Kiehl’s is known for travel sizes in most of their top sellers, hence why I can always have my favorite with me.  

9.  Face Lotion with SPF – 50 shades of pale is my skin tone (as we all know) – so I never leave the house (let alone my hotel) without a daily face cream with SPF.  I picked these up at a recent dermatologist visit – and they have done the trick, under makeup or worn alone.

Now depending on where I am going (sun or cold), I may add a few more products suitable for the temps of where I am traveling (antartica vs bali – yeah right) – but this is pretty much my fail safe kit that always comes with me.  Bon Voyage! (ok I’m not really going away now but you get my drift…..)

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