Beauty Products to Pack & Go

Most New Yorkers won’t be quick to forget the long, long winter of 2015 and if nothing else, it made us eager for summer. Some of us actually planned our summer trips back in January in the middle of a snowstorm! And now, here we are almost there and it’s time to get our stuff prepared. It’s true they say our street vendors sell everything here but you won’t be finding that perfect sundress.  And the same holds true for your travel sized skin care products.  Take it from me… prepare, prepare, prepare.  If you have no idea how to start, here are some suggestions.

What do you need?  Start with the basics – a good shampoo, conditioner and hair spray to keep your costly cut perfect all during the trip; ditto for facial cleanser and moisturizer for balanced skin after long flights and who knows maybe even longer drives; and who could forget fragrance and deodorant in case Mr.or Ms. Surprise should come along (hey, you never know). Here are my essentials.

 

Shampoo & Conditioner

There are some amazing shampoos and conditioners on the market, but most are packaged full sized. Of course, you can always rummage through your kitchen closets for small containers but why bother? It’s so much easier to have great products in the TSA approved 3 ounce size. Here are some brands that offer them:

Phyto Natural Weightless Hydration Kit – $25

ALTERNA Haircare Caviar Transformation Kit – $30

Pureology Hydrate Shampoo & Light Conditioner Travel Set – (each $7.99 and 1.7 ounces)

Personally, I’m fond of ALTERNA and Phyto. Phyto adds both softness and fullness to my fine hair and ALTERNA’s caviar collection is truly repairing.  But you’ll have to ante up $25 for Phyto’s kit and $30 for ALTERNA’s. If that’s a bit over your budget, then settle for Pureology, a great brand with good products and the set is just $15.98. Honestly, these work just as well for me.

 

Hair Spray

For some girls (and you know who you are) what we’ll wear, how we’ll accessorize it and how we’ll look in the photograph are the best part of the whole voyage. In these (ok, extreme) cases, think about bringing along hair spray.  We need to keep the beach waves going all night long after a perfect day of sunshine.

SEBASTIAN Shaper Plus Travel Size (1.5 fl oz. – $4.99)

This one has it all. It’s lightweight, adds volume to your hair and is not sticky. More importantly, at $4.99, it’s a bargain. What else do you require?

 

Facial Cleanser

Your skin has the ability to repair itself but sadly, not clean itself, and when traveling you should consider using a light cleanser twice a day. Truthfully this should be part of your daily regimen but you definitely need something more multifunctional while away from home.

Fresh Soy Face Cleanser (1.7 oz – $15)

If you have sensitive skin I recommend this one. I have purchased this cleanser at least three times because it’s gentle but powerful. Friends of mine with oily skin think it’s too gentle to take everything off. Surprisingly, the cleansing ability changes dramatically depending on the amount used. So the trick here is to use a generous amount (more than 2 centimeters) before bedtime to remove everything thoroughly and use a much smaller amount (less than 1 centimeter) in the morning to give you a fresh start.  Fresh is the only cleanser I use. It’s something you can trust if you have sensitive skin like me.

Philosophy Travel Size Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser (3 oz – $11)

I don’t actually travel with Fresh Soy Face Cleanser because I will definitely be wearing makeup for beautiful pictures and will need more cleansing power. So I normally take a travel size of Philosophy’s Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser. It cleanses gently removing sunscreen, makeup and mascara with one product. The texture of it is milky, so you can massage it on your face in a circular motion to relax your skin after a long day out on the boat and the travel size is a better deal than Fresh.  That means more product for less money. Even better, right?

 

Moisturizer

Honestly, most of the time, I bring my full size moisturizer with me. I know it’s a lot for the pack, but I just can’t trust my sensitive skin to unfamiliar products. Even if I have quite a lot of samples that I’d like to try and decide to toss those in, I’ll actually end up packing more backup products that I’m used to. So it’s important for me to have a good multifunctional product to go and hydration is the key factor.

CapriClear 100% Coconut Oil Spray-On All Purpose Moisturizer (1.6 fl oz. bottle – $10.99)

Along with argan oil, coconut oil became a big hit last year. One product I love is Raw Coconut Cream from RMS Beauty and the other is 100% Coconut Oil Spray-On Moisturizer from CapriClear. In this category, both products are good, but I would take CapriClear with me since the cream is in a large jar that wouldn’t travel well.

Spray-on moisturizer is a nice concept. I’ve tried similar products but the hydration factor was often weak and the texture too heavy to be absorbed. That’s why I doubted that an all purpose spray would work. Surprisingly, CapriClear’s texture is fluid which allows for an even distribution on the skin and an effortless absorption within minutes of applying. Another thing is its super light coconut scent, a result of it being made from fractionated coconut oil without mineral oil, fragrance or artificial color.

If you have oily skin I would recommend avoiding oil based products and use lotions instead. Other skin types like dry and combination skin can benefit from oil if used properly. A little tip is before using oil, apply your toner at least twice (meaning once more than usual). The toner will accelerate the absorption of the oil and leave your skin flawless and healthy.

 

Fragrance & Deodorant

Fragrance is personal and I’m not a girl who wears it every day and seldom travel with it. However, if you and your favorite scents are one and the same, I’d recommend bringing a stick fragrance like the Tom Ford set of 3 available at Amazon for less than $20. But of course, I will definitely be packing deodorant. If I can’t smell sweet, at least I can avoid sweating.

Everyone wants to avoid embarrassing perspiration wetness. I’m partial to two brands, one, Japanese and the other, Secret. Since the Japanese one is very hard to find here in the U.S., I recommend a trip to your local Walgreens or CVS. The latest innovation from one of my favorite brands is Secret Clinical Strength which provides 4x sweat protection and is available in both a smooth and invisible solid as well as a clear gel. The smooth solid comes in 6 scents like Ooh-La-La Lavender, Fresh Water Orchid and Sport Fresh. I am favoring the Ooh-La-La Lavender which has a nice light scent.

Secret Clinical Strength Light and Fresh Scent Deodorant   (0.5 oz – $8.50)

 

Are you ready for your next getaway?

Start preparing now!