All The Beauty Essentials You Need for Your Vacation

 I received an email from a reader asking about tips on what beauty items to pack while traveling.  Honestly, I thought it was such a great question that warranted dedicating an entire article on the topic.

 I traveled a bunch for work and basically had to live out of my travel bag.  I've also renewed my passport and have been traveling overseas a bit more.

I still have a couple more trips to knock out this year.  Here's a list of the must-have beauty products I always have in my travel bag.
In the past I made the mistake of traveling with mini-sized products that I didn't necessarily use in my daily regimen.  Some of those items were obtained as a result of my Sephora beauty points or from gifted by brands.  That's a mistake.  Just because the products were small enough to fit in my toiletry bag doesn't mean that they should be granted the special position of travel essential.

Thankfully, now it's easy to find many of your faves in trial size. The first place to start is by assembling your favorite daily cleanser, toner, and moisturizer.  Basically, if your current regimen is working, take it with you on your travels.

Once you have your foundational items packed, you may want to focus on adding a few essentials for use the plane ride.  Airplane cabins have ultra-dry air.  The longer your plane ride, the more you should consider adding extra moisture to keep hydrated.  This means drinking adequate water and protecting your skin.

Once you're in the air and the fasten seatbelt sign is turned off, it's time to execute a mini-moisture routine.  When I traveled for work, I would actually moisturize my hair and tie in a scarf before arrival.  I know this seems a bit extreme but I promise you that my hair was perfectly intact and ready for morning meetings.

Skin hydration during a flight is a MUST.  Some go as far as to break out a sheet mask during the flight but unless you're heading straight to an event, I don't think it's necessary.  Just make sure you have a heavy hitting moisturizer.  If you have a really long flight, don't hesitate to moisturize more than once during the trip.  I hear that Summer Friday's Jet Lag Mask is really good but I haven't yet tried it.  I have a sample waiting for my cross-country plane ride in July and I can't wait to see what the hype is about.

Next on your list should be those emergency products that can save your skin when things go awry.  Keep in mind that a new environment can make your skin go haywire.  The hotel room has dry air, you're out in the sun sweating all day. Some locations have a lot of sand, dirt, and dust.  That's a risky situation for your skin.

That's why I like to carry a clay mask to deep clean my pores out every night (especially if it's an exotic location).  Other essentials like acne patches, sheet masks, acidic toners, body scrubs, might come in really handy on your next trip.  After a day of sweating and riding bikes on dirt roads in Tulum, my dermatitis flared up really badly.  Thankfully, I brought my ACV toner along for situations just like this.  When you return to your hotel room at night, your goal should be clean the skin thoroughly then moisturize like crazy,

When it comes to makeup, one mistake that I've made was only packing makeup that I wear on a daily basis.  Looking back, I feel like my everyday makeup can be a bit too toned down for dinners and events one attends while vacationing. Plus you always gotta be photo-ready whenever you're on vacay.  If you typically wear a toned down look, I urge you to consider also bringing along additional eye shadows or lip colors that flatter and enhance your look. I also pack things like extra primer to help control oil while helping your makeup stay on longer (even in high humidity). Try searching for some inspiration from Youtube and experiment those looks before heading out to perfect the technique.

 Other random beauty stuff I take along with me include:
-My favorite fragrance(s) in a roll-on bottle.
-SPF lip balms.  I adore this one from Neutrogena.
-An oil based body moisturizer like shea butter or Palmer's Cocoa Butter Gel with spf.
-Chlorophyll capsules to avoid any unpleasant body odor from being active outdoors all day.
-Supplements that aid in digestion and minimizes bloating for those days when I overeat.

Obviously, sun protection is a must.  Even while on the flight, you're closer to the sun and exposed to concentrated UV rays.  I always bring an SPF 50 every time I travel.  It's important to reapply sunscreen if you're spending the entire day in the sun.  Right now I'm loving Neutrogena's Healthy Defense. It has no white cast at all and feels like  a light moisturizer.  If you're traveling to a dryer climate, check out their Hydraboost that protects against UVs while providing a boost of moisture.

Lastly, I find it helpful to get professional beauty treatments done beforehand that lessen your load while you're away.  A gel or dip powder manicure means that you won't have to worry about chipped nail polish or other nail related nuisances.  Next time I travel, I may get lash extensions so I can look a bit more pulled together even with light makeup.  For tedious grooming related like shaving or styling your hair, pay to get it done beforehand so you can focus mainly on the wonderful experiences of your new environment.

Did I miss anything?