Tips for travelling: makeup and skincare

/
0 Comments

For the last couple of weeks I've been meaning to write a post on some beauty tips for travelling, but time and life have gotten the better of me so I'm only sitting down to do it now. 

I haven't quite worked out what I'm going to say yet but it's all floating around in my head so hopefully it will come out in some kind of order that makes sense ; )

What I did want to say though is that travelling can be a very personal thing, so what works for me mightn't work for someone else. I'm the kind of person who likes to keep my pack light, but not everyone cares about this and some people prefer to have the most stuff with them that they can. If that's you, a few of these tips mightn't interest you but hopefully the other tips will.


Hoard your samples and sachets

If you know you're going away, it's not a bad idea to start collecting any sachets and sample-sized products that you receive. This isn't essential of course because there are other ways to cut down on space (more on that below), but what's good about it is that you'll end up with so many testers of different products that you're unlikely to get bored while you're away.

I did that for the trip we're on now and I've had so many fun new products to play with that never once have I missed anything from back home, nor have I felt the need to go shopping for something new. The other good thing about doing this is, you can throw things out as you finish them so your pack will be a touch lighter on the way home.

Collect empty containers and decant your products into those

This is an obvious one but it's worth mentioning anyway. Keep any travel or sample-sized jars and bottles and wash them out, so when it comes to travelling you've got a ready-made set of small containers to decant your products into. This of course works best for liquids and creams, but nothing's stopping you from transferring some of your loose powders into little sample tubs too.

Besides cutting down on space (and meaning you can bring more things because each item is so small), this also means that your full-sized products won't be exposed to temperature extremes or knocked around because you've left them at home. Keeping your empties also means that you won't need to buy empty travel bottles, and you also won't feel bad about throwing them out when they're finished because you didn't pay for them and, if you're anything like me, you've collected so many that throwing a few out while you're away won't matter.


Choose carefully when it comes to cabin luggage

I don't know about you, but if I let my skin get dehydrated and dry while I'm flying to my destination, I'll spend the rest of the trip trying to undo the damage done. This is partly because my skin is dry and dehydrated already, but I know that others with different skin-types swear by using certain products during their flights too.

So think carefully about your cabin allowance and what products you want to bring with you on the flight. You'll have plenty of time in the air to use them so you may as well pack a few trusty favourites to play with along the way. You may also prefer to apply your makeup towards the end of the flight, if you find that makeup can dry out your skin. Not only will this help pass the time, but it will mean that your skin can breathe for most of the journey and that your skincare will be able to work to its best ability because you're applying it to a clean canvas, rather than one that's already done up.

Stay hydrated and rest

This applies no matter how long your flight is, no matter your skin-type and no matter whether you're going to a warm destination or a cold one. Travelling can drain the moisture from us all and it's worth managing this not only from the outside but also from within.

Drink water throughout the journey and steer clear of too much caffeine, too many salty foods or anything else that might dry out your skin or puff you up. Use the journey as an opportunity to drink plenty of fluids and rest your eyes. Even if you can't sleep on planes (few can!), it's worth closing your eyes whenever you can so that you're well-rested for the trip ahead.


Do you need to pack your best stuff?

When it comes to skincare and some makeup like loose powders, as mentioned above you can put your products in smaller containers so you're not exposing the full-sizes to the perils of travelling. But other products like high-end blushes and eyeshadows aren't so easily compacted, and it's worth asking yourself if you really need to bring them at all. Travel can expose your goods to humidity, knocking around (risking breakage and 'bruising') and other terrors (like lost luggage), so can you bear being without a few favourites while you're away? You may find that you can.

If we're going away for an event like an overseas wedding in a moderate climate, I may well decide to take along my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette because I couldn't imagine being without it, but otherwise I'm leaving that one at home. It cost me too much and I care about it too much to take it away with me on a stock-standard family holiday and risk having it damaged or lost. Which leads me to my next point...

Pick things that travel well

If I look at the full-sized makeup items I've brought with me on this trip, they're all things that come in sleek, sturdy packaging and didn't cost the earth, so they don't take up a lot of room and there's nothing here that I would rush out to replace if it got broken. Eg I've brought my Hot Mama Blush and Bahama Mama Bronzer from theBalm - decent products in slim cardboard packaging - and ones that wouldn't break the bank if I had to replace them. And indeed I've managed to drop them both during this trip, and that cardboard packaging has softened the blow when they've fallen on the marble tiles in the bathroom so they haven't shattered. Phew!

You may even have a collection that includes plenty of items in travel size. If so, lucky you! Make use of these things while you're away: it's a good time to take along stuff that you don't use enough at home because, even though you like them, they're not your favourites so you won't be lost if something happens to them along the way.


Bring something that has a great mirror

This might be an obvious one but it took me a while to work out (!). I have a Coastal Scents Eyeshadow Palette (in Cairo) and I never use it when I'm at home because I have so many shadows I prefer, but I always take it with me when travelling now because it has such a great mirror in the lid and I'm always pleased to have it with me. On top of that, it's better than bringing a separate, stand-alone mirror because it contains twelve eyeshadows that can be used for different things (eg not just as shadows, but also for my brows), so I've saved myself some space by bringing it.

Bring multi-purpose products

While we're on the space-saving topic, it's worth bringing products that can be used for more than one purpose. So the Bahama Mama Bronzer from theBalm that I've mentioned above works not only as a bronzer, but also as a contour product because it's neutral in colour and it's matte. This also means that it makes a great shadow for my puffy upper eye area (since matte colours can retract those a little), and I've also been known to use it on my brows and to set the brown eyeliner I use on my waterline. Handy!

Other good multi-purpose items include lip/cheek tints and creams, and blushes that work well as eyeshadows. You can also cut down on skincare by bringing eg a hydrating primer that doubles as a moisturiser, or a tinted moisturiser that doubles as a facial sunscreen. Make your products work as hard as they can : )


In sum

Them's my tips! I hope you've found at least a couple of useful tips in here for travelling with your makeup and skincare.

You may well have some great tips of your own that I haven't thought of (likely!): if so, I'd love to hear them : )


You may also like

No comments:

littlewhitetruths. Powered by Blogger.