My family spent the week between Christmas and New Years Day at an Airbnb in Sauble Beach, Ontario. We knew going to a beach town in winter would be quiet and we were unlikely to go out much so I wanted to keep my skincare and makeup minimal, but still, bring my holy grail products to keep my skin healthy and hydrated. Here is what I brought with me and a few recommended swaps.
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How to choose which products to bring?
Before packing for any trip I have a checklist I use to help determine what to bring. When choosing products I look for ones that have multiple ingredients or purposes.
- How long is the trip? If the trip is 1-2 nights I can usually get away with bringing less product. A simple cleanser and moisterizer that I can use day and night would do.
- My recommended cleanser would be CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser. It has good ingredients and is hydrading.
- What is the mode of transportation and am I limited for space? (i.e. Flying vs. driving, if flying am I checking a bag or carrying only).
- We were driving, but due to Covid, most Airbnb’s don’t provide linen’s and because of the time of year we were going we didn’t know if food would be available so we brought everything with us. The car was packed full, so space was limited.
- What will the weather be like (i.e. what I pack in the summer may differ from a winter trip)?
- The weather forecast for this week was cold, snowy and windy, and we were expecting to spend some time walking on the beach and around town). For this I would want a moisterizer.
- What are my immediate skin needs? How is your doing (i.e. are you experiencing breakout, extreme dryness, any iritation or is it normal)? You will want to make sure the products you chose will work with your current skin conditions.
Here is a list of the skincare products I brought and the routine I followed. It all fit into a small clear travel bag.
Morning Travel Skincare Routing
- Face cleanser: I have 3 different cleansers I use throughout the week. One with salicylic acid, another with glycolic acid and a gentle foaming cleanser. For this trip I choose the CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser, which I decanted to a small travel container.
- Treatment product: Timeless Coenzyme Q10 Serum. This serum has anti-aging ingredients, and targets wrinkles, dullness and hyperpigmentation (dark spots). It comes in a small dropper bottle, and because it fit into my small clear bag I brought it. If I didn’t have room, I would have left this one at home too.
- Eye Cream: CeraVe Eye Repair Cream. This has a simple formula that does a good job at hydrating the undereye.
- Face Cream: Marcelle BB Natural Cream with Vitamin C & Green Tea in Light. This is a must for me when traveling because this one product has vitamin C, antioxidents, enhances the appearance of your complexion, is hydrating and provides blue-light protection. It is tinted and provides a light coverage. Tip: Even though this is a tinted product, treat it as a moisterizer and apply it after your skincare and before applying sunscreen. Depending on the sunsreen you use, may cause this product to pile if applied overtop.
- Lip Balm: I brought 2 with me, but only 1 was packed in the clear bag, the other is always in my purse. I dislike dry lips and am constantly applying lip balm.
- Eucerin Aquaphor – this is a nice thick lip balm. I use it every morning and apply it again before bed.
- Blistex Ultra Rich Hydration with spf 15. I keep this one in my purse and apply it before going out and reapply as needed while out.
- Suncreen. Australian Gold Face Mineral SPF50. I wear this sunscreen daily regardless of the season.
- Other categories:
- Native Deoderant. My hubs and I switched to natural deoderant about a year ago. This is the brand we love. It doesn’t leave you feeling sticky like other natural deoderant brands.
- Bath items I packed for the whole family and those went into the family toiletries bag. I decanted shampoo, conditioner, body wash. That bag also held our toothbrushes and toothpaste.
Night time Travel Skincare Routine
- Face cleanser: CeraVe Foaming Facial Cleanser. I only brought this one and used it both morning and night.
- Face cloth: Makeup Eraser Face Cloth. I only used this cloth with the PM wash to help remove the residue from the tinted face cream and sunscreen. I also have a set of the Maker’s Clean Face clothes. Both brands are great.
- Treatment Product: Indeed Laboratories Retinol Reface. I love this night cream because it has retinol for anti-aging and is hydrating so it won’t dry out skin.
Travel Makeup
For this trip, I knew we wouldn’t be out and about much so went really minimal with the makeup and only brought the Elf Baked Highlighter and Bronzer Duo and a travel size mascara. I love this duo because of its versatility. I use it on my cheeks and eyes. The Marcelle BB cream provides light coverage and has a nice powder-like finish. Because of this, I didn’t feel it was necessary to also pack a finishing powder.
If I wanted to have a more done-up look I would have brought the Subtl Beauty Stack. My stack includes face powder, concealer, lip and cheek cream blush, bronzer, highlighter. The stack is great for travel because it is so compact, (it fits in the palm of your hand), but I also love using it on a day-to-day basis.
And that’s a wrap! Super simple and the best part, all these items fit nicely into a small travel bag.
What items would you add or leave behind from my list? Let me know in the comments.
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