You know I have a bit of thing when it comes to travelling with beauty bits (heck I even made a 5-part YouTube series on it). Over the years through stints at Uni, home and travelling back and forth across the country to a boyfriend, friends and family I’ve got packing down and slept on some rather interesting ‘beds’ in the process. But last weekend on a trip back to the seaside to stay with my parents I managed my biggest feat yet. Every single beauty-related item I needed for those two days was squeezed and sealed into my rather averagely sized Whistles clutch: body bits, hair, skincare, makeup, the lot. I ended up taking so little back with me that I packed it all down into my handbag; no suitcase required. Now the brief for the weekend was ‘chillax’ meaning that I didn’t need any fancy products, nor garb aside from a pair of comfy PJ’s. Still, I’m impressed. Next time you’re off for a low-key weekend away here’s what you actually need:Â
HAIR/BODY/MISCELLANEOUS:
- Deodorant. Do I need to elborate?Â
- A Rollerball Perfume. They are a little hard to come by in the UK, but with all the Christmas fragrance sets making their way to the shelves, they’re worth keeping an eye out for. My favourite is this 10ml vial of Stella EDP. Fresh, floral without being too fussy.
- Hairbrush and Hairbands. The latter comes into play for all greasy hair occasions when only a pineapple-esque bun will do, but a brush comes in handy too for a quick neaten now and then. My favourite travel-friendly option is this fold-up offering from MUJI.
- Dry Shampoo or Texturiser. It’s rare that I leave the house without the Oribe Dry Texturising Spray these days and though it’s not strictly an oily scalp-mopper I spritz it in my hair whatever state it’s in. To oomph, to refresh, whatever. Because lets be honest, who can be arsed to wash their hair during a weekend away?
SKINCARE
- Makeup Remover. Yes, I know you’ve read ahead and only spotted three items. Allow me to explain. Whenever I’m away I get lazy. I’m not in my usual set-up with an abundance of facial flannels overflowing out my drawers or with an abundance of time to use the bathroom; it’s time to get simple. First step – makeup removal. I pack in this little plastic pocket of cotton pads and buds and a mini Bioderma.
- Cleanser. This is one of those steps that just makes me feel clean. Makeup remover on its own just doesn’t cut it and a quick two minute massage and massage off (I use a damped cotton pad when I’m in a pinch), in the bathroom won’t hurt. I ended up decanting the leftovers of Radical’s Hydrating Cleanser into a pot I picked up in MUJI.
- Moisturiser. Toners, serums, oils and treatments can be cast aside for a few days – but moisturiser. Well, you always need a moisturiser. Pick one that is light enough for the day, but rich enough for the night. I popped some of Perricone M.D’s Face Finishing Moisturiser into another MUJI pot – yes I went a bit crazy in there.
MAKEUP
- Foundation and Concealer. For base I use one rule to decide what one of my many foundation favourites will make the cut. Size. So many are housed in glass bottles and for travel that just won’t do. Either decant or go for a plastic offering; CHANEL’s Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation in B20 and NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla made it in this time.
- Lash Curler and Mascara. Leave out the curlers if you’ve got a full-on flutter naturally, but if not I always travel with them as they just make me look more awake and well, human. Shu Uemura’s version rock. Then I add in whatever mascara I’m using at that moment – Maybelline’s Full and Soft Waterproof Mascara was on the top of my pile so in it went.
- Brow Product. This step can again be skipped if you rival Cara D in the brow department, but for sparse browed folk I’d recommend lobbing in a brow implement. I usually go for the Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil in Soft Brunette as it serves as a spoolie brush on one end and filler-inner on the other.
- Balms. Whether I’m living the house for two hours or two weeks there’s got be a balm of some kind stationed in my bag somewhere. This tiny, tiny tube of Dr Lipp Original Nipple Balm is an obvious choice due to its size, but I ended up throwing in a mini of the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in 01 too just incase I needed something with a bit of a colour injection.
Streamlining your weekend away beauty bag; the extreme cut. Another plus point is there’s less to unpack on Sunday evening. Packing, I love, but unpacking? Yeah…not so much.
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