Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Travel Essentials | Toiletries

I have been frantically preparing for my upcoming flight to Florida. Preston & I (and the cats...) are headed to our hometown for some much needed pool & beach time. Even though, I am rushing, I thought I would share some of my favourite tips & essentials for when it comes to packing my toiletries.

Tip 1 | Minis, minis, minis
Through all my subscription adventures, I have accumulated quite the assortment of minis. Having a vacation planned gets me pretty pumped to pack them all up. I recently ordered this super cute set from Malin & Goetz from Birchbox. It truly has everything. I gave it a test run during our trip to D.C., so I know I love all these products. I love trying new things, but for longer trips, you'll want to go with something you love. You don't want to bring that new cleanser only to find it breaks you out. Raiding the Sephora check-out line and the Target travel section are also great places to pick-up some travel-friendly options.

Tip 2 | Decant (& Label!)
If you happen to love a product that doesn't come in mini-form, decant it. Sometimes those sample bottles are just too cute to throw away, an upcoming vacation is the perfect time to reuse them. If your empty bottle collection is missing a certain size or style, Muji is my go-to. I have filled this one up with my Liz Earle Skin Tonic. When decanting make sure to label the bottle, so you know what's now inside, like my eye make-up remover which used to be filled with a Juice Beauty Toner.

Tip 3 | Convenience Products
I have mentioned many times that I am not a face-wipe lover as a make-up remover. I just don't think they clean well enough, and I am always left with remaining eye make-up. But one thing I do love them for is an easy toner. No bottles and no cotton pads required. This is especially convenient since they won't take up that precious 'liquid' space when you are flying. I also feel whenever I am traveling, I need a quick refresher. I guess the days are just packed with more hustle & bustle, so having these Yes to Cucumbers Facial Towelettes will help. Another 'convenience' product are nail polish wipes with all the same reasoning as the face wipes.

Tip 4 | Run-through
Whenever I am packing, I run-through my usual routine to get an idea of what I use and will need on a daily basis. First up, I do it mentally and start adding minis that will fill the roles, eg. clease, tone, moisturize....There are some things you might not have extras of and are bringing the actual product (razor, toothbrush, make-up products, etc.) For those items, right after I use them I will put them in my toiletry or make-up bag. So the night before, after I take my shower, I stick that razor in my bag. I can't tell you how many times I have forgotten my razor...not good for summer vacations...

Tip 5 | 'Medium Packer'
I am definitely not an 'under-packer', but I wouldn't say I am an 'over-packer' either. Could I really limit myself to one face cleanser and moisturizer, and skip the toner all together? I guess so, but would I feel much more like myself with my usual routine? Yes. I say if doesn't take an unreasonable amount of room then bring it. Stressing yourself (& your skin) out because of one little bottle isn't going to be the end of the world. If you don't know which nail polish you want to use next bring two options-in mini form. It's never fun to be on a trip and not have any choice because you only brought the bare minimum. But it also isn't fun to be lugging around (and potentially end up misplacing) a ton of things that you won't end up using the entire time. I always think of myself on the spectrum between my sister (who will bring every outfit she owns and seven pairs of shoes for a 3-day trip) and Preston (who doesn't even bring toiletries, except a toothbrush and deodorant, because well, 'they will have that there'). Though I am not complaining, it let's me have two quart-sized bags of liquids....


What are some of your toiletry travel tips?



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