Our editor-in-chief shares tips on packing beauty essentials for travels.

by Nejla Matam-Finn

Whether you are planning your honeymoon or your first trip together or any trip in general, you know that you are going to be extra diligent when deciding what to bring - and that includes, of course, your beauty kit. 

As much as it can be tempting to lug your entire bathroom and vanity, you know you still want to keep it light. And yet, you also need to be ready for any "beauty emergencies". This is to ensure that no vacation snapshot will be ruined by a blemish that has decided to show up unannounced.

You see, I have a reputation for being a light packer. Having said that, I am always the most prepared for almost anything that may happen to my skin while I am away home. But let’s be frank here: What drives me to streamline my kit is the fact that I don’t want to be limited by space and weight. I mean, in case I come across anything I want to bring back home -- and, yes, that includes duty free beauty shopping!

So here's my tip:

1. DIVIDE & CONQUER

To make the organisation much easier, I always divide my products between two beauty pouches. One solely dedicated to skincare as well as body care, while the other is only for my makeup.

Having said that, I always keep a few standard things in my beauty pouch. They include a small swiss knife, a tiny nail filer, nail polish remover wipes (individually packed) as well as a couple of hairbands and bobby pins. All of this is packed in a tiny ziplock and stays in the pouch at all times. 

2. SKIN AND BODY CARE MUST-HAVES

Once I packed the usual suspects, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, conditionner and shower gel,deodorant, body cream  for which some were previously decanted in smaller containers and tagged, time to take care of my face. 

3. SKINCARE FIRST

My hydrating cream comes in full the full-sized bottle.I try to bring one that I can layer with other products, so I don't have to pack two. My favourite is definitely La Solution 10 de Chanel (in general, this one is in my bag for the plane as it's only 30ml).  The other thing that I take in full is my sunscreen lotion. I have a fe favourites but for travels, I take one that won’t take to much space in the bag.

The next thing that comes with me in its full size is a "do everything" ointment. You know the ointment that you can use for dry lips, mosquitoes bites, sun burn etc. A few that I keep on rotation are Lucas’ papaw ointment, Homeoplasmine from the Laboratoire Boiron and the Egyptian Magic. So I will take the one I feel like taking on a trip with me. 

And this is when my bathroom becomes a real mess. I'll take out all my travel containers from Muji as well as some of my scrubs and masks and then I start decanting them and tagging/labelling them. Yes, tagging and labelling is a must as most beauty elixir look exactly the same once you pour them out of their original container/bottle/tube. 

What sort of container should you buy? Go to Muji. The one that is super practical is the one that you can stack on top of one another. There's one where you can screw on multiple containers on top of one another and this is the one I use for that once-a-week mask and scrubs.

4. MASK & SCRUBS

Usually, I take with me a cleansing mask such as the Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep pore cleansing mask. This works wonders even on blemishes. I also take with me a hydrating mask such as the Peter Thomas Roth Cucumber Gel mask - this one comes out transparent so you can use it on the plane and you can also put it in the fridge if you need a little perk-me-up. Also in my kit is the skin mask for after a long night out and a face scrub. While I have not found my favourite yet, for now it’s the Ren Rosa Centifalia Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser. For my cleanser, I love oils so I'll purchase the travel one from Muji. Trust me, this one can double up as a makeup remover as well! For sheet masks, I usually just get some in the duty free section. They won't come back with you so you can splurge a little bit (then, again. It's from the Duty Free. You're already saving quite a bit!).

5. MAKE UP

I tend to keep this part light for the simple reason that whenever I take my entire make-up pouch, I end up using almost nothing. Too many choices, and too hard a decision to make when you're on a vacation.  

So for now this is what makes it to my makeup bag: A mini mascara, a solid blush, an under eye concealer that can double as camouflaging blemishes, a red lipstick and, if my skin is in really bad shape before leaving, some foundation. The truth is that I know that on vacations, I will be sleeping much more and my stress level just vanishes so I don’t use foundation at all. 

Some of my favourite items in terms of mascara is the Benefit Roller lash - The brush is amazing and can help you achieve a light to heavy lash look so this one goes with me everywhere I go. For eye concealer, I am a fan of the RMS beauty un cover up as it can also cover light blemishes or any other marks. If I am taking a foundation, it will be Les Beiges by Chanel. For a solid blush, I use the Kevin Aucoin or the Chanel Les Beiges blush in 21. As for Red lipstick, the one that is easy to apply and stays put is the Rouge Allure Ink from Chanel in 150. This is apparently a shade to fits most complexion, so give this one a try. 

6. THE PLUS PLUS

I do like to wear perfume, but since I am based in Singapore, I often forget to pack my favourite perfume. This is when I start asking for samples of my perfume so I can take them with me when I am traveling. Another tip is to ask for samples for the scents that don't seem to work well in tropical climates.

And last but not least, I pack one nail-polish. I used to stick to neutral nudes till I discovered the Dior Nail Glow which is perfect as it gives you a light rosy tint and shine. It is also super easy to apply and just like that you have an express manicure pedicure wherever you are. 

7. DON'T FORGET: SECURE

This one's important: I secure all my goodies (and yes this includes makeup) in tiny ziplock inside my pouches. Now, we've all had the nightmare of opening our suitcase only to find that all of our expensive shampoo, cream and beauty tubes have just decided to explode on our just bought beach kaftan. This helps to make sure that they're all in the ziplock and nowhere else!

So, in short, the secret is all about decanting and taking what you like and what you are already using and packing the right quantity. When I say "already using", I mean it. Listen, a vacation is not the time to try a new product even though it is tempting. You don't want to have breakouts and not be able to take any couple pics.

As for quantities, pack more of your everyday product and less for the others. Don’t forget to tag! I cannot stress that enough, because sometimes you think you will remember the different creams and then there you are in a secluded private beach resort trying to figure out which is your hydrating mask and which is your cream.

And there you have it. How about you? What do you take with you when you are traveling? 

Leave me a comment bellow.