Summer Skin Series: August
It’s that time of year when everyone fits in a last minute vacation before heading back to school and winter hits. So what can you do to ensure the best trip ever? Well I don’t have the answer to that, but I can help you figure out what skincare and makeup to pack!
In this installment of the Summer Skin Series, we are exploring tricks and tips for traveling with makeup and skincare, and staying sun smart all year long (even into winter). There is no time quite like the end of summer, it starts to slow down and the days begin to cool. When taking those last minute trips, a lot gets left out and skincare and makeup can be but on the back burner while people focus on planning trips and packing the right clothes. Hopefully, after this blog you will feel confident in your choices when it comes to packing your beauty bag!
Travel is the best. You get a change of scenery, time away from work, and to recharge your battery. The most important thing to note is that we rarely travel to a climate that is exactly like the one we live in. That changes things when it comes to your skincare and even your makeup. Choosing your products based on the location will help you make solid choices so you’re never left feeling like you packed too much of the wrong thing. So what should you pack for each climate? Well, how about some general rules of thumb instead.
There are a few types of climates my clients travel to, but the main ones I’m going to talk about are dry/arid or humid/damp. If you live in one of these, you can use these tips for your home care or shifting from summer to winter. When going from a climate, like ours here in California, to a drier one like Las Vegas, bear in mind that your skin is going to be dried out not just from the lack of moisture in the air but also the air conditioning and heating inside the buildings. Using a heavier moisturizer will help to seal in the moisture in your skin, or you can also pack an over night mask to where once or twice while there. Packing a toner that is hydrating like Skin Script Cucumber Hydration Toner can help bind water to the surface and keep your skin in balance. The main thing to avoid is anything drying or too strong. Save your glycolic/salicylic face wash for when you get back home! Using a hydrating serum containing Hyaluronic Acid, will help keep your skin balanced and hydrated in all climates. Load up on antioxidant rich food as well as skincare ingredients to help minimize the sun damage accrued during your desert trip too. Remember, you are what you eat!
On the flip side of that, you have more humid and damper climates that require different needs. Don’t think that you need to strip your skin because of how sweaty you’ll get there, that will just dehydrate you! Instead, consider what happens when our skin is in this climate. Sweat can dehydrate us too, so it is still very important to moisturize and hydrate our skin. Maybe you will use a foamy cleanser to cut through the sweat and grime picked up from the day, but follow it with a hydrating toner and a serum with Hyaluronic Acid. Feeling extra gunky? Pack a scrub that doubles as a mask! Skin Script makes an amazing Retinol Jojoba Scrub which when left on for a few (3-5) minutes after cleansing can give a deep pore cleansing without stripping your skin. Over the counter there is also Modern Friction from Origins that works great too. Your moisturizer for a trip in this climate might be lighter than the one you use at home, but don’t skimp out on your SPF and daily moisturizer. Keeping facial wipes in your bag throughout the day can also help reduce shine while keeping your skin clear, just remember to reapply your SPF! I may have mentioned this before, but toilet seat covers are amazing oil blotting papers and unlike the ones you buy in the store, aren’t loaded with extra ingredients. They sell them in places like Smart N’ Final where business can buy supplies or at Costco. My favorite way to store them is cut in small squares in a metal business card holder in my bag, no one knows they were at one time toilet seat covers!
Wherever you go, keep your skincare simple, just the basics: cleanser, toner, exfoliant/serum and moisturize. You don’t need a whole facial to keep your skin health, just the right products and consistent use. I put exfoliant and serum together as these are each great to have, but you can get away with only one or the other. If packing a serum, you can never go wrong with a hydrating one! For exfoliants, try to pack a scrub as they tend to have less acids or active ingredients and are easier to travel with. Don’t get me wrong, I love my glycolic wipes, but they don’t pack well and the liquid soaking them might dry out during travel and fluctuations in temperature can change the exfoliating ingredient. Even if you are only going away for a day trip or an overnight trip, you don’t have to throw your whole routine into a bag just because there’s no plane involved. Pack light, pack smart and pack what you’ll actually use.
One of the coolest tricks I ever saw was actually more of a tongue-in-cheek joke that turned out making a lot of sense. I saw a picture of a girl on a plane rolling her sheet mask over her face with a jade roller, while rocking sunglasses. I laughed so hard because I AM THAT GIRL! I do the most, but sometimes it is necessary. Yet here’s why I say it makes a lot of sense: airplanes dry out our skin, that is a fact, but using a sheet mask with a jade roller can definitely put that moisture back in there and leave you with a perfect glow, just maybe not in your seat during flight :-D When traveling, you can never over hydrate!
I have to be honest, this is the last thing I pack as I am usually still using this makeup right before leaving to travel anywhere. I think I have been able to get it down to a science but it took a lot of powder-filled makeup cases and lipstick covered brushes for me to learn. Now I am not going to go through different makeup techniques, as when it comes to traveling, you probably don’t want to test out a smokey eye for the first time just because you’re going dancing in a new city. Makeup when traveling should be simple and enhance the beauty you already have, not cover it in paint.
With that said, here are some tips on how to pack your makeup so you don’t destroy your brushes, bag and possibly even your favorite clothes you just carefully packed.
Packing Makeup
When packing your makeup, it is important to not bring what you use at home with you as much as possible to prevent exposure to fluctuations in temperature. So here are some quick tips to help streamline your packing:
If you use loose powder for your face, try putting some of it into a small airtight container. I find mine either at the Dollar Store or a craft supply store.
Keep your makeup in a separate, plastic lined makeup bag away from your brushes.
Wrap your brushes in a plastic bag inside of a separate makeup bag than your makeup product. Yes two bags! That way you’ll have an extra container if one gets messy during use and you don’t have time to clean them.
Most department stores (or your Ispy bag!) have small sample sizes of things like mascara and eye shadow. Keeping some of these unopened until your trip will save space and money.
If you use liquid anything, wrap this guy up separately in a small snack-sized baggy.
Always pack Q-tips, cotton balls and a face towel.
Pack a little cream-based cleanser to help clean up mascara and eye shadow fall out, just use a Q-tip!
Don’t pack something you never ever use. If you have this big eyeshadow palette but you only use two colors regularly, then maybe scrap out (or if that scares you, take several toilet paper squares and wipe some of the color on there and then seal in a ziplock bag and use as a “paper palette”) that way you don’t risk your favorite colors cracking or getting spillover from less desirable colors.
Travel Makeup Tips
Figuring out what to pack as far as makeup goes when traveling usually results in throwing everything into a bag, destroying most of it in transit and using maybe three items. I’m going to try to help you get creatively thinking about your makeup-kit when packing for your next trip!
Where are you going? The first thing to ask when choosing what makeup you will actually need or use. If your going to a more tropical or humid trip, you’re going to need more breathable and sweat-resilient makeup. Think less is more, clear skin (spot dab a blemish with concealer) waterproof mascara and some lip gloss.
Will you have a night out? If so, or if there is an activity you want to look extra good for, pack the perfect punch of color lipstick to match the outfit choices you have and maybe a bold liner.
When we travel we typically take a lot of photos. Keep an unused mascara brush in your purse/backpack to give your brows a quick brush if you’ve had a busy day. Groomed brows make everyone look happier!
Going to a drier climate? Or potential weather happening? Properly cleansing your skin and prepping it before starting your makeup routine will always help keep skin hydrated. You can also keep a small bottle of toner in your bag and give yourself a #middayspritz to perk up thirsty skin. I’m going to see if we can get that hashtag going so post on your social media a picture of your #middayspritz and tag us in it! There will be a raffle for those who do!
Sunglasses and hats are some great support staff to our look, but the most important tool is SPF. Reapply every two hours during the day!
My goal in this blog is to get you excited and thinking creatively about your travel beauty products. Always keep in mind temperature and heat, trying your best to keep your skincare and makeup out of the heat. If you take road trips often, keep these products inside the car with you while driving during hot summer days, just remember to secure it back in your trunk when you park and leave the car! Travel smart and travel often, I hope those packing tips helped!
Do you ever think about the fact the above the clouds the sun is still shining just as strong and just as bright? For most of my life, I never thought about the sun still being out all year long and would only SPF during spring and summer. Man was I wrong!
“The time when UV exposure is likely to be greatest is between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. during daylight savings time and during the late spring and early summer in North America. Nonetheless, protection from UV rays is important all year round. UV rays can be as strong on cloudy, hazy days as well as on bright, sunny ones.”
The sun is out all year long unless you live in Alaska, and even there it is really important to be UV smart! The sun reflects its rays off surfaces like cement, water, snow and objects all around us. What’s important to note about this is sometimes we may think we aren’t getting sun exposure in areas like the tops of our ears and under our chin. Applying SPF everywhere is crucial, sometimes our clothes are actually supporting UV protection too! Did you know that cotton has an SPF of 5? It’s not a lot but anything is welcome!!
Try keeping a body SPF by your keys to remind you to apply to your arms and legs before heading out. I don’t recommend keeping SPF in your car however as the fluctuations in temperature can denature the ingredients and can even cause skin irritations. Keep a small bottle at your desk at work and wear your UV blocking shades all year long. But is there more we can do? Yes!
Did you also know that SPF is boosted by antioxidants? Eating a diet rich in leafy greens, whole foods and omega-3 can help your skin naturally support UV protection. How does this work you ask? When the sun’s rays hit our skin they can cause something called a free radical. Free radicals are damaged skin cells that are missing a piece, which antioxidants naturally have an abundance of and will lend freely to these damaged cells. Helping your skin repair from damage like UV radiation is one of the many benefits of eating a seasonal diet rich in fruits and veggies. Also known anti-inflammatories, and even anti-aging benefits, your diet affects all aspects of your life and your body. I’m not a nutritionist but after living the first few decades of my life eating food I was allergic to, I am personal proof that changing your diet can truly help transform your skin and body. My face is no longer beet-red, I don’t have tinea versicolor and even my keratosis pilaris has improved! More on how to treat keratosis pilaris in upcoming posts!
I hope you will use this month’s Summer Skin Series as a reference for you when packing your travel bag, and every time you apply SPF when it’s cloudy! There are small things we can do for ourselves everyday in every moment to improve our overall wellbeing. Thank you for checking in and (hopefully) learning something new!
Till next time, be good to your skin and even better to yourself,
xx eri