With the amount of travel I do, it’s become somewhat of an art figuring out how to pack all the beauty products I need – which includes skincare and makeup – especially in carry-on luggage. Although I’ve shared with you the 7 Best Travel Beauty Hacks To Know Before Your Trip to help you pack beauty products, it has evolved to include a more general but comprehensive list of travel beauty hacks you should know for your travels that can come in very handy. It can be very inconvenient to forget something you need, bring too little, or even bring too much which ends up weighing you down and taking up precious real estate in your luggage. So here are the top travel beauty hacks to help you prepare for your vacation to the best of your abilities.
1 – Have A Consistent Skincare Routine
My skincare routine may vary a bit when travelling, but I still try to stick as close to my usual routine at home. Doing this can help you maintain consistency and keep your skin healthy. Travel can involve climate change and other stressors which can cause your skin to react adversely. Show your skin the same love abroad as you do at home. Of course, to also make it easier to travel, I do switch up a product or two but I make sure to not make any major changes – now is not the time to do so! This is my Summer Skincare Routine and my Winter Skincare Routine in case you need some guidelines on hot and cold climates.
2 – Exfoliate A Couple Of Times A Week
Along with a consistent skincare routine, I want to emphasize exfoliating a couple of times a week to get rid of dirt and debris that may accumulate on your skin when you travel, especially in areas that are more polluted. It also helps you remove dead skin faster and bring a glow to the skin so you look refreshed. But mainly, I find that exfoliating during my trips gives me a deeper cleanse and a better peace of mind in keeping my skin clean and healthy.
3 – Always Stay Hydrated
One of the ways to maintain healthy and beautiful skin is to stay hydrated. It helps you maintain your skin’s elasticity and lessen wrinkles and lines. Sometimes it’s not always easy or convenient to carry a water bottle with you everywhere you go, so here are 8 Ways To Stay Hydrated For Great Skin While Traveling. And they are just healthy travel beauty hacks to know in general.
4 – Have Acne Treatment On Hand / Bring Acne Patches
I’ve found that having an acne treatment or pimple patches on hand in your travel toiletry bag at all times has been a lifesaver. Your body and skin can go through many environmental stressors and you’ll sometimes get an unwelcome spot or two. Being able to address them early and having a treatment on hand can prevent them from getting bigger and/or help them disappear completely.
5 – Use Ice To Depuff In The Morning
Not getting enough sleep and other factors such as salt retention, or even alcohol can cause your face and under-eyes to be puffy in the morning. I find it very useful to use an ice roller, or in this case when you’re traveling – ice itself – to depuff in the morning. It also helps you look less tired and makes your makeup look much better after this step.
6 – Pack Skincare And Makeup Products Strategically
For full details on how to pack your skincare and makeup products strategically, check out my 7 Best Travel Beauty Hacks To Know Before Your Trip blog post. Being thorough and thinking about what beauty products you really need to bring can make a huge difference. This helps quite a bit to save room in your luggage and lighten your load when you travel. Along with 6 other hacks and a bonus one to help you pack your beauty products to make use of the space you have and to take advantage of products you can get only when you’re abroad. Trust me, you won’t want to miss the details on that blog post to really complete this one!
Whenever possible, I also try to bring travel sizes to help with conserving precious luggage real estate. I used to bring my full-size Wet Brush with me in my suitcase but lately, I’ve opted for my travel-size Wet Brush as it helps me save more luggage space. The same goes with my flat iron and it really does help save quite a bit of space.
7 – If You’re Traveling To A Hot Destination, Use Powder Foundation Instead Of Liquid Foundation
One of my favorite places to travel to is a sunny destination, and I’ve been opting for a powder foundation such as the KVD Beauty Lock-It Powder Foundation (I use shade 150 normally and 155 when I’m more tanned) for those types of locations. The reason is that liquid foundations seem to smudge more and it starts to look oily as it gets hotter and more humid out. Along with the sweat mixed in, it’s not a good look. Powder foundation helps to mattify and avoid shine and it also feels like it helps absorb any sweat. Plus, it’s a bonus that you won’t take up any precious liquids’ space if you’re planning to only bring carry-on luggage.
8 – Switch Up Liquids With Solids
One of my favorite travel beauty hacks is to also save space on the number of liquids you’re allowed to bring on carry-on luggage and I do that by bringing solid skincare or makeup products to reduce the chances of getting your beauty products removed or being forced to check in your luggage. You can also avoid spillage of your liquids which has also happened to me before – bug spray spilled in my check-in luggage and it kind of ruined the smell of my clothes. You can bring solids such as stick foundation/powder foundation and makeup wipes/MakeUp Eraser instead of bringing cotton and makeup remover. I’ve also exchanged my eye creams for an eye balm stick (see Why Tula Eye Balms Are Perfect For Traveling).
9 – Setting Powders And Setting Sprays Are Key
This year, I’ve been focused on testing out all of the different setting powders and setting sprays I can to help my makeup last longer and determine the best ones. This is especially important when traveling since you most likely will be out all day and you’d want your makeup to last just as long. Setting powders set the makeup onto your skin and absorb extra oils from your skin and liquid makeup products. You can apply it to your oilier areas or all over the face. A setting spray helps lock in your entire makeup look after everything is complete. By using both, you can ensure your makeup has a longer staying power and you’ll still have a fresh look by the end of your day.
10 – Get Biogel Or Shellac For Long-Lasting Nails
I don’t always get my nails done because I have phases where I either want to do them often or would just like a break. But when it comes to traveling, a great travel beauty hack is to get your nails done right before a trip. I like to get either Shellac or Biogel nails to ensure they look clean, fresh, and long-lasting during my vacation. That way, at least I don’t need to worry about them chipping or breaking and they’ll look great for photos. It also makes your nails much stronger.
11 – Consider Eyelash Extensions Or False Lashes
Over the past couple of years, I’ve also been getting eyelash extensions before I travel as well. This allows me to wear minimal to no eye makeup, it saves me time, and it looks great in photos. Haven’t you ever noticed how false lashes make such a big difference compared to just wearing mascara? You can easily get addicted to the beautiful look of lash extensions and want to keep doing it. I can see why people always fill their lashes every couple of weeks, but here is Why I Only Get Lash Extensions For When I Travel.
12 – Bring Personal Wipes To Freshen Up
I find that personal wipes – not just hand wipes – are great for bringing with you on any type of travel. Whether it’s a road trip, a cottage getaway, or an international vacation, personal wipes are always good to have should you need immediate cleansing or if you don’t have access to a shower right when you need it. It helps you freshen up and feel much cleaner and they have come in very handy even to share with friends or strangers. I’ve definitely been in situations where there is no toilet paper in public bathrooms and I’ve been the only one with pocket tissues and/or personal wipes.
13 – Bring A Headband Or Hair Clip
Most of the time I have a hair clip with me, but I find that I often lose them since I always put my hair up as well as let it down so my scalp doesn’t hurt. I found that when I do my skincare routine, I need to have a separate headband in my toiletry bag to help keep my hair away from my face when doing my twice daily skincare routine. My hair is quite long and I find that even hair clips sometimes don’t hold my hair up and it falls down in the middle of washing my face. Using a hairband and a hair clip helps prevent a wet mess with my hair while I’m doing my skincare routine. It’s also very useful when you want to apply makeup without getting it on your hair.
14 – Pack Tide To Go
Not exactly falling under the beauty category but if you count your outer appearance as beauty then I suppose it’s okay! I always have a Tide To Go pen in my makeup bag and it’s honestly such a great travel beauty hack since if you ever happen to stain your clothes and don’t have access to a laundry machine, it immediately helps clean and takes away stains that would otherwise set in until you return home to try to fix the damage. And if you need to re-wear your clothes on your trip, you don’t want to be walking around with a noticeable stain.
For more on travel beauty, here are the Must-Have Travel Beauty Products For Every Vacation. And if you need inspiration for packing travel beauty items, here’s What’s In My Travel Toiletry Bag and What’s In My Travel Makeup Bag.