The Beauty Essentials I Can’t Travel Without

I like to travel to see new places and have new and memorable experiences. One of the things I don’t like about traveling is packing. Especially the packing of my beauty products.

There are some products that I feel are essential to my skincare regimen, especially when I travel. So I tend to stress about how I’m going to pack certain products that don’t come in travel sizes.

I also worry about making sure I bring the beauty products I can’t live without because it’s not always easy to get my hands on them when traveling. Either I won’t have the time, the products will be too expensive or I’m vacationing where those products aren’t available.

In an effort to try and lessen that worry and stress I stick to 12 beauty products that I always take with me when I travel.

12 beauty products I always take with me when I travel. | A Relaxed Gal: Hair + Beauty + Blogging + Finance

(This post includes affiliate links. Should you click an affiliate link and make a purchase I may make a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you.)

1. Facial cleansing towelettes

It’s so much easier to use cleansing wipes than a liquid or cream cleanser for my face to remove my makeup end of the day. They are also a lot cleaner way.

I don’t have a favorite brand of towelettes that I use. I tend to lean towards the Walmart store brand. If I go brand name, I tend to use the Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes.


2. Face cleanser

While I use cleansing wipes to remove my makeup, I don't use them to clean my face. I've found they just don't do a good job and my skin doesn't look as good as it does when I use a facial cleanser.

My favorite facial cleansers to travel with are the Noxzema Classic Cream Cleanser. It's easy to travel with, you can pack a lot in a small jar, and it's not going to spill out of the jar.

The other is the Cetaphil Daily Cleanser. It does a good job of cleaning my pores and refreshing my skin. A little bit of it goes a long way so a travel-sized bottle can last for several days. Plus, I can buy the small travel size from the store and keep the bottle for a while and keep filling it up.


3. Face serums

When I travel I don't want to sacrifice my full skincare routine. So I tend to take some of my key skincare regimen items like facial serums. The two I use the most often, whether traveling or not, are The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 and The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%

If space is an issue when I'm packing and I need to leave something behind it will most likely be the Hyaluronic Acid serum as the Niacinamide is great for helping with breakouts and pimples don't ever take a vacation.


4. Face moisturizer

I clean my face without moisturizing it afterward. When I’m at home I tend to use a nighttime formulated moisturizer at night and a moisturizer with SPF in the daytime.

When I travel, I tend to take only one moisturizer and that’s the one with SPF. So I end up using the moisturizer during the day and at night.

The moisturizer I’m currently using and took on my last trip was the Neutrogena Hydro Boost City Shield Water Gel with SPF 25. It’s light, doesn’t make me look greasy, keeps me moisturized, and has SPF 25.



5. Makeup primer

My current go-to makeup primer is the Laura Geller Spackle Mattifying Oil Control Under Makeup Primer. It helps to keep my face from getting too shiny during the day and helps keep my makeup in place during the long days I spend outside sightseeing.


6. Foundation

What’s the point of taking makeup primer if I’m not going to wear foundation? Now admittedly I don’t always wear foundation when I travel. It just depends on what I’ll be doing that day.

For example, when I’ve gone on missions trips overseas I’m usually spending a lot of time outside working in the sun so I’m sweating constantly. In those instances wearing foundation doesn’t make any sense.

The foundations I take are Too Faced Born This Way Matte Foundation and the Maybelline Fit-Me Matte-Poreless Powder.

I like the Too Faced Born This Way Matte Foundation because of the versatility it provides. I can put on a light layer, add additional layers for more coverage, or use it to just cover blemishes. Plus, it doesn't feel heavy on my skin.

The Maybelline Fit-Me Matte-Poreless Powder is used as a setting powder or when I want some really light coverage and wear a little something on my face but don't want to bother with foundation.


7. Makeup sponges and brushes

When I'm on vacation, especially during the summer I don't wear foundation every day. On the days I do wear foundation I'm wearing a liquid foundation or tinted moisturizer. I like to apply either one of those using a makeup sponge.

My two favorite makeup sponges are the Sonia Kashuk Marble Latex-Free Makeup Blender Sponge and the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. By using a makeup sponge I'm able to get a smooth finish with my foundation, plus I can use that same sponge to apply liquid foundation, tinted moisturizer, concealer, and loose powder. 

For makeup brushes, I only take the ones that I need to apply my eyeshadow. I don't wear blush much and rarely use a brush to apply my foundation or powder. Some of my favorite eyeshadow brushes are from ELF Cosmetics and Real Techniques.

The types of eyeshadow brushes I take are a large fluffy brush to apply my transition shade, and then a blending brush to apply the rest of my shadow and make sure it's properly blended.


8. Eyeshadow palettes

Even when I don't wear foundation I may wear a little bit of eyeshadow. I take one or two eyeshadow palettes with me to keep the packing simple and cleaner, and because they don't take up a lot of room. These eyeshadow palettes are typically natural or neutral shades so they go with all of my outfits.


9. Eyeliner

Even if I’m not wearing eyeshadow or foundation, I’m wearing eyeliner. At a minimum, I feel like I need to wear my eyeliner.

The CoverGirl Perfect Point Plus Eyeliner is perfect for travel. It’s self-sharpening, easy to apply, and has a blender on one end so I don’t need to bring any other tool for blending.


Packing my beauty products for vacation | arelaxedgal.com

10. Mascara

In addition to eyeliner, I have to wear mascara even if I don’t wear foundation or eyeshadow.

The eyeliner I tend to revert back to again and again is the CoverGirl Professional Super Thick Lash Mascara. It’s easy to carry, easy to use and I don’t run into clumping issues.


11. Sunscreen

When I travel, particularly when I'm on vacation, I spend a lot of time outside. So I need to make sure I’m protecting my skin from the sun’s harmful rays.

I prefer using the spray sunscreen instead of the lotion-type like the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunscreen or Neutrogena Beach Defense Spray Sunscreen. I think the spray is easier to apply and less messy. The one I’ve been using lately is the Walmart store brand sports sunscreen.


12. Body lotion

I don’t want to look ashy or be itching all day, so I need to take body lotion with me. To get the most from my body lotion my go-to is usually a formula that has cocoa butter in it. If I’m not using Suave Skin Solutions Smoothing with Cocoa Butter and Shea Body Lotion, I’m using the Walmart store brand.


With these 12 products, there are a few that don’t come in containers that are travel-friendly. For those products, I transfer some of the products to a travel-size container.

In particular, I do this for my leave-in conditioner, body lotion, and face moisturizer. I use little containers like the ones in the picture below that I can get at Walmart in a 3-pack for about a dollar.

What beauty products do you take when you travel?





The Beauty Essentials I Can’t Travel Without | arelaxedgal.com

0 Comments

Follow Me On Instagram - @arelaxedgal