Only 5 Products? Well, I Guess If You Insist
Sep 01 '00
The Question: What five essential skin care products do you bring when you travel away from home and why?
Let’s get one thing straight: I am not a low maintenance kind of girl. Sure, my beauty routine is a lot simpler and quicker now that I have two little kids underfoot than during my teens and twenties, but even now, by many people’s standards, I’m high maintenance. I generally budget 45 minutes to an hour from the moment I walk into the bathroom for a morning shower to the moment I re-enter the chaotic morning breakfast area completely dressed, hair and makeup complete, to resume Mom Duty.
I used to do scrubs, masks, bubble baths, regular exfoliation, cellulite reducing massage and creams (remember Elancyl?), hair deep conditioning, and on and on. It didn’t help that I worked in the personal care products industry and could easily justify purchases by telling myself that buying was necessary in order to enhance my product knowledge.
My husband tolerated all this fairly well, but at one point during our relatively poverty-stricken grad school days, he told me we could go to Italy, but since we couldn’t afford fancy hotels and wanted to see as many sights as possible, I could only bring one small bag. I took this as a personal challenge, and went out to buy the most appropriate bag within the predefined limits. It was essentially a multi compartment book satchel, and I crammed everything into that bag: one change of clothes (for a week!), skin care, makeup, hair care, camera, guide books, medical necessities, and other essentials. The trip was a success, my husband was impressed, but I’ll never do that again. (Returning through Switzerland without my husband, I was briefly questioned by the authorities, who presumably thought the sole purpose of my trip was to smuggle drugs since I was carrying so few personal possessions.)
So I hope you can appreciate the difficulty with which I have pared down my list of essentials to only five. It’s taken me a good 20 years to work this out, but I can say with confidence that these are at the very least my essential items. I am a firm believer in the basic three step skin care routine (cleansing, toning, and moisturizing), so I simply added the other two items I couldn’t live without:*
1. Cleanser
To conserve packing space, I’d take a good multipurpose liquid cleanser, one I could use on both face and body, such as Liquid Neutrogena. The product is gentle, effective, and concentrated. It cleanses face as well as body thoroughly without stripping the skin of essential moisture.
2. Toner
Some people may be able to live without toner, but I find it essential for removing the last traces of makeup, cleanser, oil, and environmental grime. My current favorite is Clinique’s Clarifying Lotion 2, which contains just enough alcohol to effectively tone and refresh my combination skin. (For those who have dry or sensitive skin, Clarifying Lotion 1 would be an option.) Of course, I’d have to take a few cotton pads in order to apply this toner, but I’m convinced it would be worth the extra few inches.
3. Moisturizer with sunscreen
An excellent and affordable such product is Neutrogena Moisture SPF 15. Non-comedogenic, quickly absorbing, fragrance free, and with UVB and UVA sun protection, this moisturizer is a safe bet for most skin types. Moisturization lasts for 12 hours, and the effect is sheer and nongreasy. Even for those with oily or acne prone skin, I’d strongly recommend a moisturizer with sunscreen. (Oil free and oil control formulas abound, though I cannot endorse a specific product personally.) In a pinch, I’d use Neutrogena Moisture SPF 15 as an eye cream also, though the real thing is better if space is unlimited. (See my Runner Up below.)
4. Eye Makeup Remover**
As one who wears eye makeup every day, I’d include Lancome's Effacil Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover to gently remove all traces of mascara, liner, and shadow. The formula is absolutely effective, and the scent is so heavenly that I’d get an aromatherapeutic boost just from using it. Again, cotton pads would have to be included.
5. Acne medicine***
In this category, I find that almost any reputable brand will do, as long as it contains 5-10% benzoyl peroxide. (I’m currently using Rite Aid Acne Spot Treatment, as I find store brands to be as effective as and cheaper than major brands such as Oxy or Clearasil.) Although I don’t use this product regularly or in large amounts, if my skin does break out and I’m without it, I panic and make a run for the nearest drug store. A little goes a long way, though, and it’s no fun having a dry, peeling top layer of skin with an irritated pimple underneath, so I apply sparingly.
Runner Up: Eye cream
My current eye cream is Neutrogena Intensified Eye Moisture, gentle and quickly absorbing, which also provides 12-hour moisturization. Ophthalmologist tested, hypo-allergenic, fragrance free, appropriate for contact lens wearers, this product gives me just enough moisture in the eye area without leaving a greasy feel which interferes with eye makeup. (Note: I do not apply the moisturizer to my top eye lids in the morning before applying makeup, as that would just be sending an engraved invitation with RSVP to the slimy, runny, creased eye shadow look which is not welcome on my face.)
Packing Tips:
1. Whenever possible, take small travel size bottles and tubes. Check the tightness of lids carefully, and apply a small piece of tape to any lid that might open. Prevention is far easier than cleanup of suitcase messes.
2. Sort and pack personal care items in clear zip-top bags for greater organization (toiletry essentials in one, makeup in another, etc.) Or use your favorite custom travel bag, but do keep your items organized. The goal here is not to have to rummage through your entire suitcase just to find your moisturizer or deodorant, thereby dooming your clothes to wrinkles and your belongings to chaos.
3. Take advantage of hotel amenities. If you know ahead that you’ll be staying in a hotel that offers such in-room amenities as complimentary shampoo, lotion, mouthwash, and so on, consider using these in place of your regular favorites. Unless you have particularly sensitive skin or hair, these should work just fine for a few days. And keep in mind -- and perhaps even phone ahead to verify -- that your room may be stocked with a hairdryer, a bathrobe, and other niceties.
4. If you do forget to pack an essential item, check with your hotel front desk to see if the item might be available by request (such as toothbrush and toothpaste), in the hotel gift shop, or at a nearby drug or grocery store. For those staying in luxury accomodations, the concierge might easily arrange to have personal items delivered to your room (for which you would offer a gracious tip in addition to the full price of the items).
Bonus Question: What ten essential makeup items do you bring when you travel away from home (in order of importance)? Although I can’t imagine anyone actually being cruel enough to insist upon such limitations (or even caring what’s in my travel makeup bag, for that matter), I’d bring:
1. Lipstick: Origins Matte Stick in Rhubarb
2. Mascara: Clinique Naturally Glossy Mascara in Jet Black
3. Powder: Shu Uemura Atelier Made Face Powder (Colorless) with brush
4. Concealer: Elizabeth Arden Concealing Cream in Light
5. Lip pencil: Clinique Lip-Shaping Pencil in Raspberry
6. Lip balm with sunscreen: Blistex Regular Lip Balm SPF 10
7. Blush: Benefit Benetint cheek and lip stain
8. Eye shadow: Yves Saint Laurent Perfecting Eye Shadow Duo #17
9. Tweezers (scissors-style)
10. Oil-absorbing sheets: Clean & Clear Clear Touch Oil-Absorbing Sheets
*My skin is normal to combination, and I’m in my mid thirties, so I’m fairly middle of the road when it comes to skin care needs. I have a few skin care sensitivities (basically just to Retinol and AHAs), but my skin basically behaves itself if I treat it decently.
**An individual who doesn’t wear eye makeup regularly might consider including an eye cream or a richer nighttime moisturizer instead of the eye makeup remover.
***A person with older and or drier skin might want to substitute a richer nighttime moisturizer or eye cream for acne medicine.
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Epinions.com ID:
tjarnold
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Location: Connecticut, but I'm a Hoosier at heart
Reviews written: 83
Trusted by: 89 members
About Me:
Mother of two, manager of many. Whatever happened to the myth of "The Total Woman"?
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