I have a habit of under-packing makeup and clothing to justify vacation hauling but I’ll always bring adequate skincare – change of climate, long-haul flights and overindulging can wreak havoc on the skin and I WILL be prepared!
My Los Angeles/San Francisco travel skincare bag, shall we?
Simple Skincare – Micellar Cleansing Water
One of my favourite micellar waters (can you tell? I almost finished a bottle in three weeks!), I might even prefer this one to Bioderma because it genuinely has no smell. I’ll use this to remove the bulk of my makeup before a proper cleanse and it’s very effective. Not much else to say here!
MV Skincare – Gentle Cream Cleanser*
Said ‘proper cleanse’. My all time favourite evening cleanser which I’ve already throughly discussed in this review. Cloth cleansers are not the most travel-friendly but I’ll accept the extra hassle here because whenever I stray, my skin freaks out.
Cosmedix – Purity Detox Scrub*
Karima using a scrub? It can’t be! Let me explain: Cosmedix is best known for their chemical exfoliants but I was told (at the launch event) that some consumers insist on scrubby-action so they created Purity Detox Scrub, formulated with Beta Hydroxy Acid (Salicylic Acid) and… poppy seeds.
Like, a handful of poppy seeds, few and far in between. Directions: tip some powder into your hand, mix with water and massage onto the skin – I avoid the massage (damn poppy seeds) but the mild BHA sloughs dead skins cells, perfect for my morning cleanse.
To clarify: Simple Micellar Water = makeup remover. MV Cleanser = evening cleanser. Cosmedix ‘Scrub’ = morning cleanser.
MV Skincare – Rose Soothing Protective Moisturiser*
Again, reviewed in my MV Skincare post and mentioned in my 2014 Favourites video. The only moisturiser I’ve used in the last… 8 months? Use it every morning and it’s a bloody brilliant base for makeup.
Trilogy – Rosehip Oil
My ‘overnight moisturiser’, so to speak. My collection of facial oils is ever growing but Trilogy is my pick for travelling because it’s basic, dependable and void of any essential oils that might interfere with my already travel-irritated-skin.
La Roche Posay – Uvidea XL SPF 50 BB Melt In Cream in 02
Dayum, that’s a mouthful. The Melt In Cream is actually a tinted sunscreen and heads up: the colour selection is bizarre. Shade 01 is rather pink and ashy while 02 is approaching Simpsons yellow – the shades appear to only vary in tone (a wild variation at that) but I can’t decipher a difference in depth, both appear to be around the N25 range.
While 02 is less than ideal for my skintone, I have enough facial surface redness that a sheer Simpsons tint doesn’t pose major issues. After all, the coverage is sheer at best.
Glam Glow – Youthmud Mask
I actually use this as an overnight spot treatment if I encounter an unwelcome visitor. I’ll only apply Glam Glow to emerging spots, once they’ve reached the surface I’ll swap to Neosporin. Thankfully, I didn’t need to use this on my LA/SF trip but with travelling, you never know!
What do you pack in your travel skincare bag? Leave a comment below 🙂
xxkarima
* Denotes products sent for consideration. I only feature products I love 🙂
Ditto on Simple cleansing water! I use it in the AM for a refresh, because I usually double cleanse at night. I’ve been using Avene’s redness relief moisturizer after seeing Lisa Eldridge use it on a client because it has the teensiest bit of green, isn’t too thick and has SPF. The travel friendly bottle is an extra bonus. 🙂 I’ll have to check out the MV moisturizer next! I also brought Glamglow’s travel size Thirstymud mask on my recent trip, because my skin was not happy with 12+ hours of plane travel!
I’ll check out that Avene Redness Relief, sounds like something my flushed skin might like!
xx
I’ll have to try the Simple cleansing water. Not for travel because it has a pump and goes under the radar is the Bioderma ABC Micellar Water from the baby line. It’s great!
The Bioderma ABC is the one in the blue bottle, yes? I prefer the pink bottle because it has less scent. Why do you prefer the ABC, out of curiosity?
x
I am loving the Nuxe Rose Micellar Water for makeup removal, followed by Nuxe Reve de Miel (honey) face wash which I can’t live without or my skin freaks out, followed by either Tata Harper, Odacité or Nuxe L’Huile Prodigeux. Dermalogica gentle cream exfoliant for 10 minutes in the morning from time to time makes my skin look amazing! (Lisa Eldridge tip!) I also am loving the Japanese hydrating mask you recommended! The one that looks like halloween and has lots of hyraulic acid in it! Kids get a laugh out of that! 🙂 I would love to try the MV products!
I had an allergic reaction to the Dermalogica Gentle Cream Exfoliant! So odd because I generally do well with lactic acid 🙁 I do love Japanese sheet masks, I might do one tonight actually 😀
x
Great selection. I’m obsessed with the MV moisturiser and am dying to try the cleanser. Have you noticed with the pump on the moisturiser that it ceases to work once the product is down to about the last 1/3? It’s doing my head in trying to scoop the thick cream out. Much as it’s not quite as hygienic I think this moisturiser would best be packaged in a jar or one of those pumps that lift the product up inside the cylinder (ugh no idea what it’s really called).
MV IS SO GOOD, I highly recommend the cream cleanser. And yes, the bottle is not very functional once you’ve reached the last third, that irritates me a bit too but I suck it up because the product is so good.
xx
In regards to traveling, I try to minimize bringing liquid products as much as possible. I often have most liquid products for my essentials, like contact solution, toothpaste, sunscreen, etc. Therefore, I have to improvise and be conservative with my travel skincare routine.
The Su;m37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick is great for traveling. It’s one of my all-time favorite cleansers, and the rose scent is refreshing without being cloying. The Asian skincare blogosphere goes CRAZY over this.
For exfoliation, I like powdered ones b/c it’s gentle and provides easy storage. I really like Tatcha’s Classic Rice Enzyme Powder, and I can use just put it in a mini plastic travel container with a small spout dispenser.
Face sheet masks are EVERYTHING. I always stock up and bring plenty with me, usually bringing the ones with moisturizing purposes, because we all know how dry it can be in the plane! I use them as much as I can, even in the airplane (scaring other passengers with my ghost face :P). My favorite ones are from My Beauty Diary (Taiwanese), Love More (Taiwanese), Innisfree, and The Face Shop (both Korean).
I also tend to have breakouts and get tired skin (traveling can be exhausting!). Whenever that happens, my quick fix solution is the YÜLI Pure Treatment Mask as a spot treatment and clay mask. HOLY CRAP. My skin always looks so good, and it’s so easy to use b/c you just add water to the powdered ingredients! The coolest part is that I can bring as much as I want, woohoo!
Moisturizer is probably the only liquid skincare product I actually bring. I bring a small amount b/c I rely more on the sheet masks for that purpose. I put my brand of choice into a Nalgene leakproof jar.
I don’t know if this counts as skincare or makeup per se, but for oily days, I bring Tatcha’s Aburatorigami Blotting Papers. Those things are saviors, I tell you.
And finally, I rely on skincare samples. It’s always nice to shop for Asian skincare, b/c they companies such abundances of samples to customers. It’s pleasant to have a temporary storage solution for traveling, while also finding new discoveries!
I didn’t expect my comment to be long just for 5-6 product mentions, but it has taken awhile to come to a satisfactory solution without compromising the required liquid quantities. I am quite satisfied with the products I bring, and am happy with the results everytime I travel. I am glad that you have found excellent products as well. 🙂
P. S. When will you do an update video/blog post on your skincare routine?
Do you know if Tatcha recently reformulated their powder exfoliant? And yes, I love the Tatcha blotting papers, an absolute staple in my collection!
Hopefully will be doing a ‘Get unready with me/skincare routine’ video soon!
xx
I do not think that Tatcha has reformulated their powders, they have not mentioned that. I do recall you giving it a positive review from 2 years ago, though, so maybe it’ll still work for your skin?
I had to get rid of it eventually because my skin is becoming dryer and it left me feeling tight :-/ I heard they reformulated it to be more gentle, that’s why I mentioned it 🙂
xx
I’m so happy that you’ve talked about travel skincare! I love having a nosey into what people bring when travelling and I always switch it up but necessities being a great cleanser, serum and moisturiser and sunscreen. I tend to bring sheet masks but I never thought of an oil for some reason *saves into mind for next trip. Your travel skincare is so low key – you’ve covered everything I would need and very useful for when I travel next time. I’m intrigued by the MV Organics range and I’ve ordered the Energising 9-oil Skin Tonic Cleanser which I expect will be amazing considering the great things I’ve heard from the range.
I need to use sheet masks more often than I do, I just can’t sit still for long enough 😛 I’ve reviewed a portion of the MV Skincare Range, which you can read here:
https://www.mvskincare.com/news/shameless-fripperies-new-favourite-skincare-mv-skincare
I liked the Energising Tonic but my favourites are the Cream Cleanser & Rose Protective Moisturiser 🙂
xx