How to pack your skincare products for a trip... and what if you left something?

- by Justaqi -

I don’t know about everyone else, but packing for a trip is probably the most stressful task I have to endure, especially when it comes to my beauty products! Since I have a regime that I always stick to, I prefer to follow it even when I'm away from home. The problem? Some of the products come in big containers and I can't bring all of them with me. Imagine going overseas and you pack more beauty products than clothes!

First off, I can't live without my makeup remover. Currently, I’m using both cleansing oil and foam cleanser for my double cleansing method (if you’re wondering what this is, feel free to drop your comments below and I will post on the what's, how-to's and what-not's). When I bought my cleansing oil, it came together with a nozzle clip (ladies, raise your fabulous, well-manicured hands if you agree that clips are important!). Before packing the product, just clip the neck of the nozzle and it will secure the pump from spilling.

Other than that, you can just pack wipes instead. I don’t use them because they tend to make my skin really dry. But hey, if they suit you, wipes would be a better choice to bring on a trip! Or you can just bring a miniature-sized baby oil, that works too!

Forgot to bring your cleanser?

Pfft, don't fret!

You can actually make use of the natural sources around you to substitute as your cleanser. Some are a bit messy but most of them are easy to find. You can use tomatoes! Get some of the fresh ones from the grocery store and mash them up (they don’t have to be puréed). Just spread those yummy tomatoes on your face and rinse like you normally would. If tomatoes aren't exactly your 'taste', you can use oatmeal! You can even use some of the green tea powder from the teabag and marry them up with oatmeal for added benefits. Wash off and voila, sparkle sparkle!

Toners are really important for the removal of residues and to prep the skin for the products that you’re going to layer on afterwards. I prefer a toner that’s a little creamy. If you’re using Asian skincare products, they're probably classified as emulsion. This class of skincare is more of a runny lotion type instead of a clear liquid type.

If you forget to bring a toner, you can easily get an apple cider vinegar from local marts and use it as a substitute. It’ll have a weird smell when you first put it on, but you'll get over it soon enough! Your nose just can't tolerate the smell? You can always dab a little witch hazel extract if you're able to get one. The easiest way to substitute any cleansing and toning products is to just brew a cup of green tea and let it cool. Using a cotton ball, apply it to your skin and continue with other products if desired. This (magical!) tea is especially good in soothing your skin. After a long day out at the beach, you can even use this to soothe your sunburned skin.

What? The containers are too BIG? And NO check-in bag?

Chill! You can simply grab a cute set of small bottles from the pharmacy or beauty stores (even DAISO!), fill them up with your cleansers and toners to save space.

Oh hey, FREE SAMPLES!

You know how sometimes you can get a whole bunch of free goodies from the beauty store? These samples are really handy when you’re jetting off somewhere. Even if you don’t get the samples once you enter the store, you can actually ask for them! I'm guilty of doing this a lot, and psst, a friendly face gets more samples than a sour one (yikes!). So, be at your most angelic manner when you buy beauty products!

Photo credits (from top to bottom): KNOBBYKNEEz, FoundryParkInn, Martin Phox