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Traveling in style: Part V, Makeup and grooming

By Meg | June 19, 2007

Other posts in the Traveling in Style series:

I envy my husband when it comes to traveling. He can get away with so many less toiletry items than me. If he forgets his shampoo, the stuff at the hotel will work fine on his short hair. Meanwhile, I have to bring moisturizer, makeup, makeup brushes, makeup remover, face wash, shampoo, conditioner, hair gel, uprise hair spray, spray conditioner … and the list goes on. O.k., I don’t “have” to bring any of it. I have been primitive camping before. I’m not always such a prima donna. However, I know that my hair is very picky because it is so fine. If I trust the hotel shampoo and leave the other products behind, I’m probably going to have a really bad hair day. Bad hair days do not make good trips. I also know that makeup doesn’t go on as well on dry skin and doesn’t always come off very well with just plain soap and water.

My advice? Don’t change your skincare or haircare routine while traveling. Exceptions would be adding more or less of a product depending on the climate. If you come visit me here in Florida, you might want to up your SPF and prepare to de-frizz your hair. In general, though, try everything out first at home. Don’t try new products out on the road if it isn’t necessary. Freebies in sample sizes can be great for traveling, but try them out at home first. You don’t want to be stuck on business travel when you discover that the new moisturizer that you are using smells sort of like rotten eggs. I mean it. Yesterday I tried a sample of a moisturizer with a bit of fake-tanning stuff in it. Yesterday it reeked. Tonight, I can still smell myself. Fortunately, I’ve been mostly at home yesterday and today, so it hasn’t mattered enough for me to take more drastic measures than showering.

Also, remember to take any items that you use during your beauty routine. If you use a hair dryer or curling iron or other such product, take it with you if you have the room. Sometimes hotels have hair dryers, but they usually are so basic that they are nearly useless for styling. Also, take any brushes or combs that you use. That includes makeup brushes, too. I actually keep an extra set of makeup brushes in my suitcase because they came in a travel case.

Don’t forget nail care, either. At the very least, you should carry a nail clipper and a nail file. If you plan to wear nail polish, consider bringing the bottle with you to touch up or redo the polish if necessary. Also, remember to bring at least a polish remover pen if you plan to do your polish on the go, but more preferably, bring a small container of nail polish remover in case you need to start over from scratch. If you plan to do your toes, remember to bring spacers to put between them. You can use wads of paper in an emergency, but it doesn’t work very well if you move. Of course, all the hassle is one reason why I now only wear clear nail polish (if any) on my fingernails while traveling since it’s easier to hide chipped polish if it’s clear.

Stay tuned, in the next part of Traveling in Style I’ll tell you my easy and cheap way of packing all your clothes and toiletries.

Meanwhile, are there any beauty products that you just can’t travel without?


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2 Responses to “Traveling in style: Part V, Makeup and grooming”

Allie Says:
June 30th, 2008 at 12:26 am

I like this post. Usually people tell you to pare down. However, I travel a lot and I can’t do that. I can fit everything into the tiny bag of doom, but I do have to transfer stuff or get samples of my favorites.

Meg Says:
June 30th, 2008 at 12:47 am

Thanks, Allie!

It’s a tough balance. Sometimes I’m jealous of my husband and how he packs for a week in a gym bag. I can’t do that — but then I really don’t want to, either. For me, half the reason for traveling is to have an excuse to dress up.

Last trip I did decide to just use hotel toiletries. Worked fine enough, but I’m not that picky about those things when it’s just for a few days. I still brought plenty of makeup and some skincare stuff, though.

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