Beauty Travel Essentials for a Warm Weather Getaway

Part of the fun of planning a warm weather getaway, beside the trip itself, is choosing beauty essentials to take along.   I love to pull out my favorite summer bronzer, decide on a few great lip colors, maybe a light new scent, or a lovely shimmering body bronzer to give my mid winter pale skin a boost when traveling in the winter months.

In spite of my love for makeup, and propensity to over pack,  I like to keep my travel skin care essentials simple. When we travel–I don’t want to spend all my time putting on makeup, or checking to make sure it’s still looking good. Nor do I want to do elaborate skin care regimens while traveling. When traveling to the south, you may worry about your makeup’s staying power; you can read about how I melt proof my make up here.

Beauty Travel Essentials:

1.  Check to see if your favorite brand sells mini sizes.   I was able to purchase my whole skin care in travel size. Be sure to check out Sephora, Target and Ulta or go to the company website like I did to see if you can get a sample kit or travel size makeup and skin care to tuck into your suit case or handbag.
2. Look for makeup palettes that do double duty.  I love all in one makeup palettes that I can use to create several looks and I only have to pack one and I’m set to go.
3. I always pack my beauty products in plastic bags to prevent spills getting into the rest of my makeup.
4. I pack delicate products in my carry on to avoid damage.
5. Look for skin care that does double duty.  I love CC creams with sun screen that are easy to pack and reduce the number of items you need to take along.
6. Don’t forget to bring touch up powder with SPF.  I use it frequently to reapply my sun screen when I am out and about, I keep it in my purse all the time.
7. Don’t forget to pack aloe, bug spray and Benadryl in case you get a bug bite!

Travel Skin Care Tips

Looking for travel sized skin care that keeps your skincare routine as close to “normal” as possible is so important, especially if you have sensitive skin. Making sure you use your usual face wash and skin care products really help and doesn’t take up much space when packing.

Travel skincare can be tricky especially on planes. I will often take a sheet mask packed with hyaluronic acid to add moisture back into my skin when I get settled into my hotel room. (I am not a fan of doing my skin care routine on the flight) This is one of my favorite travel tips. Sheet masks take up so little room in your suit case and are one of those inexpensive care products that keep our beauty routines in tact. Plus it’s a great way to pamper yourself after a busy day of sight seeing. Spritzing your skin with a light moisturizer is also really helpful when traveling. Misting your skin can help improve hydration and revive your makeup.

I also like to make sure I carry my makeup in my hand bag when traveling so I have it handy and can touch up as needed. One of the things I often forget is makeup remover, in recent years I can’t be without it as most facial cleanser does not remove makeup as well, and the last thing you want to have happen in your face to break out, of course your skin’s reaction to travel and jet lag depends on your skin type.

Nail care when traveling:

My finger nails often take a beating when traveling so I make sure to pack a little repair kit so I can file or touch up my mani/pedi should something go wrong. I often wear matching colors on all my nails to reduce nail polishes I bring along. I make sure I keep a nail file and some lotion in my purse so I can file any rough edges before they become a problem. I like keeping lotion handy especially when I am using lots of hand sanitizer and washing my hands a lot. A small lotion also keeps dry cuticles hydrated so your manicure looks fresh longer.

Makeup essentials for travel:

1. Finding the right travel makeup bag is so important! I have tried several, and find the kind that hang on a door to be super useful, especially when you are sharing a bathroom or are using a small guest bathroom where there is no place to put your toiletries. (I once shared a hotel room with a woman I didn’t know and came to the room to find she had displayed her cosmetics in the bathroom and in front of the extra vanity in the room! She had sooo much stuff! It was really inconsiderate, but because I had my over the door style makeup bag, I was able to find a spot to keep my things.
2. I make sure to bring travel makeup brushes. Nothing is worse than packing great make up and having nothing to apply it with. A few years ago, I upgraded my makeup brushes and got a travel kit to keep them nice while traveling. If you want to carry your favorites be sure to look for a makeup artist’s roll for brushes.
3. Bronzer can be used for eye shadow as well as giving you a kissed with the sun look. I love minimizing my makeup when we travel. Its fun to see if you can create a look using just a few items. Check out my YouTube video here
4. Lipsticks can be used as blushers to give you a healthy flush.
5. Waterproof mascara and eye liners are great, especially for days at amusement parks and at the beach.

Travel hair care:

1. Scrunchies, hair bands and scarves are great to cover a bad hair day. I also take along a faux pony tail to add a little volume and create a polished look.
2. If you are a user of dry shampoo, don’t forget to pop it in your bag to stretch between washings.
3. Take sample packets of your favorite hair care products to save space. I collect sample packets through the year just for travel.

I hope these tips and reminders will help you pack for your next trip and I hope you have the best travels ever! We are certainly looking forward to getting out and about more! Shop a few of my favorites here:

A few additional posts on travel and packing:

Some of my favorite items to pack are found in my blog post called Warm Weather Travel Essentials for Women 50+

Business to Travel Capsule Wardrobe

Cute and Chic Travel Outfits

This post was updated April 6 2021