Travel Beauty Essentials
As I’m about to embark on three back-to-back trips to Toronto, Seattle and Palm Springs, packing for these trips can be tricky. Not to mention we’re talking about severely varying climates from dry, cold weather in Toronto, to damp, chilly-to-the-bone weather in Seattle and finally to dry desert heat in Palm Springs.
What’s even trickier than figuring out what to wear is how best to take care of your skin in such varying climates! Here’s a glimpse of the beauty products I’m taking with me in my carry-on - products that have been used by yours truly over the past couple of months and which I really like:
HAIR
Sometimes when you’re going back and forth between extreme temperatures, your hair acts out. I know mine does - so I’m bringing Aveda’s Damage Remedy. You use it on dry hair before you style it and it acts as a shield, protecting you from the elements as well as your everyday tools, like the flat iron or hair dryer. My hair will love me whether I'm in chilly Toronto, rainy Seattle or deserty Palm Springs.
MORNING SKIN
Over the last couple of months, every morning after my cleanser, I use three key products from the Skinceuticals line. First, I use the Phloretin CF antioxidant serum (yes it’s a mouthful, but a mouth full of goodness!). It’s a liquidy serum that contains phloretin, pure Vitamin C and ferulic acid - all of which fight free radicals and works on diminishing the appearance of skin discolouration, which I unfortunately have due to years of lying in the sun. It also protects the skin from the surrounding environment, be it pollution or heat. This is a really good product; my only wish would be for it to be thicker and not so watery. I then immediately apply the Metacell Renewal B3 daily emulsion. This is a super light formula - almost gel like, but even lighter - that addresses early signs of photoaging - again fighting the appearance of discolouration and blotchiness. What I love about this product is that it gives intense hydration without being heavy - so I can use it in Palm Springs without breaking a sweat! See what I did there? Lastly, I’ll finish off my routine with their Physical Fusion UV Defense SPF 50. It’s a tinted zinc oxide-based sunscreen that provides broad UVA/UVB protection and water resistant up to 40 minutes. The sunscreen contains translucent colour spheres that adapt to every skin tone! I often using this instead of adding foundation. Just apply it and go!
EVENING SKIN
At night, particularly in Toronto where the cold is very drying on the skin, special care is needed to keep the skin soft and supple. Here, I rely on three products from The Face Shop’s Chia Seed line. Good for normal or oily skin (I have a combination of both), the line is high in omega-3, proteins, antioxidants and minerals. It’s light and refreshing in texture and scent and it does an incredible job of keeping the skin moistened throughout the night. Immediately following my usual cleanser, I mist my face with the Chia Seed Soothing Mist Toner. This toner is so refreshing and not drying like many others - you can use it any time of day, actually. I’ll be bringing this along with me on my hikes in Palm Desert! I then apply the Chia Seed Hydrating Emulsion, a super light, hydrating emulsion that provides an intense hit of moisture. What I love about this product is that it is formulated without any parabens, animal-sourced ingredients, mineral oils, talc and paraffins. And lastly, on top of the emulsion, I seal in all the moisture with the Chia Seed No Shine Intense Hydrating Cream. Like you, I was wondering what ’no shine’ meant in a product like this. What they’ve done is included a mattifying cotton seed extract so you get intense hydration without the excess shininess that can normally lead to clogged pores. This formula also comes without those same additives that I described about the hydrating emulsion.
And there you have it - my travel beauty essentials for my upcoming two weeks of travel!
I'll be sharing my travel adventures on all my social feeds - particularly Instagram, Facebook and Twitter - so follow along!
xx,
C.
