7 Tips for Building a Travel-Friendly Skincare Routine

I recently took a two week trip to Portugal, and I had a severe case of packing anxiety before I left. What outfits should I bring? Which jeans? Do I have enough tops that will keep me cool and at the same time survive any excessive sweating that might occur? Which shoes will keep me from slipping up and down the hills of Lisbon? And also, how on earth do I choose which skincare products will go with me? Thankfully, on the day of my departure, I was able to reach a point of lucidity and put together a travel-friendly skincare routine that served me wonderfully over the course of the trip. Here are some tips to help you do the same, and hopefully save you some stress in the process!

1. Be sure you have a toiletry bag.

This turned out to be a lifesaver! On my previous trip to Budapest, I had tried to cram all of my toiletries into a quart size ziplock bag. (TSA rules state that all of your liquids in carry on luggage must be stored in a clear, quart size bag.) This turned out to be an absolutely terrible idea. It was hard to get the top closed, and I wasn’t able to fit much in at all. I swore to myself I would never again go through that frustration! Getting a proper bag with a zipper allows you to fit much more, which brings me to my next tip:

2. Try to pack mainly travel-sized items.

Your containers can’t be above 3.4 fluid ounces anyway, but it is best to shoot for smaller if you can. Save those sample sizes of products that you get with orders; these will come in handy for your travels!

3. When in doubt, decant.

Is there a product that you reeaally want to take, but can’t due to its audaciously large packaging? (The nerve!) Save containers from your products that come in smaller sizes, and decant your toner, moisturizer, or whatever it may be! But make sure that its new home is actually suitable for the product (don’t put a liquid toner in a screw top pot, for example.) Alternatively, you can find small containers in stores like Target or Walmart, and on Amazon. Personally I prefer the first option, as it is more eco-friendly to reuse containers that I’ve already purchased.

4. Be strategic with how you pack.

Oftentimes airports require you to remove your toiletry bag before it passes through the scanner, so be sure not to bury it in your suitcase. Additionally, you want to make sure that you have easy access to any skincare products that you want to use while on the plane. Let me tell you, your lips are going to be crazy dry, and you do not want your lip balm stuffed away somewhere that is impossible to get to. Your lip balm and any other products that you want to use need to be in an easy to reach, outside pocket for your hydration emergencies. (And believe me, you will have them.)

5. Oil blotting papers are your best friend!

Oil blotting papers are one of the ultimate travel-friendly skincare accessories. Undoubtedly your skin is going to look super shiny after a long day of waiting in the airport/flying. These will make your face look at least a little more presentable without you having to wash your face and go through the whole process of applying skincare again in an airport bathroom. (Because it’s crowded and gross in there. Just…no.)

6. Bring a travel-friendly cleanser that is in powder or bar form.

If you pack a cleanser that is a powder or bar, you don’t have to include it with the other liquids in your toiletry bag. This gives you extra room for packing or bringing new products home from your destination!

7. Consider the weather/climate of your destination.

Will you be traveling to a destination that is hot and humid? Be sure to pack lighter products that won’t weigh your skin down. Will it be cold and windy? Take products that will protect your skin from the elements! In Portugal I knew it would be warmer (plus I wasn’t going to have AC!) so I knew that I needed to bring products that would calm my skin and help with inflammation. Heat can cause skin to become inflamed and red, so I was sure to pack a soothing mist and toner that would help with those issues.

Last of all: try not to stress about it! It’ll get easier the more you do it! Now that I’ve been able to successfully pack a travel-friendly skincare routine for my travels, I feel much better about doing it in the future! I’ve included a full list of the products that I used below. Happy travels my friends!

Products Used:

Cleanser– Tosowoong Enzyme Powder Wash (see my full review here) / Purchased through Amazon

Toner (not pictured)- The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution (decanted into a smaller container) / Purchased through The Ordinary

Mist– Avène Thermal Spring Water / Purchased through Amazon

Moisturizing Toner– Origins Mega Mushroom Relief and Resilience Soothing Treatment Lotion / Received as sample (travel-friendly size, yay!

Vitamin C (not pictured)- L’Oréal Revitalift 10% Pure Vitamin C Concentrate / Purchased at Target store

Eye Creams– Glossier Bubblewrap Eye+Lip Plumping Cream (Daytime, full review here) RoC Retinol Correxion Eye Cream (Night) / Purchased through Glossier and Amazon, respectively

Moisturizer– iUNIK Centella Calming Gel Cream (a short review in this post) / Purchased through YesStyle

Sunscreen– Bioré UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence (full review here) / Purchased through Amazon

Lip Mask– Laneige Special Care Lip Sleeping Mask (full review here) / Purchased through YesStyle

Lip Balm– Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm / Purchased at Target store