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I am all about traveling. And I am all about having an effective skin care routine. And if you decide to go “off the grid” for two weeks in Sweden with a camper van, the effective travel skincare routine might require some planning.
At least when most of the available space is occupied with stuffed animals, other toys and food. (My family somehow has other priorities than I do apparently!)
Anyhow, in order to keep your skin looking its best with minimal product (and minimal effort, because we ARE on holiday after all), just packing all the travel size samples you have won´t cut it.
Good for you I just went through the whole planning process (pictures from our trip are saved on my Instagram here, if you are curious) and am ready to share my travel skincare routine.
Go watch this video here (you´ll find lots of other skincare tips on the channel as well) or just read on for the products I packed and how I build my skincare routine with them.
Psst: If you just want some general travel skincare tips, click here!
Cleansers
I never travel with less than two cleansers. That might seem excessive to some, but I feel the need to have a richer one that can easily break down the layer of sweat, dirt and SPF that builds up on your skin throughout the day and one that is more refreshing, either for a second cleanse or for the mornings.
Good thing I had handy travel sizes for both the Merumaya Melting Cleansing Balm, a gentle yet effective balm cleanser and the Murad Essential C Cleanser, a fresh and uplifting gel cleanser reviewed here. I admit I didn´t do a Double Cleanse every night (read here why it isn´t always a good idea), sometimes hours spend splashing around in the lake with the kids worked as first step, but it was great to have the option after for example a sweaty hike.
Both cleansers did struggle to remove my waterproof mascara though (Eyeko Black Magic Waterproof, that one really stays put!), so I bought a separate eye makeup remover, the Nivea Double Effect Eye Makeup Remover, for support.
Toner
Probably the step I could have skipped, but I do enjoy the extra layer of hydration so much I decided to bring my travel size pixi Rose Tonic for a quick pat of extra soothing and hydration. While I loved the product (reviewed here), I should probably have brought a face mist instead as some of the product ended up leaking into the cap when the bottle was upside down and spilled with opening. It didn´t leak into the travel bag, but I ended up wasting a bit of product that way.
Serum
I would never dream of traveling without a serum, they are the foundation of my routine, so I ended up packing three. At first the Bio-essence Hydra Tri-Action Aqua Droplet Sleeping Beauty Mask – the only one I decanted – because hydration is key, especially when you are out and about all day in the wind. This technically doubles as overnight sleeping mask, but sinks in so quickly I just whack it on morning or night. To get my antioxidant fix I packed the pixi Vitamin C Serum (again, sun all day long!) which not only contains a healthy dose of L-Ascorbic Acid, but also Ferulic Acid, Vitamin E and even Retinol (full review here). A bit of an all rounder, just like the last one I brought: Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair (reviewed here). This is the serum I reach for whenever I am not sure what my skin wants, and it always delivers – perfect for traveling.
Actives
You might want to skip the actives completely while away, but I am in the process of reintroducing retinol again after my eczema flare-up (read more here), so I didn´t want to stop and have to start over again. The Inkey List Retinol (full review here) contains a mixture of encapsulated retinol and granactive retinol and goes on my face three times a week right now. It served me well while away, and paired with sufficient (and liberally reapplied!) sunscreen I felt safe despite the long hours of sunlight.
Face Cream
As always the case once the temperatures start to rise, my sunscreen doubled up as daytime moisturizer. I use the ISDIN Fotoprotect Fusion Water, lightweight and barely noticeable, though not using the most modern filters. But again, the best sunscreen is the one you keep reapplying. For the evenings (and solely when I did not use my Retinol, I tend to leave my skin bare afterwards) I brought the pixi Vitamin C Cream, which is a tad richer than I normally like, but I figured the extra antioxidant power and the richer texture would be beneficial for my skin with me being outdoors all day.
Another product I took with me is The Inkey List Caffeine Serum, usually my morning eye cream, but suitable for the nights as well. It contains a blend of peptides, hydrating ingredients and caffeine and helps my eye area to look bright, awake and, most of all, depuffed while being perfectly packaged for traveling. Read more about it here.
Things I skipped
You might realize I did not bring any face masks, and I do suggest you follow my lead here: If you have a good, hard working serum, you really don´t need them at all, let alone for the few weeks of the year you are traveling.
And that is everything I packed – what would be in your travel skincare routine?
