Hey y’all! Welcome back to my blog. I am headed to Denver with my boyfriend for a week of good food, good beer, and some skiing. If you have ever been to Denver you know it’s an amazing city with a lot to offer, but the air there is very dry and cold right now which can be rough on the skin. My boyfriend lived out there for a few months this past summer for work and I got the opportunity to spend some time there with him. When I went I forgot to bring lotion and I was so dried out and crusty that I will never make that same mistake again!
This time my skincare bag is loaded up with all kinds of hydrating and soothing products to ensure my skin is comfortable. So I thought this would be the perfect time to share with you guys what skincare I pack with me when I am traveling during the winter. I would love to know some of your favorite winter skincare products or what products you love to travel with so let me know!
Cleansers
Alright, let’s start off with cleansers since this is the first step in my routine. Of course, I packed two cleansers because you know… dual cleansing. The first cleanser I use to remove my makeup is the Boscia Makeup Breakup Cool Cleansing Oil. This is one of my favorite products to remove my makeup with because it just melts everything off and since it’s an oil it feels great on my dry skin. I don’t use the product around my eyes because it can make my vision blurry. It is available in a travel size, which is super convenient!
The next cleanser I brought with me is the Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser which I use in the morning and at night after cleansing off my makeup. This is a great winter time cleanser because it’s so gentle and soothing to the skin. It has avocado oil, apricot oil, and squalene- all ingredients that help to hydrate, brighten, and restore the skin’s natural moisture barrier. I also brought along my Clarisonic to use with this cleanser for my nighttime routine.
Serums/Toners
A good serum is essential for treating dry skin! I definitely don’t skimp on this step when I am traveling. I have a few different products I brought with me for daytime and nighttime so bear with me. Let’s start with what I use during the day! I ALWAYS use a vitamin c serum in the morning before applying my moisturizer. Vitamin C is kind of a do-it-all product; it helps to hydrate, brighten, tighten, and smooth. I love the radiance I get after applying it and it gives a good base for the rest of my products. My all-time favorite vitamin c serum is the Ole Henriksen Truth Serum. This has been a staple in my routine for almost 5 years now and I can notice such a big difference in my skin when I am using it. It also comes in a mini size that makes traveling with it a breeze.
My nighttime serum is another all-time favorite of mine. The Drunk Elephant T.L.C Frambroos Glycolic Night Serum. This is a chemical exfoliant that is going to help keep my skin nice and smooth. This product is a 12% AHA/BHA serum with several great acids in it. If you’ve never used acid on your skin, it gives it a nice burn or tingle so first-time users definitely need to start off slow with it. I use it every other night so as to not over exfoliate. This product also comes in a travel size set!
The last serum I packed is a new favorite of mine that I use both day and night. It is the Rodan and Fields Active Hydration Serum and I use it after I have cleansed and toned my face and before my serums and moisturizers. So it’s basically an essence, which is a product that helps to soften the skin for better absorption of your other products and this one has the added benefit of MAX hydration. Seriously you guys, this stuff feels fricken amazing on the skin and really amps up the hydration. It has hyaluronic acid in it which is great for maintaining moisture in your skin all day and it has glycerin, which is an amazing ingredient to prep skin for makeup. You need to check this one out!
Last but certainly not least is toner. A toner is going to help to balance your skin’s PH, along with other benefits depending on which one you’re using. For this trip, I decided to go with one of my facial mist toners by Mario Badescu. I love a spray toner for dry skin and it’s a two-for-one product because I use it to set and refresh my makeup as well. I picked up the spray that has aloe, lavender, and chamomile because those ingredients will help to soothe my chapped skin after a day spent outside. Yet again, this product comes in travel sizes which not only makes it convenient for packing, but I can toss it in my purse to use throughout the day as well.
Moisturizer/SPF
Obviously, in cold weather (and every weather) moisturizer is absolutely necessary. I will say my moisturizers don’t really change up season-to-season, I just add in some oils. My daily moisturizer is the same as it has been the Image Daily Matte Moisturizer SPF 32. I still like the matte version even during the winter because it preps my skin so nicely for makeup application. My nighttime moisturizer does change pretty often, but that’s because I haven’t found one I totally love yet. Currently, I am using the Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Dream Night Cream. This is a new product to their line and is a lightweight, whipped cream that hydrates, boosts radiance and provides antioxidant protection. So far so good! I’ve really been enjoying it so fingers crossed it keeps impressing me.
In the winter I add in oils to my night creams. This is another product I have a few favorites of but what I’m currently using, and have gone through several bottles of over the years, is the Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Facial Oil. A few drops of this mixed into my night cream seals in the moisture and I wake up with beautifully hydrated skin.
Of course, even in the winter, I wear SPF EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. We will be spending a good amount of time outdoors while we’re in Denver from walking around the city to skiing out in the mountains. The sunscreen I’ve been loving for my face during the winter months is the Rodan and Fields Soothe Mineral Sunscreen with SPF 30. It is so comforting to my dry, chapped skin and is totally not heavy or greasy. It is specifically designed for sensitive skin and to treat redness, so this product is great for a lot of different skin types!
Masks/Treatments
Yes, I do bring masks and other treatment products with me when I travel. Some may call it high maintenance I call it a necessity.
When I am traveling sheet masks are essential to keeping my skin hydrated, especially during the cold months. There’s nothing better than coming in from a long day skiing in the cold and using an ultra-hydrating sheet mask to bring life back to my skin. My favorite sheet masks are any from the Dr. Jart skincare line. The specific one I brought with me on this trip is a couple of the Dr. Jart Ceramidan facial mask. This is one of the best hydrating masks I have ever used for sensitive skin. When my skin is dry, chapped and irritated this is what I reach for.
Another mask I bring along on pretty much all my travels is an under eye sheet mask. I have very dry under eyes and the eye masks help to bring hydration and brightness to the under eye area (are you noticing a theme in all these products?) Actually, as I type this on our very early flight I have eye masks on so when we arrive in Denver I look bright-eyed and not like I barely got any sleep. I have a few different favorites for eye masks, but this time I brought with me the Boscia Sake Brightening eye masks. I love to pop them on while I do my eyeshadow to prep my under eye for concealer and such.
Lip Products
Okay, I swear this is the last category of products and I only have two products to talk about. The chapstick I brought with me to use during the day and while out on the mountain is the Blistex Medicated Balm with SPF 15. It’s a great cheap balm to keep my lips protected and moisturized.
The very last product I have to talk about is what I use on my lips at night to repair and treat. The last 9 months or so I have been obsessed with the Rodan and Fields Redefine Lip Serum. This stuff feels incredible on your lips, like liquid silk, and really works to smooth and hydrate. I try to use half a capsule each night to prolong the product’s life.
SOO I know, that was a lot. But traveling really does a number on my skin and I like to be as prepared as possible. My routine is pretty much the exact same for every season, just some of the products change depending on what my skin needs. I hope this post can give you some good ideas on hydrating products when you’re traveling! I will be back next Tuesday with a video. Please let me know what you’d like to see and I am more than happy to do that for you. Share this post so your friends can get in on the goods! Thanks y’all, until next time!
xoxo,
Elizabeth
ps have you seen my latest video? Warm, smokey eye tutorial using the Jaclyn Hill x Morphe Palette.
