What's my "travel" skincare products?

​Lately, I've not been well. If you don't know I have a lot of health issues and I'm no stranger to the hospital. So it's been a rough go the last few weeks and I've been away from home a few times. However, no matter what I still do my skincare steps. That's the one thing that's in my overnight bag that I stress over the most and spend the most time on is packing my skincare travel pouch. So I thought it would be a good blog post to discuss what I travel with and why and some tips that I have from experience over the years.

So first up let's talk about the bag that holds my skincare. I got it from a rewards perk on Sephora. It's a wristlet but it's nice and long and more spacious. It can hold so much and it's very sturdy. Also, speaking of rewards perks, I get most of my travel products from promo codes for deluxe samples and sometimes rewards perks. Most of it is honestly promo codes that you get with a $25 purchase or sometimes more. Around the holidays they do a whole gift bag of deluxe samples actually. So I always wait to buy something I've wanted for a while or to restock a product until there is a really good promo code out. That's my biggest tip. Always look for promos in the Sephora emails and in the Beauty Offers section.

What I never change out of the skincare bag is my Foreo. It's the cleansing device that I travel with. At home I use a Clarisonic but it's very bulky and a Foreo is just easier. The other thing that never changes is my cleanser. I always have a sample of Korres Greek Yoghurt Foaming Cream Cleanser. I just like it the best because it gives me that "freshly clean" feeling. I also bring my own micro fiber face cloth as well.

Moving along. As you know I love my skincare routine and I love my steps. I love putting my routine together and it relaxes me doing my skincare steps. It's my personal time. So my travel bag still has the steps that I love which is:

Cleanser, Hydrating Toner, Acid Exfoliation, Hyaluronic Acid, Vitamin C, Eye Serum, Retinol, Facial Oil, Lip balm, Moisturizer. 

Now some of the products I use in the morning routine and some are just in the night routine. I also bring a Onyx Roller and a healing balm of some sort just in case I have a skin dilemma or reaction. Better to be prepared than not. 

My hydrating toner/essence lately has been Mamonde Rose Water Toner. This is a new product for me but it's the perfect size (25 ml) and it came in the Allure Box this month. I bring a few facial cotton pads to use with it.  I've also been using the Elemis Lavender Toner that is a balancing and purifying toner that hydrates and soothes.

My acid exfoliator is usually a liquid like the Tarte Knockout mini or the little promo that is 10 ml. The P50 toner also has a travel size. I've been using the Good Genes Lactic Acid Treatment in the .5 oz this week though. 

My HA serum is the Drunk Elephant B-Hydra from their "Littles" set. It's my tried and true. The products I travel with are the ones that are the least problematic.

The Vitamin C is usually from Drunk Elephant. It's the C Firma which is my soul mate of Vitamin C.  I have one from Biossance in there right now. Speaking of Drunk Elephant I always have Protini in my bag. I can't live without it. 

I don't always use eye serums/creams but I do when I'm sick because I need all the help I can get. I've been using the Georgette Klinger Marula Eye Cream lately and it's been the perfect consistency.

I bring a retinol product with me all the time. Whether that's the Luna Facial oil from Sunday Riley or their new A+ Retinoid Serum which I have in a deluxe sample. 

Facial oil is the one product I refuse to go without. Even if I was going to do a quick and easy routine a facial oil would be in there no matter what. I actually placed two orders with Sephora in the matter of a few weeks to get a few samples of the Youth To The People Superberry Oil (I'm not putting the entire name in). It's the perfect size. It's a light weight oil and I really enjoy it. Aside from that oil, I use Good Molecules Facial Oil. It's in a really good size for travel as well.

I bring a face cream that's light weight usually. I don't really pack a "water cream" I prefer a proper cream. My favorite is the Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Cream. I have it in a promo size of course but they offer it in a travel size for $15 for 15 ml. The other one I pack is a good balancing moisturizer so it works for my skin no matter what my skin is like and it's the Korres Pomegranate Balancing Cream-Gel Moisturiser. It doesn't feel like a gel cream to me at all it just feels like a thinner cream that absorbs quickly into the skin and doesn't feel tacky or like a barrier over the face. 
My lip balm is usually Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask. I have several of these in the tiny pots and it's nice and thick. I also really like Beth Collins MD Lemon lip balm. It's also super thick.

So that's my travel bag and how I use the deluxe samples that I get in Allure Boxes or gifts with purchase. It is a lot of products and a lot of steps but I don't mind.