By the time this blog post will be live I will be 30,000 ft in the air heading to Copenhagen woohooo!!! It’s a place that has been on my list to visit for years now and finally I have managed to book a long weekend away there. I absolutely adore Scandinavian design and love the serene nature of the nordics and I am so excited to experience Denmark for the first time in the flesh. Due to the nature of my blog I thought it made sense for me to show you the essential beauty products that I am taking away with me on this trip. I’m going to travel as light as possible and only flying with hand luggage so everything needs to be easily portable, compact, light and of course under 100ml to follow airport regulations. However even when faced with these strict limitations I still always take 2 makeup bags with me when I travel, one for skincare/bodycare and the other for makeup!
Skincare
Makeup Remover – as I am only away for 4 days I didn’t want to take my usual combination of muslin cloths and a product with me and deemed wipes to be much more practical under the circumstance! This is really not the best idea for your skin as they usually contain lots of harsh chemicals but these ones from Natracare are certified organic and only contain natural ingredients so on balance they seem like the most sensible option for this trip.
Cleanser – I got a free trial skincare kit when I bought some products at the Honest Beauty shop during my road trip across California. This kit included a gel cleanser that so far I have only tried a couple of times but so far so good. I quite like it as it seems to be a gentle and effective cleanser that doesn’t dry out the skin. It also smells quite nice too.
Toner – I wanted to take a spray toner with me as I always find them more practical as you don’t need to take cotton pads with you too but all my spray toners are in a glass bottle and are just way too heavy for this little expedition. So this time I have opted for the Grown Alchemist toner which I have already half finished and I’ll just have to squeeze the pads into my bag somehow. I pour some onto a cotton pad and swipe it across my face to refresh and hydrate my skin. It has a lovely mild scent of rose and a beautiful mix of hydrating and soothing ingredients.
Eye Cream – this product is completely new to me as I haven’t tried it at all yet. It’s part of an Odacite discovery kit I bought in Detox Market in America. The kit included 7 different products which are meant to last 10 days (you can see a picture of the kit on my haul post here). I have previously tried some of their serums (review here) and really loved them so I wanted to test a different product to see if I will like it as much as i did the serums. I don’t think the kit is sold in Europe yet unfortunately as I wasn’t able to find it anywhere so I think it needs to be ordered from the US. The ingredient list seems pretty good and all the reviews I read were positive. I have quite a dehydrated eye area so I hope it will help smooth fine lines while boosting hydration.
Serum – This Grown Alchemist Antioxidant serum is already part of my morning skincare routine and really like it. I have done a full review of it here if you missed it. I only have few ml left but I think it will be enough for 4 days but even if I run out I am sure my skin will just about manage a day in such extreme conditions^^
Moisturiser – This hydrating day cream size is the perfect size and shape for travelling….not to mention that it is contained within the most lovely packaging ever. I am a sucker for all of Grown Alchemist’s packaging as I just love it! I tried this cream for the first time just before writing this post as I wanted to make sure my makeup sits well over it before taking it away with me. My first impression is that it smells amazing and doesn’t leave my face sticky like a lot of other natural moisturisers I have tried. I also really like the fact that it leaves my skin with a wonderful matte finish.
Lip Balm – Once again I have chosen another Grown Alchemist product to take away with me, this time it’s the Watermelon and Vanilla lip balm. I have to admit that the main driving force behind this decision was that the combination of all these products together was so enticing that I couldn’t leave this one behind on its own! They all look so cute together and I am always easily swayed by nice packaging. I should be more serious and sensible in my choices but sometimes aesthetics just wins! Also just hearing the name of this lip balm bowls me over, a product that contains and smells of my favorite summer fruit Watermelon will always have me sold before I even test it. We will now see if it manages to hydrate my dry chapped lips well or if i have been duped by a lovely smell and nice packaging!
Bodycare
Body Wash – this was the only product I didn’t have in a travel size so I basically poured some of Ila Body Wash in an empty muji bottle. These Muji bottles are always so handy if you don’t have any minis.
Body Oil – I have done a full review of some of my favorite body oils here, the only one I had in a travel size was the Weleda so I threw it straight into my bag^^
Deodorant – Salt Of Earth, this was the only travel size deodorant I could find in Whole foods so I have no idea if it’s any good or not! Hopefully I’ll have a good surprise when I am there and not big white underarm patches or even worse a big red rash!
Perfume – All my perfume bottles are huge so I always pour some into a small travel size perfume atomiser spray bottle. It’s so practical!! The one I take is my beloved Chanel Coco Mademoiselle which have been obsessed with for so many years!! What a shocker, a Parisienne liking Chanel! I bet you never would have guessed that.
Hair
I’m not planning to take any hair products for the weekend, my hair doesn’t really get very greasy so in trying to keep my luggage as light as possible I will forgot shampoo and conditioner in place of the other products I think are more desperately needed. I also rarely ever use hairspray or any styling products so there’s another great place to save on weight. However I did receive a hair serum in the Alice&White beauty box a few days ago (post here) so I might take it with me to test it out.
Makeup
For the makeup I will once again only be taking the strict minimum. I have done a full post with all the products I have been using lately and it still pretty much the same apart from a couple of changes. I currently use the Honest Beauty tinted moisturiser to unify my skintone and the concealer to hide my dark circles that seems to get more purple everyday (I really need to start sleeping before midnight ^^). Autumn means my pale skin is back, happy days, so the Benefit bronzer is my life saver when it comes to achieving a natural looking tan. I then just add a bit of Nars blush on my cheeks and that’s as much as I do for my complexion! For my eyes I use the mascara from April which gives so much volume, it’s definitely secured its place as an absolute favourite of mine! On my upper waterline I use a Kohl from Bourgeois and for my eyebrows I love Benefit’s Gimme Brow which is perfection. I think it might soon replace my all time love, Anastasia Beverly Hill Brow wiz. Voila, that’s literally it as I like to keep things really simple when it comes to makeup!
In addition to these beauty products I always make a music playlist as an antidote to the often long boring waiting times that you experience in airports. I also take a magazine/book and an extra battery in case I fancy snapchatting my trip! (follow me on Snapchat @ohmyskin if you want to have a look at the beauty of Copenhagen). Oh and finally I almost forgot to mention my last little tip is that I always take one last essential (literally) in the form of some peppermint essential oil because I get terrible travel sickness and I find that gently sniffing this is a great way of keeping it at bay!
