Travel Bag Essentials

With January and February being the most depressing time of the year, many of us are looking for a quick getaway to sunnier and more relaxing climates. Whether you are grabbing a quick selection of stuff to stay at a friends for the weekend or jetting off across the continents, here are my travel bag essentials.

I will stress at this point, the amount you take is obviously adaptable. I aimed at this post as if going away for a long weekend in Europe. 

1. A review on this La Roche-Posay product is coming up this week so I won't say too much, but this is a great little tube to have if you are susceptible to odd breakouts which you need to keep under control. Whether you have sensitive skin or not this is a great clearing product which stops breakouts in their tracks. La Roche-Posay Effaclar A.I Targeted Breakout Corrector | £10.30

2. A slim, compact, battery powered tooth brush which fits into a funky cylindrical container and comes in a variety of designs with an additional brush head and batteries - is so ideal for on the go! The container not only looks stylish but keeps your toothbrush head from being contaminated amongst your other travel goodies. Violife Slim Sonic Tooth Brush (Pink) | £25.03

3. I have two cleansing products in my travel bag in this post, so this would be a non-essential for many. I normally like to cleanse twice, (you can see my AM cleansing routine here). I take my travel Darphin Intral Cleansing Milk which contains calming Chamomile and leaves your skin feeling comfortable and ready to go. This is a good travel size (50ml) which I brought in a travel kit, and helps to bring that little bit of luxury with you on your trip away - it's a product even the most sensitive skins will get on with and it smells great. Darphin Intral Cleansing Milk | 200ml | £27.00

4. It is a known fact our skin doesn't like to be dehydrated, it is also known that travel dehydrates the skin. If you can whilst you are soaking up the sun or enjoying the snow use a product such as a serum which contains the holy grail ingredient sodium hyaluronate (Hyaluronic Acid). This will penetrate deep through the layers of skin to give you the best shot at keeping your skin happy and full of moisture. This sample of Vinosource (Caudalie's Moisturising range) I received in a beauty box is ideal at 10ml. Caudalie Vinosource S.O.S. Thirst Quenching Serum | 30ml | £26.10

5. Not an essential, but nice to have is a good face mask which you can rely on if your face just isn't playing ball. One of my favourite travel sizes is the Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque | 75ml | £34.50

6. A good travel friendly brush is a must have. I love the Tangle Teezer and it's handbag friendly sizes. Tangle Teezer, Compact Styler | £11.99 

7. Whether you are staying at your fella's place, a best friends or even just had a long flight, no one likes bad breath. This is ideal for refreshing throughout the day or using the morning after the night before. Corsodyl Mint Alcohol Free Mouthwash | £4.65 (Full size, travel friendly sizes available in store.)

8. The Model Mirror, I think I first saw this in on of SWalkerMakeup's videos. This is such a great invention, available in plenty of designs you can have a thin, compact, quality light up mirror which gives you the perfect excuse to apply makeup on the go. I think a mirror like this is essential for traveling, or as an everyday handbag essential, you never know when you might need it.
Model Mirror Compact | £19.00

9. Moisturiser is a must have whether its just for your face or your body, a good quality cream is going to bring your sallow or travel tired skin back to life. This is also great if like me your skin is hyper sensitive and shows your tiredness from travelling.
I like to use this intensive Darphin Intral Soothing Cream | £40.00

10. A good wash cloth is ideal to travel with, whether to be used for removing the daily dirt and grime in combination with your cleanser or as a cold press for headaches, burns or scrapes. I love the Emma Hardie Wash Cloths for the duo of micro-fibre and muslin.
Emma Hardie Amazing Face Dual Action cloths | £8.00 

11. I forgot to include hand sanitiser in with the OPI Avojuice hand creams, but I think both are necessary for any handbag or travel kit. Applying hand cream can be quite therapeutic and also refreshing, not only for the skin but the mind. You can find out more about my hand care routine here.

12. My favourite way to get the hair out of my face. The Popband - you can read more here.

13. Revlon Lip Butters are for me the best way to ensure lips are left nourished and good colour pay off is achieved. My favourite is Strawberry Shortcake, and there are now even more shades available to the UK! You really can feel good and look great with these. Revlon Colour Burst Lip Butter | £5.00

14. Transporting your hair care regime can be a bit of a struggle when travelling. I can not compare dry shampoo with the feeling of freshly washed hair so I like to use samples when travelling. Sachets of shampoo and conditioner I was given at once upon a time at Boots, come in very useful when travelling - very handy if on a beach trip too! Bumble & Bumble Thickening range 

15. Emma Hardie Amazing face Moringa Balm - this cleanser is an absolute staple. Whether you love  or hate the hype surrounding this product, I have never stayed faithful to a cleanser for so long. This travel size which you can get with other Emma Hardie kits is worth keeping for traveling as you don't need much per application to get a good cleanse in. Again this product is mentioned throughout my blog, most recently on my Winter Mid-Week Indulgence post.

16. Travel size toothpaste, every man and women shouldn't be without this toiletry kit necessity. I love the dinky travel size tubes, and you can always throw away before you return home from your trip!

You are likely to have realised 1) I forgot the ever important deodorant and SPF products 2) If I can take samples, testers or travel sized products away with me I will.

I am that person in the line at the airport for security forcing the plethora of small sized cosmetics into my zip loc transparent bag to make them fit. You can take so much more with you if you think 'How much am I really going to use?' and take those newer sampler products you want to try out on your trip with you!

I hope you have enjoyed this super long post,
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