Why Don’t You… Pack the Perfect Toiletry Bag?

16 Dec Why Don’t You… Pack the Perfect Toiletry Bag?

‘Why Don’t You’ is my weekly tribute to legendary editor Diana Vreeland who penned a column of the same name for Harper’s Bazaar for 26 years begging, “Don’t just be your ordinary dull self. Why don’t you be ingenious and make yourself into something else?”

The holiday season is in full swing and by now you’ve probably solidified your travel plans. Are you heading back home, like I am? Or maybe you’re taking a vacation with the girls? Wherever you’re headed, you don’t want to reach your destination and discover that you forgot to pack an important part of your beauty routine.

So I asked Lyndsay Green, founder of Beauty Atlas Magazine, an award-winning destination guide for beauty enthusiasts to take us inside her toiletry bag and offer tips for traveling with all of our products.

First things first, what should we keep in our travel bag?

I tend to go through a mental, head-to-toe checklist before every trip:

Conditioner (I’ll often co-wash to save space in my toiletry bag when I travel) ✔; curl cream (or whatever styling product you use) ✔; hair accessories (clips, pins, and scarves are always great to keep on hand when you’re on-the-go—especially if you’re traveling to a place that’s particularly humid) ✔; moisturizer ✔; lip balm ✔; deodorant ✔; body oil or crème ✔; perfume ✔; as well as nail polish/polish remover ✔ and ✔.

I also often tuck a sheet mask into my carry-on for long flights for a moisture-surge while I’m up in the air.

What are your favorite beauty products to pack?

The conditioner in my toiletry bag at the moment is Macadamia Sun & Surf Conditioner. It’s rich, detangles my curls easily, and leaves my hair soft and frizz-free. I always pack coconut oil—it duals as a styling product and body oil.

My skin is not the same without Restorsea Reviving Cleanser. The brand infuses an enzyme from salmon eggs that sloughs away dead skin cells without an irritating or drying effect.

Herbivore Botanicals makes a Lapis Facial Oil Roller that I never travel without. The beautiful glass bottle conceals a blue oil that soothes irritation. Plus, it fits in the palm of my hand! I often forget to drink tons of water when I travel.

If I’m even slightest bit dehydrated, my lips shrivel like raisins! Nuxe Ultra-Nourishing Lip Balm Rêve de Miel keeps my lips hydrated—even if I’m not. At least until I can get my hands on a big bottle of water.

I picked up a deodorant ball in China Town here in Chicago. It’s perfect for tossing into my travel bag.

And finally, Polish model Anja Rubik’s Original by Anja Rubik Eau de Parfum is my perfume of choice. It’s got notes of white lily, green tea, and amber and is light enough for any occasion. (But if I’m traveling with my husband, I sneak a dab of his Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille Conditioning Beard Oil behind my ears and along my collarbone. I prefer masculine scents and Tobacco Vanille is my absolute favorite fragrance for night or a special occasion.)

How do you care for your skin before or after a trip? 

Every Monday, I apply a face mask of some sort. Post-travel, I’ll opt for a mask according to my skin’s need. If I’ve traveled to a cold-weather location or find that dry flights have zapped the moisture out of my skin, I go for a hydrating and brightening treatment. If I’m feeling a bit oily or notice a breakout from the change in climate or water, I’ll apply a clarifying mask. And to refresh the rest of my body, I always exfoliate with a coffee scrub (Frank Body Coconut Coffee Scrub is my fave) or salicylic acid body wash.

When we travel, what sort of beauty souvenir should we bring back? 

It depends on what region you’re in. I’m a skin care fanatic and I must confess, I’ve never been to the Korea—the skin care mecca! But, if I were ever in the area, or just about any region in East Asia, I’d load up on face masks, cleansers, and any cool beauty innovations that I find. In Europe, always bring back a new fragrance! European fragrance boutiques are so luxe, you’ll feel like royalty simply spritzing testers. In Latin America, the Caribbean, or Africa, I love to collect botanic oils sold in outdoor markets. Spices and herbs also make great ingredients for DIY treatments.

How do you pack your toiletries? 

I leave my travel toiletries in a special toiletry bag that stays in my suitcase. My fragrances are always tucked into an inside pocket and cotton swabs stay in the outside pocket for easy access.

Last question, do you prefer to roll or fold your clothing?

Fold! I find that I save more space by simply folding my clothes in half and laying them flat in my luggage—shirts and dresses on one side, pants and skirts on the other. (But I roll my undies and zip those into a pocket.)

You can read Beauty Atlas here and follow along on the global adventures on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.