3 Travel Skincare Tips For a Glow To Go
3 ways to get your skin together on-the-go
You guys. YOUUU GUYYYYS. Few things excite us more than traveling. Absolutely nothing compares to the feeling of waking up in a brand-new place on the first morning of vacation; bonus points if you need a travel dictionary to order your breakfast, especially if said breakfast is some kind of exotic pastry you can barely pronounce.
What you don’t want to wake up to, though? Angry red zits, dark circles, puffy eyes, and generally stressed-out skin. For skin that’s every bit as Insta-ready as your Airbnb’s magical tile-on-tile courtyard, it’s important to pay extra attention to your skincare while traveling. Since the Masktini team has a wicked case of wanderlust AND a well-documented complexion obsession, we thought we’d throw together our top three travel skincare tips.
1. Be a Girl Scout
Bear with us, but the first of our travel skincare tips has nothing to do with your face—on the surface, at least. But we’ve all experienced the effect stress can have on the skin; it can cause every single one of the complexion issues mentioned above, in fact! And, even if you’re a seasoned jet setter, travel is full of anxiety-inducing triggers: new places, new foods, complex timetables, missed connections, language barriers and more.
That’s why one of the best things you can do to ensure clear, radiant skin on vacation is simply to be prepared! Use an app like TripIt to keep track of all your travel deets, from digital copies of key documents to flight, hotel, shuttle and restaurant reservations you can sync to your calendar. Don’t wait until the last minute to start packing; this increases your chances of over-packing and still leaving something critical at home. Use a packing app like PackPoint to make sure it all gets into your cute, well-organized suitcase and carry-on. Wear something that’s both cute and comfy, pack healthy snacks...and by all means, be early for your flight.
2. Take Care in the Air
Plane travel is a necessary evil to get where we’re going, but it can also get your #vacayface off to a lackluster start. That’s why the second most important of our travel skincare tips involves your in-flight skincare routine. And, while you don’t want to be that girl who terrifies the toddler across the aisle by sheet-masking at 30,000 feet—you DO want to take a few basic steps to ensure your skincare while traveling is top flight.
The first key is moisture; the average humidity in most airline cabins is less than 20%, which is arider than the Sahara Desert! You might want to apply a heavier moisturizer (whatever you use during the winter) prior to boarding, and be sure to pack Masktini's Woke Bae Whenever Moisture Spritz in your flight bag for pick-me-ups along the way. Keep your makeup light. And by all means, don’t skip the sunscreen! The flight crew is twice as likely to be stricken with melanoma and other skin cancers—so your skincare or cosmetics should be at least SPF20.
PRO TIP: Two things you should have in your flight bag that won’t take up precious 311 real-estate: a really great lip balm, and some road-tested facial wipes. We swear by C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve and Ursa Major Essential Face Wipes; the latter come in slim single packets.
3. Nail Your Essentials
When considering skincare while traveling, pack for your destination—exactly like you did with your clothing. You’ll want lighter products for hot/humid climates, and heavier products for cold/dry destinations. Now, everybody’s got their own idea of what’s “essential,” especially with regards to skincare. But if your regular regimen clocks in at eight steps, you might consider paring back to four or five for your trip. Wondering what to dump? Weekly treatments, toners, serums, and peels should be at the top of your nix-list, in that order.
That said, you’re going on vacation! What if your hotel room has THE most amazing bathtub and a matching bathrobe/slipper set—perfect for swanning around in a luxe treatment, like our Masktini's Metal Head Gold Brightening Mask? That’s why the most important of our travel skin care tips may be this: do your best to balance simplicity and self-care. You need not bring every potion in your arsenal, but it won’t hurt to toss in your favorite...even if it’s not a MUST.
Finally, when you’re choosing your skincare while traveling essentials, let’s refer back to tip #1 for a sec, cadets. Are you prone to breakouts under stress, or in humidity? Have you reacted to hard water or hotel sheets in the past? Nobody knows you better than you, so let’s be extra prepared and be sure to pack any rescue treatments you can’t live without at home.
PRO TIP: If you use department store skincare or cosmetics (especially if you’re a regular at a particular counter), many brands offer deluxe samples that are the perfect size for a weekend getaway! Your regular foundation or moisturizer is even better in an adorable little glass pot.
Taking a trip—and taking your favorite Masktini products along for the ride? Don’t forget to tag us @masktini / #masktini with all your tantalizing #travelgrams!