If you've read my previous post, you'll know that I've been away on holiday recently. What I didn't mention though was that this involved me taking my first ever flight.
Being a typical 'girly' girl, I felt some nervousness when it came to the flying itself, though I must admit that my main cause for concern was actually being able to fit in all the beauty bits I wanted to take without having to lug around a giant suitcase for the entirety of my stay. All in all, I think I did a pretty good job (though I'm sure my other half would disagree) and so I thought I would share a few tips on how I managed to squeeze in all that was on my checklist.
Samples
I'd been keeping a little stash of any samples I received, tucked away in my dressing table draw for some time in the hope that they would come in handy sooner or later. Whenever I place an order with Cult Beauty they are always generous when it comes giving samples and so I saw this as the perfect opportunity to use some of them up and in this instance, try out this little set of Aesop products - their Parsley Seed Cleansing Oil, Anti-oxidant Facial Toner, Purifying Facial Exfoliant Paste and last but not least, their Perfect Facial Hydrating Cream. I think it's nice to do this, because not only does it save room in your suitcase, it also means that you get to try out a few new things that you might not have otherwise discovered.
Some other brands that I find to be fantastic when it comes to providing free trial sizes are Origins and Ren. There always seems to be some sort of offer on their sites in the form of 'free gift with purchase' and the sizes of the samples are brilliant - they really give you chance to get to know whether you like the product first before you decide whether or not to pick up a full size version.
Size Isn't Everything
Quite often when I know I really like a product, the temptation is all too much to pack the full sized version and to hell with the consequences! Sometimes though, it pays to shop around and although in the long haul it may cost you a few extra pennies, it can be nice to own a handbag sized version of some of your faves, even if it is just to carry around in case of 'emergencies'. I personally really like to always have at my fingertips - one of the 100ml bottles of Biorderma for after a long day when all you really want is for your eye make up to vanish in an instant, a 25ml Moroccan Oil Treatment (perfect for when you've been in the heat and are suffering with scraggy dry ends) and of course a miniature hairspray - Bumble and Bumble are a firm favorite of mine when it comes to any travel sized haircare. I'm also a big fan of their invisible oil mini set consisting of the shampoo/conditioner/primer.
Decant
If there is a particular product that you simply cannot live without but whose packaging leaves a lot to be desired in terms of practicality - just pick up a few little plastic bottles and tubs ( a pipette might also come in handy!) and fill them up with all your lotions and potions. Of course this helps to save on space, but I also find that rather than taking any of your more expensive items away with you and risking them getting damaged, this can be a much more shrewd solution.
Keep it Simple
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the odd pamper session in order to wind down after exploring the city streets or to spruce yourself up before heading out to some hotspot for dinner. As you can see, I managed to slip in a couple of face masks into the mix! ;) Think sensibly though - do you really need to double cleanse? Is there a multi-purpose product that will do just as good a job as the three you might be thinking about taking? I learnt this one the hard way when for a six day trip I decided it would be appropriate to take with me five different shades of nail polish. Go figure?
I hope some of these little tips prove to be useful if you are planning on going away any time soon. If there are any obvious ones that I'm missing out on I'd love to know as I'm still a long way off becoming a packing aficionado just yet!