The beauty products I never travel without
Planes, air conditioning and sunshine can wreak havoc on skin and hair. These are the beauty products I always pack for a holiday.
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Planes, air conditioning and sunshine can wreak havoc on skin and hair. These are the beauty products I always pack for a holiday.
My father loved to dispense life advice. Some of it ("Arguments are never what they’re about") has been hugely helpful. Other offerings ("Avoid anyone who calls a sofa a settee" and "Never marry a poet!") bordered on the eccentric. But when it came to advice over packing for a holiday, this man was truly doing the Lord’s work.
He was the person who told me to roll rather than fold. He taught me to place heavier items near the suitcase wheels to improve balance. But the most useful hack he ever passed on was this: "Always take half the clothes you were planning to bring and twice the money". The money bit was often said rather pointedly while glaring at my mother’s designer shopping bags.
One thing my father didn’t think to account for was the importance of a well-edited beauty bag. And as I’ve become older and realised that planes, air-con and sun exposure are the perfect recipe for looking less than my glittering best, deciding which products make the holiday cut allows me to channel my inner Miranda Priestly. Unlike her, I’ve been firm but decidedly fair. And I’m sharing all my secrets with you.
So meet the beauty products every over 50 needs in their case this summer. One of my travel non-negotiables is dry shampoo to spare me endless hair washes. Bumble and Bumble Prêt-à-Powder (1, RRP £16, sephora.co.uk) not only does three jobs at once – absorbs oil, adds lift and provides volume – the powder formula makes it way more travel friendly than aerosol. I love how this instantly refreshes my hair (without any white Beethoven-styleresidue), and the clementine meets hyacinth fragrance is next-level divine.
I’ve made a new best friend since entering my fifties and it’s called a face mist. Nothing beats it for cooling and reviving dehydrated, overheated skin. And I’m not alone, Queen Victoria (Beckham) herself swears by Caudalie Beauty Elixir Prep Set and Glow Face Mist (2, RRP £18). Packed with antioxidantrich green grape, orange blossom and a blend of essential oils, it instantly hydrates skin leaving it beautifully luminous. This multitasker also acts as a primer and setting spray. Up there with my passport as a travel essential.
A lot of my pals are devoted to Jones Road, the newer beauty venture from make-up royalty Bobbi Brown and after trying Jones Road Mini Miracle Balm (3, RRP £18), I’m joining the cult. This genius light-reflecting pot of colour works harder than Beyoncé – use your fingers to apply it as a blush, a highlighter, or a natural lip tint. Enriched with jojoba seed oil and argan oil to nourish and hydrate skin, it’s your fast track to an instant holiday glow.
If you prefer to skip foundation on holiday but still crave coverage, say hello to ELF Halo Glow Skin Tint SPF 50 Sunscreen (4, RRP £18). It comes in 18 shades and the colour is beautifully buildable, leaving a natural dewy finish. It’s formulated with a serum to hydrate and bring extra brightness to skin, and if that wasn’t enough it also has a built in SPF 50.
Finally, you’ll never regret packing a top-tier sunscreen for your face. And Ultrasun delivers like nobody else. Ultrasun Face Anti-Ageing Sun Protection SPF 50+ (5, RRP £27) provides unbeatable protection against UVA and UVB rays, but also doubles up as a moisturiser due to its impressive plumping and brightening skincare benefits.
Hands down the greatest travel companion you’ll ever have. Enjoy your travels. By the way, a very wise person once said that you know it’s time for a holiday when you start looking like your passport photo. I’m off to book my flight right now.
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