I’m definitely guilty of carrying around waaaaay more stuff than I need. The truth is I’m turning 40 in 2019 and as I grow older, so does my worry about fine lines and overall skin condition. Unfortunately, when you are traveling, it’s much harder to 1) find affordable anti-age stuff and 2) carry full size bottles/containers.

The first thing you’ll notice is that I have way too many liquids and that’s because we check in our luggage. Our carry-on sized rollers are just shy of 15 kg and the maximum carry-on allowed weight is 7kg. The bad part is that it’s more expensive to check in luggage but on the bright side, I get to carry more liquids than are normally allowed.

Products

Back to what you are interested in… this is my round up, by no means perfect, of what I’ve chosen to carry with me and why:

Su:m37 Miracle Rose Cleansing Stick - basically a bar soap for the face; it’s amazing at removing dirt and grime and you literally roll it on your face, like you would a deodorant, wash and then rinse. Oh, and it’s also a low pH cleanser which has been associated w/ less breakouts, I’m not prone to breakouts, but why not choose a cleanser that minimizes that, just in case? Plus, I love the packaging, it’s easy to use and pretty; win-win! (If you find this one is a bit hard to find, the Heimish All Clean Balm is another one I use at home and it’s great!)
The Ordinary : “Buffet” + Copper Peptides 1% - this stuff is anti-aging; lightweight, easy to use and I feel like it’s really made a difference in the texture of my skin. It is recommended you alternate this product w/ other acids like vitamin C, in your skincare routine, but I really don’t have room to carry more so I use only this. It’s pretty inexpensive and so far definitely worth the weight. Although the suggested usage is AM and PM, I normally only use this in the PM, so it lasts even longer.
Vaseline - teeny tiny tub of Vaseline 0.25 oz (7.4 ml), I love it for lips and eyelashes.
Huxley : Secret of Sahara Cream; More than moist - this was one of my splurges in South Korea, they had a package deal and I bought the toner, oil and cream. What makes this cream special is the Sahara prickly pear oil that’s intensely moisturizing (and if it isn’t, it sure sounds like it would be). For me, this cream has been a life saver for places with really dry weather; a little goes a long way. I usually mix it with a little oil (see #10 in photo) and it glides on super smooth w/out leaving a greasy feeling once it’s absorbed. Thank you prickly pear!
Kanebo : Dew UV Day Essence - for a sunscreen this one is a bit expensive, but the awesomeness here is that this sunscreen is also anti-aging. It goes on super light with no greasy feeling. Also, it’s SPF 50 which is great AND it’s rated PA ++++ which means that not only does it protect from the harmful sun rays, but it also prevents pigmentation. Yay! for no more sun spots! (aka freckles… contained freckles… containmentVERY important).
Hada Labo : Gokujyun Premium Lotion - that’s a mouthful! I use this as a toner only twice a week because I find my skin reacts a little to the hyaluronic acid (HA) if I use it more often. Basically, the HA hydrates the skin and works on those little wrinkles. See ya later wrinkles! No, really… I don’t wanna see ya!
NIOD : Fractionated Eye Contour Concentrate - this one is also a little pricey, considering it’s just for the eye and you use so very little each time. Basically this concentrate uses HA and collage to minimize those pesky little wrinkles. Also, some of the reviews said they noticed an improvement in upper eyelid sagging; uh, not sure if this will ever be a problem for me, but since I need an eye product, this is a bonus. Bonuses are good!
Schmidt's Natural Deodorant : Bergamot and Lime - we basically wanted an aluminum free deodorant and this delivers. Bear in mind it’s not antiperspirant, so you will get more sweaty than w/ antiperspirant deodorants and it’s vegan & cruelty free. Plus, I like the lime smell; Fermin and I both have the same smell.
Skin Food : Broccoli Sun Cream - this was my go-to sunscreen before switching to the Kanebo Dew (see #5 in photo). Actually, I’m still using this sunscreen, just not as much. I find that this sunscreen leaves a tiny bit of a white tint on my skin, which I didn’t mind before b/c it was the first PA+++ sunscreen I’d used and it worked so well at preventing more freckles. Now, I use the Kanebo Dew all over my face and I put this suncream under my eyes and all over my freckles, basically doubling the protection in that area. I do this b/c the Skin Food sunscreen is a little thicker and I feel more protected.
Oil serum - this one is a home made and it’s loosely based on Humblebee and Me’s Luxury Oil Serum recipe, since we started traveling we’ve met up with family and they’ve brought replacements of this serum. After putting the serum together I stored it in a dark, low temp (but not the fridge) place to prevent it from degrading but I’m no expert on the shelf life of home made serums so I’m not sure how good this one is still. So far it doesn’t smell rancid and has not changed colors, and more importantly, hasn’t given me any adverse reactions.
LilyAna Naturals : Rosehip & Hibiscus Eye Cream Moisturizing - This is one of Amazon’s top selling eye moisturizer and that’s why I bought it. I like the texture and it absorbs quickly, but there wasn’t any noticeable difference when I was using this eye cream alone. I do like to use it right before concealer (not that I use much concealer) but I find the concealer lasts longer, and looks better, when I’ve put this eye cream on first. The tub is HUGE so I transferred what I needed to a smaller bottle. I wouldn’t recommend it for anti-aging but I would buy it again.
Sana Namerakahonpo : All-In-One Moisture Jelly Gel - I bought this gel in Japan and I love it! Mostly b/c it saves me so many steps in the classic Asian AM skin care routine. Basically, this gel is an emulsion, a mask, a skin toner, a cream, a serum and a make up primer. I use this in the morning, before the sunscreen, and I’m done in no time. Booyah!
DHC : Deep Cleansing Oil - another cleanser and probably overkill, but I loooove this cleanser when I’ve worn makeup during the day b/c you just apply just a few drops directly onto your face and everything just melts away; it just leaves the skin feeling really, super duper clean. It’s like magic and I’m totally OK with fast magic!

AM Routine

It sounds like a lot but mornings are easy; splash of water (I don’t wash my face again because I find it dries my skin too much), apply all-in-one jelly gel (#12), sunblock (#5 & #9), some eye cream (#11) and a little vaseline to my lips. If I wear makeup, I’d put that on after this.

PM Routine

Evenings are easy too. I use either the Su:m37 (#1) or the DHC cleanser (#13 pictured above only) to wash my face. Then use The Ordinary Buffet (#2) & the NIOD fractionated Eye contour (#7). Mix a little oil (#10) and Huxley lotion (#4) and massage onto face. Finish up with a dab of vaseline for lips and eyelashes. And twice a week I use the Hada Labo HA toner (#6) right after washing my face.

I’ve been on this particular regime for about 6 months and I’m really happy w/ how my skin feels and how I’m holding wrinkles at bay.

And in case you are wondering what my toiletry case looks like, you find it here on Amazon, and it fits all my stuff plus a medium size toothpaste, a AA powered toothbrush, floss and other small things like Q-tips, tweezers, a nail cutter and a small comb.

I’m a little camera shy but I figured you’d probably want to see what condition my skin is in since so much of this post is about skin care. Just FYI, this was taken in the morning, after splashing my face with water (and drinking a much needed cup of coffee) but before the gel & sunblock. Excuse the grey hairs.

I hope you find this post useful, especially for us aging travelers out there, no matter how long or short your trip is, I think we should still make time for a good skin care routine.

Got any tips for the rest of us? please share in the comments below!

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