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What To Pack To Stay Gorgeous While Traveling

What To Pack To Keep Looking Gorgeous While Traveling

What To Pack To Keep Looking Gorgeous While Traveling

Whether I'm going home to visit family, Chicago for a conference, or the remote French Alps, every trip starts with these essentials to keep me looking and feeling fresh.

I love to travel, but I don't like to look busted when I'm out and about. I'm lucky, since I'm already a pretty low-maintenance lady, but I still like to feel great and look put together when I start my day in a new city. So I have a collection of tiny carry on-sized items that are either drug store purchases, Birchbox samples, hotel room amenities, or emergency travel buys that have gone the distance. For every trip, I pack some assortment of 20+ essentials:

 

 

 

1. Dudes, I found this megadorable bag at Nordstrom Rack earlier this year. It's my favorite travel accessory purchase of 2014 because it's just so darn cute. Trinastyle.com

2 & 3. This shampoo/conditioner duo came from a travel-sized essential kit that my lovely sister-in-law gifted me a while ago. You really could pack the whole travel case (it also has facial wash, body wash, lotion, and facial moisturizer) and be good to go, from head to toe, but I like to mix up my dopp kit. I just grab these two for cleaning the hair on my head. Malin + Goetz 1 Oz. Essential Kit, $30.

4. When I know I'll be doing some sort of insane physical activity like snowshoeing up the side of a mountain and then slashing my way through a jungle with a machete, and I like to give my hair some extra love, so I'll pack a one-off hair mask. I got a couple of these samples through my Birchbox, and it keeps this mop nice and soft. Beauty Protector Treatment Mask, $29.95 (full size)

5. Here's another Birchbox discovery that has ended up keeping my hair and scalp feeling healthy and moisturized. I've seen this in the drug store, and I've been too chicken to pay $14.50 on two ounces of hair oil. But it was dropped down on my doorstep with a box of a bunch of other things, so it feels like an insane bargain. Spritz away! Macadamia Natural Oil Healing Oil Spray, $14.50

6. Whether I'm sightseeing or taking business meetings, I don't want to get too stank when I'm running all over the place. Lady Speed Stick 24 Hour Antiperspirant/Deodorant Powder Fresh, $3.49

7. My skin is frustratingly, stupidly dry at all times, so I need some real-deal base lotion. If I don't have Eucerin in my kit, it's this stuff. Consider the ash blasted. Perlier Intensive Nurturing Body Balm, $28.45 (full size)

8. I usually bring two different body washes with me, just to switch up the scent. This one was actually a hotel sample from when I went to a Club Med in the French Alps. I hope they don't miss it, because I love the scent. It's not overpowering, just a little flowery. Carita.com

9. Here's the other body wash; it's another Birchbox steal that I've been squeezing to death. It's a lovely refreshing scent that makes me happy every time I'm able to squeeze just a liiiiiiittle bit more out of the tube. It comes in other scents (almond, lavendar, and rose), but this one makes me thoroughly overjoyed. Dr. Hauschka Lemon Lemongrass Vitalizing Body Wash, $2.75

10. Floss is surprisingly one of the most comforting things I've ever bought while traveling. I forgot to pack floss once, and it drove me nuts — I couldn't floss for days! So I bought this ridiculously overpriced floss in the remote French Alps, and now I never leave Los Angeles without it. But instead of paying €8, I recommend something like straight up Johnson & Johnson REACH Dental Floss from the Dollar Tree.

11. This toothpaste is the real effing deal. It will excavate crap in your mouth from bad candy you ate in fourth grade. Marvis Whitening Mint Toothpaste, 25ml $7.50.

12. Yeah, this is a toothbrush I bought at Rite Aid one time when I flew to New York and forgot my toothbrush. I slapped a cover on it, and I've been using it as my travel toothbrush ever since. And it's a buck. 

13. This fabulous weave doesn't just stay voluminous on its own. Nexxus Mousse Plus Volumizing Foam, Superior Hold, $2.99

14. I use the full-sized Derma E mosturizer on my face, but when I'm traveling, I use this face mist. It keeps me feeling refreshed after a long-haul flight, or if I need just a little something to pick my skin up in the middle of the day. Derma E Hydrating Mist with Hyaluronic Acid, $12.15.

15. I spill food all the time, but I can also be a cheapskate. So if I make a little spill on my jacket or a pair of jeans that I'm going to wear again, I wipe the stain up with one of these, and put it back in the pouch. Yep, I just keep using the same Shout wipe, for one trip. No shame. Shout Wipe & Go Instant Stain Remover Wipes 12 pack, $3.29.

16. I bought a big pack of razors once, and I throw one in my bag, per trip. CVS Disposable Razors for Sensitive Skin, 24 pack, $4.49 

17. Most of my trips are to major cities where I'm not really sitting around a pool, but going from museum to restaurant. Still, the sun is no joke, so I try to slather on this stuff on the regular. And it doesn't make your skin look weird without makeup on top of it, so bonus. Supergoop!® Anti-Aging City Sunscreen Serum SPF 30, Travel Size, $20

18. I usually have some specially formulated stuff for my annoyingly dry and sensitive skin, but when I'm traveling, I bust out the good old Clean & Clear. It feels refreshing, it's cheap, and it clears the day's gunk off my face. Clean & Clear Deep Action Cream Cleanser, $1.

19. So simple, and so great. This stuff got me through adolescence. Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion 2 oz, $2.99

20. Extra hair bands and a barrette. I mean, come on.

Not pictured: I also bring a pair of tweezers, a pair of nail clippers, and maybe a small vial of travel-sized perfume. If I'm feeling like I'll need it, I bring some seriously light makeup, but I really don't wear the stuff anyway. And I bring this tiny pot of Vaseline everywhere; it's that cure-all salve that I swear by.

Advocate Channel - The Pride StoreOut / Advocate Magazine - Fellow Travelers & Jamie Lee Curtis

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Michelle Garcia