We Aim To Slay

After a short hiatus – due to my dog-son, Dante, running away; he has since returned due in large part to the efforts of Lost Pet Search Dogs and CT Dog Gone Recovery – I’m back with the next installment of the We Aim To Slay 2026 vacation series! And if you missed part one, you can find the “Travel Hair Care 101!” article, here!

Today we’re diving into, arguably, the most universal and important items in any suitcase… our toiletries! Let’s dive into all things skin care, beauty, and makeup!

Skincare & Toiletries

No matter where you’re headed, when we go on vacation we don’t want to be stressed about our skin care routine! If you’re traveling to colder climates, you’ll want to pack extra hydrating products to protect your skin. And, if you’re traveling to hotter climates, you’ll want to include lightweight and breathable products. In the first installment – Travel Hair Care 101 – I shared some travel kits that allow you to bring TSA-friendly amounts of products!

The Non-Negotiable’s

I’m all for a “beauty hack” and cutting some corners, but there are some products that need to make it into the suitcase regardless of destination or trip duration! This includes items such as face wash & moisturizer, a toothbrush & toothpaste, deodorant, body wash, a hair brush or comb, and as my mother calls it, an “Oh shit!” kit: which includes first aid items such as band-aids, ibuprofen, bug repellent, sun protection, and more!

As someone who spends a majority of their time outside, I always make sure to pack sunscreen. But keep in mind that we don’t want to leave a negative impact on our destination! Check out my guide for reef and eco-safe sunscreens, here!

Multi-Use Or Bust!

I swear by multi-use products in my everyday routine, so it’s a no-brainer to include them when I’m traveling! One of my all time favorite products to use (especially during harsh winters) is the Ponds Dry Skin Cream. For years I’ve used this as my post-shower body lotion, but it also doubles as a facial moisturizer! I will caution that this is a very heavy and creamy formula, so it might be too much for oily-prone skin.

On the other hand, I never travel without some sort of oil such as coconut or olive oil. Not only are they super useful in the kitchen – if you’re camping or traveling off-grid – but they can also be used on your skin, in your hair, and to remove your makeup!

Treat Yourself!

I never travel without a way to fix my nails. For months I’ve been using and loving the Olive & June Gel Manicure Kit, which includes their patent-pending curing lamp. But when I travel I always pack my Le Mini Macaron mini lamp – it only cures one finger at a time, but it’s about the size of a compact mirror which means it can travel in my purse! In a similar vein, I opt for one or two polishes and several nail files.

And no matter where I go I’ll pack face and eye masks as a little treat for my skin. I personally love TONYMOLY sheet masks and the Apres Active Beauty eye masks, both of which can be found on the We Aim To Slay “Shop” page!

Beauty & Makeup

You might have noticed that I’m obsessed with makeup; so much so that I have two separate makeup kits, and still need an additional container to hold my collection of eyeshadow palettes. As you can imagine, that set up is not travel friendly: essentials is the name of the game! Again, we’ll be adopting a less-is-more approach by selecting products that serve many functions.

What I’m Packing

As I said I own two makeup kits, and I keep the products I use the most in this exact kit – the Tartan + Twine Deluxe Weekender. While it’s quite large, the removable plastic pouches are ideal for packing makeup essentials!

To create my perfect base makeup I typically use several individual products, but I’ve recently fallen in love with the ideal all-in-one product: the Aesthetica Cream Contour Palette! This palette contains six complexion shades, giving you foundation, contour and concealer all in one product. 

Similarly, I’ll be packing all of my Aora Mexico products: the Inicia primer works as a skin protectant against pollution and contaminants, as well as doubling as a body shimmer. The Mirame palette has a huge mirror, a wide range of colors and finishes, and the shadow pans pop out so it doubles as a clutch! And the two products I use the most – the Acariciame solid lip serum, and Admirame eyeliner – live in my purse! Since I have the eyeliner in the shade Rojo.01 I also like using it as a lip liner!

As someone with very dark hair (level 2 for the pro’s out there!) I’ve always opted for an espresso brown shade to fill in my eyebrows – which doubles as the perfect dark liner, faux freckles & dark lip liner! I have and will always use the NYX Cosmetics eyeliner in shade Black Brown.

In my recent purchase of a ColourPop Mystery Box I received the HydraPop lipstain in the shade Fruit Punch; it’s the perfect bright red gloss that fades into a really pretty stain that’s not quite a red and not quite a pink on my lips. I personally love a lipstain because it’s a “set it and forget it” kind of product, and it can easily be spruced up with a bit of lip balm (or coconut oil!).

What Do You Think?

What are your travel skin care essentials? Drop your recommendations in the comments below! And, make sure to check out all of my travel tips, tricks & recommendations on the (newly launched) We Aim To Slay Travel page!

I’ll be back next week to round out this series and share how & what I pack in my suitcase!

Have a great rest of your week, and remember to SLAY!