Make sure these five bathroom essentials are in your travel bag. Photo / iStock.
Make sure these five bathroom essentials are in your travel bag. Photo / iStock.
When travelling you want to pack light — to save yourself some pain and to make maximum room for the memorabilia you’ll pick up along the way. So, as I prepare to pack for a five-week jaunt around Europe, I have been considering what makes the cut for my bathroom bag and what can stay behind. Aside from the obvious (soap, toothbrush, deodorant, etc) here are the five items I say are worth the space (please pardon my globetrotting gloating throughout, I’m getting excited).
Facewipes
Not only do I love these Dermalogica PreCleanse Wipes ($29) for removing my party eyes at the end of a long night out in London town, I also think they're awesome for swiping off the sunscreen, salt water and feeling generally refreshed when the Spanish sun is just toomuch. They come in a neat pack of 20 - just remember to keep them sealed to remain moist and effective.
A balm
There are two clever multi-purpose products I really love - Everything balm from Trilogy ($24.90 for a traveller's 45ml size) and Go-To's Execeptionoil ($54.95). Both of these moisturise, protect and heal so they can be used to ease chapped lips, soothe sunburn, reduce raging rashes and even flatten fly-aways. A balm will come in so handy, you'll be glad you brought one and so will your new travelling pals when they need to borrow some.
Even if your holiday isn't a sun-drenched one you will probably be be out and about more than usual, walking around with your map and camera, creating memories. So it's extra important to lather up in a sunscreen every day, sometimes more than once. I like the Coola range - they're not all icky and greasy, can double as your body moisturiser, some smell like pina colada and others are organic.
A tinted moisturiser
BB, CC or maybe even EE - the wonderful thing about these kind of tinted moisturisers is they offer enough coverage to conceal spots, eliminating the need to slap on a heavy foundation every day. I'm a minimalist when it comes to makeup so don't wear heaps on holidays, however I like a little something to brighten my face for all the photos. This Estee Lauder EE Cream ($83) has an SPF30 and feels light and creamy - I even notice my skin is clearer for using it.
Dry shampoo
There is no way I want to wash my hair every day - not only does my massive mane take close to 24 hours to dry, I hate spending time on hair admin when I could be out sampling the wines of the Porto region. Welcome, dry shampoo to the bathroom bag. I like L'Oreal Professional Tecni.Art Fresh Dust ($34). I reckon a spritz of this stuff gives you at least three days without washing, it will absorb any oil and trick people into thinking your hair maintenance is high - even on holidays.
