Looking back on 2017, I’ve been on a whole load of trips this summer - I thought it only right that I dedicate a piece to the beauty products that have kept my face in place throughout the travel process. 

With weight restrictions (and suitcase size) on my mind, I used to spend ages deliberating which beauty products would make the cut and still end up bringing a kilo of creams and potions, most of which were barely used but brought 'just in case'. 

Sound familiar? The ongoing debate as to whether you need to bring the full skincare arsenal, or whether you can get away with just a tube of moisturiser. Those of you who have the full day cream, night cream, eye cream, serum routine wouldn't even believe it was even possible.

As a long-time beauty writer and skincare obsessive, I definitely fall into that category but I can safely say I've finally nailed it. Thanks to a series of trial and error on some recent travel breaks, I’ve now refined it to a trusted lineup of skincare superstars which I bring with me every time.

Obviously, certain trips are geared to more sun protection, more makeup glam or more outdoors inclined but when it comes to essentials, these are the ones that I will always need.

Take off time...

Air travel is notoriously hard on your skin, thanks to the dry air and dehydration. For anything over 4 hours, I always take off my makeup before protecting with a face oil or heavy cream.


Trilogy Rosehip Oil is one of my trusted facial oils. Certified organic and 100% natural, rosehip oil contains powerful antioxidants that help protect against the free radical damage of radiation. That, and a load of essential fatty acids that keep my skin hydrated and plump during the flight.

(If you have oily skin and hate face oils, Trilogy have also come out with a Light blend version too)





For long haul flights, I also use Christian Breton Deluxe Gold Mask when waking up onboard in the morning. Fortunately, I can pretty much fall asleep anywhere but when your skin needs a quick radiance & hydration fix, this mask is my go to. 

It's pricey AF but one tube has lasted me a year and I would buy with my own money. It contains little gold particles that add visible radiance to your skin. Just apply the cream to your face, leave and tissue or rinse off.

Touch down.

After 20 minutes with the radiance mask, I'll put my face back on - mainly so that I actually bare some semblace to my passport photo.

Instead of bringing a full makeup bag on the plane, I just bring my portable makeup pocket rocket - the Chanel Palette Essentielle compact which I dedicated an entire post to upon purchase. This, plus a mascara and an eyebrow pencil- inflight makeup kit is sorted without an overflowing liquid allowance bag.



Other than the palette, my FAVOURITE beauty discovery this summer was this Skin Defence Multi-Protection essence by The Body Shop. My new favourite and daily must-have in my skincare routine.

In a nutshell, it's the lightest SPF50 cream I've ever used, has antioxidants protection AND Vitamin C to slowly brighten my skin and reduce pigmentation with each use. It's billed as an essence but in my opinion, is moisturising enough for me to use a day cream. Dry skin may want to add a hydrating cream as well.

Cannot recommend this product enough, it protects your skin whilst slowly perfecting it. Check it out, on tour in Hong Kong.


After that, the only other thing is hand gel and eye drops. My favourite hand gel is Merci Handy - the least drying, most moisturising hand sanitiser that I've ever used. 

And eye drops, an essential for any contact lens wearer - I've upgraded to single use capsules instead of a bottle. They're more expensive but the bottles can only be kept open for 3 months (of which I use about half) and you can just slip a single use capsule into any handbag, whenever you need it.








And that's literally it. The 5 products that I always bring with me.

What do YOU think? Do you have travel essentials that you always reach for? IS there such thing as travelling light? Tweet me your thoughts @Zoe_Dubs or send me a comment on Facebook!

This summer is a season full of high ponytails, headbands, headscarves and scraped back fringes. With so much of my giant face on show, skincare is big on my list this month!!

And what better to treat my tanned hide than a little haul from The Body Shop?! Full of organic and natural ingredients, Body Shop products always smell incredible and their eco ethos is one of the reasons why they're a skincare staple for me.

I bought the Ginger Sparkle Lip Balm - one of the three Limited Edition balms brought out for Xmas 2012. Look how cute it is!

I'll be honest, the thought of a ginger lip balm does NOT sound that appealing - when I bought it I thought it was going to be peach flavoured, doy, that'll teach me to judge by colour!

But it's surprisingly very nice..

It smells like old-school sweets, zesty sherbet and candied peel and doesn't taste too gingery at all - so much that I wouldn't call it Ginger Sparkle, I'd call it "Christmas" flavour.. (again, a sign why I am in Finance and not Branding..)

Why did I buy it? 

I chose this for several reasons...