This past summer I returned to my family’s roots in Vietnam and I knew my skin was going to be subject to tropical weather that I am not used to while living in the Bay Area. So I was faced with the challenge of curating a travel-friendly skincare routine that would suit my skin while combating alien weather and the bacteria that lurks in airports and planes.
When I travel I always try to pack as lightly as possible because maneuvering through airports and public transit is cumbersome when you have to lug around copious amounts of stuff along. My goal was to condense my skincare down as much as possible so it took up less space in my luggage, leaving more space for all the shopping that I would be doing.
When building my travel skincare routine I try to follow a few of these guidelines:
Multifunctional – applicable for daytime routine and nighttime routine
Incorporate as many products as I can that are currently in my routine
Will it leak easily? Can I decant it into a smaller container?
Throughout the year I had heard about the seven skin method and thought this vacation would be the perfect opportunity to test it out since this routine would minimize the number of products in my makeup bag and gave me the chance to try a new routine. Any large items that needed to be decanted were put into these flexible silicone tubes that are a perfect traveling companion for your beauty products.
Now let’s walk through my routines!
Daytime
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My mornings always begin with a washing my face with warm water. I don’t use cleansers in the morning just because I don’t feel the need to wash off anything unless it’s a sleeping mask. After patting my face dry with a towel, I applied the SK-II First Treatment Essence in two layers. I would place a small amount on my palms and then pat the essence into my skin. I would wait a bit to make sure each layer absorbed before applying the next layer of product. This was the first time I used anything from SK-II and was very excited to use such a luxurious and well-loved product. The fermented smell was nothing that bothered me, it was almost therapeutic in a spa-like way.
As a first treatment essence, this is supposed to be the first step in any routine to maximize product efficacy. SK-II products are made of 90 percent Pitera, a bio-ingredient exclusive to the brand that is rich in vitamins, organic acids, minerals, and amino acids that work together to support skin cell renewal. Throughout my two weeks of use, I’ve found that the essence smoothed out skin texture and made it extra soft. After two layers my skin felt firmer as well.
After the first treatment essence, I applied one layer of the Son & Park Beauty Water. This product is a multifunctional toner and cleansing water containing lavender water, rosewater, orange fruit extract, willow bark, and papaya extract. To be frank, I do not enjoy this product very much. It leaves a sticky film on my skin after I use it and it makes my skin feel unclean. By the end of the trip, I removed this step from my routine as I did not feel like it prepped my skin for the next layers of my routine and disrupted the effectiveness of the first treatment essence.
However, the next step is my favorite step of my routine because I truly love the product I used. For layers four and five (sometimes six), I used the Innisfree Green Tea Balancing Lotion. This toner is thicker than the SK-II First Treatment Essence, but still thin enough to apply multiple layers of. Made with organic green tea from Jeju Island, this product moisturizes any dry areas without causing any added oils to be produced on the skin. Green tea is an ingredient rich in amino acids and minerals that help the skin retain moisture.
The toner is very soothing to the skin and absorbs quickly which is why I could layer without it getting too heavy. As I patted in each later I would decrease the amount that I was using simply because my skin was retaining so much of the moisture that it instantly became more supple and thoroughly hydrated. This toner has quickly become one of my favorite product finds as it’s comfortable in multiple layers, hydrating, smells and feels very refreshing, and it contains a large amount of product for a good price.
This next product is a holy grail product that I refuse to leave behind no matter where I go. It’s the First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream Intense Hydration. A few years back when I was struggling with my acne and the climate change of moving to San Francisco, I discovered this product while browsing Sephora. The cream is formulated with colloidal oatmeal, shea butter, ceramide 3, and the First Aid Beauty Antioxidant Booster that is excellent for hydration and suitable for all skin types, including my own dry, acne sensitive skin. It has a whipped texture and quite heavy upon application, but absorbs very quickly and does not leave a greasy feeling. It can be used all over the body, not just the face.
It’s become a staple in my everyday life that transcends seasons and environments of all kinds. Some days I would skip this step depending on how dehydrated my skin felt. I carried a travel size with me in my purse for any dry patches on my hands or arms while sitting in lots of air-conditioned locations.
The last step before makeup was possibly the most important item in my entire makeup bag and that’s sun protection with the Shiseido Urban Environment Oil-Free UV Protector Broad Spectrum with SPF 42. I’ve tried another Shiseido sunscreen before, the Ultimate Sun Protection Cream, and hated it–it smelled too heavily of the typical sunscreen smell and left a white cast that would not blend into the skin even though I gave it plenty of time between application onto my face and makeup application after. However, the Urban Environment sunscreen blends well without leaving a greasy white cast on the skin. It does not feel heavy and the product claims that it can act as a primer.
Although this sunscreen is meant for oily skin types, I’ve used it long enough that I feel more than happy with it as a person with dry skin. This formulation was especially handy in tropical weather that had me sweating and oilier than usual. I love that it is formulated with urban living in mind because Ho Chi Minh City is so large and exploring it would take a toll on my skin. After sunscreen I would apply primer and a tinted moisturizer, however, I categorize those as makeup items and I will cover those items in a future blog post.
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Nighttime
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Following a long day out in the sun and heat, cleansing my skin made me feel completely rejuvenated. The first step in my cleansing routine was to remove makeup with makeup wipes from Daiso. I like how cheap they are price wise and the resealable packaging is ideal for travel. I know I should be using better wipes for my skin, but I haven’t had any issues with them. After that, I would take the Son & Park Beauty Water on a cotton pad and soak off any remaining product, especially eye makeup.
Following makeup removal was the start of my double cleansing routine. I began with the Banila Co. Clean It Zero which is a sherbert-like cleansing balm that emulsifies makeup, breaking all particles down for a squeaky clean cleanse. The cleanser contains papaya extract which naturally exfoliates the skin and acerola extract which is rich in vitamin C which brightens the complexion. I like this product, however, it isn’t perfect–sometimes mascara will still cling to my lashes if I don’t massage it in for long enough. The Holika Holika Jewel Light eyeliner that I used almost daily was also difficult to remove and residue would remain despite this cleanser. It’s a good product, but it’s not perfect. This was my second repurchase so I do like this product and would recommend it. There are a few other varieties of the cleansing balm that are also worth taking a look at.
The second step of double cleansing was going in with a foam cleanser. For the sake of traveling, I brought along with me the COSMETEA Natural Botanical Dust Out Tea Cleanser Makeup Remover Stick which I picked up at a MEMEBOX warehouse sale a while back. This product has since been discontinued. Cleansing sticks have been quite popular lately and thought this was a good addition to my travel kit since it’s not a liquid and therefore easy to take with me. The cleanser formula contains white tea, lemon, and plum extracts purify skin from toxins. The fragrance wasn’t heavy, almost nonexistent so that did not irritate my skin. The cleanser also contains oatmeal and brown rice powders gently scrub off makeup, dirt, and even the finest dust particles lodged deep within pores.
However, after using a stick cleanser for two weeks, I realize I don’t enjoy this kind of product. The stick itself was awkward to use–the large top made it difficult to spread product across my face and especially in the crevices around my nose. Eventually, I learned to concentrate placing the product on my cheeks to build a lather and then spread the product around to cleanse the rest of my face. T
With the gentle exfoliation from the cleansing stick, I didn’t want to strip my skin too heavily with a scrub cleanser that I normally use daily. So every other day or so, depending on the oil buildup, I would use the Origins GinZing Refreshing Scrub Cleanser to exfoliate. This has been a product in my routine for years now. I love the refreshing citrus scent and this product is packed with panax ginseng that improves skin brightness, and jojoba and carnauba wax beads that gently exfoliate to help unclog pores. Despite it being a scrub cleanser, it did not strip my skin at all–in fact, it made my skin feel smooth, refreshed, and clean without the dry tightness that usually occurs with abrasive cleansers.
After cleansing, I pat my face dry and follow up with the seven skin method that I highlighted above. I would only make small adjustments like adding in a sheet mask when I felt like my skin needed to cool down from all the heat it was exposed to during the day. I brought small samples of Innisfree’s Pore Clearing Clay Mask to remove any deeply embedded dirt and oil. I have used this product a lot in the past and highly recommend it for a nice deep pore cleanse. I would forego SPF since I would not be needing it while resting at night.
I also brought along a few other essentials with me that were used when needed. The first necessity was the COSRX Acne Pimple Master Patch. Knowing the climate change would cause some acne to flare up, I knew these would be crucial to bring along with me. These waterproof pimple patches are another holy grail product that I place over active breakouts to protect them from infection and help extract impurities overnight. They are designed to reduce redness and inflammation of a pimple, and minimize acne scarring. They work best on whiteheads and do not work as well on blackheads or cystic acne. I would also advise cleaning the area to make sure there’s no skincare product on the pimple so the patch will stick better to the skin and pull out impurities without a thick moisturizer or serum in the way. When an acne spot was particularly bad, which there definitely were, I would replace a patch after my morning routine and apply makeup directly on top. The patch is thin enough to be very subtle under makeup while protecting your active breakouts from infection and speed up the healing process
Another travel essential is the Innisfree Green Tea Mineral Mist. I bought this along with me in my purse to give my skin a refresh when it feels parched or I feel like my body is overheating. Like the balancing lotion in my skincare routine, the green tea in the mist helped the skin retain moisture. The actual aerosol mist dispenser is very fine and I can spray it over makeup without large droplets ruining my look.
Overall, I found the seven skin method to be a viable option when traveling as it greatly reduced the amount of cosmetics bulk in my luggage, gave me an opportunity to try new products, and was effective in maintaining my skin despite the intense climate change. You will notice that my routine was, at most, six layers of toner despite it being called the seven skin method. I wanted to start my skin off at five layers to allow my skin to acclimate to a new climate and a new routine. I would add or subtract layers depending on how my skin felt and responded to the products I was layering. I would definitely try this method again while I traveled perhaps with a few adjustments instead of cleansing water and replacing the stick cleanser with a foam cleanser.
