Beauty Shelf: Travel Skincare

My Top Shelf cleanser, mist, serums, and lip mask, plus the role skincare plays in my day.

Applying skincare marks the beginning and end of the day, the bookending processes of getting ready to enter the world and ‘getting unready’ (as the beauty influencers say) to switch off from it. The tactile experience of massaging cleanser, spritzing a mist, and dabbing moisturiser onto my face is very comforting; for a few minutes, my mind goes quiet and I’m focused on the sensations of sweeping and smoothing and smooshing.

So as promised (a few newsletters/weeks ago) here are my top travel skincare picks. They’re the workhorse products that kept my skin clear and bright across five weeks of sweaty, sticky, pore-clogging European travel. And the ones I’ll be packing before I leave this Saturday for a week in Bali (2023 is the year of dear friends’ destination weddings!).

A couple of caveats: Firstly, my skin is oily through the t-zone, often dry around my mouth and nose, and dehydrated around the perimeter. In addition to efficacy, I also enjoy the ritual of interacting with products that look and feel nice, so I’m usually happy to pay a little more for good packaging (brands like Naturium are doing a great job of making well-designed, effective products at a decent price point).

Secondly, SPF is the most important, non-negotiable step, but I spoke about my fave in Top Shelf #1, so I’m focusing on fresh faces here.

And just before we get into it, here’s a little trial burst (outside of the Top Shelf round-ups) of:

📚 What I’m reading: Limelight by Daisy Buchanan, and this very good article in Esquire, 'A Plague on the Industry': Book Publishing's Broken Blurb System.

“Blurbs expose this ecosystem for what it really is: a nepotism-filled system that everyone endures for a chance of ‘making it’ in an impossible industry for most.”

and

“My sources consistently acknowledged that submitting a glowing blurb without actually liking the book was commonplace in the industry.”

Ooft.

🎧 What I’m listening to: Gregory Alan Isakov. My dad recommended his music, saying it’s along the same lines as Asgeir, Boy & Bear, and Bon Iver. It’s made for a lovely commute soundtrack when I’m reading. My fave so far: Amsterdam.

🧼 What I’m trying: Go-To’s newest product, a cleanser called Juicy Gel (a totally unexpected gift from my husband!).

Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm

This is the most special cleansing balm - thick, melty, gentle, effective, sensorial. It doesn’t start out as a solid balm you need to really warm up in your fingertips; it’s soft, the consistency of a rich moisturiser.

It’s also pricy, but a full sized tub lasts me a good six months, which makes it more economical than cleansing oils I’ve previously used. They were around half the price, but I ran through them much quicker.

I bought an Elemis Christmas set last year that included three travel-sized cleansing balms with different scents. I took one that was three quarters full on my big trip, and came back with a week’s product left. I’m now working my way through the second tub, and I’ve still got the third tucked away.

It would make a beaut gift (the perfect example of the loveliest version of a thing, that someone is unlikely to buy for themselves). Next time you’re in Mecca, get a sample.

Lisa Eldridge Skin and Makeup Enhancing Mist

Eldridge is one of the best makeup artists in the world, and a genius at formulation and colour. Well known for her makeup line that began with her iconic velvet lipsticks, she’s recently expanded into skincare with a cleanser and mist.

For my honeymoon, I’d decanted the last of my Laneige Cream Skin Mist (recently and outrageously discontinued) into a small, cheap spray bottle, and the nozzle was terrible. So I jumped at the chance to visit Eldridge’s counter in Selfridges (she’s also just opened one in Harrods) and buy this big bottle of mist, which I happily lugged around for four weeks. It’s hydrating and the mister is perfect.

My bottle is pretty banged up, so it’s not the most travel-friendly, and I wouldn’t pay the hefty shipping fees for the mist alone, but I’ll absolutely add another to my cart the next time I place a makeup order.

In the meantime, is there another mist I should be eyeing when I run out, given my beloved Laneige is no longer? I was previously loyal to the Josh Rosebrook, but I loved that the Laneige was reasonably priced while still feeling luxurious.

tbh Skincare Rebound Serum 

Developed in partnership with the brilliant Hannah English, this is juicy and hydrating without being too heavy for my oilier skin. It’s the perfect thing to help recover from a bout of perioral dermatitis, and to soothe and restore your skin barrier if you’ve seen too much sun or used too many active ingredients.

I keep going back to it in a very cluttered hydrating serum market because the texture is just that good. And tbh products are available at Priceline, so it’s easy to find.

Emma Lewisham Reset Serum

I had a bottle of this ages ago, I loved it, but I never repurchased it because I couldn’t figure out how to incorporate it in the morning, alongside a Vitamin C serum, without too many layers on my skin. And it isn’t cheap.

Then, I got a little sample from Mecca, and chucked it in my toiletries bag. I used it up quickly, was reminded just how annoyingly good it is - The scent! The results! The texture! - and couldn’t help but use a birthday Mecca voucher on a full sized tub.

And hot off the presses: today, the Kiwi brand launched a world-first, patented, 20-years-in-the-making ‘Supernatural Blemish Face Serum’ that uses a probiotic strain naturally found on human skin. Very intriguing.

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask

The best lip mask to ever exist. I pack a mini that came in a Christmas gift set, and I’m never without a full size at home. The original berry is my go-to, but I’ve just switched out an empty with the pink lemonade scent.

I’ve also loved my Software formula for a couple of years, but given a recent price jump of almost 20%, I can’t recommend it (it’s gone from $88 every two months to $108). After I run out of my current bottle, I’ll be returning to the land of regular retinol, so any recommendations? I previously enjoyed Medik8’s Crystal Retinal line.

Until next time,

Britt

P.S. My skincare lives on two of Kmart’s Skincare Shelves. Super easy to put up, they hold 3kg each, and look good!