You might have read that in May of this year we embarked on a 4 month trip through Europe. To make our lives easier during this trip, we decided to only bring carry-ons.

Everyone knows that carry-ons mean limited space and limited liquids/gels I could bring with me when it comes to my beauty and care products.

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You might also know that for flying by airplane in your carry-on, you’re only allowed to bring one quartz-size bag (~1 liter) of liquids/gels in containers no bigger than 3.4 ounces/each (~100ml/each), limiting my options even more for such a long trip.
For that reason, I had to be very careful with the things I brought as whatever I chose, had to do its job well.

​I shared the products I regularly use on my Shop page, but for our travels, I had to rethink many of them due to size. Also, when in the States, I was using several products (i.e. shampoo, conditioner, hair mask, hair oil, and styling product) just for my hair alone, and obviously I couldn’t keep the same regimen when traveling overseas unless I checked in my luggage (big NO).
Before the trip, I bought empty travel containers, filled them with my favorite shampoo, conditioner and body wash I already had at home and that was done.

When it came to my hair maintenance, that was a bit complicated at first. I mentioned I usually use several products to keep it happy. At the very least I have to use something that’d help detangle and control the frizziness of my hair after washing it as it becomes a mess. I have been using and loving IT Haircare products for years (favorites are this and this).

I found this hair serum with the same 12 benefits, that came in travel size so my haircare problem was solved. This serum has been doing a great job at detangling and keeping my hair happy with all the changes that come from traveling from one place to another. For my hair, I also brought this phone cord hair tie that works so much better than regular ones, and my trusty wet hairbrush with me (not pictured).

I bought on a whim this natural deodorant, even though I normally use this one - yes, I use men’s deodorant and I absolutely love it- as I wanted something smaller but not travel-sized. While this deodorant works great deodorizing, I feel like it causes sweating and it stains my clothing, so this was not a good choice for me.

When it came to my skincare when traveling, I had to give up tonic, serums, face masks, and whatever else I was using at any given time.
For keeping my skin clean, apart from my cleanser, I brought these face wipes that target breakouts as well as remove all impurities. Plus, the package advises that you don’t have to wash your face after using them - great for the airplane!
Bottom line: I loved these face wipes. I ran out of them on the trip but I will be purchasing them again for sure as I think they are perfect for traveling, especially if you have acne-prone skin or tend to break out.

Next, I found this serum + moisturizer in one. My skin hasn’t been breaking out as I was expecting it to and hasn’t been drying up. I recommend it as a day moisturizer. For my eyes, I have been using and decided to bring with me this SkinLab eye gel which I love as it helps with the fine lines and puffy eyes as well as hydrates my skin.

For concealer, I brought this Bliss stick when I usually use this one. What I love about this Bliss concealer is that it’s illuminating which helps counteract dark circles (so important when traveling). I found the coverage to be somewhat light and it blends well, so I’m not sorry for bringing it.

I decided to bring a travel-size bareMinerals serum liquid foundation as well as Bliss powder foundation. I seriously love both as they’re natural-looking, which is important to me. The liquid foundation is light in coverage while the powder one is buildable. The only downside of the powder foundation is that it doesn’t have any SPF in it, so one would have to be added prior to applying it. Speaking of SPF, we went with this one that we’ve been using for years and works. Yes, it’s a bit shiny and I might be looking for more natural options once we return to the States, but for now, I love the super protection it provides - safety first!

Also from Bliss, I brought with me the prettiest illuminating blush that I just adore. Apart from color, it also adds a healthy glow that’s been helpful on the days we’re not getting enough sleep. I also brought this elf shimmer which I use on my brow bone, a bit on my eyes and cheekbones for extra glow. Sometimes I even use it as an eye shadow or add it in the corner of my eyes to look more awake.

I’m not big on eye shadow but I brought this pencil one (in champagne, which I use the same way as the elf shimmer), as well as these eyeliners that scream glam.

I also brought this elf baked bronzer which I like for the fact that it's small and that it's so well "packed" it makes it hard to over-do, giving a slight, natural-looking color when applied.

For my eyebrows, I brought my tried-and-true brow mascara that I love for natural-looking eyebrows. I do not like brow pencils as I don’t think they look natural and it makes me sad that I can't find the one I use in stores anymore (eyebrows that are literally "drawn" and “too-done”, aka you can tell from a mile they're not natural, are one of my beauty pet-peeves - is it just me?).

For mascara I brought the two I LOVE: the L’Oréal Lash Paradise and the Revlon Ultra Volume - these mascaras give me some serious lashes!
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​I have mentioned in this blog post that I bought a lot of Bliss products, especially lipsticks. On this trip, I brought three of my favorite colors: “beaucoup de bouquets”, “my funny honey” and “get to petalin” - I’m happy that they last all day (well, when you don’t have pizza for lunch). I also brought this Revlon lip stain in “Cannes crush” and Bliss liquid lipstick in "Candy Coral kisses" with me when I don’t want to wear regular lipstick. If my lips get dry, I apply Burt’s Bees pink grapefruit lip balm. As a lip liner, I brought this one that I had for a long time in "shiny rosewood".

For applying makeup, I brought my favorite Real Techniques expert face brush (that I use for applying powder, foundation, blush - you name it), this elf lash & brow wand (I ALWAYS comb my brows after using the brow mascara for a natural look) and this elf professional eyeshadow brush, which I also use as a concealer brush.

So these are the products I brought with me to Europe and I think, overall, I made good decisions when choosing them. Of course, I am running low on some of these, after all, we’ve been abroad now for 3 months (wow!). So while in Moldova, since we were staying a bit longer here, I bought a few local products like this face wash, this micellar water, this cream face mask (LOVE it), and face cream to use while here, in order to save mine for the rest of the trip. I have to say I’m happy with these products. I even decided to replace my serum+moisturizer with their face cream for the rest of the trip and I wish I could bring more with me.

What products do you take with you when traveling?

Until next time.

​XOXO,
Em