You read a lot of the travel articles about what to bring and what not to bring when it comes to beauty products and toiletry accessories, and you think to yourself - I may as well shave my head and bathe in mud puddles in the street. As long as you are practical, you wont weigh your pack down too much with a few personal essentials.
To get an idea of where my girly background lies - I have quite long naturally wavy hair and only use moisturiser and a eyeliner as daily make-up. I add nude powder foundation, a bit of eye shadow and mascara to that combination for hitting the town.
So here is what I learnt from my first trip:
HAIR
- Learn to style your hair solely with a brush and little travel hairdryer. Try to ditch the straightener if you can, and learn to love the hair you have been given - no matter how crazy it is. There is always someone out there that wishes they had your natural hair.
- Ditch the dyes and let your natural colour show itself... unless you would like to take your chances with a non English speaking hairdresser every time the re-growth fights back. You will save a heap of money too.
- Choose a style that grows gracefully. I have ditched the fringe I used to have and gone long - because of the maintenance it took, and I haven't looked back! Haven't had to cut it for a year.
MAKE-UP
- When you are a female travelling solo, and depending where you are travelling - it really isn't a good idea to look amazing. Tone everything right down, especially when you are commuting between countries or cities. No make-up, no really nice or revealing clothes, no expensive jewellery on display. Your aim is to fly under the radar and not attract unwanted attention to yourself.
- If you are one of those girls who is addicted to make-up, narrow down to your 5 favourite make-up specific products. Eg foundation, one colour of eyeshadow etc etc.
- My best advice is to learn to only use make-up for special occasions while you are still at home. Learn to love your natural self - it will take a little bit of getting used to if make-up is your security blanket, but your skin will love you for it in the end, and travelling will be lighter and more comfortable! And if people can't accept the natural you - you clearly don't need them in your life. Once you have had a taste of travelling solo you will understand what I mean about loving who you are naturally. It really puts everything into perspective.
MY LIST OF STUFF
1X Moisturiser
1X Eye-liner
1X Mascara
1X Nude Powder Foundation and brush
1X Nude Powder Bronzer and brush
1X Hair Brush
1X Travel hairdryer with 240/120 Watt changeable settings
1X Toothbrush/Toothpaste
1X Deodorant
1X Perfume
1X Tweezers
1X Nail Clippers
1X Small Scissors
1X Shaver
1X Small Shampoo/Conditioner
All of this stuff minus the hairdryer and the shampoo/conditioner easily fits into my Kathmandu toiletry bag. Don't take anything you barely use at home 'just in case'. You either use it or you don't. Hope this helps!
If there are any other tips or hints anyone can add please comment below!
3 comments:
some really good advice here! thanks!
I should mention though, I have heard some airlines and flights dont alow any sort of liquid in their lugage, so things like shampoo, conditioner, moisturiser and deoderant arn't alowed, so always check that before you pack. =)
No worries at all, glad it has helped!
Great mention about the liquids and luggage, I totally forgot about mentioning that! Thanks =)
So to expand on what's above, pack any liquids you don't need during your flight in your check-in baggage. Shampoo, conditioner etc etc should go in your large pack. You can take liquids in your carry on, but each airline has their own guidelines - so make sure you double check on the particular websites just to be safe as some may not let any liquids on board (as mentioned above).
I know Qantas allows liquids in containers no larger then 100ml (3.3oz). All the containers you take on board with you must fit in a 20x20cm (roughly) transparent resealable bag. To give you an idea of what you can take on board in the above size: creams, lotions, cosmetics, oils, perfumes, sprays, mascara, lipsticks, lighters, lip gloss/lip balm, gels including hair and shower gels, toothpaste, shaving foam, aerosol deodorant, and there are a few others on the website http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/country-specific-carry-on-baggage/global/en#jump0 if you want to check it out.
I know the local camping shops like Aussie Disposals sell specific transparent carry on resealable bags in packs with empty 100ml containers which make life easier!
Incredible backpacking tips explained. Thank you.
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