I always like to bring cuticle oil since my skin gets dry when I travel as well as the same nail polish I’m wearing, you never know when you’ll need to touch up! Shop: Essie Bump The Pumps Nail Polish & Apricot Cuticle Oil, Hydrate + Revitalize

Some of you may be wondering about my beauty routine when I travel… It was both of our first times traveling to Europe and we didn’t know what to expect so before we left (well, before we go on any trip) we made our usual visit to CVS to complete our packing check list using my CVS’ Beauty Club membership! With thousands of stores nationwide, there’s always bound to be a CVS nearby making it convenient (and affordable!) to shop for beauty especially when travel prepping! With travel still on my mind, I thought it would be perfect to share some of my favorite travel beauty tips that might be out of the ordinary from the usual packing lists.

I always want to shop wherever I travel to and sure enough, will bring too much back with me. Because of this, I’ve learned over the years that I’m going to need to reserve valuable luggage real estate for souvenirs and general shopping. Contrary to the “travel size” product lists most people usually turns to, sometimes a large portion of the toiletries and products I travel with are actually full size. I know what you’re thinking – wait An, that totally contradicts itself! Well, since I also almost always check one or two large suitcases (there’s really no use for me to try and fit all my travel necessities in a carry on, I’ve made the attempt and failed miserably too many times – it just ain’t happening!) I like to pack the full sized products I use daily that are almost empty like shaving cream and sometimes shampoo and conditioner or body lotion and pack them in my checked bags. Then, while I’m away, I can use up the rest of the bottles and just toss them out resulting in ample empty space to fill with whatever I buy! Sure, I might not use every last bit, sometimes wasting a teeny amount if I toss them but isn’t it the same thing with travel sized products and wouldn’t you end up buying more product anyway? It’s all about balance!

My routine for packing is always to do a brief inventory overview of everything I use on a day to day basis. I’ll go through and see which items I use that are almost out; this includes shower, hygiene and beauty! Then whatever else I typically use that isn’t nearly empty, I’ll supplement on my trip with travel sized bottles I picked up from CVS for example on this past trip, my shaving cream was feeling super light and I had a third of my Aveeno body lotion left and since we were planning to be in Europe for more than two weeks while it’s dry and freezing cold out there, I knew I’d end up using most if not the rest of the bottles so in my checked luggage it went! I still ended up buying travel sized body wash, facial cleanser and Aveeno’s hand creme from CVS since my usual full sized bottles of those were full.

Another great item to pack that you may not think about is extra Ziplock bags. I bring a bunch with me on my trips in a variety of sizes. They come in super handy when you repack on your return trip! I always end up needing a bag for soiled laundry, shoes, souvenirs, liquids or makeup and they’re not always easy to find from your hotel. Don’t act like it doesn’t happen to you 😉 how many of us have scrambled for a bag, resorting to that one single plastic dry cleaning pouch that’s always reliably hanging in your hotel closet? I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I’d wished I packed an extra plastic bag or two!

Since I used my CVS Beauty Club membership before leaving, I had a pretty awesome amount of $5 ExtraBucks® Rewards to redeem when I got back (you get one for every $50 cumulatively spent on qualifying beauty products, remember?) – We must have been in such a rush because halfway through our trip, I found $7 in ExtraBucks in my toiletries bag! I’m glad I realized what they were before they’d get lost forever in my luggage abyss lol! Definitely a pleasant surprise 😉 The savings helped immensely with replenishing my toiletries and beauty products at home… 😉 especially after all the splurging I did in Paris! By the way, if you’re new to the CVS Beauty Club, you can enjoy 10% off beauty shopping pass at enrollment which definitely helps when buying for a trip!

🙂 Follow along below in my photo captions for more fun, unique travel tips:

If you’ve ever traveled to Europe (or Asia for that matter) you’ll notice a different standard in… toilet paper.  So random and probably not as important as everything else but it’s still something that bothered us! 😛 The toilet paper overseas just isn’t as soft or pleasant. Sure, maybe we’re just spoiled with Charmin Ultra Soft on the daily but hey, after 16 days of using sand paper like tissue, you’ll be crying for that Charmin like we were, too! It’s also another great item to pack as a luggage real estate saver! We didn’t, but definitely we should have and certainly will on our next trip. If your tush is as important to you as mine is to me, I would definitely recommend packing some with you – however much you think you’ll use! Then you’ll have this nice chunk of space to pack that new handbag you bought in Paris on your way back ;). Don’t forget to bring your own little first aid kit, you’d be surprised how different first aid items are in other countries, especially if you can’t read the labels! Shop: CVS Jumbo Cotton Balls | CVS Gentle Strips Hypoallergenic Bandages | Cortizone 10 Anti-Itch Cream | Neosporin Antiseptic Pain Relief Ointment | Q-Tips Cotton Swabs | Gilette Satin Care Shaving Cream | Charmin Ultra Soft

With the varying weather where ever we travel, keeping your hair under control can sometimes be a challenge. I always try to be prepared to get a handle of mine with my favorite basics like Johnson’s baby powder (as an easy substitute for dry shampoo) and Big Sexy Hair’s Powder Play to give it extra volume bringing it back to life along with Spray & Play hairspray to keep those flyaways at bay. I also always make sure to bring along extra hair ties & bobby pins. Shop: Big Sexy Hair Powder Play and Spray & Play | Johnson’s Baby Powder | Goody Hair Ties | Conair Bobby Pins

Checking the weather reports in advance was daunting, especially seeing that it would be so chilly at 20-30°F! My sensitive skin usually has a hard time adjusting to cold/dry weather which also likes to aggravate my eczema. I made sure to use my CVS Beauty Club membership to pick up my favorite gentle Dove body wash & Johnson’s Baby Head To Toe Wash (which I use as my facial cleanser) as well as some extra creamy moisturizing Aveeno Lotions formulated especially for eczema to keep my skin happy! Shop: Aveeno Eczema Therapy Moisturizing Cream & Hand Cream | Johnson’s Baby Head-to-Toe Wash | Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash

I didn’t want to drag around my entire collection of makeup so I grabbed some easy basics from my CVS Beauty Club like this NYX Eyeshadow Palette to give me a nice variety while keeping my packing simple. I also loved this multipack of Ardell lashes – it was perfect to make sure I had enough to sustain my 2 weeks in Europe (even though I only went through 2 pairs) and made it easy to keep my toiletries bag slim! Shop: NYX Smokey Eye Palette, Auto Eyebrow Pencil & The Curve Liner | Ardell Glamour Multipack Lashes | DUO Eyelash Adhesive | MUA Professional All Over Eyeshadow Brush

Photos by Chris Dyer.

Do you already use any of these tips in your travel/packing routine? What are your travel beauty must haves?

Xox,
An Dyer

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Disclosure: This post was sponsored by CVS Pharmacy, Inc. While I was compensated to write a post about CVS/pharmacy Beauty Club, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting HautePinkPretty.com sponsors as they help make my blog possible!