Beauty a go-go; easy tricks for traveling pretty

June 9, 11:31 AMDC Health and Beauty ExaminerMartha Kepner

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  Travel pretty this summer

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With summer fast approaching, more and more of us will be packing our bags for vacation, and that means one thing: culling through your beauty stash in an effort to try and figure out what to take, and what to leave behind.  Because I have a bit of a skin care addiction, and can't stand to be parted from my favorite skin concoctions for even a week, I have adopted a few habits that help keep me, and my skin care products, happy together all season long.

Buy Local. Certain skin care items have to travel with me.  My Caudalie eye cream and my Murad Sensitive Skin Soothing Serum. I will not leave my house without them, even for one night. But other items, such as soap, I leave at home and buy when I get to my destination. Not only does it save a bit of space in my suitcase, it introduces me to great local resources, such as Napa Valley Bath Company, which I was recently introduced to while in California.

Try and get samples of favorite items, not just new products. Admittedly, this sounds like a no-brainer, but I don't always remember to try and get samples of items I already use. Having a stash of favorite-brand samples that are used strictly for traveling saves a lot of time and space when packing. I particularly try and score single-use shampoo/conditioner sample packets, which make for ease and convenience when traveling.

Make your own. One of the best bits of beauty advice I ever got was from a makeup artist friend who traveled a lot for work, and had perfected how to pack with only one tiny makeup bag in her suitcase. Her secret?  Rather than packing multiple eyeshadows, lip glosses or powders in her bag, she instead created her own custom palette with a multi-compartment vitamin or pill box.  She simply scraped a small amount of lipstick or eyeshadow into each compartment, enough for her trip, and then tossed that one small kit into her bag.  I've done this ever since and it saves so much space (and time)! You can find pill boxes at the Vitamin Shoppe (this one works great for lip gloss) and The Container Store.To scrape off eyeshadow or blush from the cake without destroying your product, try using a clean, dry mascara wand.  Hold the shadow over the pill box and gently pass the mascara wand over the pigment, allowing the shavings to fall into the compartment.  Or, if that just seems like way to much effort, invest in a professional makeup palette, such as this one by Sephora. It offers eyeshadow, blush, gloss and bronzer all in one sleek, travel-friendly compact.

Two (or three!) in one. Find products that pull double duty. I love the new Laura Mercier HydraTint SPF 15 lip colors. Not only is there a large selection of gorgeous shades, they offer sun protection for daytime and lounging on the beach, and moisture and shine for a night, when you want a bit more va-va-voom.  Moisturizers with SPF, two-in-one cleanser/toner, shampoo/conditioner/shower gel...many companies have gotten wise to the need for products that are multi-functional and there is a healthy selection available at most every beauty retailer. 

For all the news that's fit to be beautiful, follow me on Twitter @BeautyLass!