I’m not going to bore you with an unnecessary intro about how we all love to travel (we do!), and that our favourite destination (Japan!) has finally opened its doors to us. You’re here because you have a trip lined up and want to downsize your skincare and makeup kit, or you just really love small, travel-sized things. So let’s get right to it — here are the products to create the ultimate travel beauty kit!

SKINCARE

shu uemura cleansing oil individual sachets

I can’t live without my shu uemura cleansing oil and there’s really no real replacement to it. But I really don’t want to lug a big bottle of it overseas. I discovered that the brand has individual sachets — each packet is good for two uses. These sachets are really convenient and make it easy to plan how many to bring along depending on the length of your trip. They aren’t for sale, but you can head down to any shu uemura counter or boutique and ask nicely for samples. Even better if you are an existing customer (which you probably are!) and you take the opportunity to buy a bottle of your favourite cleanser, and then request for samples for your trip. You’ll probably get more.

Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum

This booster serum is, to me, the best skincare you can have on you when you travel. It soothes and calms skin and any inflammation, and can heal damaged skin as well. This makes it great for using on an airplane and in colder, dry climates like Japan. It’s wonderful that it comes in smaller sized bottles including 15ml ($33) and 30ml ($65). Find these at Sephora.sg.

clé de peau beauté Key Radiance Care Introductory Set (Softening)

This dream starter set includes all the best skincare from Japanese luxury beauty brand, clé de peau beauté. Once you try their Softening Cleansing Foam, it’s hard to want to use anything else to wash your face with (not to be confused with the shu uemura Cleansing Oil, which I use for removing makeup at the end of the day). This set also includes the incredible Protective Fortifying Cream and Intensive Fortifying Cream in 12g sizes — excellent for carry-on luggage, and perfect for wintry climates.

You can buy this set at $205 at all clé de peau beauté boutiques and counters, and at Sephora.

Fresh Color & Care Lip Trio

Every Christmas, I look forward to the limited edition skincare sets from Fresh Beauty. There’s always a value set with a range of lip treatments in smaller sizes that are perfect for travelling with. This year’s includes the classic Sugar Lip Treatment Advanced Therapy, the Rosé version that adds a hint of pink, and the Mint Rush that feels fresh and tingly. A full-sized Sugar Lip Treatment Advanced Therapy retails at $39 on Sephora; this trio set is priced at $43 — see, good value! It’s available from 20th October at fresh.com/sg.

Chanel No1 De Chanel Red Camellia Revitalizing Serum-In-Mist

A face mist is such a great skincare to bring along on an airplane or while travelling in dry climates like Japan. This mist is a light serum that can be used under or over makeup to refresh the skin and hydrate it when needed. It’s part of Chanel’s No1 line that is formulated with red camellia-derived ingredients, which prevent and correct signs of ageing,

Get it for $125 (50ml) from Chanel’s E-Shop at sg-eshop.chanel.com.

Gucci Baume Nourrissant Universel, Nourishing Balm

Multi-purpose items are always great for travel, and even better when they come in the most gorgeous of packaging. This is an unfragranced balm that can be used on skin, lips, hands, nails, cuticles, elbows and knees (basically everywhere except the eye area). It soothes and hydrates dry areas and leaves behind a comfortable feeling with its 100% natural-origin formula, which includes a highly concentrated blend of botanical and natural oils like Jojoba, Castor and Black Rose oils, as well as Shea Butter. Pop it in your bag and whip it out even if just to use the mirror to check your teeth.

$95, available at the new Gucci Beauty boutique at ION Orchard #B2-44/46.

Ultra Violette Glow & Go Trio Set (Holiday Limited Edition)

We especially love the holiday season because all the limited edition miniatures get released, like this set from Ultra Violette. It has our favourite Queen Screen and the lip balm in a new plummy shade. Once you try the texture of Ultra Violette’s Queen Screen sunscreen, you won’t want to use anything else.

It’s $58 on Sephora.sg and I suggest getting it now before it sells out.

MAKEUP

Anastasia Beverly Hills Mini Soft Glam Eye Shadow Palette

The full-sized version of this palette is gorgeous; the colours are great for creating both natural and glamorous looks. The mini version ($51) has all the key shades adapted from the main palette, but in a good fun size. It’s just missing a brush, which is a small compromise I’d make for such a slim profile.

Sigma Beauty Essential Travel Brush Set

This incredible brush set has everything you need for a full face of makeup. The brushes have shorter handles and all fit beautifully into the sturdy brush cup included. Best of all, these brushes work as well as their standard-sized counterparts. It’s priced at US$86 and available on sigmabeauty.com.

Muji Portable Eyelash Curler

This lash curler is flat and easy to fit into any pouch and bring about. Also, it works really, really well; in fact better than traditional makeup artist brand eyelash curlers. Just check out our review of it here. Get this on Shopee for $7.30. Really good value for something that works so well.

Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Dip Clip-On Universal Lip Luminizer

How cute is this lip gloss? It’s in a little clip packaging that you can clip on to your clothes or bag and really take it anywhere with you with ease. We also love lip products from Fenty Beauty; they are hydrating and very flattering when worn. This one is in the popular shade, Fu$$Y, which works on all skin tones, the way Fenty made it to be.

Get it from Sephora.sg at $33.

BATH

Lush Bath Bombs

When I go on holiday with the kids, one little way I make it special is to bring along a few fantastic bath bombs from Lush. The kids absolutely love them! They smell great, are fun to watch when they bubble up in the bathtub, and most importantly, I can actually use them in a tub (we don’t have one at home in Singapore). Considering most households in Singapore don’t fit bathtubs into their bathrooms, the only time we really get to enjoy the Lush bath bombs are in a hotel. 

For this upcoming trip, I’ve chosen Unicorn Poop ($17), Groovy Kind of Love ($18) and Peachy ($16)! These are all available at Lush stores and online at lushsg.com.

Aesop Arrival Travel Kit

This Aesop Travel Kit of classics is always on my list of travel beauty must-haves. It includes the brand’s best selling Shampoo, Conditioner, Rind Concentrate Body Balm and Geranium Leaf Body Cleanser — all of which smell fabulous. I like to bring the body balm along with me when I head out of the hotel; it’s excellent for hydrating and soothing dry skin, which tends to happen whenever I’m in Japan because the air is so much drier than in Singapore.

It’s available for US$36.92 (approx. SG$53) from net-a-porter.com.

Grown Alchemist Travel Kit

Here’s another incredible kit from NET-A-PORTER. The Grown Alchemist Travel Kit has all the bath essentials you need (shampoo, conditioner, body wash and body cream), plus some awesome extras: face wash, exfoliator, day cream and hand cream. The day cream in particular smells heavenly; it has Camellia and Rosehip Oils to hydrate and soothe, and absorbs readily into skin leaving behind a silky veil of moisture. The tubes are easy to bring around (pop them in your handbag or even pocket) and squeeze out on-the-go whenever and wherever you feel dry. Your skin will thank you for this.

We love that the Grown Alchemist kit also comes with a black travel pouch that fits everything (and more!) neatly inside. It’s really the icing on the cake in this package.

Priced at US$67.95 (approx. $96) on net-a-porter.com.

FRAGRANCE

DIOR Fragrances

Dior has some of the most beautiful fragrance bottles and scents, and fans of these products know that they come in various sizes. The larger 125ml bottles are for the home vanity table, but if you stock them in the 40ml sizes, you can easily bring them along for your trips. Our favourites are the scents “Lucky” (with Lily-of-the-Valley and white flower notes) and “Ambre Nuit” (an Oriental-Floral fragrance); both are best-sellers and will keep you smelling divine everywhere you go. The 40ml bottles are priced at $180 each and available from shop.dior.com.sg.

Something else to look forward to is Dior’s limited edition Fragrance Discovery Set ($335). It includes 10 of the brand’s iconic fragrances in 7.5ml formats, and is presented in a gorgeous keepsake box. It also just launched and we predict will sell out soon, so if you want it, don’t hesitate and buy it now.

This Works Choose Sleep Duo Spray

This is one of the best investments you can make for your trip; it’s a set of two products — a roll-on and a pillow spray. The roll-on is really useful when you’re in a crowd or place where bad smells abound. Quickly whip this out, roll it onto pulse points and breathe into your hands. It’ll help you not want to throw up from unsavoury scents (like body odour or garbage). The pillow spray is self-explanatory. Spritz onto your hotel pillow and it’ll smell good — which means better sleep. The Choose Sleep Duo Spray is priced at $22 and available from Sephora. Also, there’s a Christmas edition of this set that’s essentially the exact same products, but priced less at $18. Get it here.

You can also check out the Stress Check Mood Manager from the same brand. You can spray this onto clothes (not silk or leather), your skin or your surroundings. The scent will help you relax and ultimately improve your mood. It smells like a comforting spa — the good kind. Get it from Sephora at $29.