Pack Light: 6 Beauty Products Perfect For Travel

Travel is fun, but packing for travel? Not so much. When it comes to beauty, it can be tempting to bring your whole makeup bag (been there)—but we’re here to tell you that there’s a better way to move. Instead of taking it all, why not opt for a few strategic essentials? We’ve done the testing so you don’t have to: here are seven beauty items perfect for travel. —Sara Harowitz

Graydon Moon Boost Serum

Toronto skincare brand Graydon is about to debut a brand-new face serum called Moon Boost, and it’s the first skincare product in Canada to be made with palmless torula oil. This bio-designed ingredient is an eco-friendly alternative to palm oil (which is used in about 70 per cent of products in the personal care category); made through a combination of biotechnology and fermentation, torula oil uses ingredients from yeast, fungi, and algae to mimic the benefits of regular palm oil. Moon Boost also uses meadowfoam seed oil, raspberry seed oil, and vitamins A, C, E, D, F, and K to improve skin tone, increase firmness, boost elasticity, and soothe irritation. What makes this product especially great for travel is that it comes in a 30-millilitre bottle (great for carry-on luggage), and it helps protect the skin from environmental stressors—ideal for planes, trains, and new cities. The Moon Boost Serum launches on Graydon’s website on March 21.

YSL Loveshine

When you’re travelling, your products need to work overtime for you—and YSL Beauty’s Loveshine lipstick does just that. Made with nourishing fruit extracts and plant oils, this hydrating lipstick keeps lips feeling moist and protected all day long. With a wet-shine look (we’re loving the pale pink Nude Lingerie hue), it’s perfect for day-to-night wear. And if you live in Metro Vancouver, take note: YSL Beauty is currently hosting a Make Me Blush Pop-Up in Metropolis at Metrotown. Located just outside Sephora, the pop-up is on now until March 20 and includes YSL’s gorgeous new Make Me Blush line, along with its Loveshine lipstick collection and new Black Opium fragrance; gifts with purchase from a branded vending machine; product engraving and live DJs on select dates; and free makeup touch-ups.

Merit Day Glow Highlighting Balm and Clean Lash Lengthening Mascara

Los Angeles-based clean beauty brand Merit keeps faces fresh and dewy with its Day Glow Highlighting Balm. Made with plant-based squalane (for hydration), a blend of amino acid and phytosterol (for protection), and micro-fine pearls (for illumination), this highlighting stick is a must for any makeup bag. Offering a subtle, buildable, blendable glow, it’s great for both daytime and nighttime looks. Another excellent choice? Merit’s Clean Lash Lengthening Mascara: made with fatty acids, Vitamin B5, and olive oil, it conditions the lashes, doesn’t smudge, and washes off easily. All great things for long travel days.

Rare Beauty Warm Wishes Effortless Bronzer Stick

Founded by Selena Gomez, Rare Beauty is quickly making its mark in the vegan and cruelty-free cosmetic game. A must-try from the product line is the Warm Wishes Effortless Bronzer Stick, which will give you a warm, sun-kissed glow even if your trip isn’t taking you somewhere sunny. The stick formula makes application (and blending) a breeze, and it comes in an array of buildable shades.

Rhode Pocket Blush

Another celebrity-founded beauty brand that’s planting its flag in the ground is Hailey Bieber’s Rhode. Bieber is known for her glass-like skin, and Rhode has many products to help you achieve it yourself—but for travel, the Pocket Blush is the way to go. Coming in an array of adorable colours (from baby-pink Piggy to soft-mauve Sleepy Girl), this cream blush is made for life on the go. With a lightweight formula that hydrates (and lasts all day), it melts into the skin without any sticky or oily residue. Bonus? It can double as an eyeshadow: just swipe on your lids and off you go.

Maison Louis Marie Perfume Oil

Perfume has long been a tough thing to travel with—but it doesn’t have to be. Los Angeles-based fragrance brand Maison Louis Marie offers its gorgeous scents in 15-millilitre bottles of perfume oil, meaning they fit into any toiletry bag and clock in well under your liquid limits. Plus, the roller-ball applicator makes them so easy to use, and the oil formula makes the scents last all day. We’re loving the No. 02 Le Long Fond with patchouli and cedarwood, as well as the No. 04 Bois de Balincourt with sandalwood and amber. To pack extra light, there’s even a mini size—just three millilitres—that’s as cute as it is portable.