O'Hare Airport, Chicago
"A woman should be two things: classy and fabulous." - Coco Chanel
In my last post, I told you about what to put in your travel 'survival kit' and I ended with the admonition to wear as little makeup as possible - yes I said that and I mean it. Calm down. I said wear as little makeup as possible, not don't wear any makeup. You can have your cake and eat it too - and this post is going to tell you how...
I know going out in public, for an entire day no less, without makeup on is difficult for most of us -especially for we over 40 ladies. But the simple unavoidable truth is that, after a day of traveling, your makeup wears off, streaks, clumps or all three - leaving you looking and feeling haggard and blah and that is completely unacceptable.
You can have your cake and eat it too - there are ways ;-)
What you need: Luminizer, concealer, mascara, cream blush, lip gloss and scent.Disclaimer: I'm a Drugstore-Cosmetics-Counter-Junky
For decades (literally) I was a dedicated high-end cosmetics user: Lancome, Yves St. Laurant, Chanel, MAC, etc. Of course, you have to go to department stores to get them and they're really expensive. But between motherhood, chauffering my three hither and thon, grocery shopping, house cleaning, my career, getting Temple Designs off the ground and maintaining it, my fine art photography, etc. I just didn't have the time to schlep to my local mall just to pick up some mascara. Especially when my little ones were little, I found myself spending a lot of time at my local Walgreens on the corner, buying diapers, Desitin, cough medicine, etc.
During my 2005 trip to Paris I learned that my favorite high-end cosmetics brand - Lancome is owned by L'Oreal (the bestselling drugstore cosmetics brand). As soon as I returned states-side, I hotfooted it to Walgreens. I got a L'Oreal mascara for $8; I usually spend $30 for a comprable Lancome mascara (that I had religiously used for 20 years). The L'Oreal mascara was better than the Lancome version! Honey, I was sold! I soon found facial cleanser & moisturizer (Ponds), lotions (Palmer's), and all sorts of beauty items that are hands down superior to the big name brands and up to 75% less. Better, cheaper, and easier to get - who says no to that? Thus other than one or two exceptions, everything I recommend in "What a Girl Needs" are from Drugstore Cosmetics counters.
Okay, back to this post...
You can have your cake and eat it too - there are ways ;-)
What you need: Luminizer, concealer, mascara, cream blush and lip gloss.*Luminizer
Use a Luminizer instead of foundation (always heavy, drying and you can't realistically re-apply) or powder (drying and hard to apply on the go). It's very light but stays on; let's your face 'breathe;' you can put a dab of Ponds over it, while in-flight; and easily smooth on a bit more right before landing. Luminizer is the best thing since sliced bread! But what exactly is a Luminizer?
Revlon "Skinlights" Skin Brightener.
My personal favorite is: Revlon "Skinlights" Skin Brightener. But it's been discontinued (why, I have no idea). Thus, you can only get it at Ebay. But Revlon has just released a new version: Age Defying Spa Face Illuminator I just purchased one, I'll tell you how it works soon (in an update)
"Luminizer is a loose term for...products with ground up mica and other shiny materials in them. The mineral dust refracts light, so when its applied to your skin, it helps soften problem spots and highlights the areas the light hits." (Source: Bellasugar)
Basically, a Luminizer effectively deals with under-eye circles and makes your skin look dewy and healthy. Sephora has a varied selection, reasonable price range and you can go into their stores, try it on and find the best brand and color for you. Remember, a very little goes a long way.
*Concealer
After you smooth on your Luminizer, use a great under eye concealer
Revlon Colorstay Under-Eye Concealer
$6/Walgreens & Target
You can also use it for your other facial trouble spots - works better than foundation, and lasts.
*Mascara - several layers
L'Oreal Voluminizing Naturale - gives you long, thick lashes, makes your eyes look great without having to use eyeliner (even behind glasses) and won't dry out your eyes.
L'Oreal Voluminous Naturale - Blackest Black
$7.50/Walgreens
*Cream blush
non-drying, long lasting, lots of great colors, easy to apply and re-apply, a very little goes a long way.
Revlon Colorstay Creme Blush
$10/Walgreens
*Lip Gloss
Lip gloss makes even the most thin lips look yummy (with or without lipliner), it lasts forever, and Aquaphor easily goes beneath or above it.
Lancome "Juicy Tubes" $18
Okay, here's where I leave the drugstore cosmetic counter fanclub. Hands down, Lancome's Juicy Tubes is the best lip gloss on the planet. It comes in dozens of sheer shades; it's shiny and super moisturizing, especially when used over a super tiny dab of Aquaphor); and lasts forevahhhh. Lancome has them at a reasonable price, for a splurge, $18. The downside: Lancome doesn't have lots of colors and the colors you want are always sold out. Thus, first go to a department store to find your perfect shade. Then go to Amazon (for the newest shades) or Ebay (for your fav-must-have discontinued shades). And Ebay often has lots (or multipules of your color) for sale at really good prices.
Luminizer, concealer, mascara, cream blush, and lip gloss. This combination of cosmetics is inexpensive, easy and quick to apply before you leave for the airport, and easy and quick to touchup while in-flight and right before you land. With these cosmetic tools, you'll be able to erase the visible stresses of travel (or at least artfuly camoflage it) without stressing about it! Just pop into the bathroom (just be sure to bring your Lanisoh wipes) - don't do it at your seat, a girl's gotta maintain her allure!
*Scent
A woman's scent is personal - like a fingerprint. But might I suggest that, for travel, you don't wear something heavy and/or musky. There's nothing worse than being in a small enclosed airplane cabin when someone (man or woman) is wearing some cloying heavy scent that suffocates everyone. Even if you're traveling in the fall/winter, wear something light, airy and reminiscent of Springtime. For traveling I suggest that you purchase a 'mini-rollerball' of your favorite scent. Perfume spays' scent fill a cabin uncomfortably, even if it's a pleasing scent. A mini rollerball is tiny and gently smooths your scent on you wrists and behind your ears. They're also great for travel - big bang in a tiny package. Mini rollerballs are also very hard to find. In fact, I've only found them at Ebay. Try Noblemart - nice selection, reasonable prices and free shipping.
A skin-care sidenote:
Until I was 13 I had clear skin. But once puberty began I lived through 14 years of horrible acne. Acne so horrible and devastating I had to take Accutane to finally cure it - twice: once for one year, well before I had babies; and for another full year, one year after I finished nursing my youngest. I can't say enough, Accutane changed my life and I will be forever grateful that I had access to health insurance that enabled me to partake of this wonderful and amazingly effective, expensive treatment.
Proactive Mini Maintenance Travel Kit
1oz each: Cleanser, Toner, & 'Repairing Action' Cream
$28.25 + free shipping/Amazon.com
But as I gracefully progress into my 40s, my pernicious acne has tried to re-rear its ugly painful head once again, though much less devestating than my pre-Accutane years. I did some 'net research and the results pointed me toward one direction: Proactiv. I know, I know! You're saying Proactiv? The guys with the corny commercials and late-night infomercials? Yeah, those are the guys I'm talking about. Corny, tacky optics aside, this stuff works, quickly. My skin looks and feels amazing. But most of all, it's completely clear - that's all that matters to me. And it's available in a handy-dandy travel kit. You can get their "2 Month Supply Kit" for $45 + free shipping @Amazon.com (but it actually lasts at least 4-6 months). I highly encourage you to buy it from Amazon not their dedicated site (they take your cc# then send it to you every other month and you have to call them to get it to stop - way too much hassle). But be forewarned, I've always had very oily skin, and Proactive can be pretty drying, so it works great for me. Even so, I always finish with Pond's Dry Skin Moisturizer. The result - bliss and gorgeous skin.
And there you have it: Luminizer, concealer, mascara, cream blush, lip gloss, scent, and skin care. Everything you'll need to look fabulous, while you travel and while you're experiencing your final destination. These 7 items, and your 5 survival kit items will easily fit in your Travelon wheeled underseat carry-on; and the cosmetics (sans Proactiv) will easily fit in your daily travel-purse.
Explore! Dream! Discover!
Temple
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