Travel Beauty Hacks

One of the premises of Jane Sees the World is that looking good isn’t our top priority whilst traveling. I suppose that is true for non-traveling life as well, but this post is going to focus on how we make ourselves at least presentable and offer some travel beauty hacks.

Permanent makeup

For those who haven’t heard of it (really?) permanent makeup is essentially a tattoo. One example is a permanent eyeliner on your eyelids where you would normally use an eyeliner pencil. You can get all different thicknesses and colors done. It takes less than an hour to do and you won’t have to use eyeliner again, unless you want to really play it up. It is billed to be permanent, but some really isn’t. B had permanent eyeliner done about five years ago, but it has faded entirely.

Right before we left to spend Christmas in the Netherlands, I bit the bullet and got permanent eyeliner. Since then, I have been on several trips since and I gotta say, it has made my life easier. I only have to pack mascara and I look (pretty much) put together.

Screw-on earrings

When I go on a trip, I don’t want to deal with packing a lot of earrings. Frankly, I don’t want to deal with earrings at all. Instead of wearing one pair and taking them out each night I wear the kind that have screw on backs. I really don’t like getting jabbed in the head with earrings when I sleep, so the screw on backs prevent this. Amazon sells a $25 pair of crystal/stainless steel that I rock on my trips. I put them on when I am getting ready to go and don’t think about them again until I’m home and unpacking. Since they are stainless steel, I don’t have to worry about getting them wet. Like we mentioned in a staying safe post, I made sure the crystal wasn’t ginormous so as not to be a target for gangsters, etc.

Head over to Amazon to purchase your own pair by ComfyEarrings

(I should mention this is an R-specific suggestion, as B doesn’t subscribe to it. She isn’t as bothered as I am by having to change up earrings.)

Simple bracelets

Along the same lines as the screw on earrings, I recommend wearing bracelets/anklets that you never have to take off. I got a little obsessed with the company Pura Vida a few years back. This company makes adorable, simple jewelry. I have a lot (a lot a lot) of the colorful thread bracelets. These are pretty much just colored thread, so you can put them on and keep them on throughout your trip. I forgot them on my last trip and I was a little bummed.

Electrolysis

Electrolysis is a technique where hair is permanently removed from your body through lasers. I’m not going to lie, this is not a pain-free process nor is it cheap. However, once you remove the unwanted hair you won’t have to worry about it again (for the most part). I wouldn’t recommend electrolysis for everything. Have you noticed how different things come in and out of fashion? It would be a real bummer to look hot in 2010 with really thin eyebrows, only to be terribly unfashionable in 2018. That being said, there really are some places that I’m never gonna want to worry about again. To those places, I say bring on the lasers!

Note: this is specific to brunettes. Natural blondes are out of luck when it comes to electrolysis (Sorry B).

Wand waver

My normally straight hair does not do well in humidity. It gets big and it gets frizzy. Not attractive.  I’ve tested various products to try and tame it, but never really succeeded. (If you ever noticed that my hair is in a high bun in most pictures on this blog, now you know why.) Anyhow, on our trip to the Balkans I tried out a new theory. I sacrificed space in my bag to bring along my wand waver. I figured I could wand my hair one day and it would look semi decent. Guess what, it actually worked! The only flaw in the plan was that I didn’t bring any product that would help the waves stay in so it didn’t last as long as it usually does at home. Next trip I’ll bring the wand and product.

You can also bring a travel-sized curling iron or flat iron if your hair is easier to tame than mine. B has packed and used both with much success…and more room in her bag.

Spray tan

If you’re heading somewhere tropical and will be putting in a lot of time in your swimsuit right off the plane, you might want to consider getting a spray tan before you leave. B and I did this before we left for Hawaii in February. The tan doesn’t last that long, maybe five days or so. However, you might get some actual color in those first five days of your trip so you’ll be non-pasty throughout the trip. I am a pretty avid sunblock user, so my colors are usually white and red when I inevitably burn. Brown is a nice change of pace.

Nails

It’s really important to get yourself a pedi before you head out on your trip. A good paint job will last you for at least a month and when you wear your sandals around you’ll be proud to show off your color. I don’t recommend painting your fingernails before a trip because the paint is going to chip within a few days and then you’ll just be stuck picking it off the rest of the time. If you really need some pizazz on your fingers, you might want to consider getting a set of nails put on or packing your nail polish with you to touch it up.

Perfume

You know those sample sizes of perfume they hand out in the department stores at the mall? Those babies are a terrific way to make sure your signature scent stays your signature scent on a trip. They are small enough that they hardly take up any room and if they do spill it won’t be a disaster since a) there’s not much in there and b) it was free. So next time you are passing through Macy’s, swing past the perfume and pick up a sample or two.

Conclusion

We all want to look our best, but wouldn’t you rather spend time outside exploring than inside the hotel room getting ready? These travel beauty hacks will help you look decent while allowing you to focus on your trip.