5 Sun, Sand and Sea Travel-Friendly Beauty Products Getting Me Through This Summer

Summer is unofficially here, which means people are hopping on all kinds of trains, planes and automobiles to enjoy the beautiful beaches this world has to offer. As relaxing as a beach vacation can be, it can easily turn stressful after one good burn or dry, broken hair. That's why I have a set of favorite products that fit easily into my carry on beauty bag and save my poor bleached hair and fair skin from the harsh damages of the sun, sand and sea. 

Check out my five favorites that were all most recently tested and approved on the beaches of Colombia. Mick even tried them all and loved one so much he used up the entire bottle. 

Rene Furterer Solaire Protective Summer Oil, $26

As a fine-haired girl who's gone through a lot of shades blonde, I've put my poor hair through the ringer. It takes a lot of time and money to get it to the shade I like (shoutout to my colorist, Jan!) so I can't allow the sun turn it one bit. Not only can prolonged exposure to UVA and UVB rays change the blonde coloring, but it can make my bleached, processed hair even more brittle and broken. That's why I turn to this oil to help hydrate my strands while also providing a shield of protection against the damaging rays of sunshine. To top it all off, the skinny bottle squeezes perfectly on to the top of my bag before zipping it up. 

Virtue Recovery Shampoo & Conditioner, $15 each

Along with the heat and sun, salt water is also going to dry out your hair.  So no matter how much you protect and hydrate during the day, you still need to incorporate a healthy wash and condition into your travel beauty routine. I love this little travel-sized shampoo and conditioner. The shampoo pulls away the nasty daily build up like sand, sweat and product, while also building stronger strands thanks to its keratin ingredient. As for the conditioner, it's so softening that I fell in love after the first use. 

La Roche-Posay Anthelios Cooling Water Lotion SPF 60 Sunscreen, $36

This brand is my favorite sunscreen brand and this sunscreen is my favorite from the brand. They consistently score perfectly on the annual consumer report of top sunscreens, so it's not just me either. This super light weight sunscreen melts into the skin flawlessly so it doesn't feel like you're wearing a thick, sticky layer, even when you sweat. This case can be made for most of La Roche's formulas, this one delivers a cooling effect that feels incredibly refreshing, making reapplications something to look forward to instead of a drag. It's not exactly smaller or more convenient for travel, but you sunscreen is not something you want to skimp on.

Avène Mineral Ultra-Light Hydrating Sunscreen Lotion 50+, $28

I break out too easily to trust using any body sunscreens on my face, so I always have and always will use a separate one. I have my everyday favorites for my daily city life (Tatcha Skin Perfecting Sunscreen and Dr. Jart + Every Sun Day) but this one from Avène really protected me from the extra strong Caribbean sun. At the same time, it gave me a smooth and flawless complexion that make makeup irrelevant for the entire trip. Thanks to this, my skin had sun-kissed glow (read: not burnt or greasy) that made me feel like a beach goddess. And honestly, isn't that what we all want on vacation? 

Plant Apothecary Re: Fresh Organic Toning & Hydrating Mist, $10

Last but absolutely not least is this toning and hydrating mist that is now empty and gone. I originally brought it so I could spritz and refresh after my plane ride to look dewy and awake when I saw Mick for the first time in six weeks. However, once Mick got a hold of it and learned there was aloe in it, he sprayed it on every burn he saw. To be fair, it did keep his freckly Irish skin from peeling after a very harsh day where one of our expired sunscreens did not worked. Not only was this small spray great for burns, but it also delivers a burst of a refreshing cool-down during even the most humid of days. Along with the face sunscreen, this must-have favorite made my complexion healthy and happy. 

I’m Obsessed with This Noisy Body Product

Confession: I’m terrible at remembering to put on body lotion. It isn’t until I’m inconveniently out and about that I remember I should have slathered it on to keep my bumpy dry skin at bay. You’d think that discomfort would be enough of a reminder, especially for a beauty editor with approximately 40 moisturizers, but you’d be wrong. There’s only one product that reminds me to do this necessary step every day– Philosophy Body Mousse. I actually get excited to put on this entertaining and deliciously delightful mousse.

How could a body product possibly be entertaining? Well it’s foaming technology tingles and crackles loudly as you spray and rub it into the skin. It has to be one of the most active products I’ve ever applied. Anyone who’s tried it comments on how fun and surprising it is. It doesn’t have the rich creaminess of a lotion, so it is a bit futile for really dry skin. However, it does soften and even out skin tone, making it ideal for people the deal with redness. It’s not all about what it can do for your skin either. The mousse acts partly as perfume thanks to its heavenly scents of Philosophy’s popular Amazing Grace and Pure Grace.

As spring approaches, this fresh, crisp body mousse is the perfect alternative for your adjusting skin.

Is Roller Wheel Eyeliner Really Easier Than Other Liquid Liners?

Over the past year, there’s been a lot of innovations in the beauty world. Some high-tech like the Kérastase Hair Coach Powered by Withings device, others were more about scientifically driven formulations like Drunk Elephant’s TLC Sukari Babyfacial formula.

MAC Rollerwheel Liquid Liner, $21. 

Then there were the simple, user-friendly upgrades that consumers go nuts over. This is the category roller eyeliner falls. It started when MAC launched their “pizza cutter” one this time last year. The launch created a buzz that pushed other brands to come up with similar products. 

The wheel applicator is meant to deliver a razor-sharp line while gliding along the lid in one smooth motion. It looks fun and feels new, but is it really any better or easier to use than your average liquid liner? 

I’m already a pretty terrible at applying liquid liner, just in general. My eye shape and color go much better with a smokey eye, so that's what I typically wear if I wear any eye makeup at all. As a beauty writer though I've tested a lot of liquid liners and there are a couple I prefer, like Surrat Beauty Auto-Graphique Eyeliner or IT Cosmetics Superhero Liner. I’ve come to find they’re the easiest ones to control. Still, rarely do they leave my makeup drawer.

As a liquid lining rookie, I decided to put to the test whether the wheel liner innovation really is easier to use than the classic felt tip.

Felt-tip liner is on the right, wheel roller liner is on the left. 

I started by applying my favorite Surratt Beauty liner on my right eye to show the basis of what my average liquid liner looks like. Yeah, I know, it’s not great, but it's the best I can do. Then, for my left lid, I went in with Revlon ColorStay Exatify Liquid Liner. The wheel does move in an incredibly straight and skinny line, but sometimes I found that to be its downfall. If my hand was held at the wrong angle, I couldn't adjust mid-roll. I'd have to lift the whole thing of my lid and reangle. Since the line was so skinny to begin with, it was hard to go back in and pick up from where I left off. Also, any loose skin that made a bump on my lid easily pushed the wheel off track, creating another mistake I'd have to go back in and try to fix. Even though I struggled with the straightness of it all, I will say that no matter what trouble I had, it was always smooth. Then again, so is a good felt-tip liner.

An over-all much better application, but the felt-tip still applied a cleaner line. 

Since I’m clearly just no good at applying liquid liner in general, I recruited my roommate Julia to help me out. She applies it every day and has even used this wheel applicator before. Although her results were overall much prettier, the felt-tip liner still finished with the better line. She found that the wheel applicator didn’t apply a consistent amount of black to the line, leaving her with some missed spots. When she went back into fill them, it was difficult to do with the roller. “It’s like I didn’t have any control on the amount of liquid I was applying to my lid.” Having said that (Curb, anyone?), Julia ended up taking off the blue liner and applied the Revlon to wear out for the day. 

So, after conducting this very systematic test, I discovered that no, wheel eyeliner is not easier than your average liquid liner. It’s sharp definition is ideal if you want to create a tight thin line, but you wouldn’t really want it for anything thicker like a cat eye. If you're still curious and think you can do better, I do recommend giving it a shot. The Revlon ColorStay Exatify Liquid Liner is only $11 and it seriously stays put without any smudging or rubbing. It took my best eye makeup remover to get it off.  

Another discover we made is that I should just give all my liquid liners to Julia.