Sustainability trends are slowly taking over all aspects of our lives. And so sustainable skincare is also on the rise, with minimalistic makeup and skin routines that give you a healthy glow. Check out our minimalist skincare guide to help you adapt to a clean beauty regime and make your travel kit a bit lighter on your next trip! By Anushka Goel
In recent years, the world has seen a shift towards clean living and sustainability. Even organising consultants such as Marie Kondo have emphasised the need for keeping a minimalistic collection and avoiding hoarding. And this comes in handy, especially when travelling. Multi-use products that are easier on the environment and your skin help keep your travel kit small and clutter-free.
So, if you’re someone looking to minimise your collection and beauty regime, we have hacks for you that are super easy to follow and will be great for when you travel!
Minimalist skincare routine to make your travel bag lighter
Think about cleansing deeply
If you haven’t yet switched to facial soaps, we highly recommend you look one up. Many indie brands sell facial bars that are handmade and sustainable, and now, commercial brands such as Sebamed and Palmolive offer bar face washes that are gentle on the skin and the environment.
Opt for a soap bar for the face since these are easier to carry and don’t take up much space. However, if you are looking to carry your existing face wash, a simple hack is to empty a small amount in a small tube – any old moisturiser tube works, and this is a great way to reuse the hotel sample bottles that we know you’ve hoarded in the past!
Coconut oil for the win
Coconut oil is this amazing product that has way too many uses — use it as a moisturiser, smear some on your makeup to remove it gently, condition your hair with it… the possibilities are endless. It has been a staple in most Indian households, but with so many skincare and makeup products coming in, this humble has taken a backseat.
It’s time to bring coconut oil back into beauty regimes, and if you have access to virgin cold-pressed oil, there’s nothing better than that! Fill up a travel-sized bottle of this magical oil on your next trip and you’ll effectively eliminate the need to carry makeup remover, moisturiser and even a leave-in conditioner!
Replace your liquid soaps with a bar
Add soap and shampoo bars to your minimalist skincare kit, whether you’re travelling or are at home. These cut down on your plastic consumption and are easier to carry than the huge bottles of your favourite body wash and shampoo. And before you say it, we know that most hotels offer their own small bottles of toiletries, but these are extremely wasteful and a definite no-no for a conscious traveller.
Replace your face creams with jojoba oil
Another useful and effective switch in this minimal skincare routine for a traveller is jojoba oil. This multi-purpose oil can be used as a facial oil, cuticle softener, leave-in hair serum, and so much more. Another great way to use the oil and incorporate it into your makeup routine is to mix a drop of this with some powdered highlighter for that lit-from-within glow!
Multipurpose makeup to save some space
Multipurpose makeup products are a great way to carry less coloured products while having more variety when you travel. Lip and cheek tints can be used as blushes and lipsticks, and some of them like the e.l.f. Monochromatic multi-use stick and the Just Herbs lip and cheek tints are great products to have.
shop e.l.f monochromatic multi-use stick here
shop just herbs lip & cheek tint here
Create your own travel makeup palette
You can easily purchase empty makeup palettes online, with single products such as eyeshadows, contour and blushes to fit in them. A great way to save some space and have a minimalist makeup collection is to create your own curated palette which consists of your favourite shades of eyeshadows, contours and blushes. This way, you won’t need to carry five different palettes for your favourite shades, and you’ll have a lightweight, less space-consuming alternative in hand.
Depot your lipsticks
Any empty spaces in the travel makeup palette you created earlier can be used to store lipstick, or you can use your empty eyeshadow containers to press some old, emptying bullet lipsticks into. These make carrying several shades easier, and you can make use of the last bits of lipstick stuck in the plastic holder that often gets thrown because applying it can be a hassle. It’s also a great way to get some extra uses out of your favourite shade and make your products last a bit longer. What’s more, some of these shades can work great as cream blushes and contours, making your product multipurpose and helping you make your travel kit minimalist.
shop empty makeup palette here
How to curate a minimalist skincare kit for travel
A small, manageable skincare bag can have just five products, which will do the job of at least 10, if not more. We recommend the following:
- A good face soap
- Travel-sized soap bars (you can even cut a piece of your everyday soap for travel)
- Coconut oil for moisturising, makeup removal and oil-pulling
- Jojoba oil for the face, as a leave-in conditioner, cuticle oil and hand cream
- Shampoo bars for the hair
For a minimalist makeup kit, keep multipurpose products on hand which not only make travel easier but also help you reduce the clutter at home. We recommend:
- A good quality powder foundation (to avoid carrying that foundation bottle)
- Lip and cheek tints
- A good brown lipstick that can double up as a contour
- A multipurpose palette to reduce the need for different products
Related: Travel Kit Essentials: Top Organic Skincare Must-Haves!
