Travel Essentials Revisited: Doing it Right(ish) in Budapest

Another month, another holiday, this time to the oh-so-beautiful and historically rich city of Budapest, Hungary. 

Packing light is not really my jam, but I also like to be thrifty - so hand luggage only, right? Culling my skin and cosmetic collection into just 10 liquids is always a real struggle for me. Especially when those liquids must include the bare essentials, such as sunscreen and toothpaste. That's two slots gone. I've noticed lately that my collection has migrated into more solid-based alternatives for this very reason. 

I was cheeky this time round, as I was travelling with my partner, who, despite my attempts to turn him onto real skincare routines, only packs antiperspirant and prescribed acne medicine. Meaning, I had a few more liquids to play with. Dream come true.

I'm also now a little more switched on with what I can and can't include in my liquids allowance. Two months back, in my trip to Barcelona, Spain (full breakdown here), I squeezed Lanolips Golden Ointment and PapayaGold Moisturising Balm into my liquids container. I didn't do that this time. Maybe I was pushing my luck a little, as they are balms/liquid-esque, but nobody seemed to bat an eyelid. 

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The Organic Pharmacy

I considered a short city break the perfect opportunity for me to pick up some conveniently small travel-sized products, while trialling some new items that I've had my eye on for some time. In hindsight, I see that this was just an outright mistake:

a) I always prefer to test full-sized products, to fully form my opinion

b) Playing with new products I haven't tested with my skin before is always a dangerous game

I picked up The Organic Pharmacy Discovery Travel Kit from Naturisimo, and you know, it wasn't all doom and gloom, in fact, I am now inspired to pick up the full-sized version of the Carrot Butter Cleanser and the Double Rose Rejuvenating Face Cream.

The Organic Pharmacy / Carrot Butter Cleanser is a balm based cleanser which melts into a creamy, rich oil when warmed on skin. This product is absolutely scrumptious. It's smooth to touch and delicately glides over skin. Make-up is lifted by the oils and then easily wiped away with the supplied muslin cloth. £39.95 / 70ML full-sized product. 10ML is incl. in the Travel Kit.

The Organic Pharmacy / Herbal Toner as spray toners go, this one is fairly fast and clumsy. It's quite a heavy liquid that comes out with starling force, clumping on your face in thick droplets. It requires a sweep over with a cotton pad to spread evenly. It is lovely and refreshing and it definitely leaves my skin hydrated. It's just all too thick for me, It has a tendency to feel heavy on the skin. £31.95 / 100ML full-sized product. 10ML incl. in the Travel Kit.

The Organic Pharmacy / Double Rose Rejuvenating Face Cream is possibly my favourite of the bunch. It has the most divine scent, followed by a silky and creamy texture. It's always cool to touch and spreads wonderfully across skin. It's super nourishing, leaving my skin feeling enriched and hydrated after use. £39.95 / 50ML full-sized product. 10ML incl. in the Travel Kit.

The Organic Pharmacy / Antioxidant  Face Firming Gel, now, as gels go, I don't like gels, and this makes no exception. Gels, such as this, are greasy and thick and heavy and never want to absorb. This product likes to sit on skin, leaving a very uncomfortable slick trail behind. I stopped using it in the daytime, as I just could not get it to absorb. I will not comment on its effects, as the trial-sized version did not offer enough product for me to take notice. £54.95 / 35ML full-sized product. 5ML incl. in the Travel Kit.

The Organic Pharmacy / Antioxidant  Face Firming Serum is something I could just not get along with. This kit wants me to just pile on face product after face product and I'm left in layers of liquids that just don't want to absorb. This serum is very thick and greasy. It happens to just sit on my skin, giving me this horrible thick and sticky face. No thank you. I will not comment on its effects, as the trial-sized version did not offer enough product for me to take notice. £75.95 / 35ML full-sized product. 5ML incl. in the Travel Kit.

The Organic Pharmacy / Muslin Cloth, I actually already own this cloth, and have been wanting to pick up another for a while. So, winner-winner, right? This cloth has such a wonderfully soft texture, yet has a nice slight grit to it, enough to pick up any debris or oil. It's gentle to touch, never abrasive to skin. It's one of the thickest cloths I've come across, meaning it can retain a good amount of water. £3.95 / 1 PIECE. 1 PIECE incl. in the Travel Kit.

The Organic Pharmacy Discovery Travel Kit can be purchased from Naturisimo for £45.00 and contains 5 travel-sized products and 1 full sized muslin cloth. 

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Then The Other Liquids

Every other liquid I took in my liquids allocation was an absolutely dream or saviour in some way. A lot of the products here are already staples of mine, products that I utterly cannot live without. I am so thankful for travel sized containers. It really saved my bacon this holiday.

Bee Good / Honey & Propolis 2-in-1 Cream Cleanser I've said in length before (full review here), that I just absolutely adore this cleanser.  It's lovely, creamy, rich and really cleanses your face in such a nourishing and caring way. My skin is fresher, clearer and smoother after use. Bee-liss! £4.95 / 30ML Travel Size from Bee Good.

Skin & Tonic London / Brit Beauty Oil This oil is a real winner with me. It's so bloody conditioning for my skin. I feel softer and look smoother. It's jam-packed with so many intelligent ingredients which my skin absolutely just eats up. Any inflammation is soothed, my skin is brighter, plumper and I am utterly well-conditioned. £28.00 / 30ML Full Size from Skin & Tonic London.

Egyptian Magic / All Purpose Skin Cream I'm a sucker for multi-purpose products and this is absolutely no exception. 5 of the 6 delicious ingredients are incredible bee-byproducts. While a solid yellow balm to begin with, when massaged into skin it melts into this wonderful nourishing and moisturising oil. I use this on nipple, eczema and any bits that chafe, need soothing or nourishment. £16.00 / 59ML Travel Size from LoveLula.

Our Tiny Bees / Über Balm As we know, I suffer with psoriasis. Burden, burden. This little tin contains the most delicious smelling honey-based balm which absorbs quickly into skin and leaves my dry elbows and knees wonderfully moisturised all day long. Not greasy, but utterly nourishing. I'm not flaky, I don't need to itch or fight, I'm soothed and calmed. Absolute staple.  £7.95 / 45ML Full Size from Our Tiny Bees.

La Roche-Posay / Anthelios XL SPF 5 Dry Touch Gel Cream As someone with incredibly fair and sun-intolerant skin, I can't ever go lower than factor 50, especially in a ~35°C climate such as Budapest. This product offers perfect protection for both UVA and UVB rays. However, it is really difficult to spread. Seriously difficult. It's a dry touch gel, so it dries almost instant. You really have to work it into your face quick, or, you guessed it, white patches! £16.50 / 50ML Full Size from Boots.

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Solids

Substituting some of my products for a solid alternative really is doing myself a solid. It saves me a lot of liquids allowance and means I can cater to a lot more of my skin needs. A lot of the products featured here are quickly becoming staples, products that I just cannot live without. Looking at you, BLOOM POLISH.

PureChimp / Super Cleanser I've said it before, and I'll say it again: this is my favourite cleanser ever. As a solid cleanser, you take a piece into your hands and mix it with a little water. It turns into this lovely thick mush, which you then massage into your skin. It is creamy and thick enough to get really stuck into my pores. My skin is so wonderfully soft after use, I have never had smoother skin since.£11.95 / 80G Full Size from PureChimp.

BLOOM Skin Essentials / POLISH Okay, this is a product I just cannot go without. Sense dictates that it's too clunky to be carting around in your hand luggage, and a face mask is a bit of a luxury I can skip... But really, I just can't. I had to take this with me. This fine powder can be mixed with water to form a paste, I then leave it on my skin for 10-15 minutes. It completely decongests my skin. I get heavily blocked around my nose, and after using this mask I am clearer and brighter. My skin is completely balanced and soothed, any inflammation has completely disappeared. $32.00 / 6OZ. Full Size from BLOOM Skin Essentials.

Lanolips / Golden Ointment Another solid favourite. This is one of the best moisturising balms I've ever used. It forms a lovely thick and nourishing barrier around skin to protect it and feed. It really helps with any wild dry patches that appear, as it's totally soothing and utterly calming. I like to use this around my eyes as they can get very tight in the corners. It's great for sleeping in. £17.99 / 50G Full Size from Boots. 

PapayaGold Moisturising Balm I use this every day as part of my not-make-up-make-up. It's a really lightweight multi-purpose balm and I like to use on my eyebrows as an eyebrow wax. It's completely invisible and doesn't solidify or leave a trace. I also rub a little just below my eyebrows as a highlighter. As mentioned, it's very lightweight, so it catches light very subtly. £5.99 / 25G Full Size from PapayaGold.

Crystal Spring / Salt of the Earth Deodorant This deodorant features one little ingredient: potassium alum (mineral salt). I simply need to wet my underarms and rub this stick on as I would a roll-on deodorant. This is super effective at keeping away odour, but as it is only a deodorant, not an antiperspirant, I found I caved in the hot climate. It's perfect for cooler weathers. £4.96 / 90G Full Size from Crystal Spring. 

LUSH Vanillary For me, the act of putting on a solid perfume is so graceful, that I can't help but revel in the experience. This fragrance is so divine, subtle and perfectly vanilla. It's lovely and creamy and melts just easily into skin. I place it behind my ears, along my clavicle and both wrists. £8.00 / 12G Full Size and in-store only from LUSH.

LUSH Trichomania This solid shampoo is perfect for my hair type. It's so beautifully nourishing that it puts both my hair and my scalp in wonderful condition after use. It has a very subtle lather, which turns into a fairly creamy texture when massaged. £5.75 / 100G from LUSH.

LUSH Jungle The ends of my hair are fairly frizzy and dry, and this solid conditioner just did not meet the grade. It's fairly difficult to spread onto hair, and what is there is relatively heavy, making hair appear lank after washing. It's difficult to use and not very effect, sadly. £3.50 / 55G from LUSH.

LUSH Porridge I just love this soap. It contains little oats which help to very gently buff and exfoliate the skin. It has a very creamy and rich lather which really moisturises skin. It smells divine and it does divine. This soap is perfect to combat a long day of beating sunlight and layers of SPF. £3.10 / 100G from LUSH. 

Travel Essentials, Travelling Light and Travelling Face First

I recently spent 3 nights in Barcelona (amazing city, I will definitely be back), and I always like to pack light. When flying, I always try and take the bare essentials, to keep my luggage as hand luggage only. This means I'm restricted to an impossible 10 liquids and usually a 10KG case. 

I'm going to ignore the very everyday essentials with this post (deodorant, toothpaste), I'm human, obviously I took these. I'll also be avoiding SPF to cover this in a later post. As someone who wears very minimal make-up (eyes, eyebrows. occ. lips), I fortunately don't have to carry all that much on-board. As a psoriasis sufferer, there are also a few products here to help calm dry and chaffed skin. 

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Liquids

I only managed to squeeze 9/10 liquids into the miniature 20cm x 20cm clear plastic bag. As I own a gargantuan skincare collection, it's very difficult to dwindle down to just 10 candidates (who could even?). So the focus here is on staying clean and staying hydrated. 

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La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+] This little tube of anti-blemish magic has been a godsend for me. It's main purpose is to combat blemishes, unclog pores and refine skin texture. It does exactly that. But it also doubles up as a moisturiser. It's fairly thick-feeling on the face. But I couldn't live without it. It has helped to clear my skin, remove damage and scarring and keep me hydrated throughout the day. La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+] is available from Boots for £11.62 / 40ML.

Lanolips Golden Ointment This multi-purpose product is ideal for covering all bases. It is a fairly thick, creamy balm, but I love the sensation of massaging it into my skin. I primarily use it as an eye cream, specifically in the outer corner of my eyes where the skin can feel a little tight. It leaves my eyes feeling relaxed and well nourished all day and I was so thankful for this after a full day of squinting and sightseeing. Lanolips Golden Ointment is available from Boots for £17.99 / 50G.

PapayaGold Paw Paw Moisturising Balm Yet another multi-purpose balm, but I use this for an entirely different purpose. This product is dreamily light. It's weightless on skin but feels instantly nourishing. I adopted this to my make-up routine, as opposed to my skincare. It's fantastic as an eyebrow wax, to hold back stray hairs, and doubles up wonderfully as an eyebrow highlighter when massaged sparingly under the brow arch. PapayaGold PAW PAW Moisturising Balm can be purchased from Boots for £5.99 / 25G. 

Salcura Zeoderm Skin Repair Moisturiser I very unfortunately suffer with psoriasis, primarily around my elbows which can becomes insanely dry, flaky and therefore uncomfortable. This product is perfect at keeping any irritation at bay all day long. I only need to apply one in the AM and again in the PM to reap its benefits. While it does sting ever so slightly when first applied, that discomfort shortly disappears and I'm left in love with how moisturised my skin feels. Salcura Zeoderm Skin Repair Moisturiser can be purchased from Boots for £8.99 / 50ML.

KIKO Volumeyes Plus Active Mascara This is one of the only mascaras I've used that doesn't come with a helping of lash clumping. I get perfect divisions and length with this mascara in a perfectly natural looking way. I adore the shape of the wand. It makes it so easy to apply, I can alter its angle easy enough without reapplying to areas I've already covered or accidentally touching skin. It also features voluminous technology to help your lashes grow. Mine are far more thicker since using this. KIKO Volumeyes Plus Active Mascara can be purchased from the KIKO MILANO store for £7.99 / 11ML.

LUSH Vanillary Solid Perfume I cannot get enough of the way this smells. I'm already a big lover of all things vanilla, but this just takes the bacon. It comes in a small tin and you simply rub your finger around the balm a little then transfer it to your skin. I like to place it just under my ears and on my wrists. LUSH Vanillary Solid Perfume can be purchased from LUSH for £7.99 / 12G (the single product in only available in-store and the link will direct you to the gift box containing the entire Vanillary range). 

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Non-Liquids

The non-liquids cover mostly cleansers, hair and body products. I decided to opt for solid cleansers that need to be activated with water (to cut down on my liquids but also because I find them much more clarifying). I also subscribed to using LUSH's Shampoo Bars, which are essentially a solid shampoo and conditioner, or, if you like, a soap for your hair.

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LUSH Let the Good Times Roll This is a fairly gentle exfoliating cleanser. It's already relatively moist, but I add water to it to make it extra gentle. It has very fine grains in it to help remove surface build-up. My skin feels lovely and clean after applying this product. And of course, there's the scent. Containing popcorn, it smells exactly that way. LUSH Let the Good Times Roll can be purchased from LUSH for £6.75 / 100G.

Pure Chimp Super Cleanser My skin has never been softer since using this product. Yet another cleanser that is activated with water, this turns into a very creamy paste which I love to massage into my skin. My skin has become super smooth to touch since using it, that I can no longer live without it. A delicious banana-y scent that it wonderful to wake up and fall asleep to. Pure Chimp Super Cleanser can be purchased from Pure Chimp for £11.95 / 80G.

LUSH Ultrabalm Yet another multi-purpose balm, because, why not? Full disclosure. I use this as a nipple cream. But it's also great for any areas that are dry, particularly nostrils and feet. It has a very, very fine sugary feel to it, so it takes away any damaged skin while keeping the areas nourished and well moisturised. LUSH Ultrabalm can be purchased from LUSH for £8.95 / 45G.

LUSH Trichomania As a solid shampoo, you simply rub this bar directly onto your scalp as though it were a bar of soap. It does create a nice lather which I then massage into the rest of my hair. It smells wonderful and it nicely hydrating, keeping my hair in good condition without making it oily. LUSH Trichomania can be purchased from LUSH for £5.75 / 100G.

LUSH Big Solid Conditioner As a solid conditioner, this product can either be directly applied to the hair (same as above), or broken off and rubbed in. I like to rub this product in to make sure I get a real deep condition. It makes my hair feel wonderfully soft and light, while adding a slight beach-y and tousled look. LUSH Big Solid Conditioner can be purchased from LUSH for £9.00 / 100G.

LUSH Porridge Porridge is a wonderful and delicious thing I can never grow tired of (both the soap and the super food). The little bar of soap contains actual porridge oats which help to exfoliate the skin. I don't bother using a cloth with this, I just apply it directly and find it becomes really thick and creamy on skin. The oats are super gentle and cause no irritation but effectively help exfoliate. LUSH Porridge can be purchased from LUSH for £3.10 / 100G.