The Travel Size Minis I Took With Me to Japan for 10 Days
Sadaf Razi is Adore Beauty's Senior Beauty Editor.
She's a former fashion editor (who worked at various glossy mags) and stylist-turned digital beauty and lifestyle writer. She has been in the lifestyle/media industry for over 10 years and her work has also been featured on international covers like Elle France and Vanity Fair Mexico.
Some of her fave Adore Beauty products include Cicaplast B5, CeraVe Cleansing Oil and Lancôme Renergie Triple Serum.
I’m a sucker for anything mini.
Mini desserts, mini bags, mini stationary - if it’s a smaller version of something, I have this weird urge to want it. Yes, I’m that person.
Travel minis? Shut.up.and.take.ALL.MY.MONEYZ.
I want them ALL. (Even when I’m not travelling - they’re handbag essentials?!).
Travel size beauty products are basically like the grown-ups equivalent to Polly Pockets (‘90s kids understand).
Now with so many amazing travel-sized beauty products (I might be biased but I think I Adore Beauty is home to some of the best travel beauty in Australia) at our fingertips, we don't ever have to be without our favourite cleanser, shampoo or conditioner even when we're miles away from home.
Weird interest for mini things aside, I did actually purchase a bunch for my recent trip to Japan and since you guys really liked the last travel minis article I did (see what I took with me to Canada!) I thought I would do a part 2!
I mean the fact that you can get a mini vitamin C is just a whole other skincare ball game. Amazing.
Speaking of, from a really nice vitamin C that felt creamy on the skin to Laneige's most iconic hydrating skincare products IN MINI SIZES), here’s what I recently took on holidays for 10 days…
Travel Size Beauty Products and Minis.
1. Murad Vita-C Glycolic Serum Travel.
What:
Skincare first, of course.
Let’s start with the AM which for me only requires two things: a vitamin C and an SPF.
Anthelios is technically not a mini, but its sleek packaging makes it super travel-friendly.
For my vitamin C I picked a mini version on the Murad Vita-C Glycolic Serum.
This one surprised me - I LOVED the texture of this vitamin C; felt like a nice lightweight cream compared to the usual vitamin C formulas.
My skin can find some vitamin Cs irritating but even though this one has the inclusion of glycolic acid, it felt so lovely and gentle on the skin.
Plus when my skin is misbehaving on travel because well, snacking on sweet treats in Japan was my number one priority leading to some unwanted breakouts, I felt good knowing the glycolic would help sort that out a little.
It also didn't pill under my SPF and I think that's due to its creamy texture.
Our complexions can become dull on travel, so if you want double antioxidant protection and for your skin to stay glowy - a mini SPF and vitamin C combo is the way to go (and don't forget your hat - the most important!).
2. Alpha-H Melting Moment Cleansing Balm Mini.
What:
I knew wearing so much SPF in the day as well as the dull, dry and tired skin you can get while on the go meant my skin was going to need something nourishing for my cleanser step.
A mini verison of the popular Alpha-H cleansing balm was a no brainer. This leaves skin feelsing soft, supple and relaxed.
And for a place like Japan where you're literally walking, shopping and sightseeing all day, coming back to your hotel room exhausted then melting off the day with a cleansing balm feels heavenly.
3. Bioderma Sensibio H2O Soothing Micellar Water Cleanser, 100ml.
What:
Ok I didn't want to double up on anything I've used before, but I literally cannot go one night without this product (I use it as my second step after cleansing to get every last bit of mascara residue and grit off).
So that's that.
My only tip with this would be, make sure you buy a new unopened bottle of this for travel, I once took a half used one and it leaked in my bag!
4. Laneige Icons To Go.
What:
I mean the name says it all really.
For my PM routine, I purposely left my exxy skincare in full sized bottles at home.
I wanted skincare that was cheap but effective, because I don't want to risk losing, breaking or spilling any of my fancy stuff on travel.
I also needed something that was going to deliver a nightly dose of hydration because I already knew my daily water intake was going to be low.
I'm that person on travel that likes to be on the go walking around all day, (I can literally only sit by a pool for an hour before I get bored and restless) which also means I forget to sip on water regularly.
Enter, Laneige Icons.
I chose this set not only because it comes with mini sized versions of our most-loved Laneige proucts (CAU-TE), I chose it because it’s like a mini hydration station.
There was even some left after the trip so my mum has been using the leftover product on her dry, post-holiday skin - and I mean this glow speaks for itself really:
5. Oribe Dry Texturising Spray Travel Size.
What:
As a regular dry shampoo user, taking a travel size one on travel when I'm not washing my hair as much is a must, and really the underrated hero of my whole travel size beauty haul.
I've always wanted to try the cult Oribe Dry Texturising Spray and haven’t been able to commit to the $78 bottle so thought this was the perfect opportunity.
Now I know there's a lot of Oribe Dry Texturising Spray fans out there so what I'm about to say next might be a little controversial...
I found it a tiny bit too gritty. But, I LOVED the smell, AND it works.
So pro is - it zhuzhed up my greasy hair instantly.
Con: It made my hair feel a bit sticky and gritty to touch - but I didn't care too much. I would only care if I was in, let's say Paris, met a cute man and was scared his finger would get caught in a bird's nest if he was to caress my tresses, but I was with my family and too busy patting real life Bambis at Nara Deer Park - so we were all good!
6. Wella Professionals Ultimate Repair Travel Set.
What:
I’m someone who needs to take my own shampoo and conditioner (a travel size beauty ESSEN-TIA-L.) with me on holiday, and like I mentioned in my first travel minis article, yes, hotels do provide this for you, but they’re not always the best quality and can sometimes make my hair even worse (frizzy, dry etc.)
When I was searching on the site,I spotted one of my favourite hair ranges in MINI TRAVEL VERSIONS.
Was that serendipitous or what? The universe always delivers.
If you want to know why my hair and I love this range so much you can read my review here.
Instant add to cart.
7. Aspect Sun Envirostat On The Go SPF 50.
What:
I wanted mum to have her own sunscreen on travel and sounds weird, but I wanted her to have a bougie one so I chose this one from Aspect mainly because it comes with a travel hook for your bag!
I actually hooked it on my own bags for her while we walked around and it prompted my dad to reapply his sunscreen throughout the day too - win!
It is a little heavier (my mum’s skin is super tough so she didnt breakout) but it was great for a lighter, mature skin.
There's also plenty of it left so we'll keep using it - bang for your buck!
8. Kora Organics Noni Glow Sleeping Mask.
What:
Does what you took for your in-flight skincare routine count?
If so, this is where my Kora sleeping mask comes in. I always like to use a leave-on mask on a plane as skin gets zapped of all moisturse when flying.
I applied this after my other trusty plane companion, the La Roche-Posay Cicaplast B5 Mask 25g for a double dose of hydration while mid-air.
Last time for our in-flight skincare routines (read here) my mask of choice was the Medik8 H.E.O. Mask which was amazing, but like I said, I wanted to try different products this time.
I found this one to be slightly more lightweight, with an almost gel-like consistency, so if you have oilier skin, you might prefer this one.
Catch up on some of our other useful skincare articles below:
