Beauty Essentials To Pack For A Beach Vacation + Giveaway


Are you heading somewhere warm soon? You might want to read today’s post! Tropical destinations can wreak havoc on our hair and skin, so I’ve rounded up the best of the best, and what’s worth tossing in your suitcase when heading South.  

Live Clean Coconut Milk Shampoo and Conditioner 

When it comes to traveling to warmer climates all that time spent in the water, in the sun, and tying your wet hair back can really cause a lot of damage and breakage. Protect your hair with the moistuizering properties of Coconut Milk.
The coconut oils in coconut milk, with their Vitamin E, lauric and capric acids, both moisturize and protect, penetrating the hair shaft to help prevent breakage and seal in moisture. Both the shampoo and conditioner are enriched with Vitamins C and Provitamin B5, milk protein and rice protein adding to their nourishing, hydrating and strengthening properties.
 

Live Clean’s Coconut Milk Moisturizing Shampoo lathers quite nicely, smells amazing – and bonus it’s eco-friendly!

When it comes to traveling down south I really don’t wear a lot of makeup, but I do like to include some bronzer both to add some color to my pale skin, as well as to blend any change that can occur with a tan.  I love this matte bronzer from Annabelle ($11.95), as much as I like to add some shimmer to create a glow it’s nice to have the option of a matte bronzer to avoid any access shine. 

Anyone who knows me knows I can’t go anywhere without some blush! It’s quite possibility my favorite cosmetic. Get your blushon with these beautiful hues from Annabelle ($11.95)


Refresh your skin while you hang out on the beach with Avene’s Thermal Water Spray  ($21.75). I love this product! Especially considering how dry and irritated your skin can get while being out and about in the sun. I also love that this product doesn’t need to be rubbed in you can literally spray and go or tote with you for an instant refresh. I spray this one before applying moisturizer to help lock in the moisture 🙂

Sunkissed Pearls Lip Gloss Trio

With all your pretty maxi dresses and flowy skirts you’re going to want to add a fun lip! I don’t bother with lipstick while traveling somewhere tropical, as it can be too heavy, and who has time for touch ups? Cue lip gloss! We love the “Lip Gloss Trio- Pink Pearl, Coral Pearl, Berry Pearl” from Elizabeth Arden that softens and moisturizes your lips, and helps support natural collagen for plumper, fuller looking lips ($29.00 – Available at Hudson’s Bay, Shoppers Drug Mart & London Drugs).
Do we need to mention Monica’s hair from Friends? Don’t let that happen to you! Opt for Moroccanoil’s smoothing lotion (my FAVORITE product to contain frizz). You might not know this blog reader, but my hair is pretty wavy, and when it gets exposed to any sort of humidity it takes a turn for the worst. This product is the only one that I have found to provide weightless (non-greasy) frizz control. A little goes a long way, so it’s definitely worth the price!   

Shimmering Body Oil

Sooth your dehydrated skin instantly (whilst showing off that healthy glow) with Moroccanoil’s Shimmering Body Oil ($45.00) fast absorbing formula. We love Moroccanoil for how great it makes our hair feel, so you can only imagine what it does for your skin! Available at luxury spas, fine salons nationwide, and Ben and Tournesol in Montreal.

I don’t know about you, but when I’m on vacay I  like to get a little dolled up for dinner in the evenings.  With the humid weather though sometimes it can feel like your makeup is quite literally melting off your face. If you’re looking for a little more staying power Makeup Forever Mist and Fix is your go-to.

The Mist & Fix is a setting spray that sets your makeup and creates a long-lasting hold. On top of that, the formula contains an O2 Skin Complex which provides oxygenation to the skin while making it more radiant (without shine). Suited for every skin tone, Mist & Fix also provides an invisible shield against environmental stress factors such as pollution and extreme temperature changes.


We know that sun protection is important, but it’s also a little nerve wracking especially if you break out easily. Take this from someone who breaks out just thinking about breaking out: you can trust this product. 
GM Colin really knows skin care, and this product is the ultimate in sun protection! Not only does it feel great on the skin, the texture is AH-MAZING!, it’s ultra-light and feels ‘barely there”, but contains both UVA (these guys are the ones that cause wrinkles) and UVB (this these ones cause cancer) protection. What I love about this product is that you can feel where it is initially, so you know where you‘ve applied the sunscreen ensuring that you get maximum coverage. How many times have you missed your nose or forehead only to get a pretty funny burn?
Formulated with 100% natural mineral sun filters, Cassia Alata extract and vitamin E.  The GM Colin Mineral Cream: improves hydration, helps prevent visible signs of premature aging, provides water-resistant  (40 min) broad spectrum protection UVA & UVB SPF, and protects skin  from environmental stressors. It’s PABA-free, paraben-free, color-free, fragrance-free and alcohol-free. 

GM Colin is available exclusively at spa locations in North America. Visit www.gmcolin.com for spa locations.

While traveling to a land of little-to-no makeup you might want to consider toting a professional line cleanser, and moisturizer so your skin doesn’t have a fit. Despite our best efforts travel can be stressful, so it’s definitely a good idea to take as much precautions as possible. I’m SO excited about this recent launch from GM Colin! Everything you love (maybe you don’t yet, but I promise you will) about their full size skin care lines is now available in a travel size. So amazing right? 

The GM Colin Travel kits are going to be available in Hydrating ($46), Soothing ($44), Normalizing ($44), and acne ($52), so you can keep your skin in check no matter where you travel! Who wants to lug their entire bathroom cabinet with them to Mexico? Not this girl! I’m obsessed with this line of skincare and I can think of nothing else to tote along with me. 
 

Yon-ka also offers travel kits too (like this Yon-ka Vilaity Travel Kit) which is music to my ears (or I guess my face). If you’re a long time reader of Short Presents you know that I ADORE Yon-ka’s Gel cleanser, and rose toner. If you’re after a squeaky clean feel from your cleanser this is the one for you. A little goes a long way with this product, so you’d be surprised how long this size will last you.


pHenomenal 2-3 Week Tan Mousse

Before you head out for a beach vacation skip the tanning beds; there’s actually no such thing as a “base tan”, and you’re only aging yourself and risking sun cancer by stepping into one. Instead opt for a much safer self tanning product, and make sure you tote it with you for maintenance throughout your trip (may we suggest the Rapid product?). 

Before application make sure you exfoliate your skin really well, and add moisture back into your skin. While applying try to cover every nook and cranny with the product, and try not to get yourself wet afterwards. I prefer to do this at night before bed, and I sleep in loose dark clothing (not that it ever rubs off really). Make sure you still wear sunscreen though as this product will NOT prevent a sunburn. Travel Size – $30.00 – Available at Sephora & Sephora.ca 

Fake Bake Bronze On the Glow 

Another great self tanning product (and line in general is Fake Bake) I used their Flawless Tan all last summer, and it did not disappoint. I love that this product can be used for both the body and the face. There’s nothing that urks me more than a person who‘s super tanned, but their face is white! You want to make sure your face matches your body folks otherwise it’s not going to look natural.  Bonus it’s organic! 


Vaseline Spray & Go 

When it comes to traveling you really need to make all the allowances for space and weight that you can. And when you’re out in the sun ALL day long it’s definitely important to put moisture back into your skin, but the last thing you want is feel sticky. I’m no stranger to aerosol body lotions, and you shouldn’t be either this product from Vaseline is actually pretty great. Not only is the Vaseline Spray and Go light weight in your luggage it’s light on your skin too. Purchase information here

Ascenta Skin  

When you think of hitting the beach sunscreen is a given right, but have you ever thought that you can protect your skin from the inside? Studies have shown that EPA + DHA actually helps to protect the skin from UV damage. Pretty cool right? 

This is not to suggest that this product replaces sunscreen, BUT adding an extra line of defense sounds good to me 🙂 Plus there are a TON of other great benefits from this product as well. 

Provides nutrients that help lock in moisture for healthy, hydrated skin. 
Powerful anti-inflammatories work at the cellular level to reduce redness and roughness and inflammation. 
Boosts elasticity and increases firmness deep within the dermal layer, helping to decrease and prevent fine lines, wrinkles and skin dullness 

I absolutely love this product for so many reasons. Not only does this product help your skin, but it’s great for your nervous system, as well as your mood. I love also that they’ve made the product super portable by creating gel capsules that can easily be tossed into your bag, and travel anywhere with you. To read more about this product visit the Ascenta Skin website or click here

Dove Dry Spray 

Have you tried the Dove dry spray yet? I really wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about it since it’s unlike any product I’ve tried before, but it actually does go on dry! I have no idea how this works, but I love it, and again I love its light weight portability. You could totally pop this guy in your beach bag and it won’t melt. Also how many times has your deodorant gotten smashed up in transit? Or from dropping it and it turns it into a crumbly mess? That won’t happen with this aerosol product, and bonus it’s available in scents that we love, so switching is easy.  For more information visit Dove.ca or click here.


TRESemme Hair Spray

Although you wont be styling your hair the same way you would for work it is good to have a little hair product on hand in case you’d like to style it for when you’re getting dolled up in the evenings for dinner. Trust me me my hair is a whole different species when it’s placed in humid climates, so I know I’ll be throwing a little travel sized hairspray in my bag. Grab these travel size sprays at any major drug store. 

Phewf! I know this seems like a lot, but it’s really not. Some of these products are more of a just “in case” or “thank goodness I had this” kind of thing.  What are some of your favorite products to tote with you on a beach vacation? Make sure if you bring nothing else you bring SUNSCREEN! Trust me you’ll burn to a crisp otherwise. 

To help you get started on you beach vacation packing list the lovely folks at Elizabeth Arden Canada are gifting one lucky Short Presents reader with the limited edition Sunkissed Pearls lipgloss Trio (retails for $29) ! Enter using the rafflecopter widget below! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hope you have a great trip, and you found this post helpful! Any questions about these products do not hesitate to reach out by commenting below or tweeting me @shortpresents

Good Luck

Short Presents 

Screen Shot 2015-03-16 at 3.51.18 AM

Outlook: winter continues for week of 16 March

Provincial Government Offices in Cumberland, Cape Breton Delay Opening