Currently Loving: 2016 Traveling

Hi friends! It's been a hot minute since I last did a favorites posts that wasn't a "Monthly Music" one. I think the last and first one I did was almost a year ago. You can check out that long forgotten post here. I'm not that good at doing those "Monthly Favorites" type of posts because I don't really try out a lot of new products/things. However, earlier this month I took a trip back home to the 808 and found some products worth mentioning. Without further ado, let's meet the products I couldn't live without for the 6 days I was in Hawaii.

Top (L to R): Laneige, LAY/N/GO, Yes To
Bottom (L to R): OPI, NARS, Marc Jacobs Beauty, Kat Von D, Portable Charger

Laneige Power Essential Skin Toner - Combination to Oily Skin ($25.00): I have been using this specific toner from Laneige for roughly a year now and it has always been great for my combination-oily skin type. However, it wasn't until I was back in Hawaii and using this toner that I realized just how much my skin appreciated it. Prior to flying out I had packed some of my makeup remover in a travel bottle only to find that sometime during the flight it had all leaked out. It wasn't the end of the world because I did pack facial wipes, only now I wouldn't be able to go through my 2-step makeup removing process. The next night when I went through my nighttime skincare routine, I noticed that my toner helped to remove all the excess makeup that the wipes and face wash couldn't or didn't get. I was surprised to see that it really does remove essentially all the dirt/grime from the day. I'm back in CA now and can continue on with my usual makeup cleansing process, but I'm even more certain now that by the time I finish applying my toner that ALL my makeup and grime from the day will be removed. It's definitely a product I recommend if you're in the search for a new toner as it gets rid of everything your cleanser/wipes didn't get. Just a quick note about the product - it does have a noticeable scent, but it isn't an unpleasant one and once applied you can't really smell it. If you have a sensitive nose and/or don't like strong scents, I would try smelling the product before you buy it to ensure that the scent doesn't bother you. Additionally, there are two different toners to cater to your skin type: Combination to Oily and Normal to Dry.

LAY/N/GO TRAVELER - Black ($29.95): This product is a bag that lays out flat when open and takes a dome/oblong shape when closed. I got this as a gift maybe a year or two ago but never had the chance to use it since I hardly travel. When I flew back to Hawaii I finally had the chance to try it and I was not disappointed. It looks so small that I didn't think it would hold much, but it can surprisingly hold a lot. I was able to fit my hair brush, comb, razor to shave, hair ties and bobby pins, facial wipes, liners, beauty blender, and my retainer case all inside. I'm sure if I organized it better I could have fit even more. Since it didn't stuff it too much, I was able to lay it flat on top of my clothes and still have room to pack other things. If you're someone who travels a lot, this is definitely a handy case to help you pack smaller and/or miscellaneous things without taking up too much space. What's awesome about the LAY/N/GO company, is that they have a different sizes, colors, and styles of travel bags. You can check out all their products on their site here.

Yes To Cucumbers Facial Wipes ($5.69): As I previously mentioned, I had packed liquid makeup remover but wasn't able to use them due to it leaking during the flight. Now I'm not normally a fan of using facial wipes alone, but since I was in a pinch I made it work. While I personally do not think that the Yes To Cucumbers Facial Wipes remove every last bit of makeup, I do think that they are very easy to use when traveling. They can be used to fix simple mistakes while doing makeup and to quickly remove makeup when you're feeling lazy. If you are using these wipes alone to remove makeup, I do suggest going back over your face with a toner to try and get any product it may have missed. Additionally, I found these wipes to be great refreshers on days when I wasn't wearing makeup. The cooling effect of the wipes helped to combat the humidity and heat in Hawaii making for a great pick-me-up. 

OPI - NLH83 Look at My Bow and NLH86 Starry-Eyed for Dear Daniel: Now technically I wasn't traveling with this product nor was I sporting the color while I was in Hawaii. It was actually apart of a Hello Kitty by OPI set my best friends had gotten for me as a gift. As soon as I saw the colors in the set I loved them. All the colors are so... Hello Kitty. While I loved and used all but one of the colors in my latest manicure, Look at My Bow and Starry-Eyed for Dear Daniel are my favorites of the collection. Look at My Bow is a true baby pink shade that perfectly matches the bow of one of my Hello Kitty plushies. One coat of it alone is so opaque that the second coat just enhances the baby hue. Starry-Eyed for Dear Daniel is a hot pink sparkly polish that really pops when next to the other shades of the collection. I did have to apply a few coats of Starry-Eyed for Dear Daniel to get it to the opacity that I was looking for, but I kind of expected that since it's a glittery type of polish.

NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base ($26.00): This may be a little TMI, but my eyelids are very oily and I've been on the hunt for something to keep my eyeliner in place all day. My hunt may be over with the NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base. Yes, yes, I know it's an eyeshadow base, but hey it's for the eyes so why not use it for when I wear eyeliner alone. I know this is the eye primer for me because even with the humidity of Hawaii in combination to my oily eyelids, my eyeliner stayed put for the majority of the day. Sure some eyeliner transferred a little, but it wasn't until at least 6-8 hours after I applied it. If NARS can keep my eyeliner in place for that long in the Hawaii humidity on my oily eyelids, I have high hopes that it will withstand CA weather. 

Marc Jacobs Beauty Feather Noir Ultra-Skinny Lash Discovering Mascara ($24.00): If you read my old favorites post from last year, you know I love the Innisfree Skinny Microcara Mascara. Well I've found its pricier twin in The Marc Jacobs Beauty Feather Noir Ultra-Skinny Lash Discovering Mascara. Depending on where you shop, the Innisfree mascara is roughly $8.00 while the Marc Jacobs Beauty mascara is $24.00. Like the Innisfree mascara, the Marc Jacobs Beauty mascara evenly coats and lengthens my lashes while still looking completely natural. Both are great products and I still adore my Innisfree Skinny Microcara Mascara, however, if I'm honest with you... the Marc Jacobs mascara holds the eyelash curls a heck of a lot better. I guess that's expected though when you're buying an $8.00 mascara versus a $24.00 mascara. I'm not going to stop using/buying my Innisfree mascara, but I have noticed that as of right now, the Marc Jacobs Beauty mascara is the one I reach for 90% of the time.

Kat Von D Ink Liner - Trooper ($19.00): I've heard a lot of great things about the Kat Von D eyeliners and decided to get one for myself prior to my trip. I was not disappointed. The color is a true black and it glides on so easily. I try to keep my makeup as natural as possible and thus I like applying my eyeliner as thin as I can. The applicator really helped me to create a thin line but I also noticed that because the tip is so finely pointed that it hurts if you accidentally jab your eyelid so be wary of that. It also drives decently fast and didn't smudge until way later in the day. I'll definitely be getting the brown shade - Hemingway - and maybe, if I'm feeling adventurous, I'll check out the other colors.

Portable Charger: I'm not sure of the brand of my Portable Charger, as it was a free one when I got my phone, but it is amazing! The charger alone can easily charge my phone twice before I need to recharge it. It made traveling so easy because I didn't have to pack my actual phone charger. I simply charged the portable charger before I left and then used it to charge my phone while I was in Hawaii. And because the cord for the charger is a USB type, if I wanted to recharge my charger after my phone drained it, all I had to do was connect the big end of the cord to my iPad charger. It was perfect and helped reduce the amount of cords/chargers I had to pack while traveling.

All of these products I featured held its own against Hawaii and will most likely be in my bag the next time I go on a trip. That is unless I find a product even better. 

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and prices listed vary depending on where you purchase the product.