As a writer in the travel and beauty industries, I’ve literally road tested almost every kind of hair, makeup and moisturizing product you can imagine. Every once in a while I find something so magic that I’m compelled to tell everyone – from the guy sitting next to me on the plane, to the lady ringing me up at grocery store.

Here’s my current short list of “must have” products for every trip, from a weekend at the beach to a month in Europe.

1. Mini flat iron.  You can have shiny, pretty hair on vacation, without bringing along every hair tool in your bathroom! Just stash this sweet, petite, beauty necessity into a corner of your bag and forget about it … until you need to smooth away some flight induced frizzies. It works just as well as a big one – you might even use it at home! There are several on the market, and some are crazy expensive, but I’m a fan of the BaByliss Pro, with dual voltage, for just $19.95 from BeautyChoice.com.
2. Dry Shampoo.  Rushing to make your early morning flight, but your hair is a greasy mess? Don’t fret, just spray it fresh with a little dry shampoo! You can get well known brands like Oscar Blandi or Ojon come in convenient travel sizes. If you’re checking luggage, I recommend the T3 Refresh Volumizing, which comes in tints that match your hair color. This gives you the added benefit of extending your dye job/covering roots while on the go! Sadly it doesn’t come in a carry on size, but I’ve written to beg the company to get one on the market! Check out Sephora for:  T3 Refresh Volumizing Dry Shampoo, 3.3 oz, $25; Ojon Rub-Out Dry Cleanser, 2 oz, $10; Pronto Dry Shampoo Spray, 1.4 oz, $11.
3. Nail polish pen in neutral shade.  Flying does a job on my nails, and inevitably I wind up with a chipped manicure on the first day of a two week vacation. Sally Hansen nail pens travel well – no scary threat of spills like regular bottles of nail polish – and they come in a decent range of colors. Touch up your tips, give them a second to dry, and you’re off to the pool or the pyramids!  Walgreens, $8.95.
4. Nail polish remover pads.  These individually wrapped felt pads take the nail polish off in seconds, and again you never have to worry about them spilling in your suitcase. I pick up whatever “house brand” non-acetone ones I find in Walgreens or Target. Keep one in a carry-on and a couple stashed in an outside pocket of your suitcase for manicure emergencies that are bigger than the nail polish pen can cover up. Not the greenest beauty product in my arsenal, but handy. Pack of 10 at Walgreens for $3.95.
5. TimeBalm Concealer.  The name hints at the truth: this tiny pot of potent under-eye cover-up is the bomb! Even after the most grisly red-eye flight, just a couple of dabs of TimeBalm concealer brightens up your face, making you look fresh and awake (in photo). It even has some kind of anti-wrinkle magic in it, and they swear you can sleep in it!  Note: it can go on a bit dry, so it helps to swipe on a little eye cream first. $18 at Sephora.

Cat Lincoln is a freelance writer and social media consultant based in San Francisco, where she and her husband are often mistaken for tourists because they always have such a good time. In addition to sharing her favorite travel tips on UpTake, she is a contributor to style and green sites including StyleList, GreenDaily, and Tonic News.  Cat is also the co-founder of humorous pop culture sites 40 Whatever and wishbone clover.

In her spare time Cat is an amateur photographer, and is always on the lookout for new and exciting restaurants, especially ones with good desserts.

Photo credits:  Sephora

Post from: Blisstree

Top 5 Travel & Beauty Secrets

Product:  Spring Greening reusable straw palette from Tarte Cosmetics.

The Spring Greening palette includes:

Eyeshadow

• Sparkling copper peach
• Sparkling vibrant teal
• Sparkling golden bronze
• Sparkling soft pink
• Sparkling golden lime
• Sparkling lilac

Lipgloss

• Sparkling bubblegum pink
• Sparkling nearly nude
• Sparkling brilliant peach

There’s a natural bamboo brush included.

The cosmetics are housed in a compact composed of sustainable straw. The foam tray within the compact is constructed of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA), a post-consumer recycled material. When you’re done with the makeup, the tray easily removes and you can use the straw compact to carry items in your bag.

ABOUT THE COSMETICS:

This makeup is butylene glycol free, petro-chemical free, paraben free, phthalate free, gluten free, GMO free, propylene glycol free, and sulfate free. Natural fragrance is used in the lipgloss, while the eyeshadow is fragrance-free, and all of it is cruelty-free. The lipgloss is infused with Tarte’s super fruit complex…

“The tarte t5 super fruit complex is a proprietary blend of the five most active superfruits: goji, acai, maracuja, acerola and pomegranate. The first blend of its kind, the t5 super fruit complex is loaded with naturally occurring, antioxidant rich nutrients and vitamins that have been known to deliver refining, anti-aging and skin-restorative benefits with each application.”

WHAT I THINK:

First of all I’m totally obsessed with the lipgloss. The color tints of each gloss are perfect – while they’re not bold colors, they really add a natural, shiny, glittery smack of sheer color to your lips. I loved all of the colors but the sparkling bubblegum pink was my fave. Something great about these lipglosses is they look fab when used over another lip product – for example your favorite eco-lipstick. When used as an over gloss they don’t change the color of your lipstick, but add a nice glitter glow. Also they all taste great – not cosmetic-like at all.

I’m not a huge eyeshadow person, mainly because shadow always seems like overkill (or too bold in color) to me. In this case, I actually liked the colors included in the kit. They’re very light and add some color but not too much. They mix and match well too PLUS if you mess it up, they easily blend away, leaving only a trace of glitter, they don’t rub in strong to your skin, like some shadows. Lastly, a little goes a long way.

I love that the case is fully made with recyclables and is recyclable. It’s the perfect size for business cards, spare cash, or other little odds and ends you need to carry around.

I like that their packaging is small and recyclable and is labeled as such so people know they can recycle it.You can even send your empty containers back to Tarte and they’ll give you a percent off your next purchase.

Tarte has a good website too. They fully explain their skinvigorating ingredients and disclose all ingredients both on their packaging and at the site.

Tarte’s greenness goes beyond their products. They hold eco-ethics in the workplace as well, offer green tips at their site, and are a member of The Natural Products Association.

ANY NEGATIVES?:

It was hard to find too many negatives about these products. I suppose it would be cool if they used all organic ingredients. Also, some green makeup companies use only ingredients you can pronounce and understand – Tarte is not quite that extreme. They do use some chemicals. Skin Deep rates Tarte products mostly in the moderate hazard category. To learn about Skin Deep ratings click here. SO you can get greener, more organic, more natural cosmetics, but overall, this company is trying hard to be green and succeeding far better than others.

OVERALL SCORE:

Four out of five little trees!

Tarte loses points for not being totally organic and for their moderate score at Skin Deep. However, overall I do recommend their products. I’d absolutely buy the lipglosses again (or BEG for it as a gift) because they rocked. I wouldn’t buy the eyeshadow because I just don’t wear it, but if I was giving a gift, I would purchase shadow from Tarte, due to its chill application and the pretty colors available.

Visit Tarte Cosmetics to learn more about the Spring Greening reusable straw palette.

[image via Tarte Cosmetics]

Post from: Blisstree

Green Beauty Review: Tarte Cosmetics

I love, love, love well-known brands of cosmetics… Bobbi Brown is probably my favorite, but sometimes plopping down a wad-o-cash for some of her products is a bit much.

In the spirit of EVOO (Rachael Ray)…I find products around the house that can work wonders for everything, from dry cuticles to the occasional blemish…and these are products you’ve known and loved for years.

Here is my list, but if you have better suggestions, please feel free to let us know about them:

• Vaseline — chapped hands, lip gloss, highlighter, and believe it or not fly-away winter hair (a scant amount).
• Visine — blemishes, broken capillaries (yes!)
• Hair conditioner — substitute for shaving cream.
• Dyer sheets — everyone knows this one…rub on your hose and your dress won’t cling.
• Baking soda — toothpaste, mouthwash (toothpaste — cleans wood…lol).
• Pond’s cold cream — the greatest make-up remover on the planet.
• Corn starch — relieves skin irritations.
• Oatmeal — facial exfoliant.
• Mint leaves or Basil — breath freshener
• And the Queen of all multi-purpose household items: Olive oil! — Damaged hair treatment, body lotion, make-up remover and much, much more…:)

I still love you Bobbi…but sometimes a girl has to do what girl has to do.

Post from: Blisstree

Are Expensive Cosmetics Really Better? Ten Household Beauty Items.