5 Easy Ways to Pare Down Your Beauty Products

When you travel, every inch of bag space is precious. Carry-on bags don’t have unlimited room, but they are essential if you are trying to save money, time and our luggage possibly getting lost by the airline. Packing light isn’t always easy and those 3-1-1 bags aren't that big, especially when you're flying during the summer and have to squeeze sunscreen in there, too. While you can buy it once you get there, many resorts, theme parks and grocery stores have outrageous prices on these items. A better way to pack and avoid checking a bag is by streamlining your beauty routine to take fewer products and those that are multipurpose. Here are five ways you can find room in your travel bag for sunscreen and still look great in all your pictures.

Tinted Moisturizer - You may be used to taking your foundation wherever you go, but a tinted moisturizer can do double-duty as a foundation and a moisturizer. Most have built-in SPF, so you don't have to bring a second sunscreen specifically for your face.

Powder Foundation - Avoid taking two products and opt for just one with a powder foundation. Not only does it save space, but a good one, like Philosophy Supernatural Airbrushed Canvas, will be long-lasting and give you a flawless finish over your moisturizer. This can be paired with tinted moisturizer to give you even more coverage.

Tinted Lip Gloss - Get a fresh summery look by bringing along a tinted lip gloss that also moisturizes. It enables you to leave your heavy lipstick at home and you won't have to tote around a tube of lip balm. Smashbox O-Gloss brings out the natural hue of your lips, plus it gives you a slight shine and locks in moisture. Sugar by Fresh is a lip balm that has a coverage a bit lighter than a full lipstick.

Trial Sizes - Those fun trial sizes that you get with makeup purchases are your best friend on vacation. Save those tiny tubes of mascara, lip glosses, and eye shadows, and pack them in your travel bag. 

Shampoo bars - Shampoo and conditioner can take up a lot of room and could contribute the most to spillage in your bag. There's nothing worse than getting to your destination and having to wash off everything in your 3-1-1 bag because your shampoo or conditioner exploded. Shampoo bars don't ever have to go in your liquids bag, they never spill and are simple to use. They work just like a bar of soap and have all the benefits of a great shampoo. You can also get solid conditioners which will leave your hair silky and manageable.

Not only will these tips help you pack lighter, but having fewer products will help you get ready faster each morning and look less made up. Spring and summer is the perfect time to look fresh-faced and natural when you’re out and about, so lighter applications that are extra moisturizing will give you that dewy beach look you want while protecting your skin from harmful rays of the sun.

What are some of your favorite travel beauty products?

Just Say Hello!

When you travel to a new country that doesn't speak your language, it can be really helpful to learn a few key phrases. As much as I know many people speak English wherever I go, I don't expect that to be the case at all. So, while I enjoy learning about new things and cultures, I also try to brush up on some local words. Nothing will get you so far as a smile and at least attempting to speak the language. Start with the easy things, like how to say hello. Here are 21 ways to say hello around the world.

Explore more visuals like this one on the web's largest information design community - Visually.

Have you found that learning some of the local language when you travel has helped you?

My Williamsburg Wish List

In the fall, Eric and I will be heading to the East Coast to spend some time in Williamsburg, Virginia, Washington, DC and Virginia Beach. It's been over 20 years since I've been to Williamsburg, so I'm quite excited to return to places I visited many times when I was a kid and show Eric around an area that I spent a good chunk of my childhood. Here are some of the things on my list.

This photo of Busch Gardens is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Busch Gardens

I used to go here every summer. Though it is a theme park with fun rides, I love the international aspect of it and it's probably why I love EPCOT so much. You can visit several European countries in this park. I remember the drive up to it smelling of the Budweiser factory across the parking lot, which might be a funny way to remember childhood memories, but every time I see a brewery, I think of those (beer-free) summers.

This photo of Colonial Williamsburg is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Colonial Williamsburg

It can be fun to take a step back in time. I remember being incredibly interested in watching the blacksmith and the basket weavers. So many old-timey jobs are either done by machines now or totally unappreciated. As are modern conveniences and technology. Aren't you glad you can just pick up butter at the store now instead of having to churn it for hours?

This photo of Historic Jamestowne is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Historic Jamestown
The very first English settlement in America is found in Jamestown. You can view the fort, the museum and the excavation site and learn about what it was like to live in the 1600s. I always feel like interactive tours and exhibits are better than a regular museum. Even the kids love Jamestown.



This photo of Public Hospital Museum is courtesy of TripAdvisor
Public Hospital Museum
This is a place I've never been to. It claims to be the first mental institution in North America. You can see how the mentally ill were taken care of in the 1700s. I'm sure it won't be uplifting at all, but it's always interesting to view how far we've come (or not) in hundreds of years.



This photo of Craft House is courtesy of TripAdvisor
Craft House
Who's interested in Colonial items? I am, obviously. If you are, too, you can head to Craft House and pick up some reproduction historical goods to take home with you.



This photo of Haunted Dinner Theater is courtesy of TripAdvisor
Haunted Dinner Theater
I'm a fan of eating while being entertained. This may take some coaxing into, but I'm not sure who can say no to a fun night out with a buffet of delicious food. 


This photo of Yorktown Battlefield is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Yorktown Battlefield
While not actually in Williamsburg, Yorktown is close enough to immerse yourself in yet another piece of history. The battlefield gives you a sense of what the war must have been like, and a tour guide will explain more about it and even demo a cannon for you! For a few bucks, you can purchase a driving tour CD and take a self-guided tour as well. 

Have you been to Williamsburg? If so, what are your recommendations for our visit?