Read on to see how I minimally packed all my beauty goodies!
You might find this particularly useful if you’re expecting! <3 😉
Makeup
Be realistic when packing your makeup, especially for hospital stays. You’re not going to be in the mood to have a full face of makeup when you’re unwell and tired, so be careful not to overpack. But you still need to put a little put together, so make sure you bring all your essentials.
I put all my makeup in a small zip-up Too Faced Teddy Bear Hair Set makeup bag and these are all the makeup I need to achieve a low maintenance, easy peasy makeup look. No brush needed!
These products look huge but they’re actually very tiny – most of these are mini sized products. The Dr. Jart BB cream is literally the size of my thumb!
I usually just use the brow pencil and concealer on a daily basis, but when I need to look a bit more put-together (e.g. when someone’s coming over to visit) I can easily apply all these things with my fingers.
Products are (in order of how I use them):
- Benefit Porefessional
- Dr. Jart BB Water Fuse
- Cle de Peau Concealer
- Josie Maran Cheek Gelee
- Benefit High Beam
- Chanel Powder Compact
- Kevyn Aucoin Eyebrow Pencil
- LORAC Pocket Pro
- Kat Von D Tattoo Liner
- Tarte Camera, Lights, Lashes Mascara
- NEST Midnight Fleur Perfume
Skincare & Bedside Essentials
When packing for labor, the midwives would usually advise you to bring two different hospital bags: a labor bag and your actual hospital bag where you put the rest of your stuff.
So I packed my skincare and everything else I would need by my bedside in a two-sided Soap & Glory Makeup Bag. One side has all my skincare, and the other has everything else I might need.
To make it easier for me to wash my face in bed on my first night, I made sure I had my tiny Bioderma and a Murad cleansing wipe as I won’t be able to wash my face in the sink. The Murad Clarifying Wipes is a lifesaver! It’s sort of like a makeup removing wipe, but is filled with active ingredients to combat acne. So even though I won’t be able to wash my face as usual, I can rest assured that my skin is well-protected from any unwanted flare-ups.
Other skincare essentials I had are:
- La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo to ensure my acne remains at bay
- Chanel Hydra Beauty Serum for extra hydration as hospitals (and hotels) can be very drying
- First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream to moisturize not just the face but the hands and the rest of the body
- Biore UV Perfect Face Milk SPF 50 because even though you’ll be indoors, the sun will still shine through the windows right? 😉
- Benefit It’s Potent Eye Cream – any eye cream would do, I opted for this one because it’s a mini sized eye cream.
- I also have some sachets of face masks, just in case.
- Rexona Deodorant Spray – no brainer, right?
- Basq Body Boost Stretch Mark Butter because those ugly stretch marks need to go STAT!
- Oral-B Glide Floss because I swear by flossing!
- Bath & Body Works Pink Chiffon Body Lotion – because even though I can use the FAB Ultra Repair Cream for my body, I sometimes want a lotion that smells nice! Hehe.
- Pure Paw Paw Ointment for almost everything. Seriously. Chapped lips, sore nipples (from breastfeeding), dry & cracked skin, etc. I even use this on my baby’s dry, cracked skin – mostly on his feet and arms.
- A sachet of nipple balm, which I never ended up using coz I kept using the Paw Paw! 🙂
- La Roche Posay Thermal Spring Water for an extra boost of hydration.
- Acuvue TruEye daily lenses – I’m short sighted and hate wearing glasses so I swear by these!
- A hair tie, of course.
Shower
And lastly, my shower must-haves!
These are also travel-sized goodies that would fit in the palm of my hands.
I put all my shower essentials in a bag I got from the EVA NYC Get Up And Go Hair Care Travel Kit below, and it’s perfect for shower essentials because it’s plastic and won’t soak from wet products.
Stuff I have in here are:
- EVA NYC Clean It Up Shampoo & Soften Up Conditioner – these seriously smell so nice!
- LUSH Snow Fairy Shower Gel, my favorite shower gel of all time!
- First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser – not my daily cleanser but opted to bring this because it’s travel sized and I can’t be bothered to put my daily cleanser in a separate travel bottle. LOL. And this cleanser is a very basic cleanser so it won’t irritate my skin or cause break outs.
- Venus Snap – my latest beauty obsession!!! So tiny and easy to bring when travelling.
- St. Ives Apricot Scrub just in case I need a face scrub, you’ll never know!
- Summer’s Eve Feminine Wash – this is a must-have, especially after you’ve given birth (cesarean births only, of course). Gotta keep that area clean! 🙂