With suitcase restrictions and liquid allowances, balms are like beauty’s secret weapon when it comes to vacation fix-ups.
If you haven’t already fallen for the charms of the beauty balm, your vacation is a good place to begin the holiday romance (this is a love affair that won’t fizzle out on the plane home). They’re transportable (tick), spill-free (tick) and have multiple uses, from fixing stray eyebrows to soothing insect bites. They’re not called super/wonder balms for nothing…
In solid form, balms are the perfect vessel for on-the-go beautifying. Just add a (clean) fingertip and you’re away.
Meet the six multi-tasking beauty balms that your vacation kit bag will thank you for.
This Kahai Wonder Balm was good before, but thanks to Cowshed’s recent packaging revamp, it now looks way chicer on your hotel bedside table. Use it as a massage balm, to remove make-up, or even to seal your vacation split ends. The hero ingredient is cold-pressed Kahai nut oil, a 100% natural anti-aging oil with a high content of Vitamin E, F and Retinol to keep you skin, hair and nails nourished at home or away.
Unlike other beauty balms, this one comes in portable, plane-friendly stick form. It’s also designed specifically with your face in mind… The brainchild of make-up artist and facialist Frances Prescott, this facial balm acts like a cleanser, exfoliator and moisturiser so you get a skincare triple whammy. You can emulsify it with water or sweep it off with tissues. In-flight mini facials have never been easier.
It might be a girly peachy-pink balm with a sunset-inspired name but this is one natural powerhouse pot that hails from New Zealand. The cult Girl Undiscovered sources 100% wild ingredients from small villages and packages them in recyclable/reusable pots. Use this multi-use balm everywhere from lips, cheekbones, brows and cuticles to dry heels and elbows. It’s pretty, but mighty.
Vacations seem to be the time when skin niggles hit their peak. Step forward REN’s Evercalm for sensitive skins. This is more of a recovery balm to soothe irritated complexions as you sleep. It targets sensitivity, inflammation and dryness, so it’s a miracle worker when it comes to parched, skin-frazzled skin. Just apply the clever balm-to-oil texture before bed and wake up with de-stressed skin by morning.
Organic, vegan and cruelty-free, this super-charged balm is all about the face. If you don’t want to skimp on your vacation skincare, this facial multi-tasker can be used as a cleanser, nourishing treatment mask or intensive moisturiser – just by switching up your application techniques. Ideal for city breaks, it’s packed with protective antioxidants as well as omega-rich oils to boost your skin’s sebum levels.
Unsurprisingly, cocoa seed butter is the hero ingredient behind this balm from Rabot 1745, aka the beauty range by Hotel Chocolat. In a reusable bamboo pot, the rich formula is easily absorbed and the familiar cocoa scent feels very ‘on vacation’ (the whole Rabot 1745 line is Saint Lucia-inspired). Use it to tame eyebrows, cure dry cuticles – or the most obvious chocolate-y choice – slather on lips (and resist licking them).
Any Questions or Tips to add?