The 24 essential mini break buys our beauty team always pack in their weekend bags
We never leave these products at home – even with limited luggage space
With the weather brightening up and summer right around the corner, we're entering the season of long weekends, sunny getaways and wholesome staycations.
Knowing how to keep all of your daily essentials in one lightweight bag is a true skill. Thankfully, our beauty team have mastered the ability to streamline their skin, hair and makeup routines into one travel-friendly pouch, from the best facial sunscreen to the best perfume for women.
And, with the entire woman&home beauty team heading away together for a very special wedding, it felt only fitting that we shared the exact mini break buys you can expect to find stashed neatly in our bags.
Our beauty team's 24 mini break must-have buys
If, like us, you've got a weekend away booked in the diary, you might be wondering how to keep your packing to a minimum, how to fit an entire routine into one toiletry bag or simply need some inspiration for travel-friendly products. Fortunately, that's exactly what we're here to do as our beauty team shares their tried and tested mini break must-haves.
Fiona's mini break must-haves
After following advice from a fellow beauty editor years ago, woman&home Beauty Channel Editor, Fiona McKim, says she keeps a travel beauty bag permanently packed and ready to go: "Whether I’m hopping on the Eurostar to Paris, a flight to Ibiza or a hire car down to Deal (my holy trinity of mini break destinations), I basically want the same things - multitaskers, time-savers, stuff that doesn’t get in the way of the fun. Unspillable makeup sticks and products I can apply or blend with my hands always take priority, as do self-tan drops so I can feel my best bronzed self, regardless of whether it’s sunny where I’m heading."
Aleesha's mini break must-haves
If you're looking for inspiration on how to pack light, look to our Beauty eCommerce Editor, Aleesha Badkar, who has done a stellar job at compacting her hair, skin, and fragrance routines into a beauty bag with just six products nestled inside. "With my naturally frizzy, wavy, easily-tangled hair, a hair wash for me is no simple feat. It requires lots of heat, multiple hair brushes and many (up to around 10) different products for a smooth finish," says Aleesha. That's why her mini break must-haves include a curly hair starter bundle, plus a travel-friendly electric toothbrush and a 30ml bottle of a long-lasting perfume.
Naomi's mini break must-haves
Digital Beauty Writer, Naomi Jamieson, doesn't like travelling with multiple bags, so it's essential that her six mini break buys must all fit into one toiletry pouch inside her weekend-size shoulder bag – from her natural deodorant to trusted foundation stick.
Sennen's mini break must-haves
Keeping packing to a minimum is quite the challenge for Digital Beauty Writer (and chronic over-packer), Sennen Prickett. She says: "It's taken me a while to learn how to pack lightly, but now when it comes to packing for a weekend away, I opt for small buys that lend themselves to multiple uses – such as a multipurpose beauty balm and one of the best moisturisers with SPF that tick a handful of boxes in one."
