Category: Hungary

Being over 50 has some new guidelines for what is necessary to take on a long weekend for beauty & Rx medicine categories. Here is a bullet wardrobe reminder of what I “need” to be comfortable on a long weekend–that still comfortably fits into my one small suitcase. I rely on travel sized items, beauty samples, and premiums–those nice little extras that come with a cosmetic purchase. I also rely on my favorite brands and their special travel-sized, age/skin-type related items–I usually purchase some as I see the kits available, as well as ask for some as a gift idea every year! My go to is Clinique–the comfort of knowing how it smells (or doesn’t smell) as well as how my skin feels when I use it makes it part of my travel routine. You will see that I use many other brands for other “must-have” items, but I always come back to Clinique for the foundation of my skin care routine.

Here’s the bullet wardrobe reminder list:

• Cleanser
• Eye makeup remover
• Toner
• Serum (only the small format bottle, the larger serum stays at home)
• Eye cream
• Moisturizer
• Moisturizer with Sunscreen for daytime
• Sunscreen, sensitive skin
• Eye primer (Urban Decay)
• Concealer
• Eye shadow set (usually just one, but sometimes two–I will use any brand with the right combination)
• Eye liner
• Eyebrow pencil (found a great version for salt and pepper haircolor–Bobby Brown!)
• Urban Decay 24 hour makeup setting spray (only brand I use and it is a lifesaver, since I use layers of moisturizer around my eyes)
• Mascara
• Blush, cream stick in perfect neutral for me
• Zambeezi lip Balm (favorite brand)
• Lip color, gloss, stick in my wear everywear neutral (find your perfect neutral–don’t use someone else’s–because then it’s not perfect on You!)
• Brushes, cotton balls, cotton swabs (Q-tips, because I wouldn’t know what a cotton swab was)
• Extra washcloth or two (I can’t tell you how many times I wanted an extra washcloth and couldn’t seem to get one from housekeeping at midnight, or in a pensione sometimes they are really rough)
• Hairspray (I only like Dove right now)
• Small travel size shampoo & conditioner (just in case they provide a pump of all-in-one gel in the shower)
• Spare bobby pins, hair comb (just in case need to put hair up and look a little more “evening”)
• Brush
• Toothbrush, paste, floss, picks
• Eye drops–for allergies, dry eyes
• Extra contacts, in case glasses get lost/broken
• Shaving gear (I know, at my age?!!)
• Medicine: allergies, chronic conditions, aging stuff (we’ll talk later), migraine, muscle relaxers, ibuprofen
• Aloe Vera gel, with lidocaine (good for more than the occasional sunburn!)
• Disposable wipes for whatever needs wiping (door knobs, toilet seats, hands) or many times, if I don’t need the antiseptic element, I use wet paper towels in a zip lock bag–better for the environment, your health, etc.
• Black Electrical Tape– This is my best secret essential! For people with light sensitivity–inevitably, I am kept awake by the blinking smoke detector light positioned right over “my side” of the bed, or other LED lights that unfortunately, cause migraines

It all fits nice and neat in the usual bags. This is not for carry on bags! We have been traveling by train and car to our destinations, and I have had to check my bag when I fly, due to the small size of the airplanes. So there has been little to no need to do the extra work of a carry-on plan here in Europe. I will do a break down and show a carry-on Beauty & Rx in a later blog post.