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You know those skin-care and beauty products that you use until the very last drop? The ones that you’ve spent entire brunches/text threads/email chains, telling your friends about? They’re the best of the best…so amazing that you’d never risk putting them in a piece of checked luggage. At Well+Good, we call those our Beauty VIPs (you know, Very Important Products). In this series, we ask women in wellness and the public eye what beauty products they use every single day and why—with an entire Internet of options to choose from—these items stand out.
Between the airport hustle, dry cabin air, and the general lack of sleep that comes with travel—it’s no secret that flying can take a toll on your skin. And, if you’ve streamlined your carry-on, then you’re forced to narrow down your beauty arsenal to only a select few products. Luckily, rockstar fitness instructor Charlee Atkins has some genius travel hacks that you’ll want to bookmark for when you’re packing your bag for that next getaway (like Well+Good’s first retreat in Palm Springs, which Atkins is co-hosting, say).
Atkins, a New York City SoulCycle master trainer, is also and the mastermind behind the ultra-buzzy Le Sweat and Le Stretch classes at Studio B and SoulAnnex. While “le-sweating” is her day job, you won’t find her breaking one over what to pack. Besides a pre-flight stretch, she’s all about beauty products that fall into three categories—hydration, cleanliness, and circulation—to flying a breeze.
Keep reading to find out the beauty products Charlee Atkins’ stashes in her carry-on bag.
S’well Bottle, $35
“I always find that the water they give you on the plane is never enough. Sometimes, I’ll even go to the back and ask them to give me more water. Now, I fill up this bottle and take it with me on a flight,” Atkins tells me. “Towards the end of the flight, I always have an Emergen-C and I also take an oregano oil pill, which is just a natural immune defense pill.”
Gum Proxabrush, $4
“The first thing I want to do when I get off the plane is brush my teeth,” she says. “I always used to travel with my toothbrush and toothpaste, but I’m such a light packer [that I wanted something smaller],” she says. “My dentist gave these to me after a cleaning and I started bringing them with me when I travel. I’ll also use gum to help with bad breath.”
Dickenson’s Witch Hazel Toner Wipes, $8
“My esthetician put me on these to tone my skin and I use them everyday. When I travel, I’ll bring two or three with me on the trip,” she says. “If it’s a long flight, I wipe my face a few times but if it’s a short, three- or four-hour flight, when we touch down, I use the witch hazel wipe to basically just clean my face off. For me, it’s a fresh, natural way to clean my face.”
Tula Hydrating Day & Night Cream, $52
“Every time I go on a flight I usually put my nighttime lotion and moisturizer on [because it’s a richer, thicker cream] depending on what I’m feeling that day,” she says. “Sometimes I put on this Tula Day & Night cream, which I use at night when I’m at home.”
Clinique Pep-Start Daily UV Protector, $20
“This is a sunscreen-plus-moisturizer, and since you never know what type of atmosphere you’re going into I always make sure to have a moisturizer that has sunscreen,” says Atkins.
Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer, $30
“I use this under my eyes or if I have a baby blemish. I went into Bluemercury and that’s what they recommended and I always just stayed with it. It’s just easy to pack, it’s super-slim. Like packing a pen. It’s great for on the go.”
Scunci Scrunchies, $6
“Hair gets so annoying when you’re traveling. But depending on where you’re landing and where you have to go immediately upon landing, you also don’t want to use a sport-band crease,” she says. “So I actually use scrunchies. I think it’s easy to put my hair in a high-bun and it doesn’t really leave that kink from an elastic,” Atkins explains.
Want to get even more genius hacks from Atkins? Email [email protected] to book your spot on the debut Well+Good Retreat, which she’s co-hosting with Candice Kumai.
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