As highlighters were the big beach makeup discovery of 2018, oil cleansers were the big beach skincare discovery. 

I religiously do double cleansing in my regular routine, and in fact I do know that you need an oil-based cleanser to wash off your sunscreen (moreso on the beach where you will be using waterproof sunscreen). I just… never really did so? 

Game changer: Oil-Based Cleansers

But now it’s easier, because Banila Co recently sent me a travel size of the Banila Co Clean It Zero (PHP 545 / 50ml) and I simply LOVE taking oil cleansers for travel. They gloriously un-messy; being solid and never melting tends to help you achieve such status. And Banila’s new packaging heralds in a new formulation! This time around, it claims to have even more skincare benefits and most importantly, no more stinging to the eyes. This bugged me so much with the old formulation, and I can attest that the new one in fact no longer stings!

The Travel Basics

Other stuffs that brought joy to my trip were these frosted Muji cases for cotton buds (PHP 65) and cotton squares (or technically; as labelled, a small soap, PHP 75.)

On the actual skincare front, there’s not much change. I brought a travel kit from Makanai, and it really is such a relief to just buy a travel set vs decanting or lugging full-sizes. This kit contains a MINI glycerin soap (!!!! which my mom was jealous of, btw!,) wash-off makeup remover, lotion and cream. As reinforcements, I thought to bring my Goodal Moisture Barrier Fresh Eye Cream and mini Jergens. I also have my Ettusais SPF 15 Gudetama lip balm which was bought mainly for the SPF and not the cute factors (fat lie, but leave me alone!)

I brought my Shieido UV Protective Liquid Foundation in Light Ochre (PHP 1750 / 30ml) for waterproof foundationing, but ended up not needing it with how well The Saem Cover Perfection Tip Concealer worked on me. I’m also loving my Cell Fusion C Laser Sunscreen since it is soooo moisturizing. The extra punch of moisture felt great on my slowly burning skin. Plus, it’s very lightweight so I can apply as much as I should on the beach.

Reinforcements

I prepared for extra pampering as I knew my skin would be drying out during the day. I love swimming in the water and never let the sun kill my vibe. So I brought along some sheet masks to top up lost hydration in the day. I brought the Banila Co Dear Hydration Sheet Mask, Dr Morita Triple Hyaluronic Sheet Mask and the Hadabisei 3D Super Moisturizing Mask. I’d like to have left a mini comparative review, but I can’t, because these ended up being mere decoration and I never had the energy to use them on my trip hahahahahahahahahaahahha.