Must-Have Roadtrip Skincare Products Part 1: Face

I've never prided myself on having particularly good skin until recently. I've haven't ever suffered from extreme acne, but I've always had a least a couple pimples compromising the integrity of my face. When I set off on this extended road trip, I was really concerned that the stress of constantly moving combined with the hellish humidity of the South would wreak havoc on my poor pores. But that didn't happen. Instead, the few zits I had when I left slowly cleared up, and no new ones appeared. I attribute this mostly to my diligent adherence to a simple but effective skincare regime. Here are the products I have been using to keep my skin happy*

*Keep in mind that I have combination skin, and that these products may not work as well for you as they do for me.

1. Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cleanser, $10

I wash my face once a day, right before bed, using this cleanser. The reasons why I love it are the following: it's non-drying, it doesn't have any discernible smell, and, most importantly, it melts off all of my makeup at the end of the day. Space is at a premium in the RV, so not having to own a separate cleanser and makeup remover is a huge benefit.

2. Cerave Moisturizing Cream, $14

I use this moisturizer at night, right after I wash my face with the Kiehl's cleanser. It comes in a GIANT container, which should annoy me, based on my love for the Kiehl's space-saving ability, but it doesn't because this is also a multi-use product. It is safe to use on your face and your body, so my days of using two separate moisturizers at night are dunzo! I've used this for about 6 months now, and I am not even halfway through the jar. At this rate, Josh and I will have lived in Santa Barbara for like 9 months by the time I have to repurchase this.

3. Mineral Fusion Facial Moisturizer SPF 40, $25






I found this moisturizing sunscreen in the cosmetics aisle of Whole Foods. It is kind of expensive, but totally worth it, in my opinion. I wear it every day and it keeps my face completely protected from any sun damage I may accrue while driving, camping, walking, swimming or any other travel activity. It also smells nice, kind of like incense (or some other earthy smell you would expect a sunscreen from Whole Foods to smell like). My only complaint is that it leaves a slight white cast on my face after I apply it, which is, unfortunately, par for the course with mineral sunscreens. I counteract this by dabbing a little BB cream on top.

4. Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque, $4

I used to use this stuff in high school, and I'm not sure why I ever stopped. Before buying this again, I dabbled a bit in fancier masques from Lush and Sephora, but I needn't have bothered. The Mint Julep Masque is cheap, makes my skin feel amazing, and is a lovely mint green color:

The perfect color for smearing onto your face and pretending you're Elphaba from Wicked.

I use this once per week to keep my skin clean and glowing.

5. Beauty(works) Wet Cleansing and Makeup Removing Towelettes, $6

If it's 11pm on a day that I've done 6 or more hours of driving in 100% humidity, I'm not going to have the energy to fully cleanse my face. These wipes work well to remove sweat, dirt, and some light makeup before I collapse face-first into bed. They advertise themselves as "makeup-remover" wipes, but they don't have enough power to remove a full face of makeup (If I'm wearing a full face of makeup, I don't trust any wipes to remove it; I haul my tired ass to the bathroom and use my Kiehl's cleanser). They do have the power to make your un-made-up or lightly-made-up face feel seriously refreshed after a long day.

6. Petroleum Jelly, $5

Petroleum jelly is awesome because it creates a barrier between your skin and the air around it, sealing in moisture. I have a tendency to get really really chapped lips, especially in dry environments, like, say, inside an RV that's blasting air conditioning at full power all night because it's 95 degrees outside. Before I go to sleep I slather a layer of this stuff onto my lips and wake up with a baby-smooth smoocher in the morning.

7. Stridex pads, $5

These are the last, and arguably the least glamorous, product in my skincare arsenal. The pads contain salicylic acid, which is a great chemical exfoliant for oily skin. Since I have combination skin, I use these pads every other day on the oily parts of my face, and have noticed a significant decrease in clogged pores since starting to do so.

Those are my skincare secrets. I hope this post helped anyone struggling with skin problems. What are your holy grail skincare products?