Travel products and travel kits: Don’t let those miles show

Being on the move — be it by plane, train, automobile or cruise ship — is in the American DNA. And with the start of summer, the tendency kicks into high gear with road trips, beach forays, camping expeditions, out-of-town bachelor or bachelorette parties and weddings and even voyages of a lifetime. It’s easy to look good getting from here to there with some help from travel-ready products and packages.

Trippy makeup bags

About 34.9 million Americans traveled 50 miles or more from home this last Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA projections, and a whopping 30.9 million of us drove to our destinations. Translation: We love our road trips — even if gas prices cause groans. The U.S. interstate highway system has 30,184 miles of rural highway and 16,818 in urban highways — and a colorful Debbie Jo Designs Road Trip Makeup Bag made of handcut and laminated pieces of road maps will get you in the mood to explore them. We’re also revved up by the packaging of Crushed Botanicals’ Mineral Makeup Road Trip Starter Kit, which features miniature mineral foundation, powder, eyeshadow primer and eyeshadow in a container labeled with a carefree ‘50s-looking woman behind the wheel of a convertible. (Road Trip Makeup Bag and Mineral Road Trip Starter Kit are both available at etsy.com, for $32 each.)

The Container Store has BPA-free jars and bottles that meet Transportation and Safety Administration rules for air travel. Or you can pick up travel-size toiletries at Target and most drugstores for as little as a dollar. But the website 3floz.com is a must for the jet-set beauty aficionados among us. Not only is it stocked with a treasure chest of high-end beauty minis but we also have a beauty crush on its all-in-one kits: The Spa Week Travelling Beauty Kit ($31) and The Jet Set Girls Weekender Kit ($57.50) — pair with La Fresh Nail Polish Remover Towelettes ($4) for quick no-mess nail cleanups.

You might have a bathroom filled to the brim with blush and lined with lipsticks, but unless you’re Lady Gaga, traveling with a trunk of makeup isn’t a brilliant idea. Pack pretty with Napoleon Perdis palettes including the NP Set Jet Set Palette for bronze goddesses in neutral, bronze and gold tones, the more colorful Party Set, the Career Set or Romance Set. All contain blushes, lip glosses, applicators and eye shadow ($32, target.com and npsetcosmetics.com). We also like Stila’s Garden Bliss Collection ($32, sephora.com) and JK Jemma Kidd Strike a Pose Swivel palettes ($26, https://www.target.com).

Shower gel, bubble bath, lotion, shampoo and conditioner can enhance your travels — really. Think of those with uplifting and refreshing citrus, cumber, eucalyptus and mint scents to offset jet lag or the fatigue of logging hundreds of highway miles. Relaxing lavender and rose counter post-airport-security grumpiness. Some sets we like: Bliss Lemon + Sage Sinkside Six-Pack ($25, bloomingdales.com, sephora.com); Philosophy’s Grace, Purity and Hope bath and hair products in the Travel Agent set ($35, sephora.com); and Deep Steep Lavender-Chamomile Travel Kit — which also comes in Grapefruit-Bergamot and Rosemary-Mint ($17, 3floz.com). Or buy a travel size of the mother of all-in-one products: Dr. Bronner’s “18-in-1 uses” Pure Castile Liquid Soap in lavender, rose, eucalyptus or peppermint ($1.99-$2.99, in-store at Target or drbronner.com).

Even the most high-end/niche skin-care lines make spa-worthy minis now. The Fresh Soy Skincare Set infused with cucumber and rose scents includes a face cream, serum, exfoliant and cleanser ($38, sephora.com). And the bright, happy packaging of the Somme Institute Mobile Travel Kit ($85, nordstrom.com) and Ole Henriksen Normal to Combination Skin Starter Kit ($68, olehenriksen.com) make for useful and delightful travel companions.

The adventurous man will want to look and smell good too. Try Jack Black First Class Five Gift Set ($49, sephora.com) or Anthony Logistics Grab + Go Travel Kit ($35, anthony.com and spacenk.com). Vacationing in a cabin this year? Go wild for the Art of Shaving Mini Starter 4 Elements replete with shaving essentials and badger shaving brush ($25, 3floz.com).

For hair that lets you ditch the sun hat and sidle up to the tiki bar with confidence once the sun sets, choose from Carol’s Daughter Hair Milk Travel Set ($25, sephora.com), Matrix Vavoom Salon Travel Kit ($16.89, amazon.com), Frédéric Fekkai Brilliant Glossing Travel Faves, Salon Technician Color Care Kits ($43, saksfifthavenue.com) or Living Proof Straight Making No Frizz Styling Cream ($15, sephora.com). Phyto Petites’ Smooth and Sleek Kit and Soft and Shine Kit both include a wide-tooth comb ($15, ulta.com).

Sunburn, insect bites and poison ivy make for a lame vacation. Enjoy nature’s bountiful best but shield yourself from its vexations: Burt’s Bees Natural Remedy Outdoor Survival Kit ($13, amazon.com) contains All-in-One Wash and Rosemary Mint Shampoo Bar plus items such as Poison Ivy Soap and Res-Q Ointment. Or buy items separately at the “Outdoor” section of burtsbees.com. We’re obsessed with sun safety so for longer trips bring full-size sunscreen. For quick getaways try Sephora Favorites Sun Safety Kit ($25, sephora.com) and Shiseido Travel Size Ultimate Sun Protection Cream SPF 55 ($19.50, macys.com).

Add a smile to your travel style with these fun additions: Cosmetics Feelin’ Cheeky Minis ($15, sephora.com) for added glow; Pacifica mini-fragrances in “Take Me There” sets with wanderlust names such as Tuscan Blood Orange, Hawaiian Ruby Guava and Tahitian Gardenia ($18, sephora.com); or straight through Labor Day indulge (sans the calories!) in Cupcake Flavored Lip Balms ($10, urbanoutfitters.com).

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