I read on Gala Darling’s post on her latest must-buy recommendations that included Source Naturals’ Hyaluronic Serum and how it worked for her. After two weeks of using this, I’m sold. I love this and have to get another bottle to take back with me to Tokyo.

I put it on every night, and in the morning, my skin feels soft and smooth. I was getting these little bumps from a Fancl facial moisturizer (which I dumped) I was using and they disappeared after I replaced it with this serum.

Also, I was intrigued that Gala mentioned that baby wipes are soaked with the same formula as makeup removal wipes. To test this out, I bought a pack of 99 cents CVS baby wipes and I am impressed. It wipes off waterproof mascara with two swipes. I just need to follow up with a facial wash and my skin feels very clean.

Remember I was waxing lyrical about Fancl’s Washing Powder? Well, I left it behind in our Vegas hotel (damn, white products get lost on white bed sheets, does that ever happen to you?), so I bought another facial cleanser. At Whole Foods, there was a Skin Organics promotion going on and the video was pretty convincing so I had to try their Mellow Melon Gentle Cleanser. My only complaint is that it doesn’t have suds but that’s supposed to be good for you. It cleans well, smells good, and I’ll definitely buy this again when I’m in the US.

To be honest, I bought these Nature’s Gate shampoos and conditioners because of their 50ml size but they turned out to be pretty alright. A pair typically lasts me three to four washes and my hair is looking okay most of the time.

But then again, it could be that I’m using an anti-frizz hair serum by Pantene Clinicare which pretty much irons out whatever kinks a foreign shampoo does to my hair!

I’m saving the best for the last. I am in love with the orange vanilla scent of this Hugo Naturals body lotion. I feel like cupcakes are baking on my skin and it’s actually working better for me than my usual The Body Shop lotion.

That’s all for my travel beauty haul. I’m trying not to go too crazy but it sure is tempting because America has so many awesome products. You can count on me trying new ones the the next time I’m back.

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I finally got to meet the Sephora Vending Machine that features the top 50 best-selling products at their stores.

It certainly stopped me in my tracks. “What a great idea!” I exclaimed inwardly. This is what women need in airports when you’ve forgotton or lost your luggage and you just don’t have the time (or energy) to stock up on decent beauty essentials.

As much as some hotels make an effort with providing branded toiletries, most still don’t and nothing makes me pout more than to use substandard shampoo or body lotion.

Let’s take a look at what goodies are on offer in this beauty dream machine…

Bare Minerals mineral makeup makes perfect sense — foundation that can be powdered on in seconds without a drop of liquid needed. Perfect for hand luggage.

This Philosophy travel kit, USD35, looks like something I would be very happy with.

There are also a host of skincare products.

All you need to do is to navigate the touch screen to buy what you want, swipe your credit card or insert cash, and boom, you get your product in an instant. You don’t even need to deal with pesky sales assistants who want to make small talk.

I haven’t bought anything from this great invention but I will the next time I’m in the US. I was just so well prepared on the beauty products front. Perhaps it pays to travel even lighter, just so I could use this vending machine. I’m crazy, I know!.

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For the first time in my life, and barring one-night overstays, I packed a small suitcase that weighed 10kg to fly to the USA for three weeks. I also brought my laptop and a “handbag” (a big Rootote).

Why would I, a woman who adores her beauty products, do such an insane thing?

Businessmen and women do it as they traverse the planet and you would love this bit from the latest George Clooney (he is one heckuva hot “mature” dude) movie, Up In The Air — the average time you spend waiting for luggage is 35 minutes. That’s a long time and he travels over 200 days in a year so he would lose up to a week if he waited for check-in baggage.

But okay, I’m not some corporate warrior bashing through airports all the time. In fact, I’m a trailing partner who is meeting her corporate warrior just so we can hang out.

So therein lies the dilemma: should I make him wait at the turnstile with me and then struggle with a huge suitcase while we fly in and out of various US cities?

No, I said to myself. I don’t want to waste my time doing that. Plus, I don’t really need that many clothes because we always do our laundry on the road, be it at a hotel or a sublet or a laundromat.

I know beauty blogs are about using products in abundance, but hear me out, do you really need all that much at the end of the day? I’m not suggesting hardship either. With some savvy planning, I discovered a beauty junkie can in fact travel light and still have her fave products.

Inside my Ziplock bag of goodies: contact lens solution, two pairs of disposable contact lens plus one pair in a case, The Body Shop Coconut Body Butter, Aqua Lily Body Lotion, Olive Glossing Shampoo And Conditioner, MAC toner, Lancome mascara and mini Juicy Tube, L’Oreal True Match liquid foundation, Pantene Clinicare Frizz Defense hair serum, Trilogy organic rose hip oil, Fancl Cream DX and four packets of cleansing oil, miniature vials of Dior’s Hypnotic Poison, Donna Karen Cashmere Mist, and Lolita Lempicka perfumes.

It’s also a good idea to explore using non-liquid products to ease up on space in the 20cmx20cm Ziplock bag allowance you are given for carry-on hand luggage.

For one, I’ve always wanted to try Fancl’s excellent facial washing powder. I found the scrubby thing a bit too harsh for daily use but the powder by itself, foams up beautifully and cleans well.

Another item I can’t do without in dry weather is hand lotion. But there are solid hand moisturizers out there like L’Occitane’s Shea Butter. It comes in a tiny disc-like container and a little goes a long way. I doubt I would finish one of these babies by the end of the trip.

I also wanted to get a solid perfume so I wouldn’t have to add more liquids to my stash but I don’t quite like the solid perfumes on offer in Japan. L’Occitane, Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku Lovers’ series, Marc Jacobs’ Daisy all have solid perfume versions of their liquid perfume but I’m not too sold on how some solids work — some have long lasting powder but don’t smell that great to me or their liquid version is fantastic but the solid one is weak in sillage. I guess I could put this on my wishlist as I shop at Sephora (it is, to me, the beauty mecca in America).

I got this Jill Stuart cosmetic bag as a freebie in a Japanese fashion magazine and the size is quite perfect for me this time.

By the way, I only brought one shade of lipstick. It’s hard to believe this but I could use the same lipstick shade for days on end and not get sick of it. I suppose if I like a certain colour, I’ve no problems wearing it often and that goes with eye shadows as well. I only brought two “looks” (essentially one small palette of blue and purple) and they should match my clothes fine.

I’m not for being too strict and frugal but I think for a long haul journey, I think it pays to really think about what you need and use. Go for quality and not quantity was what I discovered in packing for this trip. And if you forgot something or need something outside of your regular regime, you can always buy it.

And also, this makes more space for new beauty products to be had in foreign lands! As you can see, I already have plans to check-in my luggage on my return to Tokyo…

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Well, actually my sister introduced me to her new night moisturizer: Fruit of the Earth Vitamin E Skin Care Oil (SGD29; USD20) blended with aloe vera gel from the same brand.

“It’s so sticky!” is the first thing you might think of pure vitamin E oil, and it is. It has the consistency of honey but becomes very easy to apply if you mix three drops of the oil with a dab of aloe.

My sister discovered this natural and effective moisturizing idea from Makeup Alley where this product got rave reviews for its powerful effect on getting rid of blemishes. I don’t think it prevents acne but it certainly heals spots much quicker than regular acne treatments.

Won over by my sister’s vote of confidence, I tried this combination overnight and it left my skin soft and smooth. Most mornings my skin tends to feel a bit oily, especially in Singapore where the weather is hot and humid, but after using vitamin E oil, my skin had a more silky tone than usual.

I know that using it one time is not an accurate picture of how effective a product is but I’m keen on taking a bottle back to Japan to give it a go in my regular regime. My sister said her skin was affected by blemishes for a while, so she surfed around for a solution and she hasn’t looked back since. It’s been several months now and her face is very clear and void of unwanted bumps and humps!

After poking around the Internet, I discovered that Fruit of the Earth is an American company but unfortunately they do not sell their products in Japan. Looks like I need to stock this one up or buy online if I like it very much.

Would like to leave a question for you: do you have any HG (Holy Grail in Makeup Alley speak) products that are not available in your country? If so, how do you make sure you have stock of your fave item?

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They are small and cute — what’s not to like? I sometimes squeeze my usual beauty essentials into travel-sized containers and tubes but nothing beats ready-made ones.

These Jurlique minis (left: Citrus Clarifying Mist; right: Clarifying Day Care Lotion) are great for my oily/combination skin in the super dry wintry air of Hokkaido. This Aussie brand, by the way, is white hot in Japan and Japanese women fight tooth and nail to get them cheaper outside of Japan.

Here are the Bliss minis I used in a Brisbane hotel.

They were not too bad at all in terms of quality. What I dread about hotel-branded toiletries is they use really cheap and nasty ingredients, which leave your skin and hair dried out and itchy.

The best minis I’ve spotted so far in my travels are hotels that stock L’Occitane and Bvlgari beauty products. They make your stay (and you) smell heavenly.

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If you want a cheap manicure in Bali, head over to the beach. I couldn’t believe that 40,000 rupiah (USD4.20) could get you delicate flowers painted on a French manicure. But for that price, you might encounter less than spiffy tools being used on you. It’s a relaxing treat nonetheless, as you can gaze at this while someone else is making your feet and hands gorgeous.

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