Beach bag beauty

With the advent of summer, the art of packing for a vacation should turn into a simpler affair, right? Out with the bulky clothing; in with the filmy sundresses. Out with the bagful of cosmetics; in with that lone bronzer for eyes, lips and cheeks.

But if you’re a pack rat like me whose bag puts on weight even if all it’s holding is air, it can be hard to find portable products that perform the way you want while occupying as little room as possible.

So here is a checklist of travel essentials to get you through your vacation with panache while still leaving room for your flip-flops. Even if you don’t plan to venture further than your living-room couch, these babies will trick your neighbors into thinking you went somewhere cool, even if all the traveling you did was in front of your TV.

Shower gel

You can escape to Tahiti or Capri without having to shell out big-time. How? Just hop in the shower with Tali Body Wash, creamy gels that come in two "flavas" designed to whisk you away to the destination of your choice.

Capri Body Wash evokes the glamorous Italian island of Capri, long a favorite of the international jet set. Fresh lemon blossom and lime smell like the Italian lemonade cocktails you sip at the harborside, as you watch the private yachts of the glitterati bob on the waters off the coast.

Inspired by tropical flowers, Tahiti Body Wash’s lush floral scent will land you smack on the black and white sands of the South Pacific. Tahitian gardenia, coconut and jasmine summon up sun-kissed skin, salt-sprayed hair, swaying coconuts and warm, crystalline waters.

Tali’s washes come in bottles big enough to look stylish in your shower but are also portable enough for overnight, weekend or prolonged travel. You’ll smell like you just came back from an expensive vacation, even if you never left home.

Tali Body Wash is available for P795 exclusively at Rustan’s Essenses in Makati, Shangri-La Tower, Alabang Town Center and Robinsons Place Manila.

Shampoo & conditioner

If the movie A Good Year was exactly your glass of bubbly, A’kin hair care is for you. Made with certified organic lavender flower extract, this quaintly packaged shampoo-and-conditioner combo would look right at home in the bath of Russell Crowe’s French villa.

As you lather up with A’kin Lavender Shampoo, pure botanicals gently cleanse without stripping, while plant moisturizers restore life to dry, damaged, devitalized hair.

In addition to lavender, A’kin Jojoba & Lavender Light Conditioner also has cold-pressed Australian jojoba to detangle and improve the health of both hair and scalp. Though this product has the luxe texture of a rich cream, it’s light and won’t weigh your strands down or leave it greasy. It’s perfect for all types of hair, especially oily scalps or beachy locks assaulted by too much sun, sand and saltwater.

Afterward, your hair is soft, shiny, ready for styling. Best of all, the lingering scent in your hair and bath is pure Provence, as if you had just swept through fields of lavender. Cheers.

A’kin shampoo and conditioner are available for P445 each at Rustan’s Essenses Makati, Shangri-La Tower, Alabang, Gateway, Robinsons Place, and Cebu.

Summer fragrance

Comptoir Sud Pacifique, the original creator of perfumes that captured a "vacation in a bottle," has done it again. Cool Tropic Paradise, the latest addition to the Eaux de Voyage line, will either remind you of that last idyllic vacation you took, or make you want to travel to the nearest Philippine island pronto.

Fresh top notes of tangerine, orange and water lily have a euphoric, stimulating effect, like the rush you felt when you knew you were weekending in Boracay. Lush middle notes of tiare flower, frangipani, coconut pulp and ozone are like you on a beach sipping an umbrella drink, inhaling a warm wind carrying the heady scents of tropical flowers. Base notes of sea water, coconut milk, teak wood and white musk add a sexy twist, and deepen the whole sensory experience in your memory.

Colored the clear blue of the Pacific, Cool Tropic Paradise’s bottle has been thoughtfully rubberized so it won’t slip through fingers slippery with sunscreen, and the light eau de toilette formulation means you can spritz away without ever smelling perfumey or cloying.

Before you even set foot on the white sands of the beach of your dreams, you’ll feel like you already arrived.

Cool Tropic Paradise Woman is available for P2,750 for 140 ml at the Comptoir Sud Pacifique boutique in Rustan’s Makati and Rustan’s Essenses.

Makeup palette

For a very long moment there, J. Lo had the hottest makeup look in Hollywood. Everyone wanted her caramel skin, smoky eyes and signature nude lip, which launched a thousand copycat nude lip glosses. Everyone also wanted the man responsible for that look, makeup artist Scott Barnes. A painter who landed in the fickle world of fashion, Barnes was soon sought by A-listers, from Kate Hudson to Jennifer Aniston, and he made them glow like never before on the red carpet.

Now that Scott Barnes’s makeup is finally available in the Philippines, you, too, can radiate like a star. One of the most genius items in his line (though the whole collection is sheer genius) is the Chic Palette, with three complementary colors in one compact. Originally conceived as a blush, you can either run your brush over all three colors, smile and apply to the cheeks in a circular motion for the perfect flush; or apply the three colors separately for sculpted cheekbones. The middle pan has a dark matte shade for contouring the hollows of the cheeks, while the left, demi-pearl shade, adds vibrant color. The light, pearly powder on the right can be used to highlight cheeks, nose, forehead and chin.

Perfect for travel, the darkest shade can also be used as eye shadow in a pinch. There are six hues to suit every complexion: warm Samba and Honey; neutral Posh and Sundance; and cool Venus and Brandywine.

Just a few swirls of your brush and you’ll leave the house glowing like a movie goddess.

Scott Barnes Chic Palette is exclusively available for P1,950 at Essenses Makati and Shangri-La Plaza.

Sunscreen for face & body

Sunscreens are the ugly stepsisters of the beauty world. Neglected and tossed into beach totes with hardly a second glance, sunscreens should actually be glorified as the best anti-aging creams on the market.

But there are sunscreens and there are sunscreens. Those like me who hate smelling like fake coconut turn to the company that can make even sunscreens glamorous: Clarins. Their Sun Care Cream Ultra Protection SPF 30 is so refined it can even be used by children or people with sun-sensitive skin who burn easily or don’t wish to tan.

Water-resistant and formulated for face and body, Sun Care is meant to be used in intense sunlight and throughout your entire vacation, with Clarins’ Advanced Sun Protection formula to safeguard the skin’s beauty. Sunactyl and UVA/UVB filters prevent sun-induced premature signs of aging and long-term sun damage. For those who do want a bit of healthy color, it promotes a safer, more radiant, longer-lasting tan with less sun exposure. And while its rich, opaque texture really makes your skin feel armored, its lovely yet delicate fragrance makes you feel pampered. I’ll never take sunscreen for granted again.

Clarins Sun Care Cream Ultra Protection SPF 30 is available at Rustan’s and Clarins Institutes.

Self-tanner

Self-tanners have come a long way since the days of Paris-and-Nicole orange. Bodycare expert Clarins has a new product that will help you achieve a believable bronze that is more J. Lo than Donatella.

Clarins Tinted Self Tanning Face Cream Very High Protection SPF 15 looks and smells like a cafe latté, with caramel and micro pearls to brighten your complexion while promoting a natural, golden tan. Full-spectrum UVB-UVA filters protect skin from sun damage, while aloe vera extract and vitamin E moisturize, soften and combat those aging free radicals.

For best results, exfoliate your face, neck and decolleté beforehand to avoid streaking. Apply evenly to dry skin, avoiding eyebrows and hairline. Wash hands thoroughly and wait a few minutes before dressing. Within two hours (although in my case my face looked tanned in two minutes), a very natural-looking tan appears, even on those with fair skin.

Dermatologist-tested and non-comedogenic (it won’t cause pimples), it’s the smartest way to tan in this youth-glorifying age.

Clarins Tinted Self Tanning Face Cream is available for P1,150 at Rustan’s and Clarins Institutes.

Tinted moisturizer

Summer is the time to jettison the foundation we use the rest of the year and switch to something lighter. Tinted moisturizers fit the bill perfectly: they’re so lightweight they won’t melt off your face, and at the beach they provide the natural, dewy look of a Botticelli Venus emerging from the waves.

If your tinted moisturizer is a super multi-tasker like Dermalogica’s Sheer Tint Moisture SPF 15, so much the better. This light-as-air, oil-free cream hydrates your skin, glowifies it with a sheer wash of color, and even acts as a facial sunscreen. But the Dermalogica difference is that while it’s perfecting your skin on the outside, it’s also beautifying it from the inside. Antioxidant walnut and olive-seed extracts protect against free-radical damage and improve skin texture. A full-spectrum sunscreen (including zinc oxide) provides daily solar defense. Lactic acid stimulates cell renewal and reveals the radiant skin beneath. And true to Dermalogica’s credo, there are no artificial colors or fragrances to irritate skin.

Great news for all women on the go who crave a little glow.

Dermalogica Sheer Tint Moisture SPF 15 is available at Rustan’s Essenses and Dermalogica Institutes in Rustan’s Makati and Alabang.