What’s In My Bag? Bestiemoon Edition

It finally happened: The trip made it out of the group chat, and you and your besties are on your way to the Bahamas (or wherever else your plans are taking you). But before you can soak up the sun and sip frozen margaritas by the pool, you need to pack your bags — and you’ll want to include all your beauty and skin care essentials, lest you get hit with the tourist tax (only a resort can get away with charging $30 for a bottle of sunblock).

If you need inspo on what to bring, I’ve become somewhat of a bestiemoon bag-packing connoisseur this year. In June, three of my friends and I traveled to Cancún, Mexico, to collectively celebrate us all turning 30 this year by spending a week drinking at the pool all day and dancing all night at an all-inclusive resort. And, earlier this month, Royal Caribbean invited me and my sister to embark on the Star of the Seas, its newest Icon-class cruise ship. This three-day voyage involved both thrill (ziplining over the ocean and barreling down waterslides for hours) and chill (lounging on a beach at Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s privately owned island in the Bahamas).

I couldn’t get through my two girls trips without certain essentials. Below, you’ll find all of my carry-on faves, along with the items I had to borrow that you might want to consider bringing yourself.

The Makeup Bag

If you’re traveling around the Caribbean in the middle of summer like I was, you’re probably already stressing about your makeup melting off. My friends and I had several conversations about whether we were going to wear makeup each day and how much. Turns out, I only ever needed a few choice products to get me through my trips.

The holy grail of my makeup bag was no doubt Merit’s The Uniform Tinted Mineral Sunscreen. My face gets red easily, especially when I’m hot, so I prefer to wear a skin tint to keep myself from looking like a tomato. This SPF 45 sunscreen gave me the coverage I needed, while feeling completely weightless on the skin. In true bestiemoon fashion, my sister saw how dewy it made me and insisted on trying it herself.

The rest of my base consisted of Rhode’s Pocket Blushes in shades Sprinkle and Tan Line and Saie’s Sun Melt in the shade Fair Bronze. I applied both with the Saie Big Buffing Brush, which is so perfect for liquid products that I didn’t even need to bring another applicator. I had lots of lippies on me, but I really love the Maybelline Lifter Liner in shade Line Leader and the Clarins lip oil for a your-lips-but-better vibe. Add on a swipe of mascara, and you’re good to go.

The Shower Bag

I’m a firm believer that your own products will always top whatever your hotel supplies. In order to really enjoy that postbeach shower, I packed travel sizes of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and face wash, along with a razor and a wide-tooth comb.

Of course, my toiletries bag wouldn’t be complete without a travel toothbrush, Sensodyne toothpaste, and deodorant. I also packed a mini of Ouai’s leave-in conditioner and the Sol de Janeiro Cheirosa 87 Hair & Body Perfume Mist, so that even after I washed off after the beach, I’d still smell like I was there.

The Skin Care Bag

For skin care, I brought a vitamin C serum, moisturizer, and the Rhode Glazing Mist (which I also carried around in my beach bag to give my skin a refresh throughout the day). A face sunscreen is also a must; I love the glowy finish one from Innisfree. And if you’re going to a tropical location, I highly recommend bringing some type of itch relief — you should be relaxing on vacay, not scratching mosquito bites.

The Bestie’s Bag

One of the best parts of traveling with your besties is that if you forgot something, they likely have it on them. Throughout my two trips, I found myself borrowing a few things from my friends’ bags and vice versa. For starters, sunscreen became communal — while everyone managed to pack their own, no one wanted to lug 10 separate bottles to the pool.

Medicine like Pepto Bismol and ibuprofen also made the rounds through our group, as did spare hair ties, a portable charger, sunglasses, and dry shampoo. My sister and I also ended up using each other’s lip balms at some point. (She’s partial to the E.l.f. Squeeze Me Lip Balm, while I was committed to the Rhode Lemontini Peptide Lip Tint.)

So, if you do forget something important when trying to fit all of your 3.4-ounce liquids into your carry-on, don’t stress. You might just find your new favorite beauty product in your best friend’s bag as you’re both cruising on the water or sunbathing in the sand.