Traveling Abroad for 4 Months with Just 7 Beauty Products: The Essentials That Made All the Difference

A Digital Nomad’s Essential Beauty Kit for South America

During my time as a digital nomad, I spent four months traveling across South America with just a carry-on bag. As a beauty and health writer, I have a soft spot for high-performance skincare and makeup products—so I wasn’t about to let my travels interfere with my routine.

This meant I had to be extremely selective when it came to choosing the best multitasking beauty products that contained powerful, proven ingredients. After a lot of research and careful consideration, I ended up packing only seven mainstay items. These products not only protected me from the sun during beach days in Rio de Janeiro and Florianópolis but also kept my lips looking on point while dancing at Lollapalooza under the scorching São Paulo sun. They helped my complexion look refreshed during Michelin-starred dinners in Lima and made my lashes pop during 30,000-step days through Buenos Aires landmarks.

Now that I’m back from my adventures, I can confidently say these products deserve a place in every beauty enthusiast’s travel makeup bag. Here’s a detailed breakdown of everything I brought with me, and why each product made the cut. Believe me, beauty on-the-go has never been easier.

EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46

$45.00
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Sunscreen is a non-negotiable for me all year round. But I knew it would be especially important while I escaped New York City winter for South American sun. Most of the sun damage that accumulates in our skin comes from things like walking, driving, and outdoor dining. And while I planned on spending lots of time enjoying those sorts of activities, I wasn’t willing to exchange priceless memories below the equator for a heightened risk of skin cancer and signs of aging.

Luckily, that tradeoff wasn’t something I had to worry about thanks to my holy grail sunscreen: the EltaMD UV Clear Broad-Spectrum SPF 46. It’s constantly endorsed by dermatologists because the sun protection factor, or SPF, is broad-spectrum, which means the product can protect the skin against both ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays emitted by the sun.

Exposure to the sun’s UVA rays primarily causes signs of aging like hyperpigmentation, lines, and wrinkles. Exposure to UVB rays, on the other hand, can cause more serious damage like burns and skin cancer. So it’s important to use a daily sunscreen that protects the skin from both types of radiation. Plus, the American Academy of Dermatology recommends people use a daily sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher. EltaMD’s UV Clear sunscreen flaunts an SPF of 46, which allowed me to explore South America worry-free knowing that I was more than adequately protected.

And as if that wasn’t enough, I also loved that the sunscreen’s formula goes on completely white-cast free and quickly melts into the skin without leaving behind a sticky residue. It also managed to avoid breaking out my acne-prone skin even as I spent hours in the muggy streets of Buenos Aires.

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Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré Multi-Function Moisturizer

$19.00
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The best makeup primers help create a more youthful and radiant complexion, while memorable moisturizers infuse the skin with lasting hydration without making it feel irritated or greasy. But the cream of the crop somehow manage to do both—and the Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré Multi-Function Moisturizer does exactly that.

By functioning as both a light moisturizer and a primer, this product is worthy of a spot in both your morning and nighttime beauty routines. In the a.m., I leveraged the product’s skin-priming benefits by using it under my tinted moisturizer. Come bedtime, I used it as a soothing and replenishing night cream that I applied after my daily retinol serum.

When you hear the term “night cream,” you might think of a moisturizer that’s heavy and thick. This one is anything but, and honestly functions as the ideal summer moisturizer: Lightweight, soothing, and most importantly, effective. The formula is also fragrance-free and non-comedogenic, so it doesn’t irritate my reactive, sensitive skin. Plus, it absorbs quickly and never leaves my complexion feeling oily or sticky—a huge win when dealing with hot, humid temperatures while traveling.

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Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Lip Liner

$28.00
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I’ve tried maaany lip liners over the years. So you can trust me when I say Charlotte Tilbury’s Lip Cheat Lip Liner is the perfect “your-lips-but-better” product. The liner comes in 20 flattering shades, but throughout my travels abroad, I rocked Pillow Talk Medium—a warm berry pink. I used the pencil to slightly over-line the top of my upper lip and the center of my lower lip to enhance my natural pout.

And let me clue you in on a little secret: I got compliments on my lips every single time I swiped this liner on. So I can promise you that this pencil is a surefire, low-effort way to totally level up an otherwise simple makeup look.

There’s nothing more frustrating than a lip liner that drags and pulls at the skin or leaves behind flakes. It’s also a real bummer when lip liners crumble and break easily. I can assure you that this liner sidesteps all of those issues and flaunts a velvety and waterproof formula. Plus, it’s made to last for up to six hours without smudging—and its staying power managed to withstand ceviche dinners in Lima while I sipped on fresh coconuts and Caipirinhas. It doesn’t get much better than that!

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IT Cosmetics CC Nude Glow

$47.00
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For the uninitiated, CC creams, also known as color correctors, are pigmented products that offer medium coverage and can help cover imperfections in the skin. They can be used to address discoloration due to rosacea, pimples, and acne scars, as well as uneven skin texture, hyperpigmentation, and melasma.

I’ll admit, CC creams have been my go-to in recent years, and I haven’t used foundation since my mid-twenties. But with a product like the IT Cosmetics CC Nude Glow, there’s no need to turn back. This CC cream flaunts great coverage, a sun protection factor of 40, and manages to last hours on end without looking cakey or feeling heavy. Plus, it evens out my skin tone, masks my redness, and creates a dewy finish, which is a tall order in the humid weather of South America.

When I’m constantly on the go, I’m drawn to complexion products that are lightweight enough to feel like I’m not wearing anything at all. That’s another major reason why this CC cream boasts a spot in my carry-on bag. And when you’re traveling light, it’s crucial to prioritize products that play nice in the sandbox with your other go-tos. So I’m happy to report that this CC cream is a true team player: It layers well over the Embryolisse moisturizer, and it didn’t create any pilling or excess slipperiness once I applied my Charlotte Tilbury lip liner.

As an added bonus: The built-in SPF 40 in this product meant I could set aside a few extra pumps of my EltaMD sunscreen for no-makeup days. Score!

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Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara

$32.00
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On a day-to-day basis, swiping on some mascara can be a quick and easy way to flaunt long, thick-looking eyelashes. But if you’re stuck using one with a bad formula, you might struggle with smudging, flaking, and panda eyes. Yikes.

Tubing mascaras can help you sidestep those issues since they use polymers instead of waxes to coat each individual lash with a little tube. This results in lash separation and length that you can’t always achieve with traditional mascaras.

That’s why ever since I discovered the Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions tubing mascara, it has been a mainstay in my makeup bag. The results were unmatched throughout my travels: It never smudged after I got sweaty from long walks exploring cities in 90-degree heat, or even after I got completely drenched from dips in the ocean.

Plus, it also comes off very easily: All I have to do is rinse my eyelids with plain warm water and wipe my lashes gently with my hands—no eye makeup remover required. Do you know what that means? One less item I needed to pack in my carry-on! So it’s safe to say, this mascara is a beauty lifesaver for travelers.

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SkinMedica Retinol Complex 0.5

$80.00
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Whether or not you’re a skincare newbie, you’ve likely heard of tretinoin and its skin-transforming benefits. It’s one of the best ingredients science has to offer when it comes to reversing signs of skin aging. But it can also make the skin thinner and more prone to damage from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. Knowing that I’d be outside a lot during my travels, I decided that bringing my tried-and-true tretinoin cream wasn’t the wisest idea.

So instead, I brought the SkinMedica Retinol Complex 0.5. ICYDK, both tretinoin and retinol are considered retinoids, or skincare ingredients derived from vitamin A. Tretinoin is prescription-strength, while retinol is a gentler, over-the-counter derivative that provides similar skin benefits, albeit over a longer period of time. But because it’s gentler, retinol tends to cause less photo-sensitivity. So I knew a high-performing retinol serum was exactly what I needed for my digital nomad era.

I used this retinol serum only twice a week throughout my travels so that I could maintain my skincare routine while still avoiding increasing my skin’s sensitivity to the sun. I also made sure to apply sunscreen throughout the day to give my complexion a much-needed extra layer of protection. Plus, the experience of applying the serum was lovely: I appreciated that it didn’t dry out my skin and that it actually managed to feel quite hydrating thanks to the niacinamide, squalane, and soybean oil the formula contains.

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Supergoop! PLAY Lip Balm SPF 30

$12.00
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When it comes to protecting your skin from the sun, your lips deserve as much tender, loving care as the rest of your complexion. After all, the skin on the lips is thinner than elsewhere on the face, so the sun can do some real damage if your lips aren’t adequately protected. That’s why I was sure to pack the Supergoop! SPF 30 lip balm for my travels: It doubles as a moisturizing lip treatment and sunscreen for your pout.

Like many of my travel beauty essentials, this lip balm is a multitasking powerhouse: It does the job of both a lip gloss and a chapstick, allowing me to save considerable space in my makeup bag. Plus, it has the consistency of Aquaphor, so it’s super hydrating and leaves a flattering shine on the lips that pairs perfectly with the Charlotte Tilbury lip liner. And as if that wasn’t enough, the experience of applying this balm is enjoyable, too. It flaunts a refreshing mint flavor and manages to feel lightweight despite all the protection it provides.

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If my carry-on beauty routine proved anything, it’s that you don’t need a suitcase full of products to look and feel your best. With these hardworking multitaskers, staying polished while on the go has never been simpler.