Going to Thailand was on my bucket list for years. When I first moved to the UK I was managing a bar whilst others my age were on their gap year travelling around the world, and Southeast Asia always seemed to get the highest reviews.
I’ve always had a love of travel, but ‘backpacking on a gap year’ didn’t really interest me… I’ve had a job since I was 9 years old and taking a year off to bum around on beaches didn’t inspire me. Having worked and relocated from Las Vegas, my surroundings had been pretty glamorous!
I did meet Lizzie, a British Airways crew member on one of my Beauty Therapy courses and she flew first class and stayed in 5-star hotels… now that sounded fantastic!! I was inspired by her stories and so grateful to join the Virgin Atlantic Tribe and get my Wings! Virgin offered this glamorous style of seeing the world in a safe environment. It was wonderful to visit so many destinations! I was lucky to travel on every route they offered, but Thailand wasn’t on their list.
Virgin Atlantic Wings 🪽ceremony - Group 493
When Phil and I first started dating he asked where I’ve always wanted to go - Thailand!! He’d been several times so was more than happy to show me around! He thoroughly planned our two week adult only holiday - we island hopped our way through the Andaman Islands and finished our trip with a few days in Bangkok.
The experience, memories and holiday was incredible - Phuket, tiki hut 🛖 in Koh Lipe, 🛵 scooting around Koh Lanta, Krabi, wild monkeys 🐒 in Railay, Jim Thompson’s House, Sleeping Buddha, night markets, as you can imagine we walked for miles and were on the move almost daily. A bucket list dream come true!
But the jungle and tropical weather was something I hadn’t taken into consideration. Yes during my Virgin Atlantic days we visited the Far East but Tokyo and Hong King were cities… this was different! The tropical weather didn’t seem as noticeable on the islands with a bit of sea breeze and relaxed vibe. The jungle city weather was a new experience - the monsoon!!
We got all dressed up on our last night to go to a roof top bar. Left the hotel lovely and sunny, when we got off the subway - we stepped into a warm shower - my water proof makeup didn’t stand a chance. Thankfully we were one of the few to buy the last disposable ponchos but they didn’t stand a chance against the torrential rain bouncing off the pavements & rivers running down the streets… needless to say the rooftop bars closed due to adverse weather.
My hessian wedges were dripping and squeaked out puddles of water with every step - classy! Not the look I was going for as we arrived at the best five-star roof top bar in the city! You know the shoes never dried out - they actually went mouldy on the flight home - haha that was their last ever outing!!
So what type of skincare do you pack for the extreme humidity, and everything else that a tropical jungle environment offers…
The view from our tiki hut on Koh Lipe
🧼 Double cleanse - my favourite travel companion is Dermalogica’s two in one Oil to Foam Cleanser. It’s like precleanse and special cleansing gel combined. It’ll take off your waterproof makeup and still give you that refreshing deep cleanse that’s needed after a day of slathering on sunscreen & sweating like you’re in a sauna. Remember to use it twice and massage into the skin for sixty seconds to keep those breakouts a bay whilst you’re away!
💦 Hydrate - replenish the hyaluronic acid that is continually being sweated out of your skin, no matter how much water you drink the fine dehydration lines seem to appear quickly in this environment. The air conditioning in the hotels dehydrates the skin and the lovely extreme humid heat means your skin is continually perspiring to cool itself down. Quench its thirst with a hydrating mist and serum .
Circular hydration serum helps to keep skin hydrated over time and contains ingredients that focus on the skins micro biome to help prevent sensitivity from the jungle humidity. Use this twice daily under your moisturiser. I found the calm water gel was a great light weight hydrating night time moisturiser that calmed, soothed and quenched my skins thirst.
The hyaluronic ceramide mist is so refreshing and can be spritzed throughout the day as well as part of your daily skincare regime. I love ‘skin flooding’ hydration with this mist!
🧴Protect - Protecting the skin is the best anti-ageing thing you can do! Apply sun protection every day - 365 days of the year… but in the jungle it’s important to reapply every two hours to ensure your skin is fully protected. Remember your wide brim hat 👒 and big sunglasses to protect your face from those unsightly age spots…. Sun damage is the biggest factor in an ageing appearance. It can be prevented and you can have a fabulous holiday - just please protect your skin!! You’ll always find the protection 50 sport spf50 in my suitcase, sports bag, it’s everywhere in our house!! It’s water-resistant for 80 minutes plus it has plant oleosomes that naturally enhance sun protection and counteract moisture loss from extended sun exposure.
🦟 Don’t forget your Insect repellent - the mosquitos the jungle produce are ginormous!
✈️ I hope this edition of Suitcase Skincare has been helpful. If you’re headed off on holiday & have a question about what to pack, please get in touch. Wishing you all safe travels ✈️
If you'd like a personalised skincare prescription book a consultation with our skin expert visit www.dianarichardson.uk
Thank you for reading, if this was useful please 🩵 and if it could help someone in your network, please share.
Thank you ~ Diana x
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