Traveling soon? These five products helped me survive a cold vacation

I will take any chance to visit a place with cooler climate, and I suppose a lot of Manila-dwellers would feel the same way for obvious reasons. But anytime I start packing for a trip like that, the anxiety portion of the program also begins. How cold will it get? Do I have warm-enough clothing? Will my dry skin turn into a flaky mess??? Cue over-packing both clothing and beauty products. Sadly for me, lugging around what feels like every skincare product in my collection doesn’t always guarantee success in actually keeping my skin moisturized. As the saying goes, it's all about quality over quantity.

For my recent trip to South Korea, however, I finally hit the perfect product combo! I decided to bring a combination of crowd favorites as well as some hydration boosts for a four-day trip in a country with 3-18 degree Celsius temperatures - and I was able to make it through unscathed! If you'll be traveling to a temperate country this fall, consider bringing along these five picks to save your skin.

Lucas Pawpaw Ointment (around P350 for 25g from online sellers)

This multipurpose ointment was there for me when my lip balm just couldn’t cut it. While its packaging is vague about the ingredients (mentioning 39mg/g of fermented papaya and 0.1mg/g of potassium sorbate as a preservative, but failing to list down what the carrier/base is), a cursory online search reveals that the base is primarily composed of pharmaceutical grade petroleum jelly and wax. All the same, it was able to bring my lips back from the brink of a painful chafing nightmare!

In Her Element Low pH Rose Gel Cleanser (P675 at inherelement.ph)

This isn’t the first time I’ve traveled in cool weather with this, and it certainly won't be the last. If you just can’t live without a lathering cleanser but are afraid of drying your skin out afterwards, give this aloe-based facial wash a try. It creates a gentle lather and feels clean afterwards, minus the dreaded post-wash tightness. Also, I've been using this for months but I’m still not over the fresh rose scent.

Naturals by Watsons Marula Hair Oil (P229 at Watsons and SM Beauty)

My frizzy hair is slightly less unruly in cool climate, but the strands still end up looking dry and coarse. Spreading a little bit of this powdery floral-scented hair oil (with a dry oil feel) on the ends of my hair strands adds a little bit of shine and helps lock in more moisture. I also noticed that my hair looked a little less wind-swept when I had this on. Bonus: it's 25% off until November 22!

Nivea Creme (P119 for 60ml at Watsons)

It honestly wasn’t love-at-first-use with this budget-friendly oldie but goodie, but I’m a believer now! While I still find the cream’s formula to be too thick and heavy for all-over use in Manila, it does hit the spot for areas that require extra TLC, such as ashy limbs and dry hands and feet. I didn’t suffer from scaly skin, thankyouverymuch, and this also actually doubled as a face moisturizer when my regular one couldn't quite keep up with the dropping temperatures.

Clinique Moisture Surge Hydrating Supercharged Concentrate (P2,850 at Clinique)

IMHO, this hi-tech-looking skin serum is as effective as it is pretty. The gel medium seems light, but it packs a punch in terms of sealing the moisture barrier. Granted, I still layered a light moisturizer over it but I don’t think that the moisturizer would’ve been enough on its own. Not once did I get any flaking, even on my peel-prone cheeks, so I feel like my theory has sufficiently been proven. Also, the finish is matte and skin absorption is fast, so day and night use is highly recommended.

Do you have survivalist beauty products that help you brave dry-skin-inducing cold weather? What do you pack for trips during the autumn season? Let’s trade tips!