We landed at YVR (Vancouver International Airport) at 6:42 PM. I could see low laying fog hovering over the runway from my seat. Just 4 hours earlier we were in Cabo San Lucas; blue skies, sunshine and palm trees. It’s always good to be home though. I spend today cleaning, doing laundry and taking down the pumpkins and Autumn decor. Moving closer to Winter I like to give the home a Hyggelig feeling and set out plenty of candles for those stormy November evenings.
Cabo is perched on the point of the Baja peninsula and surrounded by the Sea of Cortez. Los Cabos are comprised of 2 towns: San Jose and San Lucas. Our hotel was closer to San Jose, a quick 20 minute cab ride from San Lucas. San Lucas is the more modern of the Cabos with bars and restaurants, the boardwalk at the marina and Luxury Avenue, a mall with shops including Carolina Herrera, Pandora, Salvatore Ferragamo and Swarovski.
Packing is not my forte. In fact, it can be pretty overwhelming for me which is why I usually make a good list of what I’ll need (going over every possible scenario in my mind) and do my actual packing a good 4 days before my trip. Going from Autumn in Canada to the desert climate of Los Cabos this is what I wore for my flight, keeping in mind I needed to be warm leaving home (and on the plane) then be able to pull the warm layers off upon arrival.
My Travel Outfit
- Base layer: This is what you’ll ultimately be wearing when you arrive at your destination. For me it was a pair of black tights, a white tee and my white Arizona Birkenstock sandals. And of course, don’t forget a pair of sunglasses. We deboarded the plane via stairs straight onto the tarmac and straight into the sun.
2. Warm Layer: This layer goes over my base layer and is what will keep me comfy and warm during the flight I wore my fleece Wish You Were Northwest hoodie, a pair of warm socks and my blanket scarf that’s big enough to cozy under while I catch up on my Netflix shows at 37,000 Ft.
https://wishyouwerenorthwest.com/
3. Outerwear : If it’s really cold where you live, you may need a winter coat for the trip to and from the airport. Luckily Vancouver isn’t under 2 feet of snow like a lot of Canada is by now. I was able to get away with my oversized denim jacket by Missguided. For my carryon I took my Burton back pack where I could store my jacket and scarf once we landed. https://www.missguidedus.com/
My Beach Getaway Makeup Bag
I find I do my makeup completely differently when I’m on the beach then say at home. Firstly, I wear less and less of it as I get tanned and second, my already naturally oily skin gets even oilier in the heat so foundations and powdered blushes are a no no. This is what I took with me:
Makeup Bag: I love this makeup bag by Yumi Kim. It has 2 compartments plus a large pocket and holds all the makeup I need, brushes and even a few face masque samples I took to pamper myself in the evenings.
Face: When it’s sunny, I’m all about naturally glowing skin. I start with a base that contains a subtle highlight; this gives my skin a glow from within look. For this I packed the L’oreal Lumi Glotion (a staple in my makeup kit) as well as the Dr Brandt Luminizer Primer. Some days I just wear these then conceal and nothing more. For a little added coverage, maybe at night, I brought my Sephora Tinted Moisturizer. This one says it’s matte but I find it quite sheer. For concealer, I always use the Nars Creamy Radiant Conealer and YSL’s Touche Eclat. https://www.sephora.com/ca/en/
My next step is bronzing and highlighting and the Butter Bronzer by Physician’s Formula is by far one of my favourites. It’s as no shimmer so it really gives a naturally bronzed colour without looking orange or glittery. For shimmer, I brought the Quo Faux Glow in SunKissed. I like using this one on my body (decolletage, shoulders and legs) for nighttime. For highlight, my trusty Stila in Heaven’s Hue is a must and for excess shine on my T-zone, Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder is always in my bag. https://www.charlottetilbury.com/ca
Cheeks: For a radiant dewy look consider using cream blush. These melt into the skin for a natural look. When it’s hot and you’re oily or sweating, powder blush can cake or look un-natural. I love the Clinique Chubby Stick Cheek Colour in Robust Rhubarb for coral stained cheeks. For a natural pink flush, I use the Pixi Sheer Cheek Gel in the colour Natural. https://pixibeauty.co.uk/
Eyes: I’m not really big on lipstick so eyes, eyelashes and eyebrows are the most important.
For my brows I use the NYX precision brow pencil in Espresso followed by the YSL Couture Brow gel. https://www.yslbeauty.ca/en/home
A dark brown and black eye pencil is a must for tightlining and a copper or gold pencil for the waterline is lovely with bronzy summer makeup. https://essencemakeup.com/
For a little sparkle in the evenings I brought these roll-on pigments as eyeshadow. The gold one is by Rimmel London and the copper one is the NYX shimmer roll on in Walnut. I like using my bronzer as eyeshadow as well. It looks great on tanned skin.
For mascara I keep it simple: For huge long lashes that look like falsies: Benefit’s Bad Gal Bang mascara is the best. And for the day, pool, beach – I usually wear no makeup, just SPF 60 on my face and a little CoverGirl waterproof mascara in brown.
Lips: I can’t be bothered with lipstick. I always end up eating it so most days I’m just wearing a layer of Elizabeth Arden’s 8 Hour Cream. For this trip I took the nude NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in the colour Cairo and a hot pink lip colour in the colour Ibiza. Huda Beauty’s Lip Pencil is almost the exact shade of my natural lips. I also brought my favourite coral-y red YSL Rouge Volupte Shine #45.
https://www.shophudabeauty.com/us/en_US/home
Outfits For 1 Week – This is what I packed
3-4 dresses for daytime and sunset dinners
I brought 4 bathing suits but 1 bikini and 1 One Piece would do
A layer for the evening: a denim jacket or a light sweater/cardigan. A dressier jacket or blazer for wearing over a dress for dinner is very useful.
1 – 2 pairs of shorts (or skirts) for casual walking around the town and shopping
1 pair of jeans for a casual look – we hung out at the sports bar a couple times
2 tee shirts and 2 tank tops
3 pairs of shoes – Slides for poolside, comfortable walking sandals and wedges for evening.
Optional: I packed my workout gear because I work out every day. Runners, socks and 3 different workout outfits (I hand washed them and rotated them).
What I Don’t Take – These are things I don’t bring with me. They’re bulky, heavy and most hotels I’ve been to supply them in your room:
Shampoo. I do bring a small container of my favourite hair masque. I only wash my hair once a week anyway so especially for a week-long trip, I’m not lugging shampoo bottles.
Body Wash: Even if worse came to worse and there wasn’t body wash in the bathroom like 2 days that the cleaners forgot to leave some. You can just use shampoo. Believe me, I used to make bath and body products, they have the same ingredients. I went for a little shop to Victoria’s Secret one morning while my husband was fishing and purchased a couple of body washes anyway. One coconut scent for the beach and a classic VS scent called LoveSpell which has been around for ages.
Body Lotion: Unless you can’t used any other body lotion than your own, I don’t bother. There’s always body lotion in hotel bathrooms.
Shaving Cream. Our hotel had shaving cream (and a razor) in the vanity kits in the bathroom. I find hair conditioner works just as well and leaves your skin silky soft.
If you’re interested in seeing what I pack in my carryon, check out my past blog titled How To Be A World Traveller When You Have An Anxiety Disorder here:
Thanks for joining me today. We’ll be in Whistler in 2 weeks for our 1 year wedding anniversary. Packing will be completely different heading to this snowy mountain village.
See you soon.
Love,
Jennifer