Can I tell you something? I'm a little high maintenance 🙊

Weekly peels. A serum for my brows. Another one for my lashes. A scalp treatment. A makeup stack I can't stop talking about.

Living out of a suitcase and being high maintenance? Not the easiest combo.

So today I'm opening up my toiletry bag for 3 months in Italy (yes, all of it). Plus the prep I did before we left, so I could pack less.

And if you've ever stood in front of your bathroom counter the night before a trip, wondering how it's all supposed to fit in one tiny bag... I see you. I've been there too.

Quick note: you don't need any of this to travel! This is just my life, and I like doing all this stuff to myself. So I find ways to make it work.

📸 Quick Italy update

This week we explored more of Milan, including Chinatown.

We’ve had gorgeous weather (for the most part).

We also missed a train one day 🙈 So we hopped on another one last minute and ended up in Sesto Calende, a completely random (but beautiful) little town about an hour from Milan.

It turned out to be the best day ever! (A reminder to stay flexible when traveling, and to embrace it when things go “wrong.”)

Oh, and the packing list test is still going strong. We’re almost done with all 25 outfits!

And to everyone who asked: we were safe from the looting and madness last week. Thankfully, we weren’t in the center that day. Thanks for thinking of us ♥️

🙋🏻‍♀️ What I did to myself before the trip:

My skin prep started about 8 weeks before leaving.

First, the peel. I did one of these goop glycolic peels every week for 8 weeks.

The cool part? Your skin doesn't visibly peel. But the next day it's so soft and glowing. And it gets better week after week.

I brought 4 with me, and I'll use them every few weeks as needed.

Second, the laser. Girl, we're getting personal today 🙈

I guess I'm now at that age where you get hair where you don't want it... and lose it where you DO want it.

I used to get laser hair removal almost everywhere we went. But figuring out where to go every time was annoying, time consuming and expensive.

So I bought this Nood Flasher earlier this summer and started using it weekly. It's SO powerful. I was very hesitant, but wow. It works so well. I'm very impressed.

My tip: start on level 1 and slowly go up. There are 5 levels, and I haven't gone past level 2 (maybe level 3 in some areas).

It didn't come to Italy with me. I did the work at home, and I'll continue in December.

Do the heavy treatments before you leave.

What's in my toiletry bag ⬇️

Everything lives in this clear toiletry bag. Mine came with my packing cubes, and now they sell the toiletry bags as a set.

⚠️ Heads up for European airports: they make you take every cream and liquid out of your toiletry bag and put it in their own clear bags. I'm seriously considering just using clear ziplock bags when I visit Europe from now on.

🧴 Skin

• ​Golden Hour Recovery Cream by Ursa Major: my moisturizer
• ​Mountain Glow Serum​
• ​Black Tea eye cream​
• ​Exfoliant (decanted)
• ​Face cleanser (decanted)
• ​Antioxidant Balm from Primally Pure (use code WAYSOFSTYLE10 for 10% off)
• ​ISDIN tinted mineral sunscreen, SPF 50+
• ​Makeup remover rounds​
• My last 4 Goop peels​

✨ Brows, lashes and scalp

Remember the hair you lose where you do want it? This is that part 😅

• ​GrandeBROW brow serum
• ​GrandeLASH MD lash serum
• ​Scalp Treatment​

You can find these in other stores, but Quince gives you store credit when you shop for certain beauty products on their site, so... 😉 (I save it up and use it for holiday gifts!)

For my scalp, I used to use Vegamour, which is also great and works wonders. But the one I have now is smaller, and I only use it twice a week instead of every day. Way more convenient.

💄 Makeup

This is the part I've been dying to tell you about!

The Subtl Beauty makeup stack is exactly what it sounds like: a stack of makeup you customize with the products you actually use.

• My makeup takes 5 minutes.
• They color match you when you upload a photo. Mine came perfect!
• It keeps everything neat and minimal, which helps a lot because sometimes sink space is tiny on the road.

Then there's my MISSHA BB cream kit. My skin looks smooth, and my makeup lasts the whole day. I don't reapply it.

I also wear mascara. And I have a makeup brush and brow liner (from Subtl as well).

💇🏻‍♀️ Hair

• Shampoo and conditioner, decanted into these Kitsch travel bottles (my husband carries these)
• ​Healing Oil by Virtue: I use it after I style my hair
• ​My hair tool (linking a similar one). Mine doesn't exist anymore, but I've had it for 6 years and it still works fine. The brand isn't even visible anymore 😅

🛁 Body

• Bar soap (my husband carries this)
• ​Body butter from Primally Pure
• ​Lavender deodorant from Primally Pure
• ​Silver Birch & Lavender Cologne by Jo Malone​

🪥 The rest

• Toothbrush and toothpaste (my husband carries these)
• Nail stuff
• Vitamin C, allergy medicine and Aleve
• Chapstick from the pharmacy (I forgot to order my Primally Pure lip balm on time 🙈)

Pack what's hard to replace.

*side note: not everything goes inside the toiletry bag. Mostly liquids and creams. The rest gets packed using my husband's 'Tetris method' I covered in last week's email.​

🇮🇹 What I'll buy here

Anything that runs out, I'll replace here. Italy is heaven for buying beauty products! Just ignore Karen 🤣

(the joy of reading FB comments LOL)

Shampoo, conditioner, bar soap... all of it. My body butter is small, so I'll replace that too.

And our Airbnb has an almond body oil that I've been using. I think it's just from the grocery store next door 😅 But it's super hydrating, and my skin is loving it!

💡 What does this mean for you?

Your routine might be way simpler than mine (lucky you!). The idea still works:

Prep your skin before the trip so you can travel with fewer toiletries. Then replace things as you go.

A few more tips I've shared before:

• The world sells things. Pharmacies are everywhere, so you don't need to pack for every "what if."
• Can't find your exact product? Take a photo of the front and back label, upload it to ChatGPT, and ask for something similar you can buy where you're going.
• Check what your hotel or Airbnb provides before you pack.
• Simplify your routine just for the trip, and test it at home first.
• Never try a new product for the first time on a trip (especially if you have sensitive skin).
• Fill your travel bottles and use them at home for a few days. 3.4 oz (100 ml) lasts longer than you think.
• Solid products? I'm not a fan, except for body soap.

Have any toiletry questions? Hit reply and let me know. I'm happy to help you figure it out!

Next Sunday, I'm sharing what I'm actually wearing in Italy so far. The weather has been all over the place. Some days it's dresses, other days it's 3 layers. Good thing I was prepared for it all.

I'll share everything I've done to manage, and how you can apply it to your own trips! These tips work for fall or spring travel, or any trip where the weather changes a lot.

Thanks so much for being here!

Ciao from Milano 🇮🇹

XO,

Aimara

>> PS: If you try the Subtl makeup stack, upload a photo for the color match. Their color suggestions were on point for me!

🛍️ One quick favor before you go

I'm starting to plan my Black Friday content, and I DO NOT want to bombard you with emails.

So it would really help me to know what you're planning to buy during these sales. Don't hate me for asking LOL. I'm just trying to make this a better experience for you.

You know I keep my content ad free, and I rely a lot on affiliate links. So I do have to work harder during Cyber Week.

But I also don't want you to shop just because... that's so against my values.

So if you tell me what you're looking for, I'll find the best deals and send them your way.

Anything else? Hit reply and tell me what you need help with!