The Necessities

Now that I am in Asia, there's few items that I bring for my travel, esp when there's the SUN... Looooveeeeee the sun & beaches but somewhat allergic to the sun. ==" If I am out in the sun for more than an hour without sunblock, my whole face will have rashes for the next week. Like ew-disgusting... This syndrome happened 2 years ago. So ever since then, I made sure that I bring my essentials whenever I travel.

#1 Sunblock - I am trying to find the best brand for facial & body sunblocks. Currently using Gisele Delorme for facial & the regular Nivea Sunblock for body. Not really into these 2 sunblocks because they tend to be sticky in the skin. But so far so good, they prevented me from getting too tanned.. !

#2 Cortizone - In case sunblocks don't work and I get rashes on my face, Cortizone will be my savior. This medicine is to reduce swelling, itching, and redness caused by insect bites, allergies & rashes. Not sure why but my skin react really well with this medication. As a matter of fact, the sun rash will get better in just one day after application. 

#3 Vaseline - I use this as a lipbalm but can also serve as other purposes - to protect skin with minor cuts & burns. The reason I started using this is because of the sun rash in my face and lips. You will not want to see the rashes in my face and lips - it's disgusting beyond words. I didnt even want to leave the house because of how horrible it looked. I have a very sensitive lips; it gets allergic reactions to flavored lip balms. So Vaseline is the only lip balm that does not contain any flavors and works well with my lips & skin. 

#4 Umbrella with UV protection - bought this umbrella in Tokyo, Japan for USD$20. (who in the world would buy such an expensive umbrella?! -> only Japanese & my mum). BUT, this is one of the better 'investment' my mum made. haha. Not only is the umbrella small, lightweight & colorful, it is also UV protected! WHOOTS. You can use this for rain & shine. 

#5 Hat - bought this $10 hat from Walgreens in Chicago last year. It was super impromtu because my face was starting to show symptoms of the rash and I needed to protect it from the sun. Couldnt find any hat shop, so bought this random pink hat. Been using this hat wherever I go. It might not be the fanciest hat, but it serves its purpose in protecting my face against the sun. 

#6 Sunglass - One last essential is to bring sunglasses, especially when the sun is staring right into your eyes. In fact, sunglasses offer protection against excessive exposure to sunlight! Fashion trends can be another reason for wearing sunglasses. One might look better and 'cooler' in photos when they wear designer sunglasses.  

These are my 6 must bring items when traveling. What are yours? 

The older you get, the more you bring. It is the "just in case I need it" excuse that resulted you bringing the 'extras'. When I was younger, I could care less about bringing anything for my trip. Right now, a 4 day trip will get me about 6 sets of clothes.
oh my! 

With lots of love,

Claraaaa <3