My Vegan Vacation Essentials-2016

 

samana vacation essentials

 

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I’m back!!! I left for a week to enjoy the beautiful Dominican Republic. My husband and I stayed at the beautiful Samana resort Grand Bahia Principe Cayacoa and the views were spectacular! I recommend everyone to go at least once to this beautiful and tranquil part of the Dominican. This last week of complete rest and relaxation was a great booster to keep me grounded and inspired. Now that I’m back, I plan to spend this week sharing with you my most favourite things about my vacation. Today I’m starting with a list of all the things I could not live without during my week in Samana.
Technology
Let’s start with my eReader: oh boy do I love love love to read but I hate the weight books take up in your carry-on and luggage. This adorable little eReader was purchased at Indigo years ago but it is so tough and has withstood all my travels. I am aware that KOBO eReaders are now even better and lighter but I do enjoy this little jem of mine – it’s basically bare bones and does only what it was meant to do, view books and I simply adore it!
There is another little gadget that I was sooo happy to have with me on vacation, and that is my Bellabeat Leaf activity tracker. This smart piece of jewelry kept me on track with my health, sleep and cycle while on vacation last week. This product wears really well like a piece of costume jewelry, and was the only “accessory” I brought with me since it wears very nicely as either a necklace, bracelet or broach depending on whether I wanted to dress it up or down. You would never tell that my ‘jewelry’ was actually counting my steps the entire time (sneaky I KNOW!)
Skin and Body
Next up are Osea Malibu products: These three little bottles are heaven sent! The  Undaria Algae Oil, Ocean lotion and the Sea Mineral Mist are the perfect trio to help heal your skin and nourish it from the sun (they will be getting their own review shortly!).
I also cannot travel without lip balm for the plane and at my travel destination. The change in temperature and humidity always chaps my lips- even in warm tropical climates. ECOLIPS lipbalm is ultra-hydrating and all natural. I was introduced to this product in my VeganCuts beauty box and I’m so thrilled that I was able to discover this product in my monthly box.
When I travel, my hair always becomes brittle with split ends and I end up agitated because I have no clue how I managed to destroy my hair in such short amount of time. Well this year I prepared myself and it brings me so much joy to share this with you. I didn’t bring any special shampoo (I actually used the hotel shampoo to save on luggage space). I did however bring my wetbrush (not featured in the photo since in all honestly my wetbrush is pretty mangled since I’ve had it for like 4 years and I swear by it!) AND Pacifica HAIRVANA leave on detangling conditioner. This stuff is pure gold! You can use it right out of the shower or when your hair is already dry. I highly recommend that everyone use this product if you want beautiful and healthy tresses! They sell it at the Pacifica website and in-store at ULTA beauty.
The only deodorant you should be using is by Herban Cowboy which I discovered at Whole Foods Market in Fort Lauderdale. Florida. This vegan product is so great that it doesn’t leave any marks, has zero chemicals and doesn’t have an overly deodorant smell- it’s more like a soft and shuttle aroma. The scent I went with is BLOSSOM.
Let’s talk about protecting our largest organ with sunscreen! This is a huge part of vacationing when in tropical climates- and in our everyday lives. I stay away from mainstream brands because they are laced with copious amounts of chemicals that do more harm than good. It’s always tricky to find sunblock for your face that doesn’t clog pores and leave a greasy residue. In my last month Vegan Cuts beauty box, I was introduced to a fantastic brand of sunscreen called Goddess Garden– the name alone made me love this brand! When I tried the actual product I was blown away- this SPF30 sunscreen for the face is all natural and perfect for long wear. I did not once burn my face as it had a great barrier protection and was hydrating as opposed to most sunblock which are very drying. My other go-to facial product is the Tata Harper purifying cleanser (also hydrating considering it is a face wash). It is great at removing all that filmy residue left on your skin from salt water, sand, sunblock and makeup! My Caudalie face cream (which was a 100 point gift from Sephora! Yay for free products!) is so light and uplifting that it really helped with hydration! Another facial product I brought is my Hey honey uplifting eye cream, a product I discovered last year through my subscription to ipsy. This eye cream is a great addition to my face regime because it helps in the removal of eye puffiness, boosts hydration, and does as the label says “opens your eyes”. My last product I cannot live without on vacation is something I purchased on my honeymoon 1.5 years ago in Bora Bora. I bought 10 bottles of Monoi oil and sadly I’m down to my last one! This Monoi tiki Tahiti vanille is so delicately scented it brings me right back to the beaches of Moorea. Essentially it is pure coconut oil that has been infused with vanilla and the flower of French Polynesia – the Tahitian gardenias. This oil is so versatile I use it for everything: as a makeup remover, to reduce stretch marks and cellulite, as a face cream, add sugar and it’s a great body or face scrub, as a tanning oil, to reduce irritation from bug bites, as a hair oil- great as an added moister lock for super dry hair, to treat sunburns, the list goes on and on!
Apparel
One final item I could not live without on my last week in Samana was the ‘True Self‘ sports bra from Lululemon. First of all it’s so freaken cute! Look at the lavender colour and the beautiful lace net racer back. It’s also extremely comfortable- I wore it on the plane and then on the beach with a pair of shorts – so multi-functional! It also has adjustable straps which I don’t find very often in lightsupport sports bras.
So friends that was my extensive list of the top items I cannot live without on vacation. Did you notice something throughout my post? I waited to tell you to see if you are observant but I’ll tell you anyway! Most of my items were travel sized! However, if you feel that purchasing travel-sized products are too expensive for the quantity of product you get, then simply invest in small reusable containers and bring the ideal quantity of product for your vacation. I hope you learned something and that this post gave you some insight as to what to pack as essential items for your summer vacation. Like, share and comment if you enjoyed this post!
essentials-samana vacation

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