The Travel Beauty Thread

[sister13]

UPDATE 6.1.2026: With the Community closing, I wanted to share my personal blog, Makeup Happy Hour, which is makeuphappyhour.com. I'm also @ makeuphappyhour on Instagram, Tiktok and YouTube (though not very active lately). Please follow! I have really enjoyed getting to know everyone during the years, and sharing love of travel! This really meant a lot to me over the years. Please stay in touch on makeuphappyhour(dot)com and you can sign an interest form for a new community hopefully down the road. Take care, lovelies and I hope we can all stay in touch! 

(January 2023) Thought I’d resurrect this thread, now that there’s a bit more possibility of travel these days! I would love to live vicariously and learn from fellow BICers, so please post any tips, pics, and/or your fave travel minis or routine!  I’m still not doing a lot of travel these days, but may post some pics and notes from past trips.  💗💗💗

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Since the old travel thread sadly got lost in the switchover (😢😢😢) it was suggested a while back, and I’ve been meaning to get a new one started. If there is one already for this, let me know. I travel a bit for work and for fun, and I love checking out beauty stores and seeking out exclusive or hard-to-find items in different places around the world. Some of my favorite makeup destinations have been the Face Powder and Perfume Museum in Torino, Italy (a surprise find) and the Les Merveilleuses Laduree in Tokyo. I have relied on great tips from other BT/BICers on many of my trips, especially Toronto and Tokyo, so I would love to keep this updated as a resource for BIC.

Please share your discoveries, store reviews, pictures, purchases, and travel tips, and I’ll try to keep and update summaries here in the main post for future reference. If you don’t have a chance for much travel, feel free to share your favorite beauty destinations in your home city. I plan to update with photos below from various trips as I have the chance to organize my archives and update. What do you guys think? Feel free to make suggestions on how to organize this thread, too, it might be a bit of a work in progress. Thanks and happy travels BT/BIC!

[curlychiquita]

It sounds like an amazing trip, @sister13! Thank you for sharing pictures!

[sister13]

Thanks, we have a lot of work ahead on the house over there, but it will be rewarding when it’s finally done! @curlychiquita 

[Sunnysmom]

Beautiful pics and memories for you @sister13 ! Love Hawaii , can smell it now! That little plane tho 🥹- I would have issues with that sadly! 😭 Great you can have all these wonderful experiences with your family! 💞

[sister13]

Haha yes that plane was something else! You can take the big plane from Hawaii to Am. Samoa and Samoa, this is just the tiny one between the two islands. @Sunnysmom 

[Sunnysmom]

I have taken a few @sister13 and I never like them! 😭 Always have to look at the end goal! 💞

[sister13]

Some Samoa pics (formerly called Western Samoa):

Flight from Pago to Airport in Samoa. 30 minute flight on the tiniest plane, but you arrive the next day because there is a 24 hour time difference, lol.

Arriving at the airport!

So many beautiful flowers to put in your hair (called a sei in Samoan).

We got the most amazing fresh leis on arrival at our hotel. This one is Moso’oi (y’lang-ylang) and I cannot describe how incredible this fresh fragrance was! I’ve always loved y’lang-ylang fragrances but they are nothing compared to this! It comes from a tree that grows up in the mountains. The other lei was for my hisband, it was a jasmine and also intoxicating! 

This pink pu’a tree in aunty’s yard.

View from our 2nd hotel:

Kitties at another aunty’s house

view of Sunday meal. The fresh coconuts (niu) are a pretty regular treat, you drink them ice cold. 

Samoan money is so pretty! 

Views from the hotel grounds/beach.

[quspork]

Absolutely gorgeous pics, @sister13!

[Samtian]

@sister13 I'm convinced this is heaven. 

[sister13]

It is pretty incredible!!! @Samtian 

[Saradestin]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ That place cannot be more beautiful @sister13!! You look stunning and exotic and that food… 😋😋😋. I find the airplane fact so fun!!!!! 

[sister13]

Thanks so much! It’s too hot to wear s a lot of makeup and my skin freaked out in the humidity but the flowers help bring the glam and color! It was a whole effort to plan and book hotels and  rental cars trying to get the days right, I double triple and quadruple checked, lol. @Saradestin 

[Titian06]

All of your pics are amazing, @sister13 ! 🥰  Thank you for sharing!  Honestly, these tropical places just seem unreal to me; I can't imagine how beautiful they are. **sigh**

[sister13]

Thanks! I was definitely in absolute awe the first time, and it still takes my breath away! There is definitely a problem with littering in Am. Samoa, so that is an issue, but it’s just such beautiful scenery in every direction. 💗💗💗 @Titian06 

[Mellmars1185]

@sister13 Beautiful photos! Samoa looks like a magical place.

[sister13]

It is so lush and beautiful! And super hot though, lol! @Mellmars1185 

[sister13]

Some American Samoa pics:

View from hotel room In Utulei, Am Samoa
View from hotel restaurant

View from the family house (fale)

Beach at hotel

Face mask and requisite fan, it’s SO HOT

Gardenia sei, smells so amazing

View of Pago Harbor

The villages try to outdo each other with Christmas lights, so many cool displays. This is from a village called Pavai’a’i

They say this mountain range looks like a man sleeping (the face from the side) 💤💤💤

Our last evening in Am. Samoa

[Samtian]

@sister13 Amazing!!

[sister13]

Thank you!  @Samtian 

[Saradestin]

That’s paradise @sister13 !! 😍😍😍😍 Thank you for sharing those gorgeous pictures with us!!! 

[sister13]

Aww you’re welcome! I know it’s not a place many people will probably get to and I’m glad to share the beauty! @Saradestin 

[eshoe]

The view from your window was just stunning, @sister13. Scrolling through your photos was very relaxing, looks like is was an amazing trip!