As a working mom who likes to work out, I often leave my house at 7:30am with all the supplies I need for my 7:30pm gym class…I don’t have time to go home between work, kids and class. Because of this hustle, packing my gym bag with the proper products has become a crucial life skill. What do I ABSOLUTELY need? What’s extraneous? What’s a little bit of a luxury that will make a big difference to me at 9pm? All this and more is taken into consideration.

Vine Minus Ion Care Water Does. It. All.

Fixes post-gym crazy hair. Is a great antibacterial pre-workout skin prep and post-workout skin refresher. Due to its germ-killing abilities, you can even use it to wipe down your yoga mat after class. (Read more about the benefits of Care Water.)

Mio Skincare Clean Slate Swipes & Ursa Major Essential Face Wipes

I’ve gushed about both of these products so many times, I’m hoping you’re already packing them in your gym bag on the regular…both are spreading like a virus among my fellow gym members. They come individually wrapped, so they are super compact. I shove a few of each in my bag on Sunday night so they’re there when I need them. Each jumbo Mio Skincare Clean Slate Swipe is formulated with natural ingredients to help prevent blemishes and post-gym breakouts, as well as aloe vera and omega oils to exfoliate and moisturize skin. They efficiently & effectively remove makeup, sweat and oil. Their cucumber and mint infused scent makes me feel like I’m bathing in a huge glass of the cucumber water I sip while at the spa. Mio Swipes are suitable for both face and body, so I like to use one all over post-workout (it is THAT big). Pre-workout, when just my face needs a cleaning, I bring an Ursa Major Essential Wipe specifically for that task. These award-winning wipes also cleanse, exfoliate and hydrate skin to leave it (and you!) feeling refreshed and so clean, clean.

Yu-be Moisturizing Skin Cream

I love kickboxing for so many reasons. What it’s doing to my knuckles is not one of them. To prevent farmhand hands, I make sure to coat my knuckles in this ultra-protective, healing cream before I put my gloves on. If you’ve used Yu-be Moisturizing Skin Cream before, you know its myriad uses, from nose to toes. The one ounce tube is convenient enough to keep in my handbag, so I have it even on my rest days.

Mio Skincare Workout Wonder Invigorating Muscle Motivating Gel

My shoulders have been a tension center for years. Building muscle in that area has only exacerbated the situation. Well, this little bottle earns every word in its name. It is perfect for pre and post-workout, as it not only invigorates muscles, but also helps to soothe them. Extracts of Arnica, Horse Chestnut, Murumuru Butter, Spearmint and natural Magnesium increase circulation, ease aches and inflammation and help speed up recovery. This uplifting cocktail of herbs and extracts leaves my body feeling cooled, soothed and ache-free. Though it’s called a gel, Mio Skincare Workout Wonder is a cream…and a creamy cream at that—zero annoying stickiness. And like every single Mio Skincare products, it smells fantastic.

DERMAdoctor MED e TATE Antiperspirant Wipes

Believe the hype around these wipes! They really stop the schvitz without the gross, caked-on feeling of traditional antiperspirants. They are also so gentle. Trying to apply even natural deodorants right after shaving has often made my underarms feel like fire pits. MED e TATE Wipes are Hypoallergenic, non-irritating, non-comedogenic and oil, fragrance, dye, paraben, gluten and phthalate free.

Shower At The Gym? You Need These

Binchotan Facial Cleansing Mask – This 3-in-1 face wash is downright magical. It is simultaneously the gentlest yet deepest cleansing wash I’ve ever used. It also works in 30 seconds flat. And EVERYONE will tell you how amazing your skin looks. Trust me.

Alchimie Forever Dry Skin Balm – What no one told me about working out was how callused my heels would get. Slathering this balm on them straight out of the shower has really helped. Don’t stop there, though. If you shower in the gym, go ahead and apply this rich balm from the neck down.

Philip Kingsley Try Me Kit – This trio will take up hardly any real estate in your gym bag. Pick the shampoo and conditioner that best suits your hair type; all kits come with the award-winning Elasticizer pre-shampoo treatment. Ready for the best trick EVER? Apply Elasticizer pre-workout, then throw your hair up in a ponytail. Elasticizer will help keep your hair in check and the increased body heat will help the product work better. BOOM. Easiest multitasking you’ll ever do.

By: Claire McCormack, Twitter & Instagram

That moment in late fall or early winter when you realize you’ll be on a beach vacation in a few days. You’re pasty, paunchy and—let’s face it—a little furry. What to do in the week before you leave? We, of course, have some ideas.

Exfoliate First.

I know I’m entering broken-record territory here, but everyone should be exfoliating year round…and especially before bikini-wearing! If you plan on self-tanning before you leave for your winter getaway, exfoliation will ensure optimal application. You can use an actual scrub, like Yu-Be Foaming Skin Polish, which can be used on face and body. It is strong as a face scrub and very gentle as a body scrub. You can also exfoliate every day while you shower with a Sasawashi Mesh Body Scrub Towel. Need more options? In Mio Skincare’s Strong Is The New Skinny Kit, you’ll find another great scrub, Double Buff, which is super-effective as it is designed to be used on dry skin—before you shower. If manual scrubbing just isn’t your thing, another easy option is to choose an exfoliating body wash, like Glytone, which works through chemical, not physical, exfoliation.

Exfoliation is important—but it’s not enough! You’ve got to be properly moisturized as well. Skin feels and looks better when it’s properly hydrated. In the winter, try mixing a body oil and body cream together and applying right after the shower while skin is still warm and damp. You can mix Heaven Skincare Firming & Stretch Mark Oil and Alchimie Forever Dry Skin Balm or (more Mio Skincare!) Mio Skincare’s The Activist Firming Active Body Oil and The A Cream Firming Active Body Cream.

Going For The Gold?

Throw in a specialty treatment product, like Mio Skincare Get Waisted Sculpted Body Shaper, if you’re so inclined. This would be applied before any other body care (except self-tanner), as you’d want the active ingredients to seep directly into skin, unimpeded.

Self-tanner Time

Everyone looks a bit better slightly sun-kissed. Who doesn’t want to look slimmer and tauter before hitting the beach? Institut Esthederm self-tanners are so easy to apply, and look completely natural. For the body, you may want to apply Sun Sheen Light Self-tanning Body Lotion a few times during the week before your vacation so the color can gradually deepen. Be sure to apply a facial self tanner, too, like Sun Sheen Light Self-tanning Face Cream so your coloring is cohesive from head to toe.

Self-tanning How-Tos

I know self-tanner home application can go terribly awry, so here are my best practices. The first step is to cream up the palms of your hands before even looking at self-tanner. You don’t want to get caught tan-handed! The cream will shield your palms from getting saturated with color. If I’m in a huge rush, I like to use self-tanning towels for this step. With the number of products I apply to my body, having one more cream/oil/gel to apply is a bit of a pain. The towels can be used first thing after getting out of the shower, so they don’t interfere with all the other creams/oils/gels. In fact, if you use exfoliating tan towels, they will actually help all subsequent body products absorb deeper into your skin.

Be sure to hit the tops of your toes, sides of your feet and every part of your skin leading up to your underarm, and don’t forget the backs of your legs. So many parts of the body can be exposed that you may not think of…until you see that pale streak staring back at you on the beach.

Wipes are good to have around, too, to wash off your hands. I keep one or two in my bag the day of, and the day or two after I apply self-tanner. Sometimes during the day I’ll notice that my palms look a little too dark, or I’ll see a dark spot/streak somewhere. Wipes are a great, waterless way to clean up any tanning faux pas, no matter where you are.

Heading south for the winter? How do you prep your body? Let us know in the comments below!

By: Claire McCormack, Twitter & Instagram