Me: Hi, my name is Beauty Addict and I was totally sucked in by this product’s name.
You: “Hi Beauty Addict.”
This is a safe place. We’ve all been there, at the mercy of the clever marketing people. I like to think I know all their tricks; the pretty packaging, the Influencer name drops, the magazine mentions, the online virals…we’re not unwise to their game. But there I was, a few days before an international flight, mid-suitcase-filling frenzy in a dilemma somewhere between the merits of taking my Dyson hairdryer or submitting to the sad hotel ones provided (FYI Dyson won – doesn’t it always?) and I saw the This Works In Transit No Traces cleansing wipes on someone’s recommended list. “In transit, I thought, well that will be me! I’ll be on planes, with horrible cabin-air skin and crusty mascara and day-old grimey moisturiser.” In that moment, the knowledge that I had travel-friendly sachets of my favourite cleansing creams at home completely vanished and swipe went the credit card, without even a glance at the ingredients list. My sensitive complexion was as shocked as you are.
So how pleasantly surprised I was to find upon first use that these little round wipes were gentle, non-irritating, makeup removing wonder-wipes. Now I know, I know, we’re not supposed to use cleansing wipes. We’re supposed to double cleanse, with an oil-balm first then a non-drying milk or cream, then spritz with a tonic to remove every last little scrap of evil foundation grime. But there is a time, for just about all of us, when the only option that exists is going to bed in full makeup, or reaching for a wipe.
60 pads – about 58 more than I needed while In Transit – accompanied me across hemispheres earlier this year, and I have to say the rosewater and mint infused pads were lovely to use. They didn’t irritate my skin, didn’t cause breakouts, and were sufficiently wet to give a thorough cleanse, without being soggy. I even liked the round shape, feeling very “high flying facialist” as I swept two around my face. I used them around my eyes, and although they didn’t sting, for really removing mascara and getting up close & personal with the water line I wouldn’t recommend them.
My main gripe comes from the very packaging that lured me in in the first place. The little plastic tub that at the time of purchase seemed portable and wise, as I packed my carry on revealed itself to be big, bulky, and unsquishable unlike those packets of ordinary, non-transit cleansing wipes. For the remainder of my travels, and multiple connecting flights around Europe, this tub became an irritation that I frequently exiled to my check-in luggage, deeming it pointless for it’s In Transit purpose. The more pads I used, the more senseless it seemed to be carrying around a half empty container. Take home lesson: Clever in name doesn’t mean clever in practice, and I’ll be wiser to the marketing gremlins in future. Sorry This Works, because this just doesn’t. I may not be travelling with them again, but I’ll reserve these In Transit wipes for my bedside table, for those gin-induced evenings when a full bathroom cleanse just isn’t possible. Don’t tell my facialist.