Frequent flyer. Beauty lover. A very well-edited beauty bag. Sophie Baker, founder of luxury travel and lifestyle PR agency Wanderlust Union, knows exactly what earns a permanent place in her suitcase. We caught up with Sophie to talk in-flight hydration, the products she can’t travel without and why Lauren Hutton will always be her ultimate beauty inspiration…
As the founder and director of Wanderlust Union, Sophie Baker has spent more than 25 years working across luxury travel, hotels, hospitality and lifestyle. In other words, she knows her way around a long-haul flight, a beautifully packed suitcase and a hotel bathroom.
Since launching Wanderlust Union in Sydney in 2015, Sophie has built an award-winning PR and communications agency representing some of the world’s most desirable destinations, hotels and travel brands.
Her latest project is The Wanderlist: Your Little Black Book for Travel, a new podcast featuring fascinating people from the worlds of travel, design, food, fashion and culture. Through personal stories, insider addresses and the places guests return to again and again, Sophie explores what makes a travel experience truly memorable.
Here are Sophie’s glow & tell tips…
What’s the best beauty tip you’ve ever picked up or learned along the way?
Hydration, inside and out. Travel, particularly long-haul flying, can leave your skin looking tired, so I drink plenty of water and focus on products that hydrate and restore my skin.
I’m also a great believer in supporting general wellbeing from within. I swear by Australian biotechnology company Life Cykel’s Lion’s Mane Double Extract for focus and cognitive support, and its Turkey Tail Double Extract for general wellbeing and digestive health. Both are easy to incorporate into my routine, whether I’m at home or travelling.
I’ve also learnt that less is often more. If your skin is well hydrated and prepared, you don’t need nearly as much makeup.
What are your go-to beauty products you can’t live without?
For makeup, I love Victoria Beckham Beauty’s Satin Kajal Eye Liners. They’re brilliant and glide on so effortlessly. The Eye Wardrobe palettes contain beautiful, buildable eyeshadows and come in the chicest tortoiseshell-style compacts, while The Foundation Drops give me a natural, polished base.
Westman Atelier is another favourite. I use the Face Trace Contour Stick for subtle definition, the Lit Up Highlight Stick to add a fresh shimmer and the Baby Cheeks Blush Stick for an easy wash of colour across my lips and cheeks. They’re wonderfully versatile products to travel with and make it very easy to pull a look together quickly.
For mascara, I always come back to Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High in Blackest Black. It’s affordable, easy to find and excellent for lengthening and separating my lashes.
For skincare, my essentials include ELEMIS Pro-Collagen Rose Micro Serum, Augustinus Bader The Serum and Chantecaille Bio Lifting Serum+.
From IKKARI, I love the Adrenal Support Tonic, Clear Skin Cleansing Oil, Plumping Renewal Serum, Ikarian Body Oil in Sage & Wild Lavender and the Aura Balancing Mist in Thyme & Siberian Fir.
Fragrance is always the finishing touch. I alternate between the timeless Chanel N°5 and Vyrao, a wellbeing-focused fragrance house that creates scents designed around mood and energy. I adore Georgette, a fresh, peppery rose with Bulgarian rose, pink and black pepper, patchouli and cedarwood.
Do you have a time-saving beauty trick you swear by?
I keep a beauty bag permanently packed with travel-sized versions of my essentials, which makes getting ready for a trip much easier. Towards the end of a long-haul flight, I use an Augustinus Bader Hydrogel Face Mask. It gives my skin an instant hit of hydration and helps it look smoother, plumper and more refreshed by the time I step off the plane.
I also rely on products that can multitask. A little contour, shimmer and cream blush, followed by eyeliner and mascara, can make me look pulled together in minutes.
Have you ever had a beauty fail, and what did you learn from it?
Taking far too many products away with me, only to use the same trusted few every day. I’ve learnt to edit ruthlessly and pack products that I know work for my skin. It saves space, simplifies my routine and reduces the chance of opening my suitcase to discover that something has leaked through everything, which has definitely happened more than once!
Who’s your ultimate beauty inspiration?
Lauren Hutton. I love her completely effortless approach to beauty and the way she has always embraced individuality rather than perfection. She looks radiant, confident and comfortable in her own skin, and never overly polished or overdone. That, to me, is far more inspiring than trying to look flawless.
Do you have a favourite beauty look you always come back to?
A softly smudged brown smoky eye, a lash of black mascara and a glossy lip. It’s polished but still relaxed and works wherever I happen to be, from breakfast at a hotel to dinner somewhere fabulous. I tend to avoid matte lipstick these days, as I find it too ageing on me. A little gloss feels fresher, softer and much more flattering. And always SPF50!
Connect with Sophie
Discover more about Sophie and Wanderlust Union at wanderlustunion.com.au and @wanderlust_union.
Follow Sophie on Instagram at @shgbaker.
Listen to The Wanderlist: Your Little Black Book for Travel on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and follow @the_wanderlist_podcast on Instagram.