Tiffany Masterson is a pro in the art of simplification. Her skin care company, Drunk Elephant, which she launched in 2013 while a stay-at-home mother of four, was built on a philosophy of knowing what to keep and what to leave out—in this case, unnecessary ingredients such as dyes, essential oils, and fragrances. Soon, her small Houston-based business rocketed to top of sales at Sephora, and, six years after founding it, she sold Drunk Elephant for $845 million to Shiseido, where she continues in her role as chief creative officer. “It still feels exciting every day,” she says. “I know what I don’t know and can’t do, and I know what I can do . . . So I just stay in my lane and I have a great team of people doing the things that I can’t.”
One of the things she does do regularly is travel, both for business and for fun. Her talent for weeding out the expendable from the essential helps not only in developing a popular skincare brand but also in packing a suitcase. “I travel a lot, and what I put in my suitcase looks pretty much the same on every trip,” she says. Masterson mixes comfy luxury favorites (she is a big cashmere fan) with the down-to-earth (button-fly 501 Levi’s) and throws in her go-to health supplements so she doesn’t have to slow her roll to sit down and eat breakfast.
As we enter the season of summer travel, Masterson shares the goods on what she packs no matter where she goes.
Allude Cashmere Jogger with Mini Boot Uggs
While stylish airport travelers might lift an eyebrow at the disheveled sweatpant-wearers slouching at the gate, they are likely to swoon over Masterson’s go-to airport ensemble—an upscale hoodie and joggers, which she owns in multiple colors. “It’s the same outfit every time I travel,” Masterson says. “I toss on a cashmere hoodie with matching pants, so it’s cozy and comfortable. You feel like you’re in your pajamas but you look groomed and not sloppy.” And on her feet, she always wears her Uggs. “I just love them. I wear the simple, shorter ones. They’re just so cozy.”
Levi Button-Fly 501s with the Cordelia Leather Jacket by Khaite
Jeans and a leather jacket can go either way. You can either look effortlessly cool, or like you’re trying too hard—much depends on the style of jeans and quality of leather. Masterson has found her perfect pairing, and it starts with 501s. “I love them so much. I’ve got five pairs,” she says. She sources hers from Scout, a vintage shop in Los Angeles. For the leather jacket, Masterson wears a timeless buttery-smooth lambskin moto jacket by Khaite. It’s sleek, not bulky, and an easy piece to bring along for cooler nights. “If I want to be a little bit dressier, I wear necklaces and high-heeled boots. And if I want to be more casual, I can still wear my Uggs. So that’s what I did on a recent trip to L.A., and it was easy and great.”
Manolo Blahnik Suede Knee-High Boots
Carrie Bradshaw would approve: Masterson is never far from her Manolo Blahnik black suede boots. She wears them with skirts, with dresses, and with jeans, tucking her 501s inside. “I’ve decided that baggy jeans kind of hanging outside of your boots is now a look,” she says. “Skinny jeans are out. So what are you going to do? This sounds funny, but I’m a big put-my-jeans-inside-my-boots person.”
Amika Perk Up Talc-Free Dry Shampoo and Nutrafol Women’s Balance
Masterson, who sports shoulder length hair with curtain bangs, often sits for photo shoots when she travels, so dry shampoo is never out of reach. “I don’t like to wash my hair every day anymore. It can be too damaging,” she says. “ I like Amika; it’s my favorite. I can go three days without washing my hair. It really does perk my hair up.” And, thanks to her other big hair trick, Nutrafol, Masterson has plenty of hair to perk. “Nutrafol has changed my hair; it’s gotten so long and noticeably thicker in one year. I take the women’s balance every day, even when I travel. I can’t tell you how amazing it is.”
Drunk Elephant Umbra Sunscreens
Years before she founded Drunk Elephant, Masterson discovered that her own skin suffered when she used products containing the ingredients she calls the suspicious six: drying alcohols, sodium lauryl sulfates, chemical sunscreens, essential oils, silicones, and fragrance. Because she couldn’t find what she was looking for, she had to make her own, and Drunk Elephant was born. Now, no matter where she goes, she packs the travel sizes of her own products. Lately, she is most in love with Drunk Elephant’s new Umbra sunscreen line. Although the company launched a little over ten years ago with a zinc oxide mineral sunscreen, they’ve tweaked the formulas to look and feel better. And they come in different mixable shades, so they can substitute for makeup. Masterson says they blend so well that she no longer uses foundation.
NMN Powder and Athletic Greens
While she enjoys a good meal, Masterson says she’s more of an eat-to-live kind of person. “I’m like a car—you just put gasoline in, and I go on my way. I love to eat, but really, it’s a pain for me to stop what I’m doing. I don’t want to worry about breakfast.” So her suitcase always carries a stash of Athletic Greens powder mixed in with nicotinamide mononucleotide, or NMN, part of her daily morning ritual. “The NMN is supposed to be great for longevity, brain health, jet lag, all of that. So if I’m traveling for five days, ten days, whatever, I take that many packets with me in a little Ziploc. And then I also take another Ziploc of bovine collagen, which I mix with water or milk wherever I am. When traveling, it’s hard to eat healthy, and this is a great way to get enough protein and feel healthy.”