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What are your best tips for traveling with makeup?
What are your best tips for traveling with makeup? Share!
I highly recommend giving careful thought to where and what you’ll be doing on your travels, because when I don’t think carefully about it, I end up bringing way too much. It is easier to narrow down what to take when I can have a few ideas as to what makeup I’d want to wear. I’ll also look to mix and match more products, like a light and dark gloss, as I can mix the two to create something more medium-toned. You can also use a cooler-toned gloss over a warm-toned lipstick to change up undertones that way.
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I agree with Christine that being honest about how comparatively little I actually need is helpful. I do love my options and all, but one palette is generally enough for eyeshadow, be it my medium z palette, Naked Basics, or Naked I. Throw in a liquid eyeliner and that’s really all the eye makeup options I need for a week or even more out of town. I do like to have a few lip options, though. 😛
Small, TSA compliant containers from Daiso are a life saver. I have very frizz prone hair so I portion out my sulfate free shampoo and my pared down skincare products into their travel bottles. Paula’s Choice sample packets are also wonderful to travel with. 🙂 It would be a great time for perfume samples, but I rarely think to wear fragrance when I’m travelling.
-Bring a versatile eyeshadow palette (like one of the Naked ones) so you can pretty much do whatever look you’d like (daytime/nighttime, natural/smoky)
-Just try to bring the necessities when it comes to brushes! It’s probably still going to be a lot of brushes since different ones may need to be used for application & blending, etc
-Bring only one of everything if you can instead of multiples: one foundation, one eye shadow palette, one mascara, one primer, etc. And if a product can serve more than one purpose, the better!
-Make sure the packaging of everything you’re bringing is travel friendly! They should be durable and seal tightly. Sometimes powder doesn’t have an option to close the inner lid to prevent product from surfacing, so sometimes I stick the whole container in a small ziplock bag to prevent an explosion.
-I usually bring two different lipsticks as well- one neutral and one red.
-It’s a good idea to bring a tweezer, pencil sharpener, q-tips. and cotton balls.
-Don’t forget skin care!
I tend to overpack too so don’t worry lol
*Don’t bring anything you will regret losing of getting stolen (LE and HE items)
*Figure out what you want to wear, then pack makeup colors that coordinate
*If in doubt, pack neutral shadows, a MLBB lippie, and a red lippie – these go with everything
*Use ziplocs to separate liquid and powder products, so your powder products don’t get ruined if there’s a leak
*Keep it light – nothing worse than dragging a heavy suitcase around ( you’ll sweat your makeup off) or paying $50 for an overweight bag ( you could’ve bought a Tom Ford lippie!)
I SO agree with your first point, Katherine. There were several palettes and other products (Guerlain Cruel Gardenia comes to mind) I thought of taking the last time we flew (in March) but I was concerned about them being damaged in my luggage or being lost/stolen or even damaged by me, dropping them in an unfamiliar bathroom, for example.
I carry just the bare minimum. A BB Cream with good SPF, one neutral blush, a liner, mascara, a tiny shadow palette or a single shadow which works with everything. A couple of lipsticks which I can mix and match. makes travelling lighter and in any case, I don’t want to spend the day doing my makeup while I should be out.
I try to keep things as simple as possible. And unless you’re a makeup artist traveling for work or something, most people don’t need a huge train case full of the stuff. I can fit everything I need in a medium sized cosmetic bag from Very Bradley. I put a Unii palette with one blush and at least 5-6 eyeshadows in it (though there are usually more). I travel with a loose powder, Bésame is a good brand and their powders are small. I also carry four brushes (two for eyeshadow, one blush, and one retractable powder brush). I also bring my foundation, mascara, lash comb and curler. I still have plenty of room in that bag for more but I’ve never needed it. I keep it in my carry on. I once packed my makeup in my checked luggage and it was smashed when I got it back. So since then I’ve made sure it’s on me.
Especially when going on a holiday I always forget how little makeup I am going to wear! I don’t think anybody has the time to go heavy on makeup while on vacation so just packing a few of your fave things is best! 🙂 I tend to carry tubes and plastics more and decant moisturisers in small plastic pots to carry.
When I travel I like to take a versatile palette, one that contains both neutrals and deeper shades so I can easily do a day look or a more dramatic look for the evening, with one compact product. Then I take the essentials (concealer, foundation, powder, mascara, brushes), a couple liners, and a 2-3 blushes (sometimes I take only cream blushes so I don’t have to carry a blush brush) or better, a blush palette, 2-3 lipsticks and a couple glosses. When picking the products, I try to think about the looks that I might do and which lipsticks or blushes would work with them. I also try to make sure I bring shades that will work with the colors of the clothes I’m packing.
My priority goes to multi-taskers, fuss-free and long-lasting products.
I think of the purpose of the trip and plan the main pieces of cloths I want to wear – then pick matching make-up. For example, I will take lipsticks and shadows that match my trousers and skirts, rather than each T-shirt or top separately.
Pack smart, make a list and try not to overpack. I always try to bring versatile colors (blush that goes with anything, an easy-to-wear lip color, an eyeshadow palette that has all the shades I like to use on a daily basis,..)
If you’re travelling by car and are in doubt….just BRING IT!!! But flying, with all the restrictions about what you can and can’t take in your carry-on, it becomes complicated. I tend to pack things like palettes/shadows/blushes (things that can break/shatter) in my carry on and I keep empty small bottles (MAC sells great ones; Bath and Body Works’ little shower gel and lotion bottles are great too) to fill with face wash, shampoo, etc. There are times when I’d be happy to fly just with carry on luggage but some of the restrictions make it impossible.
Lists, lists, lists! I’d be lost without them and would just throw random stuff in my bag in the end. Lists help me to plan out what I’ll realistically wear during a vacation.
Also, never pack your fave LE item or things that break easily. You’ll be devestated when you loose them or when you realize that they’re broken due to the rough handling at the airport.
Handle them like eggs! I bubblewrap the hell out of my make-up when I travel, and for pressed powders in particular, I pack some cotton pads/balls before closing the compact.
Great idea! Thanks for sharing!
I always try to travel with as few products as possible, because I find that when I’m traveling, I don’t pay as much attention to my makeup, so just a few items will do. Sometimes I pack a few rarely used colors in my travel kit just for the novelty of wearing them — they might become favorites again!
I love bringing palettes (eyeshadow, blush) instead of individual items so that it’s easier to pack. I also make sure to bring items that are sturdy and won’t get damaged during transport. It’s so hard to narrow things down because I wants lots of options, but I never really feel like I’m lacking anything.
Obviously it depends where and for how long but this is what I do to save space/time:
– Any one of my naked palettes comes with me. They easily fit at the bottom of a suitcase. I wrap an elastic band around the palette and keep them in ziplock baggies to prevent explosions.
– I bring a cream eyeliner palette that’s about the size of a credit card, that way I have multiple colors without bringing a million pencils.
– I store foundation/TM in contact lens case. That way I don’t have to bring the entire bottle. It’s easy to scoop product out, it holds just enough for a couple days, and protects it from light exposure. Same thing with skincare.
– Brushes go in plastic baggie as well.
– I get empty perfume sample pumps from Sephora sales person and use that to bring perfume with me. No need on spending $$ on a travel perfume atomizer.
I like to pack shades of products I know I’ll use in a Z palette myself (Like when I cosplay I build looks to match the costumes). Unless I know one or two palettes is going to cover me. (Like Naked 2, Naked Basic or my Eve Pearl Ultimate eyes).
Minimize it as much as you can! If you’re going away for 3 days, you don’t need 10 lipsticks. Stick to basics!
My best tip is to minimize the number of liquid items you take. If it can spill, it will. (Hey, that rhymes!) For nails, swap out polish in a bottle for nail wraps such as those from Incoco, and instead of liquid polish remover, carry prepackaged nail remover wipes. Use a powder or cushion foundation instead of a liquid one, and so forth.
Now that my neutral Mac palette is complete, it makes it much easier to narrow down what eyeshadow I will bring. Lately I have been traveling with that and I rotate between my Chocolate Bar palettes or Lorac Pro palettes. My Naked have not seen the outside world in a while so I may take them with me during my trip next week. Concealer, foundation, eyeliner and mascara are easy: I only have one of each. Lipstick… That’s a whole new challenge! I typically end up brining close to 8 because I can never decide and besides, I typically have that many in my daily makeup bag. Blush… That’s always a hard decision but lately I have been rotating between Almeria and Liberte, both by Nars. Both can be amped up or toned down and they pair well with all my makeup looks.
When I first really got into makeup, I would always take way too many products with me. Most of them I never used. Now, I pack very spare. On relaxing, veg out kind of vacations, I rarely even bother with my makeup except for dinner out. When I travel to an urban area I make sure to have at least my foundation and eyebrow stuff with me and then I indulge in a little shopping fun to fill in those absent products. I usually look for brands that I can never find easily at home. I never ever travel with my favorite or best brushes. I have a second travel set that usually goes with me and I even have a mini set that I can make do if I only have a small carry-on. I do miss my brushes though when I travel !
I’m usually pretty good at packing minimal makeup/ skincare for a trip, which will include gift with purchase (gwp) sizes or samples, and a multi-product palette (blush and eye shadow) like the Lorac Pro To Go. I have sort of a special trip coming up, and I’m finding it a bit more difficult to par down even though the trip is only about 4 days. I still have some time to cut back! 🙂
-Keep the details of your trip in mind: Business? Pleasure? Climate? Duration? Events to attend? Meeting the same people throughout? Sweaty activities? lots of checking in and out of hotels? They usually determine what and how much I take.
-I have oily skin and live in a humid city so trips to colder drier places are where I bring out the heavier creams and moisturising formulas. Hotel rooms are invariably more drying for me so when I haven’t packed body lotion, I miss it.
-I usually mix the stuff that I’m comfy with (favourite concealer and powder, stuff that never lets me down, my favourite perfume) with products I rarely use so I’m forced to use them. I tend not to carry brand new MU or clothes or shoes on a trip as I never know how they will turn out.
-Travel time is also when I dip into my samples stash. Or carry items that are close to finishing so if I forget to bring them back, no great loss.
-If your trip is a holiday, it’s the best time to use up those beauty masks that need 20 minutes that you never seem to spare when you are back home. Hotel rooms always have magnifying mirrors that make me look awful so I tend to slather on beauty creams and such. Hahaha!
-I match NC 42 in Mac and the Inglot 407 shadow is my favourite multitasker. Its a peach gold eye shadow that is a cheek highlighter, face luminizer and inner eye brightener too. I take Ruby Woo along no matter what because it always brightens me up in photos. And I take along MU removers that don’t need cotton pads: stuff like Clinique rinse off cleanser. So theres less to pack and fuss over. Guerlain Rouge Gs get flagged at every baggage screening checkpoint and they are so heavy. So I avoid.
-When in doubt, pick the simpler option: twist up pencil over gel liner pot and brush, pressed powders over loose, foundation and shadow that blends easiest, the lip shades that flatter you best.
-And for once the beauty magazines are right. A face spritzer on a long flight really does hydrate and freshen you up.
I always make lists of toiletries and makeup I’ll need. I don’t take anything fragile, irreplaceable or really expensive. If flying (rarely), I try to keep makeup in my purse or carry-on. Anything liquid or potentially messy goes in a zip-lock bag. For scents, I use Travelos, solid scents, or samples (padded against breakage or kept in my purse). If I have to take a jar of powder, I will put plastic-wrap under the lid to help prevent spillage. I like the wrap that seals itself to containers. If the lid comes off completely, the wrap has a good chance of staying on the jar.
I take as many skin-care and makeup samples as possible, rather than full-sized or expensive items: They take up less room and it’s not a huge deal if I leave something at a motel. Some basic face and eye E.l.f. Studio brushes: They work great, and are inexpensive to replace if lost or stolen.
I take makeup that will go with any color clothing and work in any situation: nudes/neutrals/browns and a pinkish-brown nude lipstick. Matte nude palettes like Naked Basics and Tartelette are good for me, because I can contour and highlight with the taupe and lightest shades, if I need to, and line my eyes with the darkest shades. Multi-tasking products are always good when traveling.
For longer trips, or trips where I may need to get dressed up for dinner, I’ll take a somewhat larger, versatile eye palette such as TF Candy Bar or Semi-Sweet, or the Tartelette, so I can change my colors up a little ,and a bright or vampy lipstick.
I travel regularly. I plan clothes that are similar colors (i.e., peaches or pinks) and throw in some black or white. This means I can pack almost one make up look that goes with all my outfits. I also love blush/eyeshadow palettes as they allow me to change things up. I put a make off pad inside compacts to protect them and either wrap bubble wrap around my palettes or cushion them inside my clothes. I also always take my make up in my carry on (never checked).
After years of haphazardly packing too much or too little for frequent business trips, I only just last year discovered the Trish McEvoy Planner and Wardrobe pages. I like that you can customize the eye shadows, blushes and creams and the case itself is perfect for traveling as there is room to add a few additional products. I’ve found that I quite enjoy the products in her line. The brush case is also fantastic. For skin care I tend to use or buy travel size kits rather than decanting into smaller plastic containers. I´m always on the go and for some reason I leave behind the small plastic containers…if it is in a kit I tend to keep it all together.
Wrap it all in bubble wrap so nothing breaks. I think the baggage handlers play football with my bags. They always come back banged up. 🙂
Yay! So glad for this question!!!! I have several trips this summer 😀
First of all, I work out what I am going to wear and co-ordinate that with shoes and accessories.
Pack my skincare items and then look at my choices for lipsticks and eye shadows – I usually bring 2-3 lipsticks and 1-2 eye shadow palettes. I have one basic mascara, one blush and an eye brow pencil.
After all, if you can do it – you could always shop for something you really need/want.
Definitely editing down how much to bring. Also I always put my liquid products in a ziploc bag.
I agree. I have a travel make up bag, with samples (foundation, primer, moisturizer, ect), so I don’t have to bring full sizes. Takes the stress out of remembering everything. Eye shadow and lip gloss is dependent upon the outfits I bring, just like everyone else, I have waaaaay to much makeup to not organize myself when I travel. Also, once you forget your eyebrow pencil…yeah…..you learn your lesson…
I bring a set of brushes with short handles that are suitable for travel, and organize them in the brush envelope thing that came with the Real Techniques core collection. I also bring cream foundation in a compact instead of liquid to avoid spills. As much as possible, I bring samples or minis — mascara, primers, facial wash, moisturizer, serum, perfume, shampoo, conditioner, lotion. I usually bring one medium sized eyeshadow palette like Sleek or Coastal Scents Revealed which allows me to create several eye looks ranging from a basic neutral for day to darker dramatic looks for nights. I limit myself to two lipsticks, a nude and a red. Everything else I only bring one of each – powder, mascara, pink blush, lip gloss, eyeliner, brow product. I have to bring a full face arsenal!
Zip lock bags and a streamlined routine.