For cosmetics, I would love to see smaller sizes in some types of products, but they have to be large enough to work for the intended purpose (e.g. a blush still has to be big enough to get a good-sized brush in it). I think that, for example, highlighters and bronzers come in huge pans but are often the last products to be finished, so they could be smaller (and cost less).
Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!
Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).
We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!
We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! đŸ™‚ If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!
I’d love more travel sizes of skincare. There are some pricey products that I would love to buy small sizes of to see if they work for me before a big investment.
I like travel size in makeup and skincare. I can try a product without the commitment. Sometimes with the full size, you get bored with it and you never finish it. Sometimes you like the travel size so much you buy the full size like I did with Benefit’s High Beam or NARS Rikugien.
Oh, I would totally go for 1/2 the product at 1/2 the price. It’s so hard to finish a full size product before they go bad. I’d rather have smaller sizes and more variety of colors and formulas in my stash. Plus smaller sizes take up less space and are easier to travel with.
I feel the same way, especially with Liquid/Tube products as they are always the first product to bad.
I love mini set of skin care because you get a good month out of those to really test out the product and see if your skin likes it.
Yesss! Not that I travel that much, but squishing all your makeup in one pouch is so satisfying lol.
I totally agree! I’d definitely buy more travel-sized products if they were half the price or if their price were reduced in proportion to the amount of product. Like you, I rarely go through a full-size product before it’s supposed to be thrown out.
I would love that option! Especially with HE Mascaras, liquid highlighters and bronzers (ie; GA!) , and some mid to HE skincare items. For me, it’s all about the items that risk going rancid or spoiled that I would especially appreciate that as an option. Mini or travel-size lipgloss is another great one!
Travel sized products are usually not value-priced, so I rarely pick them up unless it’s a product I think I’d use sparingly. For example, I would have preferred to pick up Becca’s Opal in the travel size it now is sold in versus the full, and ditto for Hourglass’ Dim Light – but that’s because retrospectively I don’t use them often and have barely made a dent in either. I just keep my eyes open for deluxe samples at Sephora!
That said, I actually only pick up travel sized mascaras, feel better about running through those as quick as possible versus hanging on to older tubes.
I LOVE travel mascara sizes. I typically throw my mascaras away around after two months (I know I can keep it longer but I don’t want to) so travel runs out at the right time.
It depends on the type pf products, if it’s something I can finish or nearly finish before expiration date I will take the full size, other wise travel size is the way to go. Prices are also worth considering, but usually I will take the usage into consideration first.
I always use up all my sample, sample deluxe or travel size are my preferred option to try something before I commit to buyng full size, I have waisted lots of money before on products that didnt work for me, and Im not planning in waisting any more
Same here. Generally I’d go for the full size in cosmetics, but travel for either testing new skincare or for actual travel with the items I love. I bought the Luna/Good Genes sample duo so I could have more travel friendly versions. I prefer full size mascaras to travel versions though. I only use one at a time and i don’t like the short wands.
Depends, if the cost per g/ml goes up considerably I prefer to stick to full-size products.
I agree with Christine, highliters and bronzers can be smaller.
Foundation can be smaller too cause I’m always curious to try new foundations before to finish what I already have. They can cut the price in half and people are be able to try new stuffs more often without to waist them.
Eyeshadow palettes can contains smaller pans but more colours, with recharge. I never finish my eyeshadows palettes, and there could be some color that I use more than others, they should be able to be replaced with recharge, if one day I finish a color. Especially LE palettes with beautiful packaging, like the UD moon dust palette, it’s so pretty, they should make recharges.
Absolutely! MAC’s “sized to go” pigments, for example, are great for someone like me, who rarely finishes any colour cosmetics (with the exception of lipstick or foundation). I just wish they had more colours (though the gal at MAC said they’re coming out with more very soon so if she’s to be believed….). I just bought a travel size of Strobe Cream (I have a full size but I read at MUA that it’s actually CHEAPER to buy the small ones; Sephora’s moisturizer which they’ve discontinued used to be the same – the small tubes actually worked out cheaper than the full sized jar). Since I tire of things often, a smaller size is ideal for me. In recent months, I’ve bought the small/travel sizes of things like Becca highlighter (the tube one) and Smashbox Priming Water, etc. I so prefer a palette of smaller MUFE eyeshadows over the full sizes (more variety and a smaller price tag than buying all full sizes). So, yeah, I guess I do really like having the smaller sizes of many things.
I really like mini/travel size lipsticks. I change out the lip colours I wear all the time, and have never finished a full-size one! Powder blush (esp. Cargo!) and powder foundation I like in regular-size pans. It’s easier to sweep a brush over a larger surface for even coverage.
I love small/travel sized products and I try to get them whenever I can and the price is not completely unreasonable (i.e. price per oz compared to the full-sized version).
For one, I like to try different products and actually get a chance to finish them instead of just stocking up more and more… And then, there are the hygiene concerns. I would like to use up the products within the 6/12/18 months given on the package, but usually I would end up throwing a lot away if I did that. Even with mascara, something I use a lot, I hardly manage to finish a tube within 6 months (what am I doing wrong? :O). Right now, I have a deluxe size better than sex mascara and I really appreciate it. Also, I was able to find out that I’m not a huge fan of this mascara without buying the full sized product. đŸ™‚
In makeup, I would go for smaller sizes, but with skincare I prefer full-size Ătems since I use them consistently.
Depends. I actually travel a lot so I have a pretty good arsenal of travel products. Some are officially travel sized and some aren’t. For me to travel with a product while small size is great performance is really a key issue. For travel I actually love my MAC concealer palette. I prefer my UD Naked Skin concealer for every day, but cream is better for travel. I also love my Becca afterglow blush palette. Small pans and variety in a sleek package. I travel with smaller brushes (particularly for powder and blush). I also use a travel/deluxe sample size eyeshadow primer, mascara, moisturizer, face wash, and eye makeup remover. I love stocking up on samples of favorites with my sephora points when they are available.
I would love if eye shadows and lipsticks came in smaller sizes, typically I stick with a couple bronzer or highlight shades so I think eventually I will hit pan and finish them off. But for example a bright green eyeshadow or orange lipstick isn’t something I’m gonna wear everyday and be able to finish very quickly/at all
I would totally buy all travel sizes for makeup. I never completely use everything and so would love to be able to “not commit.”
Skincare, no, because I can (and do) decant almost all of it anyway. Except for retinol and vitamin c.
Absolutely. Hitting pan is not my strong suit. Highlighters and bronzers are a perfect example. The negative would be the up tick on the per oz. cost because you know they would go there.
Sometimes, I think the desired price point drives the size and packaging of the product instead of the other way around. I have enough highlighters to last me for the next 20 years (and I don’t really have that many). Surely, they could be offered in smaller sizes at reduced prices? Personally, I’d love to see smaller, high-quality, single eyeshadows and separate brand name empty storage palettes. I know you can do the depotting thing, but I really don’t like doing this. As much as I like my MUFE single eyeshadows, I really don’t need that much product in a single eyeshadow — again, did the price point drive the size??? Perhaps they were made for the MUA — but how many of us are MUAs?
Why doesn’t Viseart create single eyeshadows? Again, did the price point drive their various palette offerings? I don’t want all the colors in a Viseart palette, and I don’t want to pay for them. So, I don’t buy them.
Another rant along the same lines: Viseart brought out those blush palettes — how many of us can wear both cool-based and warm-based blushes? So, why do we have to pay for 1/2 of a palette? Again, were they made for MUAs?
I still have almost a full size of Becca liquid highlight. I’ll never use it all.
Yes, some items need to be smaller and packaged differently at reduced prices to meet individual customer needs. And, no way should they be priced higher per ounce than the large size. The packaging cost should not be used to justify an exorbitant increase in price — it’s just plastic, not a work of art. (I’m looking at you HG!)
I don’t know, while I agree to a point, I think we have to keep in mind the line between products designed for an MUA versus products designed for the private conneseour. We have so much more access now to niche brands and MUA brands that the line gets blurred. MUFE and Viseart aren’t designed for pretty packaging. The blushes are meant for artists working with multiple clients, but we want access, so why not sell to us? I see YouTubers talking about Kryolan products now and that’s made for tv, film and makeup effects but they’re buying it for everyday lipstick and eyeshadow. I don’t expect those brands to adjust for the mainstream, but that’s just my opinion.
Yes — I travel a lot so this would be great. There are a few items I leave behind for size, most notably eyeshadow palettes though I’m not sure those could be made travel sized anyway.
I definitely prefer travel sizes. I like it for skincare because it’s perfect for travel and I can try it out before I splurge on the regular size. I like travel size for makeup because it’s also great for travel, but mainly because it’s really difficult to finish an entire tube of lipstick when you have a huge collection.
I would! I know the unit cost may be higher, but I’d be more likely to try several foundations at a sample size price of $15-20 than shelling out $60, not liking it, and having do-I-return-it angst.
I would love deluxe travel size blushers (use my Nars Goulue all the time even in its small compact). I haven’t bought a mascara in a couple of years now, running through my deluxe sample sizes. They’re fun to experiment with and try different brands.
The #1 product I would like in a travel/smaller options is highlighter. I would like to try the EL VB Mercury, but just could not justify the price, but I would spring for one a quarter of the size in a minute. The shimmer brick would last me a several lifetimes. Becca’s highlighting compacts or the liquid highlighters — I’d probably be long sick of them before I’d make a dent. I’d like to try more options and have fun with highlighters, but it’s all too much for me.
Shelf space etc probably precludes this, but I’d love smaller options to save out-of-pocket cash and experiment more.
I would like to have more Travel Size products available in order for three main reasons:
Portability
Try before committing to full size
Less waste (nothing more annoying than something going bad before you can finish it)
I so prefer travel or trial size for 99% of everything! I have ADD when it comes to most products and no particular brand loyalty, so I love trying things and changing up often. The only exception is my weakness for eye shadow palettes and even then, I prefer them not to be huge.
I would choose more travel-size options unless it’s like Christine said, blushes and highlighters. I could even do smaller palettes too. I love travel size lip and some skin products. I know I’m not going to use all my full sized lipsticks so travel sizes are perfect. I am actually buying more travel size/mini lipsticks than full size and have been using them all up too and that makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something LOL
I wish more companies sold travel sized mascara. There are some high end mascaras that I really like but just don’t want to pay $25+ for more product than I need. I *would* pay $10-12 for a half tube. MAC has begun to do this and I have been buying them.
I prefer travel sizes in everything! Takes up less room. Great way to try new products. And, I get bored quickly-so there’s a better chance I will use it up before it gets contaminated.
I love a mini mascara and lipstick! I prefer full size face products though for brushes.
I think if it’s a very high end product with a hefty price point, it’s nice to give clients the option to try before committing to a full size product, or maybe they just dont need full size for their life style. For skin care, it’s bloody marvellous, after trying CHANEL, Darphin, Sisley, Natura Bisse, I was not going to buy full size products of Lancer, and actually, they give you a full weeks supply gratis they are so confident in there product line. They do have an excellent 7 piece travel line for someone who wants more than just the 3 step method. It’s been 2 years and I love the love the line.
Right on with you Christine. I would love to see smaller sizes along with smaller price points. I love makeup and I think the smaller products would really let me see if I absolutely love a product that I need a full size (this has yet to happen given the amount of makeup I have and love to use). Its also much easier on me as I travel. I went to Greece with only a carry and took only deluxe sizes (save for a few lipsticks) that I didn’t feel like I was limiting myself very much. I love the Sephora value sets for that reason.
I have way too much makeup to actually go through in my lifetime, so I’d be totally for makeup in smaller quantities as long as the price also decreases somewhat proportionally.
Also if lipstick minis would all be stable and not so flimsy.
There are so many products coming out each month, that I would love more to have more travel sizes and deluxe samples. If I really like the product and discover it works for me, then I prefer the full size.
For cheek products the pan is indeed and issue. But for foundation, concealer, mascara, primers, eye liner or similar thinks smaller sizes would be ideal for me.
Considering how much I hate sourcing empty travel sized containers and then transferring product to them and then labeling, definitely yes! Especially with skincare. It’s really hard for me to get all my skincare, hand and nail care, toothpaste and fragrances into a quart sized zip top bag. Lately I’ve been traveling more and if I can avoid a checked bag that helps make traveling a bit easier.
So if all the skincare brands are listening, please make more travel sizes available to purchase directly!
I wish there was more travel and “deluxe sample” sized skin care at reasonable prices. Not just for travel, but so someone could try a new brand or formula without committing to a full size and can get a better feel for how it works than with a tiny packet that you get 1-3 uses out of.
I also like smaller size cosmetics and have a decent stash of mini lipsticks, perfumes, highlighters, MAC prep+prime, and eye shadows (as well as about a dozen mini UD Zero eye liners lol). They’re great for travel and most of them were free đŸ™‚
I think this would be a great idea, especially for people who already have a sizeable stash or want to be able to try products out without the commitment of buying a full size and getting tired of the product halfway into using it. My main thing with this is the product would have to be consistent with the full-size version, meaning everything about it is the same, it’s just in a smaller size/amount.
Absolutely! Both in makeup and skincare. I rarely finish products in their full size, especially lipsticks, eyeliners, and mascaras. Not only are travel-sized products more convenient for how often I wear a full face of makeup, they’re also infinitely easier for, as the name suggests, travel. I would rather have a small package of makeup remover wipes and a mini setting spray then take the full size of each.
Some of my most used travel-sized products are: NARS Rikugien satin lip pencil from last year’s Sephora birthday gift, Tarte Energy lip crayon from a duo set, UD Venus/Crave eyeliner duo, and Benefit Roller Lash from a gift set.
Yes absolutely! If only more companies did this. It helps obviously with trying out a smaller amount if you are new to a product.
Forcing people to buy larger amounts may make more short term profit but people resent it and are less likely to try from companies that dont consider the customer.
Yes I would like to have a choice actually, there should be large and small sizes in a lot of different makeup products. This way if you know it is something you will not use often you purchase the smaller size and save money. I don’t think there is enough options when it comes to makeup as far as sizing. I also think it’s because they make things huge knowing they can charge more money for it and half the time we end up not even finishing the product and were ready to throw it out.
Yes definitely, especially with the rate with which they product new and better products….
I prefer the travel size of primers and mini versions of lip gloss and liquid lipsticks when available. I find those products often go bad on me before I can finish it. Would love to see high end foundations in travel sizes. I find different foundations work better in one season or another so liquid foundations go bad before I finish them. Skin care I am more likely to buy in travel or try me sizes.
I absolutely would with a few minor exceptions. For me: blush, bronzer, contour all could go in the travel size because I can NEVER finish them. Never and then 5 years pass and I still have this stuff. Even some foundations, I’d like in travel size but others I need in full size.
It’s a great idea!
Yes, in about every product especially mascaras and lipsticks. I think it offers a better chance of trying different things and thus preventing expiration dates. On brushes not really I like them regular size although I’ll use a smaller one for highliting and blending or removing excess. I love using my stipled brush for applying blush or highliter. Guess will never run out of WetnWild I’ll have a Cosmo love that thing is huge and I bought two since it is a challenge to spot then. Is beautiful color and product.
I would love more travel size products especially the expensive brands. A lot of women are not sure if they like a product by an expensive brand so they don’t purchase it. Whereas if the companies would give travel sizes of their products which are cheaper women would purchase them and maybe later purchase the full size.
It would be good to have smaller sizes from skincare products but I would not pay more for it so at the end I would buy the size which costs less concerning the price per ml
If the price is the same I would always prefer smaller sizes not only because it is good for testing new products. I do not know if it is always so good to have a cream or serum open for a long time. With small sizes one would always have a “fresh” product.
For makeup I really like the small lipsticks from the new mac holiday collection. I have so many lipsticks because I love wearing different colours every day but I will never finish all these lipsticks. So small lipsticks would be very good for me.
Travel size = trial size. Try before you buy the regular size. Save money!
Trial size is great for deciding if I want the product at all. But travel sizes, especially in make up, have better packaging (for travelog and in general to keep the product fresh), and is in many cases enough to last me quite a while.
Travel sized makeup and skin care products are great to sample and see if they work for you. Especially when you get a GWP or a brand that normally would be too expensive for you.
Travel packs are also handy for plane trips too.
Definitely!
As long as the price would accurately reflect the amount of product and packaging.
I was watching EmilyNoel83 and something she said captures my feelings about this issue to a tee. She was reviewing the Lorac Pro Mega 3 and she said that she was trying to determine if she really liked the palette itself or if she really liked it because it was NEW.
There are products that I have purchased, even those that perform admirably, that I wish had come at half the size and cost. It isn’t that I regret the purchases, I don’t. Trying out new products is a huge factor in my makeup enjoyment, but once the NEW is gone I find that I seldom need a full size.
I prefer full sized products
I travel a lot and would love more travel sized products. I also agree with others comments about testing with smaller products before committing and smaller sizes would be nice so you can keep things fresh. And I love to experiment with color and prefer to get many smaller different colors than a few larger ones.
Absolutely. I’d much prefer travel sized for mascara, because I have to throw it away every 3 months (my sensitive eyes won’t tolerate longer). It would also be nice for things like blush, bronzer, highlighter that I tend to vary from day-to-day, and own a lot of. I could get the variety I like without the waste. I prefer travel sized for trying out new products, as well. Travel sized usually gives me enough of something to see whether I’d like something (as opposed to 1-3 uses I get from most samples), but it’s still cheaper and less wasteful than buying the full sized and returning it if it doesn’t work.
I use as many travel sized products I can get. I’m on the road 4-5 days a week and my roll up makeup bags are full and its heavy. I use smaller products like Becca shimmer highlighter in poured vs pressed. I use the small travel bottles for shampoo etc. I got a sample of belif The True cream -aqua bomb and buy the large size and just scoop the sample size enough product to take with me. I’d welcome more smaller products.
Yes! I would love more deluxe/travel size products. I actively shop Amazon for brands I want to try. For the last 2 years I’ve exclusively purchased the smaller size mascara after I noticed they perform better than the full size. Plus I love trying new mascaras!
I love travel/trial sized products and almost always buy them over the full size. Not only are they cheaper but I’m more likely to use all of is in a timely manner (before it expires!!)
This would be amazing for foundation. Actually this would be amazing for everything???
Yes! I only buy travel size mascara now. I use it the same before I have to throw them out. I agree with Christine. Also that they need to be big enough to put a brush in. There are some blushes that are just too small, cough cough, in the holiday releases. I love travel eyelash primer, lipsticks, liquid etc. I also like to try smaller size skincare products. I would love to see small options for so many of the more expensive items. I like to make sure that the product works for me before I invest in the full size, hefty price, products.
Definitely for lipsticks, glosses, because when you have 30 of full-size ones, you know they will not be used up before they go bad, so you end up just giving them away. Highlighters, I mean, how much do you need on your cheekbones? And how much of a product there in say MAC Lightscapade? IMHO, it should be the size of their Mineralize blush and cost less đŸ™‚ That is why I love what theBalm did with their Manizer sisters trio.
I prefer travel sizes in everything. You can swatch something in the store, but you don’t really get an idea of how it works for you until you wear it for awhile, where it’s intended to be worn.
I find most containers for make up are too big; even if I use foundation and concealers every day, I rarely finish a bottle before expiration date. All cream and liquid products could be half the size, if it were up to me đŸ™‚
Also, eyeshadows and blushes tend to last an eternity, and are more likely to be thrown away tha used up. If it was half the size and half the price, I could repurchase my favorites and still save money…
The only products I finish are foundations (only because I force myself to not have more than 2-3 at any given time and I wear it almost daily), bronzers (what can I say, I love bronzer, and again I force myself to only have a couple at any given time), and a cream/ivory matte eye shadow that I use to highlight my brow bone.
I wish blushes and highlights came in smaller sizes. I don’t wear the same color day to day; I love being able to change it up. There are blushes I swear I wear a lot but they’ve barely got a dent.
I rarely finish glosses/lip products.
So yes, even though travel sizes tend to be more expensive, I would buy them. If I could buy 3 half sized products for the price of 2 full sized I would be stoked! Especially lip products.
And if I do find a color I do love I’ll buy the full size.
For color products like blush or lipstick, travel sized for sure. I just don’t have the chance to wear much obvious makeup on a daily basis that my stash unfortunately doesn’t get used up as fast as it could. Plus, how cute is it when things are miniature sized? Can’t resist them! ?
I would love to see more travel sized items offered!! Especially lipsticks and lipgloss…. better for keeping in my purse on the go.
I would absolutely love smaller sized options! It would save me the effort of either decanting travel-sized amounts or having to lug around (via checked in baggage) full-sized products. I only need enough to get me through a trip and don’t want to lug stuff both to and from a destination. For that matter I’d probably enjoy lightening up my purse a bit with smaller versions of blush/shadow/etc for touch ups.
I would do a TON more in travel sized, despite them being more per ounce in nearly every case and costing more in the end. I am allergic to being alive, and that will save me so much trouble figuring out how I react to new things, but also, I travel a lot, and I prefer smaller things for packing in my travel bag.
The only product that interests me in travel-sized for cosmetics is lipstick. Skincare is another story — I want ALL of it in travel sizes (in theory; in reality, the average price for travel sizes is generally much higher than for the full-sized products, so … intriguing, but a very bad deal).
I’d love more travel-sized products for travel and for trying out new things.
I absolutely prefer smaller sizes! Even if I only owned one full-sized blush and used it every day, I don’t think I’d finish it up before it went bad. (Am I grumpy that ten full-sized Tarte blushes went hardpan on me within a year of purchase? Yes, yes I am.) Since I like to play with a wide range of colors and finishes, smaller sizes just make sense.
Wetter products, like mascaras or lipsticks, are nice in minis because I can actually finish them up before they expire.
Tor travel – I often take small size foundations and lipsticks/lip glosses and travel size skincare. But I prefer go for full palettes for eyeshadows and blushes as it give me more choices.
I prefer travel sizes for most everything. I never get through a whole lipstick or highlight, etc., so I like the less expensive and smaller options generally, and I like travel size mascaras because I know I can use them up before they dry out, which happens to me a lot with the full-size ones. For skincare I also like travel size because my routine’s always changing. Definitely a fan of value sets!