How to Store Makeup for your Travel Bag

Summer is here and I am sure many of you are planning your vacations. Deciding what make up and beauty products to pack can sometimes be a pain. Also how to pack them has been an issue for me at times. Being a frequent traveler I have had my fair share of travel woes. From moisturizer bottles exploding in my suitcase to realizing I haven’t packed my eyeliner – I have experienced it all!

So based on my experience and a few tips from others, here are a few pointers for make up and beauty for travel.

In your suitcase:

Makeup Travel
All lotions and bottles taped at the mouth
  • Keep a small tube/bottle of your regular face wash, shampoo, night cream etc permanently in your travel bag.
  • Cello-tape the mouth of your lotion bottles. And place them in zip-lock bags. Heartless porters and factors like air-pressure can cause these bottles to explode during travel.
  • Carry body sprays which come in plastic containers as opposed to glass bottles (like the Body shop ones). If you must carry a glass one, wrap it in your towel and ensure you place it in middle of your suitcase. This is to ensure that the bottle is padded on all sides.
  • Travel light. Carrying your entire make up for a trip is a bad idea. Besides if the airlines should lose your luggage, you don’t want your entire make up gone do you? :). Carry products that are multipurpose. Such as a lip and cheek tint. This helps save space.
  • Cream based foundation/concealer can melt during travel, placing them in separate zip-lock bags can prevent disasters.
  • Just like perfumes, place your make up kit in the middle of suitcase and ensure it is padded with clothes all around.
  • I always pick the toiletries placed in hotel rooms. If I don’t use the product, the bottles can be re-used to carry lotions, shampoo etc for a short trip.
  • Don’t ever go with the assumption that you can pick up your products at your holiday destination. Not all products are available in all places. For example I recently did a mini tour of Chennai hunting for Colorbar products with no luck.
  • Make a travel check list and paste it on your cupboard. Creating this list when you are relaxed and have time to think is a good idea. So the next time you have to make an unexpected trip, you don’t have to worry about forgetting an essential
Makeup Travel
All liquids and creams in separate ziplock bags ; ready to be put into my vanity kit.

In your handbag:

  • Carry a small bottle of freshener, rose water or even a spray bottle of water in your handbag. You want to look fresh in your vacation snaps don’t you? 🙂
  • Carry wet tissues. Kara has wet wipes with sunscreen. This is product is pretty useful and solves the problem of re-applying sunscreen each time you wipe your face. (This product is priced at Rs 150/- for 25 wipes)
  • Always carry a small stole. I use this as a bandana when I’m doing a car trip and this doubles up as a shawl to keep me warm on flights.
  • Keep an anti pimple/blemish cream handy. Travel and new environments can sometimes cause havoc to skin.
  • If you are the type like me who uses multiple handbags -place all your must have essentials in a small pouch. Just transfer the pouch into the handbag you will be using for the day/travel. Not only does this make swapping bags easier, you also don’t have to dig through your entire bag looking for that tiny lip balm.
Travel Makeup
My essentials kit that I transfer to the bag I am using for the day

The above makeup kit inlcudes:

  • Carmex lip balm with spf – Cherry flavour
  • Maybelline watershine lipstick in “Iced tea”
  • Body Shop liquid lip gloss in shade “02”
  • Bathy & Body works body lotion- Midnight pomegranate flavour
  • Maybelline Define A Lash Mascara
  • Lakme liquid eyeliner in black
  • Gabrini eyeliner pencil in blue
  • Lakme glide on eye color in “Henna Gold”
  • Bodyshop white musk eau de cologne
  • Lakme radiance compact in “Marble”

Looking good on the go:

  • Keep make up minimal. Nothing looks worse that foundation streaking on one’s face. If you must wear make up, use products that are water proof.
  • Mineral make up works best. Not only is it perfect for summer, it’s easier to carry around than a bottle of foundation.
  • Don’t forget your lips! I have realized that lip balms work better than lip stick when traveling. When I am outdoors I use Carmex lip balm with SPF 15, otherwise it’s the Body shop range of lip balms which I just adore. (Any suggestions for a lip balm with SPF that is available in the Indian market?)
  • Whether you are picnicking at the park, or lugging you baggage around the airport – your nail-polish has more chances to chip when on the move. Keep your nails simple and clean. A clear varnish works best.
  • While most of us taken extreme precautions in protecting our face and body from sun damage, our hair is ignored. Sun protection for your hair is also important. Bonacure and Boots have good hair sprays that provide sun protection. ( Again I am looking out for something similar in the Indian markets. Any suggestions?)
  • If you are going to be on a long flight, moisturize well and apply a serum to your hair.
  • Drink plenty of water and cut on down caffeine before and during a journey. This will help prevent your face from looking tired and patchy. This was a tip given to me by a flight attendant.
Makeup Travel
Travel size bottles that can be re-used.

So that is my two cents worth. Looking forward to tips from the readers!

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39 thoughts on “How to Store Makeup for your Travel Bag

  1. Hey Wanderlust….indeed a very useful post!!!! I do most of the things u’ve mentioned above…

    I also carry a hand sanitizer with me all the time in my handbag and this is a must have on outdoor travels….I carry dry n wet tissues so never thght of freshner by maybe I shud try it 🙂

    Also didnt know abt hair spray for sun protection….shud try that too 🙂

    Thankfully i’ve not faced any problems of opened up cream bottles until now…but I do take extra care to see whether the bottles I am carrying are tight enuf or no…but yes you never know when a mishap cud happen

    For lipbalm w SPF, you can try Lotus herbals lip balm….I have been using it since some time and really loving it…I have in cherry which is not colorless, give a nice pink color to the lips…the other flavours I can rem are chocolate, cocoa (both impart a brown color to lips), vanilla, mint (kind of colorless)

  2. VERY useful! :))

    I use cellotape myself, to ensure that everything reaches safely. Btw, i had a very bad experience with a Body Shop spray recently, the bottle broke (even though it was plastic:() and created a bit of a mess! :-((

    1. A body shop bottle broke? woah.. thats why also put my bottles in separate ziplock bags as extra precaution 🙂

  3. I have never had problems with bottles so far. Although just to be extra sure I put them in the ziplock bags. However the idea of sealing them with the tape is excellent. I am pretty bad with carrying stuff. :sidefrown: I always get this feeling what if I would need this and that… ?:-) Half of my stuff is left unused but it just keeps me at peace that I have everything with me and I would survive even if I am marooned on an island. :chicken2:

    I think will learn this post by heart. :yes: :yes:

  4. Rati – After seeing what you had in your bag , I feel so unprepared! I guess its time for me to upgrade my pouch :-))

  5. OMG, I am so ashamed to say that I do nothing of the above. 😛
    I just have a beautiful leather bag in which i cram everything.. It is waterproof and never gave me any trouble… :silly:

    I think i should start keeping everything properly.. Your post is an eye opener, Wanderlust…
    Thank you… :-))

  6. That is such a useful post 🙂 Just adding something I do. I try to squeeze out a little air out of the bottles and then close them and cellotape them. I read somewhere that helps avoiding the explosions.

  7. Oooh I just line my dumping bag with a zip lock plastic and throw everything in!! :shame: Guess I need to read your post again and get myself organised for my next trip!!

  8. You wont believe this but only yesterday I was thinking about how good a post on travel make up would be..awesome Wanderlust!
    General tip : some of the make up bags and travel accessories are also too good for travel. Even MAC has one or two good ones.

      1. Thanks Rati..am actually a member of your forum too (Apshiv) just love this whole thing. Helps me totally unwind at the end of the day. Great job!

        1. Aparna – great minds think alike huh :).. yes there are some nice vanity kits in the market..
          i picked a nice make up kit from Westside

  9. I do all of the above except for the taping bit, which I’m gonna do the next time I head out! 🙂 Really useful post Wanderlust :yes: 😀

    Ooh, also. At Chennai, did you check out Lifestyle at Citi Centre for Colorbar? They usually stock it there! 🙂

  10. Dear Wanderlust, you are so organized……..I am also really ashamed seeing how you meticulously pack everything ….thanks for such an useful post…. O:-) .

  11. Dear Wanderlust,

    Nice meeting u, dear…let me say this..or else, i might forget…VLCC Lip shield in strawberry, mint and some cocoa flavors from Health & GLow… has SPF…are u frm India? U get these only in India…I use the strawberry one, love it so far…

    agreed on lip balm part…it does work…but will i stop carrying lip products? OH NO…my bag wud be half full with lippies 🙂

    ur 2 cents are worth million millions 🙂 every line was such a treasure, dear…especially for those who are always on wheels 🙂 I want to travel light all the time, but somthing prevents me from doing that 🙁

    YES…thats how I tape and travel 🙂 same brown tape…tats wat i have been doing since a couple of days 🙂 LOL…can it get any weird?

    1. Hi Dvja! thanks for the tips on the lip balms. Yes yes im very much from India.. i used to travel to the US frequently on work.. hence to use the opportunity :devil: to raid the make up counters there … and yay to brown tape 😉

  12. That was such a superb post Wanderlust. :yes:

    I love to organise my stuff while travelling and yes, I too tape-up (**wonders if there is a word like that**) the bottles.

    I use small ziplock bags for the basic packing and then put them in pouches..TBS has given me a lot of pouches as gift :inlove: :inlove:

    I prefer to travel light, but then again things start piling up in my suitcase. Sewing Kit, Stationery Kit etc etc. So now I have secured miniature things for my travel kit like mini stapler, mini tape dispenser and all :devil:

    And yeah…I love those mini White Musk bottles..yummm

  13. Yes body shop rocks that way.. i also love their pouches.. and i like the travel size products they give away as freebies. 🙂

  14. Really useful Post! I had no idea people brown tape their stuff before packing and all..

    Frankly I am so lazy I just throw all my stuff in a bag & then put in either the luggage or my hand bag (actually I hate packing – and more than that – I just abhor unpacking – I always try to get someone else to do it for me).

    As it is I travel very light when it comes to Makeup & skincare, but your tips were gr8!

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