How to Pack Your Beauty Products

8 Must-Know Packing Tricks for Your Next Trip

This week I take off for a 10 day trip to Europe to visit two countries I’ve yet to explore. First stop–Cannes, France where my boyfriend and I will meet up with a group of his old college friends. Beach days, bike rides, and shopping the open air markets are all on the agenda. From there we head off to Vienna, the current residence of one of our travel mates. With no formal plans, our main mission is to soak up the city like a local.

France and Vienna fall somewhere on the list as the 32nd and 33rd countries that I’ve had the pleasure of visiting. Most of my travel was done in college through study abroad, service trips, and a short stint interning at an airline. Though post-graduation, I’ve made it a point to spend time abroad at least once each year.

All of this to say that, over the past decade or so, I’ve grown into a fairly well-seasoned traveler. While I don’t claim to be of Samantha Brown or Anthony Bourdain status, I do have quite a few travel tips and tricks up my sleeve. One particular area I’ve learned to master is the art of packing.

5 years ago when I paid my first visit to Europe, I brought with me the largest suitcase I could find and had it packed as full as it’s zippers would allow. Trust me– you only make that mistake once. My new rule of thumb is to never pack more than a carry-on. Of course, with limited space and TSA rules to abide, this poses a certain set of challenges, especially when it comes to packing beauty products. However, I promise that with the right know-how and a little creativity you can pack everything you need without upgrading to a checked bag.

Read on for 8 of my favorite tricks on how to pack your beauty products. And if you’re wondering what to pack make sure to check out my favorite beauty travel essentials!

Remove the caps to your liquids, cover the opening with a piece of cling wrap, then screw the lid back on. The extra barrier will help to keep the lids on tight and protecting against possible spills and leaks.

Packing reusable travel size bottles can be a great way to bring along your favorite products. But remember that changes in cabin pressure can cause overly full bottles to burst. To prevent this from happening, allow room for bottles to swell by only filling them 2/3 full.

Keep your cosmetic bag organized by sorting your beauty products into groups like face, eyes, and lips and packing each group into it’s own Ziplock bag. Stack Ziplocks inside your cosmetic bag making sure to put heavier items like lotions on the bottom, and lighter items like eyeshadows on the top to keep them from getting crushed.

Prevent your powder makeup from breaking into bits by including makeup sponges inside your Ziplock bags. Then, fill in any empty space in your cosmetic bag with rolled up socks. They’ll add an extra layer of cushion and prevent your products from banging around while in transit.

To prevent an accidental attack when reaching inside your cosmetic bag, user binder clips to cover razor heads and keep their plastic protectors in place.

Sticking to a carry-on means no liquids over 3.4 oz. Check out sites like 3 Fl Oz to find a wide selection of travel size beauty products. Where possible, opt for a wipe or solid version of your regular picks—they don’t leak, are often lighter, and face no TSA restrictions.

Can’t find a travel size version of your favorite beauty or hair product? No worries. Empty contact cases make great make-shift containers to hold small amounts of liquids, gels, and lotions. Equally, pill bottles make awesome containers for Q-tips and cotton balls.

The trick to great packing is to travel light. Don’t pack what you don’t need. Call the hotel ahead of your trip to find out what products and brands they stock and leave behind what you don’t need. From facial kits to flat irons you’d be surprised by the range of products some hotels can now supply you with.