Don’t let your beauty kit take over your travel! As restrictions are starting to loosen, the excitement to travel and explore is getting to all of us at team Souffle. Packing up our luggage and quite importantly, our travel beauty essentials, always turns out to be something between an art and a science. It may be a stressful task for many but one can also make it an enjoyable puzzle to solve. What makes it challenging is packing up a light load while ensuring all you need or may need for your trip. Whether you’ll be traveling on the road, via boat, or plane, it’s such a hassle to lug around some heavy baggage. To help lighten the burden, here’s a list of some of our favorite tips and tricks to pack a minimalist travel beauty bag.
1. Downsize your bag — literally!
First of all, you need a beauty bag. You can’t just throw in all your items into your luggage and call it a day. Having all your tools and items in a single bag can help you find things more easily and avoid mishaps when it comes to leaks and broken containers. But you need to make sure that the bag fits in your luggage or your carry-on. A small bag gives you a better gauge of just how many beauty products you can conveniently carry.
Another downsizing tip is to transfer your products into smaller bottles and canisters. Think about how many days you’ll be spending out traveling and get just the right amount of products for your beauty kit. If you’re flying, it’s good to note that you are only allowed 3.4 ounces (100ml) of each liquid product — by liquid, this means creams, serums, aerosols, mists, etc. Don’t let yourself get traumatized by getting your precious products confiscated at the airport.
Once you transfer your products into your travel-sized containers, label them and place them into a resealable plastic bag. Do this every time and not just when you’re flying, this becomes really helpful in case any leaks happen while you’re on the road.
2. Get mini-sized products
You can buy products in their smaller sizes if you’d like to save some luggage space. However, this may not be the most eco-friendly way so always recycle when possible. For beauty tools, you can also get compact versions of makeup brushes and hair styling tools. They’re super convenient when traveling. Plus, they’re super cute too!
Another way to get mini products is by collecting samples. Collect the ones you get from purchases and see if you can save them for when you travel. These sample sizes can sometimes be enough for a week or two’s trip.
3. Multipurpose can be a lifesaver
Some products can serve more than one function. Oils, for example. If you can find multipurpose oils that can serve as a makeup remover, body moisturizer, and hair serum at the same time, go for it! But make sure it suits your hair and skin requirements. You don’t want to sacrifice quality just to pack lightly.
When it comes to makeup, you can find multipurpose products. It’s slowly starting to become a trend anyway. They call it multi-pots, lip and cheek tints, eyes, lips, and cheek creams. If you can get away with it, you can even use items outside their traditional functions. Bronzers are sometimes great eyeshadows. If it’s a good shade, lipsticks can also work as cheek tints. Test your products out before you leave and if your skin won’t react to them.
Makeup palettes can also be your best friend. This isn’t the 90s. There are plenty of makeup palettes that are just as good as their individual versions. Trust me, you’ll easily find these in the makeup aisle.
4. Do you really have to bring that?
Don’t let the excitement of packing get to you. Remember, if there are humans where you’re going, they most likely have products available for the same, human, you. If you can bare using hotel toiletries, then that takes a few products out of your beauty kit. Cotton rounds, cotton buds, razors, shaving cream, most hotels provide these things. And if you don’t trust the freebies from hotels, you can get most of them at a nearby shop anyway. This is also something you can enjoy when you’re traveling — try out the local brands!
Skincare is, of course, very important to us. Just because you’re on vacation, doesn’t mean your skin troubles are, too. When you’re in a different place and in a different climate, your skin can get very sensitive to the changes in the environment. This can get you thinking that you’ll have to instantly overhaul your whole routine. Don’t panic. Try and observe your skin for a while and actually stick to your routine for just a few more days. If you pick on your skin too much and introduce all sorts of new things to it, then you may just worsen its sensitivity. Be kind and gentle to your skin.
Bring your tried-and-tested products, your cleanser, moisturizer, and other skincare you can’t honestly do without. If you’re worried about bringing too many pots and tubes, see if your skincare brand has a sheet mask that matches your skincare needs. Moisturizing face masks are so convenient and luxurious at the same time. If you’re staying at a hotel, wearing a face mask while in a robe makes it extra posh. Haha!
And this may be starting to become part of the Souffle Beauty protocol but, bring and wear your sunscreen! Take care of your skin, ladies and gents. It doesn’t matter if you’re going to the beach or going up the mountains, sunscreen is a must because UV rays are not our skin’s friends.
Wrapping Up
Keep it simple and make a good checklist. How many shades of lipstick do you actually need? How much product is good for three days, a week, a month? Take a moment to think about the necessities. If it won’t affect the amount of fun you’re going to have at your destination, why bother? Convenience and organization are top priorities. Think very well if you can survive your trip without a few things. And if you happen to miss an item or two, just enjoy the ride. You deserve your holiday! Traveling for work? Still, enjoy the excitement of seeing new places and scenes. Have happy and safe travels!