Beauty Travel Tips You Need To Know

By BR Kellie

As the weather warms up our thoughts turn to holidays. Whether it’s a three-day weekend over the ditch, a week spent lounging poolside on a tropical island or a month traipsing about the Continent; we’re a big fan of holidays here at BRHQ. And while we’ve our bag packing down to a fine art – rolling clothes is the ultimate space saver as far as we’re concerned - we do have a slight beauty addiction that means we find it hard to keep our products down to a minimum. Fun fact. I recently went to a conference, a two day one at that, and took two makeup bags and a huge toilet bag, all brimming with skincare, hair care and cosmetics. So what’s a woman to do? How can a beauty lover compact her travel kit down to a manageable size? 

It would appear downsizing and decanting are the keys to success.

If you happened to have picked up the most recent Beauty Review Beauty Box, you’ll have your travel hair care well sorted, with deluxe samples of Pantene shampoo and conditioner, Schwarzkopf hairspray and salt spray, as well as a travel-sized dry shampoo from Batiste. However, if you didn’t pick up the box you can still DIY it. Storage Box has a great travel section filled with bottles you can pour your shampoo and conditioner into. Batiste’s 50ml dry shampoo is readily available online, as are travel-friendly sized hair styling products.

Skin care can also be decanted into smaller bottles or you can squinch up the size even more by buying little screw top cosmetic pots and squirting in as much moisturiser or cleanser as you’re likely to need. Keep in mind though that some products, especially those rich in antioxidants or containing retinol, shouldn’t be exposed to air until they’re about to hit your face or they’ll start to break down and lose all their goodness – so keep those in their existing packaging. Another option is to pick up your favourite products in travel size. Evolu does the fabulous Travel Tower and local natural skincare company, Savar, do a wonderful range of travel-sized products and sets. 

As for makeup? Aka my Achilles heel. It pays to think about where you’re going and what you’ll be doing. If you’re heading to a tropical wonderland, chances are you’re going to be swimming and sweating – so lots of makeup would probably be a waste, yet you still might want to apply makeup for dinner or for when you travel home on the plane. Heading to Sydney for a weekend of shopping and partying? You’re no doubt going to want to put some extra sparkle into your routine. Backpacking through Europe or America? You could be standing up for hours in stuffy trains one minute, sitting in a fabulous bar the next, so the key here (and yes, I’m going to have to listen to my own advice) is being smart with your choices and taking products that are a) small b) can do double duty. 

Does that mean taking a huge eyeshadow palette like my beloved Urban Decay Naked 2? Oh I wish. Instead a carefully chosen quad can take you from a pretty light daytime look to a smokey-eyed temptress at night, all while working as an eyeliner, a brow filler and even a highlighter. Foundation, BB and CC creams as well as tinted moisturisers can be decanted into those handy little screw top pottles, meaning you can take a day and night option and still have plenty of room left in your kit. While it’s tempting to want to take a few lipsticks, glosses or balms, try to stick to one – or one of each… And if the lipstick can work as a blush, all the better.
Another option is to look for deluxe sample sized products. Benefit’s kits and gift with purchases from big brands like Clinique and Elizabeth Arden are great for this, as they often contain sample sized mascaras, eyeliners and highlighters.

Lastly, a few tips about keeping everything safe in your suitcase, because the last thing you want is to land and find your clothing and shoes have been showered in conditioner. If the product is liquid be sure to keep it separate from your other products, and either put it in a zip lock bag or wrap it up in a plastic bag. Don’t want your powders to be smashed to smithereens? Be sure to pack your cosmetics bag into the middle of your suitcase so the soft layers of your clothing protect it. Lastly – avoid glass. Just. In. Case. The only thing worse than cleaning out a liquidy mess from your suitcase is cleaning out a potentially wound-inflicting liquidy mess.

So is your travel kit in need of a downsize? Or do you have it sussed? What are your must-haves? What can you go without? What’s the smallest amount of makeup you’ve ever successfully taken on holiday? Chat away….