Packing Makeup

When you’re getting ready for a trip, in my opinion, packing makeup should be the least of your concerns. What I’ve learned over the years is that with makeup, packing less is more.  There were years when I would travel with a full palette of eyeshadow with 20+ colors, 2-3 different lipsticks and lipliners, several full-sized makeup brushes, as well as concealer, foundation – basically everything!  What usually happened is that I would end up with two or three different travel cases just for my makeup and makeup accessories.  The worst part was that I often ended up breaking several palettes and blushes, which really added up over time.

In recent years, I’ve opted for a minimalist approach with my makeup.  Now, instead of carrying a full palette of eyeshadow, I’ve found the smaller palettes really get the job done and take up very little space.  Urban Decay’s Naked eyeshadow, for example, is a great line of compact palettes that fit perfectly in smaller makeup cases. The color spectrums are great for most hues, and they give you just what you need while traveling.  Now, I keep a small compact of eyeshadow in my makeup case at all times, so I’m always ready to go.

For lipstick, I just stick with one or two of my favorites and one lipliner, which keeps it simple.  For blush – similarly, I travel with just one color at a time.  To keep my blush from breaking, I put a cotton pad in the compact, which does an amazing job of protecting my blush if I accidentally drop it when I’m coming or going.

As for my brushes, I leave my full-size makeup brushes at home and prefer to use travel-size makeup brushes instead.  They fit securely in my smaller makeup case and don’t require a completely separate brush holder.  There are some great makeup case options out there that include travel-sized makeup brushes, like the Ms. J Makeup Case!

I’m always looking for ways to simplify packing and now that I have a plan for my makeup, it’s one less thing to stress about when I’m heading out of town!