Simplifying Travel Cosmetics

[seekingsimplicity]

Ok peeps I have made something that is probably pretty simple into a GIANT complicated mess and I need your help.

(I am blaming it on TSA airline rules)

I seem to need to have about 3 cosmetic packs at the ready?! We travel a lot and sometimes it is to go overnight by car, sometimes it is international with a bigger suitcase and sometimes we travel and I cannot check a bag and lots of times it is backpacking in the wilderness.

So should I pack for the different kinds of travel so I am always ready to go? Meaning, there will be a bag that has cosmetics that are in the small containers that are allowed to be carried on the plane, a bag with stuff where the size does not matter for overnight, a bag for super limited light weight stuff to carry in a backpack on a long trek where weight matters?

How should I simplify this? Am I on the right track?

[Rosemary]

Depends on how often you travel for those various purposes. Cosmetic items have a fairly short shelf life.
I take the same things no matter where/how I'm traveling. Small tube of toothpaste, small bar of soap, lip balm. If I'm not staying with friends/relatives, small shampoo & conditioner. That's it!

[Tradd]

I don't wear a face most of the time, when I took two short trips (one by plane, one by car) last month, I took the following makeup:

Covergirl cover up stick
Burt's Bees colored lip gloss
Pressed powder compact
Clinique Touch Base for eyes - in a shimmery brownish color I use for eyeshadow
Clinique waterproof mascara

That's it!

For plane trip (I was visiting friends), I also took a travel size deodorant and a small thing of lotion. Didn't do shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste since my friends always have that for guests.

For car trip (church ministries conference), I added shampoo, conditioner, more lotion, toothpaste.

I'm a one bag traveler. I take the same size stuff, regardless if I'm going by plane or car. The only difference is that if I'm not visiting friends, I'll add more lotion.

I see no reason in traveling with soap (unless one is allergic and needs to have a specific soap) because even the cheapest hotels will supply at least soap.

[IshbelRobertson]

I always have travel-size stuff (usually a freebie from long-haul flights) in the house, plus I use travel size mascara etc from the free gifts given out periodically when I buy other beauty products. They go in my hand-luggage.

The 'real' makeup goes in the hold luggage and it's what's currently in my makeup bag!

[herbgeek]

I wouldn't bring any makeup backpacking, so that's just toiletries. For other trips, I use mineral makeup. Doesn't go "bad" (since its dry, no place for bacteria), weighs nothing, doesn't take up much space, and there are no TSA restrictions on it. For toiletries its: shower gel, 2 in 1 soap/conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste, rubbing alcohol (for my ears after showering) and lotion of some sort. And contact solution.

[jania]

When traveling by plane I pack only one bag with toiletries. I don't pack things like toothpaste any more because I can easily get that at my destination, same with deodorant and even shampoo and lotion. For makeup I use mineral makeup now so if I'm only doing carry-on it goes through without any problems or I toss my toiletry bag in my big suitcase if I'm checking luggage.

In general I don't feel the need to keep my makeup with me at all times, just a lipstick in my purse. For those camping trips I stick with a lip balm, Burts Bees usually

[jennipurrr]

I'm not a big makeup wearer, but I saw a tip in Budget Travel Mag this month, to put small amounts of liquid make up (foundation, moisturizer etc) in contact lens solution cases to meet the tsa rules. I thought that was a useful idea. I get a ton of these cases as they seem to come with every bottle of solution, then the eye dr gives me one, etc...so you could toss easily after use.

[MamaM]

I wear mascara, Burts Bees Colored Lip Balm, a little powdered concealer and a light color on my eyes. I haven't airlined travelled in 6 years, so I am not up on what is in or out. Is a regular mascara tube denied?

[Tradd]

I wear mascara, Burts Bees Colored Lip Balm, a little powdered concealer and a light color on my eyes. I haven't airlined travelled in 6 years, so I am not up on what is in or out. Is a regular mascara tube denied?

About the mascara, it really seems to depend on the TSA agent you get. Not kidding. Since it's a thick liquid, I've read stories of people being told to pitch theirs or put it in 3-1-1 bag if they wanted to keep it. Lipsticks seem to be a gray area, too. A friend of mine was told at TSA two years ago that she either fit them in the bag or they go in the trash.

[pony mom]

Tradd and MamaM, how are the Burts Bees colored glosses? Are they long lasting? Goopy? Natural looking? I'm using up all my other stuff and am curious about those. What colors are best?

I haven't traveled by air in years and had no idea the rules were so strict. Mascara? Really?

Many years ago my mom and I went to London and at that time we were using baking soda as a face scrub. It was packed in a small baggie and luckily we didn't get searched. What would they have thought?

[Tradd]

Pony mom, I really like the Burt's Bees colored glosses. Long lasting on me. Doesn't seem goopy. Work well with my skin color. The only one I use is the "rhubarb" color.

A lot of it depends on the individual TSA agent you get. Your best bet: par down as much as you can. Put any possibly questionable items (mascara, lipstick) and put them in the 3-1-1 bag.

[MamaM]

Pony Mom- I like them. Very moisturizing and leave just a hint of color but not drying out type of color. I use the Hibiscus * I THINK*....I am olive skinned and tanned and it works just fine for me. I can only imagine if they found the baking soda. :)

[catherine]

I travel a lot: most of the time I "simplify" by just always checking my bag. I know it sounds like a pain, but I also don't like the extra hassle of trying to manage my carry-on to minimize the chance that I'll get nabbed and my stuff confiscated.

Don't tell the TSA ;) but I've found that the times I've "smuggled" full sized things in my suitcase they never notice. I only do that when I really decide I want to carry my suitcase onboard and I'm willing to risk having them stop me.

The other thing I do is I always keep a couple of extra ziplock bags in the outer compartment of my suitcase, just in case I need to carry on. I'll put in my small toothpaste and my expensive origins moisturizer. If I get nabbed I don't want them to confiscate that!

I also simplify by using the hotel hair products--I know that doesn't do for a lot of people but some of the hotels have really nice stuff. That way I don't have to fill up bottles at home.

[pony mom]

I tried the Burt's Bees lip shimmers--I love it!! So light, not gritty or thick. Bought it in Rhubarb and it's great. Now I want to try some other colors.

When I used to travel to London on holiday, I would go straight to The Body Shop and buy small bottles of everything I would need during my trip. It was much cheaper there than in the US, it was a special treat for myself, and they had items not available here. Then I'd bring the leftovers home, save them for another trip or use them up, and save the small bottles to reuse. Gosh, I LOVED their Ice Blue Shampoo, Pineapple Facial Wash and Ananya line of shower gel and lotion.

[kitten]

Good thread, because imagining what I would pack for a trip helps me to think about what cosmetics I actually use and need on a daily basis. I'm always trying to pare this stuff down, but personal products just stick to me and multiply endlessly.

We have a pedestal sink, no drawers or cabinets in the bathroom at all. I really need to get rid of all my extra bottles of crap that I'm storing in cosmetic bags on a metal shelf thing that's just sitting on the floor. Eyesore! And I keep kicking it over when I brush my teeth...

I often play this game: What if I could only have one small cosmetic bag of stuff to use every day? What would I choose?

My skin is uneven, reddish around my nose, and I've got a bit of darkness not so much under the eye, as in the corners. On days when I don't need full coverage (or don't feel like having a bunch of paint on), I've been using a coverup for the problem spots. But my coverup is way too light - it looks almost white against my skin, which has gotten darker over the summer. Found this fab cover stick that comes in a variety of skin tones, like foundation does. I think it's a L'Oreal product. I can use that without foundation, but it's a bit oily so I need powder in that case to set it.

So the basics are:
-the fleshtone cover stick
- some translucent powder
- a tube of mascara
- some kind of lip product in a neutral color, pinky beige

These are my barebones necessities, and if I were traveling, they would be with me come hell or high water.

If I had extra room, I'd add in:

- a brightener (reflective powder or some kind of creamy skin-shimmer thing to banish dullness)
- eye liner
- one pale eye shadow (I use just one pale golden color and use it all over the lid)
- one dark shadow for nighttime if I want drama
- another lipstick - a darker one for contrast, in addition to the natural shade
- eyebrow pencil. Beige people need definition :)

[Spartana]

I just bring one small cosmetics bag with the barebones basics - pretty much what I use at home when going out (don't wear any make up most days) and actually the only cosmetics that I have anyways.

concealer, blush, lipstick, eye liner, eye brow pencil, masquara.
travel sized toothbrush, toothpaste, deodrant, face lotion, suncreen

That's it. If I'm going to be gone for weeks or run out I just pick up what I need somewhere.