Travel Tips: Packing Cosmetics and Toiletries for Plane Travel

The thing with plane travel is that you do not have the luxury of space and weight unlike a roadtrip where you can bring the kitchen sink if you can fit it into your car. What with these 2 inhibitions coupled with the safety flight requirements of allowing only liquids, creams and gels of 100ml and below on board, packing cosmetics or toiletries for a trip can be quite daunting.

I’m taking such a trip and some readers had previously asked what or how they should pack cosmetics or toiletries for plane trips especially for carry on luggage. So I took a quick snap to show how how I packed my toiletries  most recently.

I travel with samples. A lot of them 🙂 Stuff I pick up from various brands or counters make good travel partners especially if they are the sachet type. Use them up and throw them away! This way you don’t have to wrestle with half used travel size bottles of products when you’re coming back 😉 In the alternative, decant into smaller bottles. I prefer to use proper sample bottles because at least the airport handlers can identify whats in your bottle e.g. body lotion and not think its something that might be used to make a bomb 😛

Cosmetics that are checked in

I check in the products I will not be using on the plane. This way, my carry on bag or handbag isn’t too heavy. Here are the products I brought along most recently. Brands may change from time to time but the basic type of product hardly changes.

All travel sized toiletries are packed into a Make Up For Ever travel makeup bag (purchased at some random sale a few years ago)

• Shower gel from Bioessentials
• Ascience hair shampoo and conditioner
• Kanebo Blanchir Make Off Conditioner makeup remover
• Dior Capture Totale eye cream
• Madara Organic Regenerating Night Cream
• Sachets of Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Moisturizer, toner and various 😛
• Comb

Cosmetics in my carry on luggage

I’m on a slightly long flight so I’m packing some stuff I can use on the flight itself to combat the dry cabin air. I only pack this extra pouch when I fly long haul.

All products are below 100ml and are packed into a Jim Thompson pouch – gift from a friend.

• Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirt Relief moisturizer which I will use as moisturizer and mask while I try to sleep
• Lancome Blanc Expert cleansing foam
• La Roche Porsay Anthelios XL sunscreen for application before I land
• Esmeria Intensive Body Cream – unscented which is great for airplane cabins where you are sitting in close proximity with others
• Madara Regenerating Lip Balm – cabin air gets very very dry
• Toothbrush and toothpaste for washing up before going to sleep 🙂

Travel Makeup Pouch – Carry on luggage

I’m carrying on my makeup pouch this time to make a quick touch up before I land. At the very least, I’d probably put on some powder so I don’t look like Death warmed over and get deported at immigration LOL…

In a Stephanie Johnson animal print pouch I have these which are never the same for any 2 trips … except the pouch 🙂

• Stage Burlesque Ball Eyeshadow palette in Gossip – the colours are lovely and intense and I’m going to make it work for both day and night
• Clarins Instant Light Booster kit containing sample sizes of the Perfecting Touch concealer, Complexion Perfector, Instant Smooth and Lip Perfector and also a mini mascara – I got this from duty free at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok 🙂
• Ecotools Retractable kabuki brush will do double duty for face and blush
• MAC Porcelain Pink mineralize skin finish – doing double duty too for blush and highlighter
• Shu Uemura eyelash curler
• Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder – new purchase so its my first time trying it out 🙂
• Paul & Joe 2 way powder foundation – not pictured
• Stage Trio Travel brush set – not pictured
• Dior Serum de Rouge lipstick in Raspberry Serum – not pictured

And that’s my travel cosmetics for a trip lasting just slightly under 1 week. Looks like a lot but it really isn’t. They can easily all fit into the black Make Up For Ever bag but I split it up to make it easier to reach for things and to make it less bulky too.

So I’m leaving on a jet plane…

Ah! So that’s the cosmetics all packed and ready to go! I’m now sleep deprived, agonizing over clothes and basically getting into that last minute frenzy that preceeds every holiday I take – “Did I lock the doors?” “Did I turn off the plug points?” “Oh my goodness! What about the gas?!” “Where are the tickets?!” “Did I forget my passport and money?”

Ah yep! Nothing more relaxing than a holiday eh? 🙂 How do you pack your toiletries?

Stay beautiful,

Paris B