With our first spring bank holiday arriving tomorrow, now begins the time for getaways and summer holidays. Always a welcome relieve after a long winter!
While I love travelling, I don’t love packing and one of my biggest challenges is getting my make-up and skincare to fit in a suitcase, leaving enough room for clothes and whatever else I need.
Obviously, I have a daily skincare routine, however I also have lots of swap in, swap out products. When I travel, I can’t justify bringing everything with me and yet leaving products behind always leaves me feeling a bit bereft. What if I need it while I’m away?
Since I am inclined to travel with many so products, even if I have slimmed down my selection, I pretty much always check my luggage as I find it nearly impossible to stay compliant with that tiny liquids bag.
Earlier this year, though, my requirement to drop bags before security was challenged when travelling with a friend who was going carry-on only for our long weekend.
WHAT?!?!?! I cannot live out of my liquids bag. I need that bag solely for the skincare I bring with me in flight. I know. I have a problem. But let's not examine that now. Let's focus instead on the fact that you are asking me to fit every toiletry in a small plastic envelope? I just don't think it's possible.
However, there’s nothing like a bit of peer pressure to change your behaviour, particularly as I didn’t want to be the one slowing us down as we were forced to wait at the baggage carousel post-flight.
So I plotted and planned and I’m happy to say, I got everything I needed into my liquids bag. Hurrah!!
Skeptical? I don't blame you. Below you will find photographic proof. My liquids bag, which contained skincare, make-up, sunscreen, even bug spray.
In case you have a carry-on trip in your future (and to remind myself for future journeys), I thought I would share the packing principles I applied on this trip.
Cull your routine
For those of you with a 4-step routine (cleanse, eye gel, moisturise, sunscreen), you can’t get more basic than this. Stick with what you know.
But for those of us who use one or more of the following: toner, serum, essence, ampoule, or any other specialty item(s), travelling with enough product for all those steps is likely to take you over the limit. The key here is to scale back your routine while keeping your skin happy.
Love a double cleanse? No problem, use one cleanser twice.
Need extra hydration after a day in the sun? Skip the bottle of hydrating serum and pack a sheet mask instead.
Don't forget the minimalist approach when it comes to make-up. Yes, that sparkly eye shadow does seem made for holiday. But if you didn’t apply it on New Year’s Eve, are you really going to apply it before your tropical cocktails in the evening after a long day in the sun? Probably not.
Create your own travel-sized products
While your regime may feature bottles that don't exceed 100 ml, if you put a few of these in your liquids bag, you’ll find you are quickly out of room.
Instead, try to find travel sizes of your favourite products. If this fails, decant your product into small bottles and jars. There are plenty of options available.
For liquids, though, I suggest skipping the bottle all together. Instead, pre-soak a stack of cotton wool with the individual liquid and store them in their own plastic bag. Just be sure to label the bag so you don’t mistakenly use your toner to remove your eye make-up.
Harvest your samples
If you're like me at all, you probably have plenty of product samples collected from various health and beauty aid (HABA) purchases along the way. Travel is the perfect to use them!
You can skip the bottle of serum when you have enough foil packets to get you through your trip. Swap out full-size products wherever you can so that you can fit everything into that little bag.
One note here, travel is not the time to try new products you have in sample size as your skin may revolt for a variety of reasons. Now is the time to use what you know and love.
Airport shopping to pass the time
While you have pared back your routine, shopping at the airport provides the opportunity to add in necessary items you knew wouldn’t fit into the liquids bag, such as sunscreen.
Sure, I’ll always have facial sunscreen in my bag, but when I’m bound for a beach, I know I need plenty to keep me from burning, so I consciously plan to purchase at duty free.
When you buy something at the airport though, just be sure you'll use it all up while you're away. Or, figure out how to stash it in someone else’s liquids bag!
Hopefully this has provided you with some tips on how to travel light, at least from a liquids perspective.
If you have a thing for shoes, I’m not sure how much help I can offer!