What Makeup Essentials Should You Pack for Travel?

Got a getaway planned? Lucky you! When packing cosmetics for a short trip, it can be tricky to strike the right balance between taking what you need to feel cute and put together but not hauling your whole routine. These are my guidelines for packing skincare, makeup, and hair and body care for a 3-night trip without busting the zipper on your suitcase:

Skincare:

Skip the masks and treatments you might normally mix in throughout the week, and just stick with the basics to keep your skin hydrated, balanced, and protected: a double cleansing duo, vitamin C serum, moisturizer, eye cream, lip balm, and of course sunscreen. You can also carry an instant makeup brush cleaner to clean your brushes quickly and efficiently. You’ll save space in your suitcase, and you’ll save time in your day for fun vacation things!

Makeup:

Plan to keep your look simple but polished. Skip the contour, winged liner, and elaborate eyeshadow looks and just go for glowing skin and subtly defined features. Think no makeup-makeup instead of full glam. To achieve that, pack just one option for each of the basics and two options for each of the “oomph” items. That’ll be plenty!

Choose just one of your favorite skin tint, concealer, brow gel or pencil, bronzer, and mascaras. And then you can switch up your look by bringing a couple of different options of blush, lip gloss, or eyeshadow - perhaps choose a cool set and a warm set, or you can play around with shimmery vs. matte.

One of my best packing hacks is to bring products from MOB Beauty. Their refillable palettes are amazing for streamlining your routine and saving space. Simply choose your shades and pop the pans into your palette. My picks for a short trip: 2 cream blushes, a cream highlighter, and 2 shades of their new shimmer cream eyeshadows.

And of course this petite and travel-friendly makeup brush sets from Jenny Patinkin covers all your bases to apply that simple polished look, and it comes in the cutest vegan leather pouch that will fit right into the last little crevice in your suitcase.

Body and Hair:

This is where it can get bulky zero-waste products like shampoo and body bars are not only eco-friendly but also great space savers. My favorites are the shampoo and conditioner from superzero, and the Cocoon Cleanse from Hanni. I also tend to hoard the deluxe samples and trial sizes I get in gifts with purchase or loyalty program rewards. Body lotion minis, shampoo/conditioner packettes, even tiny perfume samples are great to toss into your toilet bag for trips, so don’t throw them away when you get them!

If you have a favorite hair cream or body butter you just can’t live without, Cadence makes these chic little capsules that totally elevate your packing experience, letting you bring along the perfect amount of whatever you need, in style.

Keep these tips in mind when you’re packing for your next trip, and you'll look your best while feeling like a jet-setter!best while feeling like a jet-setter!