Traveling in Style: Accessories, Toiletries, and Maquillage
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| That was then… |
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| …this is now. |
One of the biggest challenges for one-bag, carry-on travel is packing liquid and toiletries. Here are some tricks and tips I’ve picked up over the last few years:
- Samples. Go to Sephora or your favorite makeup counter and ask. Wait for “gift with purchase” events to buy your regular skincare; some lines often give nice travel sizes of popular products. Paula Begoun offers most of her skincare products in sample packets, either free with purchase of a regular-sized product, or they can be purchased individually.
- Travel sizes. Many grocery stores and big box stores (Target, K-Mart) now have a section for travel-size versions of popular personal products like shampoo, lotion and liquid soaps.
- Decant, decant, decant. Purchase travel-sized containers and use your own favorite products. This kit from Bed Bath and Beyond includes containers, labels and even the TSA-approved size clear plastic bag (a bit more sturdy than a baggie, and with a zip top).
- To bring along your favorite parfum, pick up one or more of these empty purse-sized atomizers at Nordstrom or beauty supply stores for between $5 – 10 each and fill at home with a favorite scent. (Some fragrances are available in a solid form, alas not my favorites.)
- Minimus.biz is a great source for just about any product you can imagine, down-sized for travel.
- Don’t bother with those little plastic travel containers of cotton swabs or cosmetic puffs. Just throw a few in a baggie; they’ll take up less space.
- Cashmere wrap for the plane, which can also be worn as a scarf or wrap if weather turns cool
- Lightweight scarf in neutral, solid color
- One pair gold hoop earrings (daytime/casual wear)
- One pair dangle earrings
- Gerard Darel faux pearl necklace (will dress up a simple ensemble for dinner/concert)
- Watch (two-tone stainless steel)
To make room on for souvenirs on the trip home, we always bring a couple of these compression bags for dirty laundry and/or bulky clothing. Fill them up, seal, roll up to squeeze out the air, and you can reduce volume of contents by half.
This trip I’m also bringing a folding duffel bag which can be carried on with non-liquid souvenirs while anything liquid will go into my bag which will be checked for the trip home.
And speaking of liquid souvenirs, we almost always pick up a bottle of wine or four on our travels, and wouldn’t be without these travel packs for the ride home. They also work for bottles of oil or vinegar (I always bring home a bottle of the wonderful Xeres vinegar from the Maille boutique in Paris.)
Don’t bother packing a blow dryer. Almost all hotels have them, and even the apartment we rented in Paris on our last trip had a selection of 3 in the bathroom cabinet.
However, I am going to bring a fully-charged Clarisonic and hope for the best!
And lest I forget one of the biggest space savers of all, I’m leaving the books and magazines behind this time, and bringing my Kindle (a birthday present this year from le monsieur).
Last tip, bring a few extra quart and gallon sized baggies. They sometimes come in handy, and if not, take up a negligible amount of space.
Donc, c’est tout! My next travel post will be a Polyvore on the Floor of my final travel wardrobe, and any other miscellaneous travel tips that come to mind.
Do you have any favorite space-saving tips or gadgets for travel? Please share!
And…EEEEEE!
~
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Oh I leave for Venice on Friday, I’ll just miss you.
I never take any toiletries on board now, I just pack everything like that and spend the flight fretting about things bursting all over my clothes.
A cheap electrical plug extender (2-3 plugs US to 1 US) is very handy to plug into the foreign plug adapter – indispensable for cell phones, laptops, etc. Loose mineral or pressed foundation gets around the liquids rules. Various sizes of Eagle Creek mesh zip bags – can be color coded – for toiletries and makeup. Handy to hang on towel bars in hotel bathrooms. Amazon Kindle runs on laptops, too, which is handy if you’re stuck in a Beijing hotel with a bad cold for a week….
Great summary. I’d add:
– Instead of perfume atomizers (even good ones can leak or break) take samples you save for trips. “Smelling good” is enough, even if not one’s favourite scent.
– Look for the one lipstick that suits you and your edited wardrobe and take only that
– I wear a ‘cheap’ silver wedding ring in parts of the world where I look conspicuous in yellow gold. (not you on this trip.)
– Use Poudre Papier (Body Shop) or the matte blotting papers from Sephora instead of powder
– Arden Eight Hour Cream! for any part of body that’s chapped, rough. A must.
– I have a fondness for European toothpaste- Marvis- so never pack it and buy it there.
You are so organized! Can’t wait to see your Polyvore-on-the-floor, but even more, can’t wait to see Italy through your eyes.
A news item this side of the border yesterday spoke of an airline practice of removing bags from (generally smaller) flights at the last minute to conform to weight/fuel restrictions . . . without informing passengers. The couple who instigated the report were without their bags for several days at their destination, after
their connecting flight.
And they had relied completely on checked luggage — even if checking, it’s always wise to have at least toiletries and a change of clothes in carry-on, imho. My sister had to run out first thing in the morning, in Montreal a few years ago, to buy makeup and a new suit (!) for a business meeting, as her bag had been “delayed.” (I tried not to say “Rookie”, but this would never happen to Pseu!)
Your tip on “wine skins” is inspired. And I love the idea of a carry-on bag on the trip out with an extra bag for souvies on the trip home. How about a video with all you demonstrating all your tips?
all great tips! i like to use the freezer weight of zip loc bags, more sturdy (i always have extra waiting in my suitcase).
be sure to take all of your daily meds, in their original bottles. you may also want to take a reasonable supply of tylenol, ibuprofen, immodium, decongestant, antihistamine (benadryl), etc. – unless you want to spend your vacation chasing down an aspirin. i realize that foreign lands have drugstores, but they can be a pain to find, esp. when you aren’t feeling well and were planning on touring that fabulous piazza. so take the basics, plus more for whatever your weakness may be (head, tummy, allergies).
if you have asthma, migraines, etc. be sure to take along any rx ‘rescue remedies’.
if you tend towards…hmm…uh, – ‘irregularity’ when traveling, start upping your fiber, exercise, water, and anything else that helps (magnesium for me) a few days before you leave. keep on this regime as best you can while traveling. this approach saves me a whole world of misery :/
i like to take a variety of costume jewelry in a little baggie, and a few different lightweight scarves to change up my look while taking up little space.
Have a fabulous time! italy is sooooogorgeousss steph
Too funny- I have an email draft to you asking you about your travel accessories and here is your post today!
So what you didn’t mention was what you use to carry around as a bag during the trip, once you’re there? I have a small leather tote (more like a shoulder bag)that is not a day-pack or messenger bag for Italy and think it’s perfect but am curious what an experienced fashionista does?
I can’t wait to see your latest Polyvore on the Floor post… getting close!
Great travel tips Deja!
Looking forward to the polyvore…
You are a gal after my own heart scarf shopping in Paris…ooh la la…Hermes perhaps?
Bon voyage!
I never leave without bringing along Purell, and a few individual packaged wipes. A couple of band-aids, perhaps?
Enjoy your wonderful trip!
Cynthia
Pseu, I am so excited for you for your trip. When I travel everything ends up in plastic zip lock freezer bags. It isn’t chic but it is practical.
But I miss the days of proper make-up cases as part of a set of luggage. I still have one with my good luggage, I just can’t use it.
tinyjunco, bringing a pharmacy with you to France is like bringing ice to the eskimo :-). And pretty much the same for Italy.
One thing you may consider for this trip: the heat is getting hellish already. I never step out the door any more without a fan in my bag. When my TGV car had no air conditioning (mid April!!) it saved my life. It was a real necessity when my favorite theater kept playing the movies I wanted to see on the 3rd floor, in 40o weather. I’d have died that summer without a fan to go with the bottle of water. Crossing the Tuileries without one this Spring will be similar to crossing the Sahara.
That said, most tourist shops now have fans in Paris, kind of like sweatshirts in San Francisco. I got the great black ‘Paris la nuit’, and the daytime gargoyles with Notre Dame :-). Not too classy (at least they omit the traditional scratchy black lace), but when you’re the only one still cool, the looks will be of envy even from the hardest-core of Parisians.
Many great tips! I travel internationally a lot, and I would add taking your own snacks from home. I’m a vegetarian and an extremely picky eater; I hit Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods for all sorts of snacks to take with me; they’ve saved me from horrible airport/airplane food and scary restaurants countless times over.
You will LOVE having your Kindle with you! They are fantastic; what a great and thoughtful present from Monsieur!
So exciting. Can’t wait to see your travels.
I always travel with an air-tight bottle stopper. That way I don’t feel compelled to finish a bottle of wine or have to use a swollen cork.
Hello:
We rarely fly as we are too frightened to do so, but when we do we always travel light and never have luggage in the hold. Your packing tips are therefore absolutely marvellous and we shall see to it that our housekeeper follows them to the letter!
The “then” makes me feel sentimental – I used to sit on my mum’s American Tourister-beauty case when travelling and waiting for trains and airplanes. Hand luggage, of course! I want to be able to travel with style, again.
I’m just impressed as hell that you’re going to France and Italy with just a carry-on!
Great tips, especially about compressing the dirty laundry. Like you, I always pick up a thing or two on my travels and usually haven’t allowed a lot of room for them.
I have been searching for a travel size jar of Pond’s Cold Cream as it is my favorite for eye makeup removal. If anyone knows a source, please let me know.
We are traveling to San Francisco on Sunday for a legal conference (my husband’s). I’m familiar with their cool weather. I’ve taking a trench coat (long and a short springy one for daytime walking around). Most events will be indoors, but I find myself resenting late spring cool weather. Any suggestions welcomed.
(Deja Pseu, We’ve postponed our trip to Big Sur due to the severe health issues of our 8 month old grandson).
I discovered something indispensible on trip not to long ago.
I bought a set of re-usable grocery bags at a recent eco-exhibit show; there are four of them that fold up tiny and live in a little pouch. I threw it in my purse and use it for shopping, but on one trip I forgot they were in there. Until we checked our suitcases and discovered that we were overweight, and it would cost a fortune.
it was a simple matter to remove enough items from the suitcase to come down to proper weight, and then I had a nice, colorful, attractive and durable shopping bag to use as a carryon. It was large enough to take the extra weight items, and also fit my handbag inside.
Now I always carrying this pouch of 4 bag with me, incase I pick up something to take home, or incase I need extra carry-ons.
FYI, I travel internationally a great deal and you will be FINE with your charged Clarisonic. It’s good for 30 uses when fully charged. I’ve used it twice a day for two weeks and had no problems. I’ll be gone 6 weeks this summer, so I will have to take the base with me, I’m afraid.
Feedback on clarisonic – I have usually gotten 5 days out of mine using twice a day – I am impressed with the 30 uses!
Also from experience – I fly weekly and although I love my kindle I have had too many flights that have been delayed at the gate or runway (electronics off so no kindle) so I always have one or two magazines with me – this past Sunday I was delayed for an hour on the runway –
A travel pack of natural baby wipes have been a saving grace many times also – they can take anything off and in a pinch work as makeup remover! A horse sneezes on your hand? Off in a snap!
Enjoy and I am looking forward to your wardrobe choices!
Mmm, now I’ve had a chance to read the post in depth, and I want to thank you for some great ideas. The compression sac – what a great idea, especially for husband’s clothes like pants that take up so much room.
Also – regarding a scarf – rather than a neutral, I take something with a complex color scheme and then match my tees and tops to coordinate with it – so I can wear the scarf with multiple colors.
I am not familiar with the Clairsonic, but will certainly go check it out. Sounds fab.
As for the wine and food to bring back – I am still kicking myself for the fact that on the way home from Dijon two years back I stupidly put my crock of Maille moutard and my bottle of creme de cassis in my carryon, and had to forfeit it at the airport. I knew in the back of my mind while I was packing that there was somethng wrong…….!
Tabitha – ooh, so soon! You should have lovely weather. Any liquids we pack get sealed in plastic ziplock baggies.
Jane and Lance Hattatt – 😀
Marion – oh, that’s a great idea too, especially as many hotel rooms have a dearth of plugs. I’ve picked up a couple of those mesh bags, may grab a couple more as they’re on sale right now at a local retailer.
Paula – me too! Remember when flying was so glamourous??
Duchesse – great suggestions, will have to remember my blotting papers!
sisty – le monsieur is certain I’ve lost my mind. 😉 I discovered those compression bags a couple of years ago; they’re also great to reduce volume of items like ski parkas.
materfamilias – you’ve inspired me to take along a small Moleskine and make daily notes. I just saw that article posted on one of the travel forums, what a horrible policy!! You’re right about carrying a change of clothes and a few toiletries, especially with cancelled flights, lost luggage, missed connections always a possibility.
deb – the wine skins are one of the Best Inventions Ever. I’d love to do a video, but don’t have the equipment for it, aside from the webcam. I promise to do a step-by-step pictorial.
Steph – great point about the freezer-weight bags, and yes, we always carry Rx and OTC meds with us.
denise:) – you’re right, I haven’t mentioned a day bag yet, mostly because I was still deciding which to bring. But I’ll include that with my packing list (hint: it’s a cross-body).
Hostess – truthfully, I’ll probably pass on the Hermès scarves, though will do some window shopping. With the dollar/euro exchange rate what it is, I’ll probably be keeping purchases modest this time.
Cynthia – good suggestion! I was reading somewhere that surfaces in airplanes are a veritable petri dish.
Belle – ziploc bags are probably the lightest and least space consuming option! I was thinking about our family’s matching Samsonite luggage from my childhood days, and dressing up to fly. A different era, for sure.
Marie-Christine – great idea about the fan, and those might make nice souvenirs and little gifts for those back home. I’ll keep an eye out. I’m packing with a wide range of temperatures in mind, including unseasonable warmth.
Reese – great suggestion! I usually bring a few individual serving bags of those roasted, unsalted almonds from TJ’s. Airport/airplane food is the worst and so expensive!
LPC – thanks!
Eleanor – I never would’ve thought of that, great idea!
Allie – next time I get testers, I’ll remember to keep. BTW, I haven’t been able to comment on your blog. Not sure what I’m doing wrong, but it doesn’t let me post.
Susan – could you get a small travel size container and scoop some out? I’m so sorry to hear about your grandson, I hope he will be OK! Bring a lightweight sweater or too for SF too, and a lightweight scarf. If your trench can double as a windbreaker, that’s good too. The wind can really whip in off the bay, and it can be quite chilly.
Aunt Snow – oh yes, great suggestion! I always have one of these in my purse these days.
Heather – that’s great to hear! I usually use mine just once a day (at night) so I won’t worry about running out of juice.
McKristie – maybe I’ll bring a couple of magazines that I won’t mind trashing after the flight. Are you around horses when you travel? I’m envious!!
The only trick I have (and it may only be useful if you wear large shoes, as I do), is to stuff my shoes with underwear (panties, bras, slips, tights, the lot) when I pack – I am always surprised at how much more space I have left in the suitcase when my underwear is safely scrunched into my shoes, and it keeps the shoes from getting bent out of shape. (Actually, if they are heels and therefore awkward, I find it pays to make a little package of them: fill each with underwear [in a baggie if you like], then perhaps bag the shoe, then wrap it in a nightgown or nonwrinkling sweater or top and squeeze it into a corner.
Great tips! I’ve never seen those compression bags before.
uniformly great suggestions!
I am leaving soon for a few weeks in very different locations–first Bucureşti, Romȃnia (including primitive remote countryside) then on to the Languedoc. Having trouble planning a wardrobe for this one!
Romania can be beastly in summer, and the apartment has no A/C . . .
Will be waiting for your “floor view”!
Marsha – even small shoes can be stuffed with socks, bags of jewelry, underwear. Great idea about making a “package” with the heels.
Imogen – thanks. The compression bags are fabulous.
Susan T. – from what I’ve been told, shipping from Europe can be prohibitively expensive. I hate the Overhead Bin Hogs too!!
Mean Mama – that’s quite the trip! I’m afraid I can’t offer suggestions particular to the locations you’re visiting, but have you looked at the Eileen Fisher linen jersey tops? They’re so comfortable in hot weather.
Wonderful post, and wonderful tips in the comments as well! As Duchesse said, testers for fragrance are a great choice; I took one or two on my last trip and from them found a new favorite fragrance!
Excellent tips, but oh dear, what Mater said about the random confiscating of checked luggage is worrisome! We’ve always checked — hate competing with everyone aggressively grabbing the overhead carry on space all at once.
I love the wine skins idea. Also, we usually buy an inexpensive bag while traveling to pack purchases we want to take home, but sometimes arrange for shipping.
Oooh exciting getting near the time for y(our) European vacation – can’t wait..! Love these tips – I always decant too – great idea about the atomiser though. X
Surely it would be more fun to buy toiletries/parfum in Paris? As my husband likes to remind me- ‘you are going toward civilization, not away from it’!
For fragrance, what about the sample strips that are often in magazines (“rub wrist here”). I’ll sometimes put them in my drawers at home but bring them on trips too since they’re so packable. The scent probably wouldn’t last long but maybe for an evening? J. from SC
Those long stairs down into the Metro in Paris and the handrails…I must hold them when hauling my bad knees and bag. The day I grabbed it just after the clochard ahead of me…let’s just say I now keep 2 or 3 disposable latex gloves in an outside bag pocket ! And for a rainy climate, I tailor a garbage bin liner the right size for my roller bag, with a narrow “neckline” trimmed out of the top to go over the handle, to tie over the bag when there is a deluge on my way from CDG to hotel. Bon voyage!
My tip is that anything that is a prescription liquid – in my case, Nasonex, Clindagel and Retin-A – can be put in its own 1 quart ziploc and does not count against your 1 quart restriction on other liquids. You just tell the TSA agent they are prescription. For my short business trips, this hasn’t been necessary for me but for a long trip it might help.
Also, you can ask your dermatologist or other MD for sample sizes of these things. They usually have a ton of samples that they get from pharmaceutical reps. That’s what I do with my Retin-A now.
Lots of great tips. I’m curious what you will use for an everyday bag. I’ve often used a large waist pouch but it looks so ugly and yells tourist!
Can’t wait for the polyvore – it will help me with my cruise along France in June!
Marianne Tandon
I take a cruise to the Caribbean every February. I have the packing down to a system but I have found it useful to print out a blank calendar
and jot down my planned outfits. The white cotton tank worn under a colorful jacket at dinner can be the top to go with shorts on the excursion the next day. You couldn’t do it the other way around. I include the costume jewelry on my calendar so I’m sure to remember to pack it.
As the product of an English boarding school, and then travelling extensively for work i spent years packing. My godmother taught me some useful tips. Tuck folded underwear into shoes (I agree with Marsha on this) and roll up clothes, add layer of tissue paper if delicate, I find it really helps prevent creasing and u can fit much more in.
Thank you so much for all the research on travel gear. I am off on vacation the end of this month and these tips will really come in handy. Something that I always travel with is a small plastic atomizer (found at drug stores and beauty supply stores) that I fill with Fabreze Antimicrobial spray. It really revives clothing that just needs a little “freshening up” and it doesn’t leave any staining from the spritz. Bon Voyage. Can’t wait to hear about your adventures when you get back.
I’ve been reading your last posts on travel wardrobe/accessories and taking notes, hoping to travel very light on my next trip. Can’t wait for the polyvore post 🙂
A slightly out of place recommendation: J.Jill’s Wearever collection. I recently got several pieces in black and the beautiful color flagstone (a slightly warm gray that is just perfect), and am very pleased with it. Reminds me a bit of some favorite E. Fisher pieces, but at half the price. Have a great time! — Luna
Two tips in one: in Europe, we often go into pharmacies to get items that are prescription only in the US. Often, the item is cheaper than our copay!
Last time we stepped into a pharmacie (near our hotel–near the Rodin Museum), we discovered loads of samples–hand creams and so on. I took one little handcream, a nice souvenir along with the non-prescription prescription we bought.
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Great tips. I’ve carried makeup in sample sizes for years. My husband loves the compression bags. As for jewelry, if I want to bring a number of decent items and not wear them, I keep them in my purse which never leaves my sight. In fact, if I have anything of value, it goes in my purse. You cannot trust anyone these days and they all rifle through your bags in the name of “security”.
that perfume atomizer looks like one of those discreet “lipstick” neck massagers! (Not like I should know or anything)
Re. perfume, I just went to a makeup counter and asked for a couple of small foundation sample bottles. They’re smaller than anything else and can fit in your purse. Mine have never leaked.
Marie
I bought those exact Vintage Samsonite suitcases at a rummage sale a few decades ago. When we moved to Tulsa this year, I gave them to my friend, since they are still so beautiful. Extra weight and no wheels, but no worry about breaking wine bottles or wrinkling clothes.
Love the tip about bringing a wine bottle stopper. For extra bottles and jars, I go to REI. Very light, leakproof, and indestructible stuff. I’m reminded of backpacking around Europe in the 70’s when I shop there.