This week's Beauty 101 is focusing on packing the perfect travel bag, whether it's for a vacation, an office drawer, or an overnight stay.
This week's column was inspired by a reader, who wrote:
While lying in bed last night thinking about my trip to visit my boyfriend (who is away at work), I was trying to come up with simple beauty routines for overnighting with him. How can I style my hair before bed without waking up looking like I stuck my finger in an electrical socket? What can I do re: my face/makeup to prevent an unsightly pimple in the morning? Morning breath? Freshening up with limited (hotel) products? What are some beauty essentials I can take, without looking like I brought everything but the kitchen sink? I feel like I need some tips.
A few travel scenarios to consider:
- Packing for an overnight stay
- Packing a to-go bag in one's purse for touchups
- Packing for an extended vacation
- Packing an airport-friendly makeup carry-on
- Packing a travel bag to stash in an office drawer
Think you can help design the perfect to-go makeup kit? Please leave your tips and tricks and product recommendations in the comments. A roundup of your answers will be posted tomorrow.
Image via Graca Victoria/Shutterstock]
DISCUSSION
My travel bag inevitably contains:
Small bottles of my normal body wash, face wash and hair conditioner, either in sample sizes or poured into those travel-sized bottles you can find at the drugstore (check near the hair accessories section). I'm not as fussy about shampoo. I also throw in a sample-sized can of mousse, some hair elastics, makeup-removing face wipes, and some bobby pins. A small spray bottle of body mist in a scent that isn't too cloying is always a good idea. I usually take along a big ol' brush blush and a small makeup brush I can use for applying eye shadow. And always — ALWAYS — safety pins. I've never been sorry I've brought safety pins.
My throw-in-my-purse, go-everywhere case contains:
Makeup: Foundation compact. Concealer tube. (Since I get these dark circles under my eyes, I favor the Physician's Formula double-tube of yellow and skin-colored concealer.) Blush. Neutral eye shadow. Black eyeliner. Two mascaras - one suitable for day, one for night. Long-wear lipstick. Two lip glosses. Non-makeup stuff: Lip balm. Tweezers. Small nail clippers with file. A couple of pads and tampons, just in case. A few hair elastics. And, yes, safety pins.
This covers me for just about every makeup need, and the non-makeup stuff makes me very handy for my friends to have around.