Travel Beauty Hacks

Everyone knows you pay more for packaging than product and that goes double for travel-size of your favorite stuff. So stop buying it and get on board with some of my beauty hacks. You're going to love them.


This seems like a no brainer but apparently there aren't people who do this. I'm a weekend getaway kind of girl, so I don't typically pack more than a make up bag and my little plastic baggies are shoved in where they fit. Anything that is in a glass container (like my IS Clinical Pro-heal - use it for my acne) could break and ruin the only clothes I packed. Perfume could leak everywhere, lipstick could ruin my life, the list is endless stop me before I go off a cliff. Oh, wait, I put everything in baggies. Awesomesauce! Also, helps keep all of those sample's you get from Sephora and packed away for that weekend trip to San Diego nice and tidy and all in one spot.

 



I do something similar with my jewelry and hair ties. If it is a weekend trip and I want to pack a necklace, I'll wrap the necklace in some tissue and stuff it in there, but this keeps hair ties, bobby pins, rings, bracelets, ect all in one place. This came with hair accessories in it and I have kept it around.

Are you going for an overnight or an extended weekend? Know the difference and pack accordingly. Protip: Keep the hotel shampoo, conditioner, moisturizer, ect bottles and refill them with the stuff you already purchased and use daily. I doubt you care that the brand name is wrong, but for your own sanity try and keep the shampoo in the shampoo bottle. ;)

Fellas, we know you just woke up like that, but just for fun pretend ok? You'll need a small container (I used a tiny paint cup because I knew the lid would keep closed). Some kind of utensil (Popsicle stick, butter knife could work too) to remove the product from the original container in a sanitary manner. I know you're going to use your finger, but I'm a hair stylist I have to advise against it. The product you are going to use and something to make a label. I used good ole Sharpie + Paper + Tape method and made my own. From beauty school I learned that labels from a label maker do not stick without tape, so why waste the label?

Ladies, let me tell you that this is the best splurge I've ever had make up wise. Sephora has a deal where you can buy as little as 2 eye shadows at once and get the 3 palette case above free or 4+ and get the 6 palette free! It comes with a tool to remove the eye shadow from the circular case (hang onto those) and basically you can interchange the eye shadows to match your outfits for your trip & bring only one palette. From  Sephora.com:

A $12 discount for the 3-Shade Palette and a $14 discount for the 6-Shade Palette will be applied automatically at checkout (one discount per order, discount not applicable for Canadian orders). If you add four or more shadows and purchase the 3-Shade Palette, no discount will be applied.

So instead of paying for the palette, plus 3 eye shadows you combine and get a discount. I ended up paying $26 for 3 eye shadows (originally $12 each) and I got the palette and can now continue to buy singular eye shadows (if I choose) and rotate as many of them out. Note: If you lose the little tool to pop out the eye shadows, you can use a bobby pin but you'll need to spread it like shown or you'll scratch loose eye shadow.

I also keep a small stash of tiny bottles and swipe every single shampoo + conditioner, liquid container bottle from hotels as they have to throw out whatever was in your room after you checked out even if it looks unused for sanitary reasons (they can't assume you didn't use it). The exception if the bottle has a seal because if it's sealed it is fine just like everything else.

Ok, how many different monthly subscription beauty boxes, bags, ect are there now? It's the hip new thing to pay to get monthly samples. I don't understand why, the girls at all of the make-up counters in the major department stores (Macy's, Dillards, Nordstrom, Sephora, ect) will give you samples if you ask for them. I have a bunch I get from going to the beauty professional/licensed-only beauty suppliers as well and I give them out as stocking stuffers or in bags whenever someone has a birthday. Anyways, if you're already doing that, did you know there is a place where you can trade samples you don't want for stuff you'd actually use?

It's called eDivv and all you have to do is post a picture of all the stuff you don't want and go around making offers on products you do want that other people didn't. I haven't done it so I don't know how time effective it is (you pay to ship your item to other people) but they did have a pretty wide selection. It did look like some of the products were full size as well as travel/sample, some people will sell you the item if you just have to have it and some are swap only. The one thing I will say turned me off was that in the makeup section, some of it looked used. Yuck! Not much you could do about the dry shampoo or hair spray being used but no one wants used lipstick. If you get any of these, sanitize anything powered like foundation, blush, eye shadow by lightly spraying it with alcohol. As for eyeliner, mascara or lip glosses I'd cut off the end and use travel-size brushes or disposable applicators. You can get eye infections from sharing mascara and eyeliner with other people and I hate to say it but herpes never goes away. I'm a tad germaphobic if you can't tell.

To finish off this post, let me leave you with 10 helpful tips:

1. Use contact lens cases to store tiny amounts of liquid and non-liquid products. Make sure you label them in some manner, someone suggested nail polish, but then you'd have to remember what color is what.


2. Use baby powder & a kabuki brush instead of dry shampoo from a can. Give it 30 seconds, then rub into your scalp and pull down gently to remove oil from scalp to mid-lengths, your ends are the driest part of your hair naturally so avoid that.


3. Re-use make up sponges by rinsing heavily, squeeze moisture, add pin size amount of soap, re-wet and rub together. Then rinse! Rinse! Rinse! Let dry overnight and you're good to go in the morning. Note: I've also seen someone put a condom over their beauty blender! While hilarious, it's disposable and will let you re-use the sponge without you having to wash it!


4. Place a cotton ball between pressed items like your blush, foundation and eye shadows to keep them from breaking.


5. If your foundation, blush, eye shadow or other powdered product breaks, put as many pieces of it together, mush it up and then pack it in as tightly as possible. Spray with alcohol until very damp but not soaked, then let it air dry. It should stick back together but do be careful not to drop a second time and use the cotton ball trick!


6. Keep a dryer sheet in your suitcase/carry-on/duffel bag to keep your clothes smelling nice and fresh. This helps when you don't have a laundry bag to keep dirty and clean clothes separated and instead opted for a re-purposed plastic bag (we've all done it, no shame in being green).


7. Roll your clothes instead of folding. I thought everyone knew about this but one of my now ex's gave me a funny look for rolling everything in my suitcase. This is why he had to sit on his and I zipped it.


8. Don't want to bother with liquid shampoo or body wash? Go with solids. LUSH sells shampoo/conditioner bars.


9. Coconut Oil. Use a small amount as a hair moisturizer on wet hair, focusing heavily on the ends. Use it as lotion on skin (warm it up by rubbing it together in your hands) and for SPF protection. Put some on your lips as chapstick. Apparently you can brush your teeth with it to detox, what was that trend? Oil pulling?


10. Use your deodorant everywhere you sweat, like on your face if you're going to be out in the hot sun and don't want to sweat your make up off. (I put it on my lower back, because my t-shirt/dresses often bunch there and pit stains on your back are as about as attractive as they sound. Ergo, not at all.) Make sure it is "clean" and don't do it every day as you'll clog your pores, but if you don't have a matting moisturizer sample, this will do in a pinch.

Have you tried any of these before?
What worked and what didn't?