Makeup is great. But, you know what isn’t great? Trying to squeeze every single beauty product into a suitcase also filled with clothes, shoes and basically your entire life for the length of your vacation. To avoid this problem, you have two options. Option one: ditch the makeup for the entirety of your vacation. (I actually did this two years ago and it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be) Option two: learn how to successfully pack a travel makeup bag. If you picked option number two, you’ve come to the right place, but maybe try option one, as well.

1. Be practical
Ok, let’s be real. We both know you don’t NEED to take five different foundations on vacation. When it comes to packing makeup, you have to understand that you’re working with minimal space. You should try to take only one product from each step in your makeup routine. Some exceptions like lip gloss are fine because they don’t take up much space. And if you can eliminate a step completely with another product, even better! For example, instead of bringing an eyeshadow primer and concealer, keep the eyeshadow primer at home and prime your eyes with concealer. This works just as good and gives you room to take something else in its place.

© Pedro Paulo Boaventura Grein

2. Understand TSA regulations
The last thing you want is to be stopped at the airport because your luggage doesn’t meet TSA regulations. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) guidelines say, “You are allowed to bring a quart-sized bag of liquids, aerosols, gels, creams and pastes in your carry-on bag and through the checkpoint. These are limited to travel-sized containers that are 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less per item,” (Liquids Rule). If you have a particular item in a bottle that doesn’t meet TSA requirements, transfer it into a travel size container that will. My friend actually taught me this and it blew my mind. When she uses up a product in a small container such as a body butter, she’ll clean out the container completely and use it to travel with something else. For example, instead of carrying an entire bottle of foundation in her luggage, she’ll pump some out into the travel size container, saving space and meeting the requirements.

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3. Have a go-to eyeshadow palette
Unless your job revolves around makeup, you shouldn’t bring more than two eyeshadow palettes on vacation. It’s just unnecessary. You should aim for an eyeshadow palette that allows you to create a total makeup look. And needless to say it shouldn’t be larger than your head. The Urban Decay Naked Palettes are great for this but, my personal favorite is the Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Volume III Palette. The shades are pretty much all neutral which means they work together perfectly. There’s only one transition shade but that’s pretty much all I need considering it works with every eyeshadow. The best part is this palette is compact and small so there’s no hassle trying to make space for it.

4. Think mini
A lot of prestige makeup brands offer travel sizes of their best-selling products such as Smashbox’s Photo Finish Primer or Urban Decay’s All Nighter Setting Spray. These can be a life saver when it comes to traveling. These minis save space and usually meet the TSA requirements which saves you time and a headache. Travel size makeup products are usually near the cash registers at any Ulta and Sephora and the variety is pretty outstanding.

© Pedro Szekely

5. Don’t pack anything special to you
Packing makeup on vacation is basically playing roulette no matter what items you take. We all know luggage gets thrown around and delicate items such as makeup are bound to get broken. If you have beauty products that you hold near and dear to your heart or are super expensive maybe pass on taking them. I guarantee that you’d rather play it safe than ruin a sixty-dollar highlighter.

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6. Remember the makeup remover
When you’re so focused on packing the right makeup, remember that you need to pack something to eventually remove that makeup. The last thing you’re going to want is to try to take off that waterproof mascara with soap and water. Hint: it won’t work. I highly suggest packing makeup wipes over other makeup removers because they aren’t a liquid, are travel friendly due to their packaging, and are super easy to use whether you’re wide awake or exhausted.

Trying to pack makeup on top of organizing a trip can be a hassle. However, if you remember these six rules, you’ll have a much easier time.