Travel packing tips: No more shattered makeup

How many times have you reached your travel destination only to unpack your stuff and find that your foundation has leaked, or the precious serum you spent $$$ on is now all over your clothes, or that the your favourite eye shadow or blush has completely shattered. Yup, I’ve been there, makeup and heart both shattered into a million pieces.
Whether you’re a beauty junkie or someone who carries the bare necessities when it comes to makeup and skincare, arriving at your vacation destination or business trip only to find that an integral part of your skincare or makeup routine is now a million tiny pieces or hydrating your jacket is traumatic in the least. You may have asked them to add a fragile tag to your bag, but we all know that it doesn’t guarantee a handle-with-care attitude once your bag is out of your sight. I’ve learned this the hard way. So over the years, I’ve come up with a packing system that is slightly tedious, but completely worth it. And I’m sharing my tips with you so you don’t have to ever open your bag and find another broken beauty product.

First things first, you’re going to need –

1. Scotch tape
2. Cotton pads – the kind you use to cleanse your face
3. Bubble wrap (you can buy some, but I usually save this from makeup stuff that gets delivered in it)
4. Zip lock bags of various sizes – again you can buy these, but I save some odd sized ones.
5. Socks (optional, make sure they are clean please)
6. A small plastic bag
7. A pair of scissors

Let’s start with the easy part. Pack every eye shadow, blush, bronzer or contouring kit you may have with cotton. If a single cotton pad is too thick, pull it apart so it forms two thin layers. This ensures the space between the lid and the product is completely packed so even if it comes under something heavy, it shouldn’t crack.

Next, wrap any glass bottles in bubble wrap – your foundation or serum bottles that could potentially crack. This way, even if they clink against other products in your toiletry bag, there’s less chance of them shattering. You could also roll them in socks you don’t plan to wear on your trip. It’s all about keeping them cushioned.

Remember those plastic bags I asked you to keep handy? Those are for your shampoos or toners and essences. Cut of squares big enough to cover the diameter of the opening of the bottle. Then place the plastic over it and screw the cap shut. So far, this has worked for me. But just to be safe, I always put any liquids with a watery consistency in a ziplock bag. You can do the same for shampoos as well.

Lastly, there’s Scotch tape for whatever can’t be bubble wrapped or packed with cotton. I tape up spritz bottles that have caps, tubs of conditioner or moisturiser, sunscreen etc.

Once all your makeup products are safely inside your makeup pouch and your skincare in your toiletry bag, make sure you wrap these in some of your clothing and sandwich them in layers of clothing. It may seem like I take extreme precautions when travelling, but you never know if the baggage handler is having a bad day and likely to throw your bag into the hold. I believe there is no such thing as too much cushioning when it comes to travelling with your makeup and skincare. Remember this is for check-in luggage, but will work just as well for checked-in luggage as well. Just decant it into smaller bottles and you’re good to go.

I’ve had very few spills with this method and I hope it helps you too!