How to Pack Your Makeup Bag for Your Next Vacation

As mask mandates and travel restrictions continue to ease, one of the top things on our minds is going on a much-needed vacation. Deciding where to go is the fun part, but packing can take a lot of strategy  — especially when it comes to your makeup bag. To ensure you’re well-prepared for your next trip, we asked a few celebrity makeup artists to share their smart packing tips and favorite travel-friendly products.

Consider Transportation and Location

Before you think about packing your travel beauty bag, consider what you’re going to need based on the method of transportation you’re taking and the climate of where you’re going. If you’re flying, make sure that everything in your carry-on is under the TSA-approved 3.4 fluid ounces, and think about bringing products you can use mid-flight since flying can dehydrate the skin. We recommend bringing a sheet mask because they’re TSA-friendly. Elevate your in-flight experience with the Lancôme Advanced Génifique Hydrogel Melting Sheet Mask for a boost of hydration.

Likewise, think about your destination. If you’re headed somewhere desert-like, consider packing products rich in moisturizing ingredients like glycerin and squalane to keep your skin from getting dehydrated. One of our favorite options is the Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream because it comes in travel-friendly one and 1.7 oz jars. If you’re visiting somewhere far more tropical, think about packing a liquid-free, anti-frizz product. We like the Kérastase Carre Lissant Anti-Frizz Sheets because they tame flyaways and are humidity-resistant.

Pack Multi-Use Products

Whether you’re limited by the three-ounce rule or not, everything you pack is taking up precious space — so make sure your makeup bag is stocked with products that can be multi-use. 

National makeup artist for YSL Beauty, Dell Ashley, calls the YSL Beauty Touché Eclat All-Over Brightening Pen the ultimate travel product because it can be used as a highlighter, concealer and skin perfector.  “It is very portable and great to freshen up your makeup any time of the day,” he says. “You instantly look awake and refreshed.”

Celebrity Makeup artist, Sir John recommends the L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Matte Gloss which he uses as a lip gloss and a blush. “You can tap it onto your cheeks just as you would a cream blush,” he says.

Timothy Quinn, celebrity makeup artist for Giorgio Armani Beauty, loves the Giorgio Armani BeautyCrema Nuda Supreme Glow Reviving Tinted Cream. “I love the idea that it combines advanced multi-performing skincare with blurring pigments that give the skin a gorgeous, no-makeup look with a subtle glow,” he says.

Pack Palettes When You Can 

Makeup palettes may be the most travel-friendly products because they house a variety of colors and formulas in a compact space. Create countless eye looks on vacation with the Urban Decay Naked Wild West Eyeshadow Palette — it has 12 unique shadows that range from warm neutrals to cool blues. Another great compact is the NYX Professional Makeup 3 Steps to Sculpt Face Sculpting Palette which contains a creamy, pressed-powder highlighter, contour and bronzer trio for natural sculpting on the go.