Beauty professionals are blessed with the luxury of traveling for work, but sometimes, lugging all your makeup, tools, and hair products seem like a daunting task. Packing cosmetics like a pro is about packing smart. This means the first step is to have the right essentials with you, such as a good makeup case for traveling.
The last thing you want when you travel for work is to end up with damaged makeup or broken tools because of mishandling and poor organization. It’s a total nightmare, not to mention expensive!
If you don’t want this to happen, you came to the right place. Here, we’ll share some helpful tips on how to pack, organize, and travel with your makeup kit hassle-free.
Tip #1: Plan ahead
Expert travelers always pack ahead, which means they also plan early. Planning ahead of time saves you a lot of time and energy and puts you in the right headspace when you’re ready to pack. Keep these three things in mind: Who is your client? What kind of makeup look do they want? What type of environment are you working in? These questions will give you a clearer idea of what you need to bring, who you’re carrying it for, and how you need to pack everything.
For example, if you’re traveling somewhere cold (e.g., Canada), you might need a different foundation formula than you would in a warmer country (e.g., Australia). If you’re doing wedding makeup for a client, you wouldn’t necessarily bring your neon eyeshadow palette with you—unless that’s the theme, although highly unlikely.
Tip #2: Create an inventory
After brainstorming, make a list of all the tools and makeup products you need. This way, you can easily tick off which items you’ve already packed and which ones you still need to buy. You can also take a picture of your inventory once everything is stored. If anything goes missing, you have proof of the things you brought with you.
The most important thing to consider when traveling with your cosmetics is what you’ll be packing them in. We recommend getting a high-quality makeup case, one that’s specially designed for long flights.
Tip #3: Wrap fragile items
If there’s absolutely no way you can bring travel-sized versions of your makeup, make sure to pack them with extra care. Tape product caps as tight as possible to prevent spillage and get as much air out of your smaller pouches to avoid explosion due to compression.
Tip #4: Don’t check in your bag
Most makeup artists don’t recommend checking in your bag because of how some airlines handle luggage. They stick to carry-ons and try to pack less liquid products to comply with TSA regulations. Your makeup kit is valuable and delicate at most, so it’s best to keep them with you at all times.
However, if you decide to check in your bag, you should have a small set of backups in your carry-on. It should include your essentials (primer, foundation, eye makeup, lip products, etc.) as well so that you still have something to work with on the off chance that—worst-case scenario—your luggage gets lost.
Tip #5: Invest in a professional makeup case
We already mentioned this earlier, but here’s where it gets more technical. Traveling with your makeup kit requires a bit (okay, a lot) of thought. You want a bag that’s compact enough for carry-on but sturdy enough to be checked in.
There is a big choice for traveling makeup bags: for instance the Dagne Dover Lola Pouch bag, Lay-n-Go Drawstring Makeup Bag or The Lumina Pro MUA Rolling Travel Case are the perfect examples if you’re deciding which type of bag to bring. The last one is specifically designed for beauty professionals who are always on the go. It has so much storage, and it’s built with double wheels and a metal handle to boot.
More than the bag itself, it’s also important to invest in leak-proof compacts, squeeze bottles, and mini jars for extra storage. You’ll want to treat your makeup like some kind of special weapon for all the battles (a.k.a work) you’ll face once you get to your destination.
Traveling is fun, more so when you get to do it for work. And this is common for hair and makeup artists because the beauty industry is constantly expanding, therefore giving out more opportunities. Nothing compares to the joy you see on a client’s face after a full day of doing their makeup and making them look their best. It makes the entire experience, from packing to flying, all worth it.
