My next trip is in only 3 days (but hey who’s counting). I’m going for a week vacation and thought I would share with you all my “travel essentials” that I will be packing in my big tote handbag as well as my carry-on.
My usual packing philosophy you ask? If you don’t need it, pack it anyways… you might need it. Only this time around, I decided to change my bad packing habits and challenge myself. I decided to travel using nothing but my handbag and my carry-on. Going on a flight without having to check in your luggage will save you time and money, but the best part is you’ll never worry about your bags being lost in transit again!
BEAUTY ESSENTIALS :
Here are some beauty essentials that I like keeping in my handbag for easy access :
- Face Mist (Caudalie) The air on the plane tends to be very dry and so I always bring face mist with me when traveling. It’s a great and quick way to freshen up your skin after a long flight.
- Deodorant (Dove) For self-explanatory reasons…
- Eye mask (Shiseido) Because getting off a plane with an unfortunate case of raccoon-eyes is never a good way to start a vacation.
- Dry Shampoo (Marc Anthony) It adds more volume instantly, helps freshens your hair and extend the life of your blow-dry… and that means more time to relax and enjoy your vacation.
- Perfume (Elie Saab) I never pack my full size perfume bottle when traveling. The sample size that came with the set is more than enough and fits perfectly in my purse. Rollerball perfumes I find are also perfect for traveling.
- Toiletries The rest of my toiletries (shampoo, toothbrush, Q-tips, etc…) will be packed away in my carry-on. I strongly suggest using pouches to neatly organize your products and avoid any spilling disaster. (Notice how all products are sample size? #majorkeyalert)
- Makeup (makeup bag from Sephora) Now I won’t go in details, because I find makeup is very personal and will vary a lot from one person to the other, but I basically brought a bronzer, a blush, one eyeshadow, a liquid and a powder highlighter, tweezers, a contour brush, a concealer, a sample size mascara and my trusty beauty blender of course. I also used an empty sample bottle of a NARS foundation I got from Sephora and filled it with my favourite foundation. Once again using sample size products saves so much space and weight to your luggage.
ELECTRONICS :
- Headphones
- Chargers
- Laptop / Ipad
- Cell phone
You should always keep your electronic together for easy access. It will help you keep everything organized and find them easily when passing through security.
MISCELLANEOUS :
- Passport I can’t stress how important pouches are to maintain everything organized. I like keeping my passport, plane tickets and cell phone in the same pouch. It prevents them from wandering away in my bag and therefore less risks of losing them.
- Water bottle & snacks I always bring an empty water bottle that I can refill throughout the flight. Staying hydrated will help with jetlag and fight those tired eyes.
- Important documents In case your phone runs out of battery or you have no internet connection, always bring a paper copy of your flight itinerary, car rental, and all other important documents.
- Medication Never put your medication in a checked luggage (or any valuables as a matter of fact)! If your luggage ever gets lost, you will be glad to have them with you. Also, remember to keep the prescriptions together with the original packaging and information leaflet. Nothing is worse than being held up at airport security because your T.S.A. agent can not identify the strange “illicit” pills in your purse.
- Sunglasses Who has time to put on eye makeup before boarding a plane anyways?
- Pen Always useful to have in general, but specially comes in handy when having to fill up that custom form on the flight back. Do not be that person who asks the flight attendant (and everyone sitting within 5 foot radius) for a pen… No one likes that person.
- Books & magazines