Sisterhood of the Traveling Frills, pt 3: Carry-On and Cosmetics/Toiletries

Sorry about the extended break, everyone. I've been really busy lately, and it took me a little longer than I thought to get back into the swing of things.

I left off my last post with a fully packed suitcase, so all that's left is to get everything else in my carry-on bag and go on my trip! For carry-on bags, I typically go for a bag that has some type of strap, is easy to carry (hence, "carry on"), and can hold a good amount of additional items.

Currently, I use a small Victoria's Secret brand duffle bag, but I recently discovered they make travel bags with shoe compartments in them, and I definitely want to buy one ASAP.

Duffle bag from Amazon.

Depending on the airline (or other modes of transportation), a carry-on bag is free. On my last trip, I flew internationally, so all of my bags were free, checked or otherwise. Since that was the case, I took my medium sized rolling suitcase, my duffle bag, and a backpack purse on the trip with me. Between those three, I had more than enough room for everything I needed for my extended (1 week or longer) trip.

For shorter trips, my smallest rolling suitcase and my duffle bag is all I need. Thankfully, my duffle bag is big enough to hold my purse in it, so that way I can save space when I'm stowing all my belongings on the plane. If there's only enough room for a single suitcase on the trip (i.e. road trips in a smaller car), I won't even bother with the duffle. 

There's lots of options, and every person is different, but a great rule of thumb for when you start packing a carry-on is to prioritize the items you need immediately vs the items you need later. 

Items I Need Immediately:

-Medication

-Contact Solution/Contact Case

-Jacket

-Sunglasses

-Makeup Remover/Hand Sanitizing Wipes

-Wallet

-Money

-Phone

-External Battery/Chargers

-Tablet/PS Vita

-Water Bottle

-Snacks

-Headphones

-Pricy/Valuable items

Items I Need Later: 

-Clothes

-Additional Shoes

-Makeup***

-PJs

-Anything that isn't fragile/Perishable

For my makeup and skincare, I keep everything with me at all times. Though I would never do a full face of makeup while I'm traveling to and from, I want to make sure nothing gets damaged or stolen. If I have extra items, or duplicates (i.e. when I bought skin care in Seoul), I will put those things in my checked suitcase, but for the most part, those essential items go in my carry-on.

Note: Some people ONLY take a carry-on with them when they travel, and that's perfectly fine, but that's a different kind of packing scenario.

Traveling with makeup on an airplane isn't as hard as one would think, but it can be a little difficult. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is the agency that regulates what can and can't be taken on an airplane in the US. These airplane laws can sometime vary from country to country (like in China, where you can't bring a lighter), but most of them are pretty universal.

The TSA laws for liquids spell out exactly the type and how much liquid a traveler can bring onto an airplane. This is often identified as the 3-1-1 for carry-ons.

3-1-1.

Now some folks might just grab a quart sized Ziplock bag and fill that up with liquids but -again- I'm not that person, and I like to be organized. If I'm flying on an airplane, all of my liquids go into a TSA-approved bag, separate from my makeup bag. The bag MUST be clear, as stated in the guidelines. I found this one at Daiso!

Liquids bag!

The cool thing about this bag is that it's very roomy, and can fit just about all of my items in it with no problems! In this picture, I actually included an item that doesn't have to go into this bag, but I'll talk more on that later.

The first thing you'll notice is that every item is travel sized. As per TSA standards, no liquids may be more than 3.4-ounces, so you'll have to make sure that all of your liquids fit this requirement. 

My liquids.

I know, I know. I keep WAY too much stuff on hand. I'm working on ways to reduce the amount of liquids I keep in my travel bag, and I'm happy to say I've made some great discoveries that can help out a lot.

One thing I found out while researching TSA laws for my trip is that items like deodorant, solid cleansers, and wipes, of any variety, don't have to go in the liquids bag. For that reason, my RiRe - Brillar Triple Stick Cleanser doesn't actually count as a liquid, so I can just toss this anywhere else in my bag, and throw in more lipstick, XP

Another item that can be replaced is my tiny body spray, though it's not that big of deal, given the size. I recently received a solid perfume from Pixel Spa, which I didn't even know was a thing until I received it, but it's great for travel! Bar shampoos and conditioners have been on the rise lately, so that's one more item you can swap out for liquids. Just throw it in your bag and go, no need to worry about spills!

If I'm not traveling by airplane, I put all of these items + my powder products in my cosmetics bag. All the makeup in this bag stays in this bag, and I take things out when it's time to replace them. It makes packing a lot easier because all I have to do is swap out my eyeshadow/blush palettes and zip up the bag. Plus, if I lose anything, I still have my full size items back at home. That not only decreases the overall value of the items in my bag (in case of loss or theft), but makes it easier to clear up space as I travel.

My hanging cosmetics bag.

I received this Aimee Kestenberg hanging travel bag as a gift for Christmas, and I've been in love since Day 1. The bag looks sleek, fashionable, and it actually holds ALL of my stuff. I can hang it from a shower curtain rod, or somewhere near the bathroom, and pull each item out as I need it. It also takes up less space then putting everything on the counter, which is incredibly helpful when I'm sharing a hotel room with my friends.

Unzipped bag.

Unfolded bag.

Each section of the bag comes with a zippered pocket, and the top 3 sections are plastic, which protects the bag from spills. I put all my brushes in one section, powder products in another, liquids in the third, and then at the very bottom, are my miscellaneous items and a travel brush set.

Close-up of the top two sections.

Close-up of the bottom half.

Could this be condensed even more? Absolutely! No one needs this many make-up brushes or beauty blenders, haha. Even now, I'm finding ways to work with my 4-piece brush set so that I won't need to have so may brushes with me.

Brushes + a few extras

From left to right: Hair pins, blush quad, contour palette, lip gloss
Bottom row: face powder, eyeshadow palette.

Toothbrush, mini nail kit, 4-piece brush set.

Once I make sure none of my items in this bag need to be replaced, I think about the best eyeshadow palettes to take on my trip. Since I'm mostly traveling for Lolita events, I tend to choose eyeshadow palettes that suit the coords I packed in my suitcase.

In my next post, I'll talk about my favorite eyeshadow palettes to travel with, and the types of coords they suit best.

See you next week!

Stay beautiful, stay true,

~J