The 5 Beauty Essentials to Pack on Vacation

Beauty-enthused travelers everywhere face the same conundrum: so many products, so little space. If you find yourself looking at your luggage and thinking its tiny beauty compartment must be some kind of sick joke, here’s a list to help you pair down your products and bring what you absolutely need:

1. Facial wipes
To take your face-care routine on the road, pick up some facial cleansing wipes. Portable, quick and easy to use, these wipes are the perfect way to keep your face feeling fresh while you’re away from your usual products. They also take up way less space in your luggage than your bottled cleansers will, and are infinitely less likely to burst open and leak in transit. Since they aren’t liquids, you also won’t have to worry about TSA rules if you’re taking a flight.

2. BB cream
It can get tough to pack light on beauty products when you consider your primer, foundation, moisturizer and sunscreen. The solution: BB creams. These creams were described by Allure as “tinted moisturizers on steroids,” and they live up to the reputation. The right BB Cream can cover basically all of your face-related beauty needs. Some are even designed for color correction, which knocks yet another product of your must-bring list. If you’re keeping it in your carry-on for a flight, make sure the package holds 3.4 ounces or less.

3. Makeup palette
As tempting as it is to bring all of your makeup along on vacation, a better bet is to find a single palette that suits all of your needs. Urban Decay’s “Naked on the Run” is the perfect example of a travel palette that carries all the essentials: blush, bronzer, lipstick, eye liner, mascara and five shades of eye shadow for day and night. If you absolutely must bring your usual products with you, only bring the makeup you regularly wear. If you don’t wear that shimmery blue lipstick at home, you probably won’t wear it on vacation, either.

4. Makeup brushes
If you’re a serious makeup enthusiast, odds are good you’ve got a ton of brushes at home, each of which has its own specific use. When you’re traveling, dial it down to the four makeup brushes you’ll need to get the job done. Pack a foundation brush to use with the BB cream, a powder brush for blush and bronzer, an eye shadow brush, and a lip brush to get that perfect lipstick look.

5. Dry shampoo
Sure, nothing beats a shower, but sometimes the packed schedule of travel can leave your hair a little grungy. Dry shampoo is the best thing you can pack to give your hair a quick pick-me-up. Spray your dry shampoo directly on your roots, and gently pat your hair to distribute it. You can even spray some dry shampoo on still-clean hair to prevent it from getting oily. If you’re flying, TSA rules will require you to check any baggage that has a full-sized aerosol can. If you can’t find a travel-sized canned dry shampoo, there are also powdered options.