At this very moment, I’m on the road for over two weeks with nothing but a carry on and a Dopp kit the size of a croissant (okay, a big American one. But still). And it’s no
easy feat, but once I’m on the road, travelling so light is so easy I couldn’t fathom it any other way… Lugging around cases too big to carry, filling whole airport trays with my beauty arsenal.
Instead, 10 years of nearly constant travel has honed my packing skills so they’re now Spartan. There’s a Spanish saying that goes ‘on a long journey even a straw weighs heavy’, a truth many of us only come to terms with after we’ve packed too many straws, too many little frivolous things that add up to the unfortunate sum of their parts.
Here’s our quick and light – just like your bag should be – advice on keeping the size and weight of that Dopp kit in check:
- Don’t bring products that just have one purpose. Forget the heavy glass bottle of foundation. Bring a tube of tinted moisturizer with SPF and you’ve killed three birds with one stone. Bring a slim compact of cheek and lip color, use your shampoo as body wash and detergent for your delicates. Bring eyesahdow you can use as liner, shadow and brow filler, etc.
- Don’t buy a ton of minis of cheap stuff you don’t usually use or expensive stuff (price per ounce is even higher this way). Keep old jars and tubs under 100 mls or buy them (cheap at both REI and Whole Foods) and decant into those. The two exceptions are hairspray and deodorant. A tiny bottle of both are all you need and they’ll give you much need space in your bag.
- Go with bare nails. Having to cart around all the accoutrements to do your nails is cumbersome.
- If you wear perfume ask at the counter for the brand if they have sample vials ad just take one of those with instead of bringing the whole heavy, breakable thing.
Check back tomorrow for the last few tips!
Image Source: flickr.com/photos/kossy/354401232/lightbox/
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