What’s In My Bag: Toiletries

One of the beauties of traveling so often is that I hardly ever think about my toiletries when packing anymore! These are the items that, for the most part, stay packed and ready to go between trips. Of course everything needs replacing or refilling along the way, but I’ve finally found the right mix of products that travel well and last long while on the road.

Here’s what’s in my toiletries bag:

Non-Liquids:

Here are all of my non-liquid toiletries, which all fit into my hanging toiletry bag. I love having a hanging bag, because many hotels and hostels don’t have much counter space, so being able to keep my toiletries out of the way yet still conveniently in reach keeps me happy (and sane) while on my travels. Most of my liquid toiletries get transferred over into this bag once I’ve cleared airport security.

When going carry-on only, one of the biggest challenges is cutting down on liquids so my 3-1-1 bag makes it through airport security. Some of my favorite solid solutions are:

Solid Sunscreen Stick – I’m huge on sunblock and reapply often, so having a solid stick is not only convenient, but also keeps my mind at ease as this won’t be spilling in my beach bag anytime soon. Note: you WILL look like you are putting deodorant all over your body when you use this in public, but it’s better than getting burned!

Bar Soap – not a new concept by any means, but it is convenient when traveling. Not only is it not a liquid, you also don’t have to worry about transporting a wet loofah from place to place when you’re traveling to multiple destinations

Bug Repellant Patches – this is a recent find of mine. Bugs LOVE me and I always seem to be the one getting bit no matter how much bug spray I put on. These patches are full of vitamins which repel bugs, so they don’t just cover your scent, they change it! 

Laundry Soap Sheets – makes doing laundry on the road simple. Note: I also bring some Woolite detergent packets, just to mix it up and keep everything smelling fresh

Solid Perfume Stick – with a design similar to chapstick, perfume sticks are easy to reapply and takes up far less room than a liquid

Some of the best advice I’ve been given for packing light is to not bring “just in case” items, and usually I stick pretty darn well to that rule. The one area I typically bend that rule is for medications. I bring a small amount of emergency meds ranging from cold medicine to Benadryl to pretty much anything having to do with the stomach. Lets be honest, when I travel I’m trying a whole range of new foods and often in areas with non potable water… better to be safe than sorry! While sometimes it’s fun to go into a drugstore where you don’t speak the language to try to find what you think is shampoo, but it’s not a fun experience when you’re sick and you just need to feel better! 

Liquids:

It’s taken many trips to get me to this point, but these are my teeny tiny liquids in all their glory! My two biggest tips on cutting down on liquids are:

Truly take inventory on how much product you actually use – this one took me a while. I would go on a two week trip with a 3oz bottle of shampoo and an identical bottle of conditioner and barely make a dent. I know I’m probably a freak of nature for admitting this, but I found on a recent 6 week trip that I only went through half of a 2oz bottle of 2-in-1 shampoo/conditioner. That’s one ounce for 6 weeks! Maybe this is the one time I’ll find myself lucky for having thin hair, but I just don’t tend to use that much product.

Find ways to cut down on wasteful packaging – So many products, both full size and travel size design their containers in a way that it wastes space and takes up valuable room in your bag. For products that I only use a very small amount of (hair gloss, paw paw ointment, etc) using contact lense cases have been an amazing way to save space and not worry about spills. I use this technique with my makeup as well

This is just another example of wasteful packaging. While it doesn’t work on every product out there, many of the products you already use can be repackaged and save a huge amount of space. I was able to put more than half of the foundation from the original container (which has a large lid and glass bottom) into a 1/2 ounce plastic container that I picked up for less than $1 at the Container Store. On the bottom row, I was able to fit three full containers of cream eyeshadows into the same 1/2 ounce container, making it easy for me to take 3 colors on the road instead of just one all while using up way less space!

Makeup:

I won’t claim to be a “makeup girl,” but I love my Naked eyeshadow palettes, full size Real Techniques brushes my Smashbox contour kit and makeup primers just as much as the next girly girl. So pairing down my makeup doesn’t always leave me feeling warm and fuzzy. This is, however, every last bit of makeup I travel with for any trip for any length of time. I’ve found it to be just the right amount to mix things up and be able to go to fancier places without feeling out of place. My eyeshadow palette has 8 diverse colors, plus I have 3 colors of eyeliner to keep me from getting bored.

To be honest, I don’t miss my makeup when I travel and don’t even wear much of what I bring most days. I’m too busy exploring the world and making memories to be bothered with such silly little things  :)