The Ultimate Guide on How to Travel with Makeup
Whether you’re flying hundreds of miles to be home for the holidays, jetting off for a quick business trip, or finally taking that bucket list vacay you’ve always dreamed of, there’s one thing that you’ll likely be packing despite the destination and that’s makeup. It’s not always as easy as throwing your favorite foundation, concealer, setting spray, etc. in a bag and calling it a day because certain rules exist for traveling with liquids on a plane. The rules are important to be mindful of, especially if you’ll be traveling with a carry-on bag, to ensure your makeup faves make it to your destination. Not to worry, though– to help ease your travel woes, Maybelline has done the legwork for you and answers all your burning “traveling with makeup” questions below. Read on for travel-friendly makeup hacks and the best makeup for travel.
Can You Bring Makeup on a Plane?
Yes, you can definitely bring makeup on a plane. But, there are stipulations as to how much, particularly with liquid makeup products.
How Much Makeup Can You Bring on a Plane?
The rules of how much makeup you can bring on a plane vary from airport to airport, and you will find that other countries have varying guidelines in terms of the amount of makeup/liquids you can travel with. Because of the variations in rules, it’s important to refer to the TSA website for air travel within the United States, and the security administration equivalent in other countries should you be traveling abroad. Packing according to their rules and regulations will ensure that you can breeze past security without having your precious makeup products confiscated. (Because what’s worse than watching a TSA agent dispose of the brand-new bottle of your favorite foundation?!)
What Makeup Counts as a Liquid on a Plane?
In the United States, TSA counts most cream-based and liquid makeup products as liquids on a plane so this goes for liquid foundation, concealer, cream blush, mascara, and other similar items. Even if it comes in a compact and doesn’t appear as a typical “liquid,” if it is gel or cream-based, you should pack it in your “liquids” bag, but airport security reserves the right to dispose of the product should they deem it necessary.
Tips for How to Pack Your Makeup for Travel
Because of the travel regulations that TSA and other government agencies have in place, it is in your best interest to pack smart. This means everything from packing light by bringing multi-use products to storing your makeup products in clear bags and separating them from non-liquids and makeup tools.
Tip 1: Opt for Multi-Use Products
By opting for multi-use products, not only will you cut down on the weight of your bag (most airlines will charge you if you’re over a certain weight), but you’ll also have fewer liquids to worry about spilling or being flagged by security. A few of our favorites include Instant Age Rewind® Eraser Concealer, Sunkisser Liquid Blush and Bronzer, Color Tattoo® Up to 24HR Wear Eye Stix, and Super Stay Teddy Tint™.
Instant Age Rewind® Eraser Concealer: This do-it-all concealer can be used as, well, a concealer (duh), a brightening color corrector, and a contour. Plus, it’s ultra-moisturizing, which is helpful for dry, just-got-off-a-plane skin. Its sponge applicator allows you to apply your makeup on the go with ease, and the formula offers up to 12-hour coverage, lasting you throughout whatever your travel day entails.
- 122
Sunkisser Liquid Blush and Bronzer: Whether your travels bring you to a beach or not, this multi-use blush and bronzer formula will make it look like you’ve spent your days basking in the sun– but without the damage! Available in 10, highly pigmented shades that impart a vacation-worthy glow, you can achieve a healthy complexion in minutes.
- Sol Search
Color Tattoo® Up to 24HR Wear Eye Stix: Although eyeliners are usually a safe bet when traveling, you get into liquid territory when it comes to eye shadow primers, liquid liners, and creamier shadows. Consider this all-in-one shadow, liner, and primer stick the answer to your travel prayers. Bonus: they don’t take up much room, so you can easily pack several shades for multiple looks.
- I am Shining
Super Stay Teddy Tint™: This beautiful blurring liquid lip doubles as a cheek tint for a flush of matte color that looks lived-in and natural. In 10 buildable shades, you can wear it in different ways from sheer to bold, and monochromatic or mismatched depending on if you want to wear the same color on your lips and cheeks or prefer to switch it up.
- NewKnee High
Tip 2: Consider Packing Makeup Palettes
One easy way to get around the hassle of traveling with makeup is by packing makeup palettes. There’s no limit to how many you’re allowed to bring and being that makeup palettes offer multiple shades of makeup– from eye shadow to blush, and more– you’ll be able to create endless looks with just a few palettes. Our Shadow Blocks™ Eyeshadow Palette, FaceStudio® Master Blush Kit, and Expert Wear® Eyeshadow Quads offer plenty of variety to keep your looks feeling fresh while traveling.
Shadow Blocks™ Eyeshadow Palette: Our shadow blocks are pocket-sized and are comprised of three wearable shades in the same color family. The complementary trios are perfect for creating a number of different eye shadow looks– from no-makeup makeup natural to a sultry smokey eye. Available in 5 different shade blocks, we love that these mini palettes take the guesswork out of eye shadow by pairing a light and dark matte shade with a shimmer formula for the ultimate travel eye look.
- West 4th and Perry St
FaceStudio® Master Blush Kit: Consider this palette of three blushes and a highlighter your perfect travel companion. Packing multiple blush compacts can get clunky, not to mention if you wear liquid or cream formulas, you can reach the liquid limit really quick. This quad allows you to switch up your blush while on-the-go and save space in your makeup bag. A win, win!
- Master Blush
Expert Wear® Eyeshadow Quads: All makeup should be this easy! Our eye shadow quads come with four shadows that literally say wear to apply each formula. There’s a “base,” “lid,” “crease,” and “liner,” which are especially helpful for a makeup novice who may be traveling for a special event and wants to look their best. Choose from 10 color quads of long-lasting shadows for everything from a natural day to a dramatic night eye look.
- Natural Smokes
Tip 3: Pack Your Makeup
in a Clear Bag
Some airports will require that all of your liquids fit in one clear plastic bag– TSA says that all of the liquids that you’re traveling with in your carry-on must fit in 1 quart sized, clear, plastic, zipped bag– so it’s smart to have that handled before departure. By keeping all of your makeup in a clear bag, it makes it easier for you and a security agent to see what you packed without having to rummage through your packed bag. Plus, the clear bag offers a hidden benefit of being able to see if you’ve forgotten anything while transferring the products from your usual routine into your travel bag.
Tip 4: Plan Your Looks Ahead of Time
Much like it helps to know what you’re going to be wearing clothes-wise on a trip, knowing which makeup you want to wear will make traveling easier, too. Some people like to snap pics of each outfit or take notes of the items that pair well together, so we suggest extending the same practice to your makeup. This is another helpful hack to keep you from forgetting any makeup essentials that you may need while traveling.
Tip 5: Separate Liquid Makeup from Solid Makeup
Because liquids are usually the culprit for setting off the x-ray machines when your bag goes through, it can be helpful to separate your liquid makeup from your solid makeup. This way, the security agent can tell what the problem is faster and you don’t miss your flight waiting at security.
Tip 6: Pack Your Makeup Tools Separately
Packing your makeup tools separately goes hand in hand with separating your liquid makeup from solid makeup. The less clutter you have surrounding your liquid products, the more streamlined your security experience will be. Easy sealing bags and clear storage pouches are your BFFs for hassle-free travel.
Our Best Travel Makeup Picks
Travel-Friendly Face Makeup
According to TSA, liquids, gels and aerosols packed in a carry-on must be 3.4 ounces or less per container. Luckily, most of our products meet that limit, so you have plenty of options of Maybelline makeup to take on your next trip.
Lifter Stix™ Multi-Use Face Stick is a great face makeup product to travel with because it can be used as a concealer, contour, and highlighter, and it’s in stick form, so it won’t spill and likely won’t count as a liquid.
Instant Age Rewind Perfector® is another great multitasking face makeup product that’s only 0.68 ounces, falling way under the 3.4oz limit. It can be used as a primer, concealer, BB cream, and/or highlighter. Its sponge applicator tip is also less prone to leak in your bag.
- Medium
Travel-Friendly Eye Makeup
As mentioned earlier, eye shadow palettes and crayons are a good way to go because they aren’t considered liquids and are space-saving for your bag.
The City Mini® Eyeshadow Palette is about the size of the credit card, so you can easily slip it into any carry-on bag or purse. Each palette comes with 6 shades that vary in intensity and there are 8 palettes to choose from– some contain all mattes while others pack shimmer shades.
- Rooftop Bronzes
Mascara is typically not an issue, but there are some instances where it will be flagged as it is technically considered a liquid, so it’s better to play it safe than sorry by packing just one tube. Lash Sensational Firework™ Mascara in shade ‘Electro Black’ will give you length and volume with its conditioning formula, so all of your lashes needs will be satisfied.
- Electro Black
Travel-Friendly Lip Makeup
Lip glosses and lipsticks are usually considered liquids, but the good news is that they are pretty much always well below the 3.4oz limit, so you can pack a few bullets should you really want to.
We like bringing a lip liner (or two) because they can double as a lipstick in a pinch and are more likely not to be flagged by security. Thanks to hyaluronic acid, Lifter Liner™ is hydrating and leaves lips looking full and defined. Choose from 10 gorgeous shades for a comfortable and creamy long-lasting look.
- NewBig Lift
Super Stay® Vinyl Ink® is definitely more of a statement lipstick, which is sometimes exactly what you want when you want to dress up while traveling. Its saturated and shiny color is super long-lasting (up to 16 hours!), so you can sight-see, present, eat, and drink all day with ease.
- Witty
