My Travel Basics ::: Ninja-Packing 102--Toiletries

All Photos: by {accordingtoame}

Previously, on My Travel Basics...Our heroine described at long-length how she plans, lays out, and packs her clothing and odds and ends into her travel bag as she prepares to jet off on a weekend adventure.  This episode joins our heroine as she packs her hair and makeup essentials, of which there are many.  Let's join the show, already in progress.

Once all the clothing is rolled and placed into the corresponding Ziplocs, I turn my attention to my ridiculous collection of grooming tools.   As I mentioned previously, I do an itemized list of everything I want to bring and need to bring with me, clothes to chargers, and check off as I go. This list includes literally every item I plan to use for grooming.  I lay them all out on my bed to make sure I am not missing a step, and outline my routine mentally as I go.

Over time, I have collected duplicates of specific cosmetic products, either already in travel sizes or decanting, and set them aside into a plastic bin in an effort to streamline my packing process.  I have even gotten myself to where I stop a compact a little early and set it aside on purpose so as to not bring along a new one. This also will allow me to toss a nearly empty one into the trash where I am staying and not have to carry it home with me.  I also picked up a Smashbox travel brush set during Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale which came in a great case and helped keep some of my eye brushes better organized and saves space in my bag. It contained shorter handled duplicates of some of my brushes and I keep that stowed away specifically for travel.

A major must-have, and one that I mentioned recently in a Loving Now post, is the Sonia Kashuk Completely Organized cosmetic bag, which I have used every trip since I bought it almost a year ago. It stows my makeup, though a few of my brushes unfortunately are just slightly too long and won't quite fit into the original, so I often ended up putting them into my Truffle Clarity pouch after wrapping them in their own Ziploc bag. 

Can you see the size difference between the big daddy and the medium? 

Luckily, for Fall, Sonia put out a larger variant of the Completely Organized bag, which I also mentioned last week, and it is roomy enough that I can actually fit my brushes inside and have room to spare, without having to overstuff my already packed Truffle pouches.  That extra space is a huge plus since I tend to buy a few new goodies on many of my trips.

Next are the Truffle Grand Clarity Pouch for hair products and Truffle Petite Clarity Pouch for skincare.  I pack the same selection of standard basics and I lay them out the same each time, even though that's usually the last bag I pack. I have a routine for face and hair that saves a lot of time, and as far as the hair is concerned, preserves color as best as possible, considering the water in other locations is usually not the same. I pack smaller sizes of my old standbys and rely on dry shampoo if I need to extend my hair longer between in part to save liquids space.  For short trips I will use my color depositing conditioner the last shower before I leave the house, and not pack it along. For longer trips I bring a small bottle with me, just in case I need it midway through the week, which is rarely the case but I have resorted to it once or twice.  I have also switched to a large barrel curling iron vs carrying my hot rollers, simply for space savings.  I picked up a thermal sleeve from a "Thirty One" party to keep it stored safely in.

When assembling my bags, like I said on Monday, my Truffle pouches go into my smaller duffle, and my green bag, my cosmetic bag and curling iron go into the larger duffle. On warm-weather trips or trips where it's just me, I put my liquids in with the smaller duffle until we get through Security, and then transfer them to the larger duffle. That's just so we can get that larger bag on the conveyor belt, and not disassemble it. If we are particularly full, like in Winter, where we have coats, I don't bother moving anything.

What packing tips or tricks have you picked up over the years? I would love to hear about them!

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