Hand luggage make up hacks

Here's hoping 2022 might see us all travelling a bit more - supporting the tourism industry, experiencing new places and cultures, having a break from reality and so on. If you know me you'll know I love a short city break (like my recent solo trip to Vilnius) and that generally means hand luggage only. I wanted to put a post together with my tips, hacks and product recommendations for making the most of your limited space but still being able to do a full face...

Base products for hand luggage

So one thing that can make packing a hand luggage beauty bag quite difficult is the limitation on liquids. I take two bags; one with dry make up in it, and one with ALL my liquids (shampoo, conditioner and so on too). Primers tend to go in your liquids, at least my favourite ones do. Currently I'm loving the Too Faced Hangover Primer! If you're really struggling for space in your liquids bag, though, you can get primer sticks. I've personally never tried one but Yes To do a 'Cooling Hydrating Primer Stick' and Revolution Pro offer a 'Blur Stick' too. You'd get away with putting these in your dry make up bag for sure.

Foundation is another one that is so often liquid - and for me generally I will take a liquid foundation as they work best on my skin. Again, though, there are alternatives if you need the space! Revolution do a fantastic Fast Base Stick Foundation which I highly recommend - and Make Up Forever do a much more expensive version which is also fantastic. Powder foundation is an option too; not for me with my dry skin, but Jane Iredale do a pressed powder foundation which doesn't take up much space at all in your dry make up bag.

In terms of powder, don't take a big bulky loose powder - everyone knows Rimmel Stay Matte is one of the best in the business, and it's really compact. IT Cosmetics do a great pressed powder too! Concealers are generally tiny anyway, but remember these will have to go in your liquids!

Adding in some colour

When it comes to adding colour to your face, I would definitely recommend a face palette instead of taking a separate contour, bronzer, blusher and highlighter. I've tried a few different ones and here's my verdict...

Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look in a Palette - this comes in a few different 'looks', and each one includes 7 pans with bronzer, blusher, powder and/or highlighter as well as 3 eyeshadow shades. If you don't mind having a limited eyeshadow selection then this is a perfect (albeit expensive) all in one! Excellent quality too.

Pixi Glow Cake Blush - this is an ombre-style palette which stretches from highlighter into blusher into bronzer. It's all very sparkly, but if you are limited on space then it has all the face colour you need AND it lasts well on the skin.

Sleek Face Form - this is a small compact palette with a blusher, bronzer and highlighter shade included. This is great for a budget option and it's definitely a space-saver!

You can get similar products from Nars, Benefit and loads of other brands - they're a great idea for your hand luggage make up bag.

Eye products for hand luggage

One small-ish palette can do wonderful things - especially if you pick something with a wide range of colours. The Urban Decay Naked palettes are a good option, though they can be quite bulky; Charlotte Tilbury quads are fantastic for saving space but then you're obviously limited on colour. My recommendation would be something like the Wet n Wild Colour Icon palettes; they have a fair few shades in them but they're still quite small. They're also really affordable so if you lose your bag while travelling it's not a huge waste of money...

In terms of brows and mascara this can be a tough one because everyone has their staples. These do usually tend to be fairly small so won't take up too much room anyway; if you can get a mini or travel sizeof your favourite mascara though, every little helps! These tend to show up in gift sets, so keep your eyes peeled!

And the rest...

If you're the type of person who needs a setting spray (like me) see if you can get a travel sized one! Urban Decay do a travel-sized All Nighter, which is a really popular option, and plenty of other brands like Pixi, NYX and Smashbox offer minis too.

When it comes to lipstick, this is where I struggle because I want to take every possible shade just in case. In reality though, I know I won't wear them so I just pick out a few that match the eyeshadow colours I've packed as well as my outfits of choice. Liquid lipsticks go in your liquids bag (duh) but you can usually get away with bullet lipsticks or crayons going in your dry make up bag.

I don't compromise on skincare, because my eczema-and-acne combo wouldn't thank me. But again I do always look out for travel sizes, or decant my chosen skincare into smaller containers to a) save space and b) stick within the regulations. Perfume can be decanted into an atomiser to save space too! Get a sturdy clear bag to use, and make sure everything is packed and separated ahead of time. Those airport ones are a waste of money and terrible for the environment. Birchbox do a nice one, and they're cheap in Boots and Primark too.

Another long-ass post from me so thank you for sticking with me to the end - let me know your hand luggage make up hacks below...