Seeing as I keep reading a lot of packing tips for traveling as of late, I thought I'd throw in some of mine too. This is still part-travel blog, after all! Efficient packing is something my family (well, most of us anyway) have mastered due to frequent trips out of town. The point of efficient packing is to bring as much of the essentials without compromising space. I'll try to be as concise and quick as best I can, so read on!
Bring samples
This will save a great amount of space in your bag versus bringing the full-sized bottles (which I used to do, ngl). Korean roadshop brands are especially generous with samples, but some midrange and high-end brands give one or two samples away with purchase as well. This also allows you to try out newer products that you can add into your skin care or make-up routine. If in sachets, you can always dispose of it after you've finished, leaving more space in your bag.
If you don't really like the samples you have at hand however, you can always:
Decant or buy travel-sized
Stores like MUJI or your local drugstore usually have tiny bottles and pots for you to decant or transfer your products into. This is great especially for those large pots of cream or heavy glass bottles of foundation that take a lot of space. It also gives you the option to bring a few mini bottles or pots to allow you options. Of course, if you can buy travel-sized, go ahead! This is especially good for bath and body products, but some brands offer travel-sized skincare products, too!
Spill-proof everything
The number of times something has spilled in my skin care and/or make-up bag is...well, a lot. This is especially true for products in tubes when I open them after a flight, resulting to me shaking my head whenever a blogger says that a foundation in a squeeze tube is 'travel-friendly'. I've wasted more product with those versus glass bottles!
Anyway, one tip I learned to make sure squeeze tubes don't spew product is to press as much air out as you can, and then to tape the opening shut before putting the cap back on. I did this during my last trip (in which I did a makeup bag post) and no spills! If its a bottle however, just taping the sides once or twice will do just fine.
Bring multi-purpose products
This is a tip I honestly do not practice, but want to. I don't have enough make-up products (yet) to be able to use multi-purpose, but usually lip and cheek products are the way to go. I've also seen people use their bronzer as an eyeshadow and think its a brilliant idea. I wouldn't always recommend using lipsticks as blushes, especially for those of us with sensitive skin, as some ingredients in lipsticks could bring about rashes or acne.
Thinking about multi-purpose products allows you do reevaluate what you're bringing. This forces you to remove the unnecessary things or the things you just chuck in last minute. Not only do you save space by doing this, but you also make better use of the products you have.
Plan looks
If I'm being honest, this is the most difficult but also the most essential tip and mostly make-up centred. You do this by selecting the make-up you want to bring a few days in advance and solely using that. This lets you evaluate if you can work with what you've picked, or if you need more or less products. It also gives you time to be more comfortable to using what you chose.
This was something I learned the hard way when I brought things I didn't like to my trip during the New Year. I was so dissatisfied with the eyeshadow palette I bought that I haven't used it since. Shame, as its a good palette; just not for travel, I guess.
And there you have it! I hope these tips were at least somewhat helpful for you guys going on a trip. If you have any tips or tricks you'd like to share, feel free to share them with me below!
