Welcome back to Stuff We Like, a regular column where we shop and share items we think you’ll love. By reader request, I’m building a Stuff We Like series on one-bag packing and tools to help you organize and travel light.
So far, I’ve shared the Calm Traveler Packing List Template for Business Travel – many of you emailed to say how useful it was, so thank you! I have also written about the tiny bag I carry with me all the time, and the tech essentials inside it. I’ve also shared Calm Traveler Packing List Template for Family Travel, which many of you have told me was very helpful as well. Yay!
Today: toiletries! My goal here is to give enough of a sketch so that if you’re traveling this summer, either with your family or to a conference (like RWA, for example) you can downsize what you bring with you so you have one bag, perhaps even a carry-on sized bag, and travel lighter, faster, and with less stress.
In both the Calm Traveler Packing Lists for Business and Family Travel, I left the tab for toiletries blank. Now, they’re filled in, so if you click on either link above, you’ll be taken to the spreadsheets. You can copy and paste the “Toiletries” tab to your own packing list, or you can File -> Save a Copy to grab your own. Either way, let’s get started!
Toiletries operate on the same principles as the packing list templates: Identify your essentials, then streamline everything else.
I keep my toiletry bag 95% packed at all times so that when it’s time to pack for a trip, I don’t have to run all over the house gathering the things that I need. Plus, with different airports varying the attention paid to the “3-1-1” rule, it helps me out immensely to know Past Sarah has already assembled TSA-approved toiletries and smaller sized containers.
First, I’m going to share some links to different toiletry bags I’ve used, or that you’ve recommended. Then, I’m going to give you a tour of my toiletry kit. (Yup, I feel a little vulnerable about that part, but whatever!)
NB: Most of these links are affiliate coded, which means if you shop through them, the site receives a percentage of the purchase at no extra cost to you, which helps keep us in hot pink business. So if you use them, many, many thanks!
Also: if you find shopping for luggage, packing accessories, and the like to be very tempting, please be warned. (Also, Hi! We’re very alike!) Shopping is about to begin!
I use this toiletry kit from eBags:
The Pack It Flat Toiletry Kit works really well for me because it’s very thin – about 2″ or 5cm deep. But it holds a LOT – which you’ll see in a moment.
I’m a fan of toiletry bags that hang, so I can hook them over the door or on the towel rack – or that magnifying mirror that gives me the gibblies (I really don’t want to see my skin that close up. It’s a recipe for obsessive fixation, I think). For this one, I usually leave each pocket halfway unzipped so I can reach in for things I need.
Another great eBags option is this one:
The eBags Medium Portage Toiletry Kit is $30, but there are three sizes. The Small is $25, and the Large one is $35.
This style is a little more bulky, and since I like to slide my toiletry case on top of or behind my clothing and packing cubes (more on those soon!), this wouldn’t work for me. That said, this style does sit upright on the counter or table, which means you can keep the items inside pretty organized. The slim one I use doesn’t stand up on its own.
There are a ton of different toiletry bag options on eBags, in a bunch of different shapes, sizes, and profiles.
For a long time, I used this toiletry bag from LL Bean:
The Personal Organizer Toiletry Bag (Medium) is $30, and is designed to hang off the back of a door or sit up on the counter. It has a bunch of pockets and different side zipper pockets, and works well as a sort of dispensary for all your personal items. I used it until I replaced it with the slimmer profile one above.
In my experience, the bigger the bag, even a toiletry bag, the more you’re tempted to stuff into it, even when you don’t need those specific items.
In previous installments of my Stuff We Like: Calm Traveler Edition, a few of you commented that insulated lunch boxes like the ones from LLBean work very well as toiletry cases since they’re water proof and lightweight. Good call! I personally love compartments, but as a family all-in-one or a pet med and supplies case, a lunchbox would work well!
Since my goal when I travel is to bring as little as possible and organize what I bring, the slimmer profile of the eBags Pack It Flat Toiletry Case is ideal for me. Let me show you everything I can fit inside it.
Here’s my bag, mostly packed and zipped up, the way it is when it’s not traveling. But, it’s time to pack!
To make the amount it holds more clear, I took everything out. This was a pretty useful exercise, as I found I was carrying way more acetaminophen/paracetamol tablets than I needed.
Here’s everything that lives inside my toiletry case:
Ahoy, all my business, laid out on the counter. That’s pretty much everything, aside from my super-sexxy mouthguard, which I add before I leave, and any extras I may need for that specific trip. Let’s take a tour!
The far-left zipper pocket on this bag is lined with a thick clear plastic, so that’s where the wet, potentially leaky things go.
This stuff right here. These are also the items that have to come out when I go through TSA screening, so I keep it in a separate zip-top bag that I got at Gatwick airport when I went through security screening there. A Ziploc sandwich bag also works.
One key to toiletry packing that I recommend: decant or repackage everything.
Travel-size toiletries are often very expensive, but I’ve learned that you can buy them once then reuse the containers. The shampoo bottle, the black one, is filled with my regular shampoo from home. The Bumble & Bumble bottle isn’t hair product – that’s my evening face wash. The Boscia face oil is a sample I ordered on eBay, but I refilled it with my favorite face oil.
(Also, can I just say, as a person who went through two courses of Accutane in her 20s, the idea that I’m putting oil ON my face instead of desperately trying to get rid of it is HILARIOUS to me.)
The two little round tubes on the bottom are awesome. I loves those. One has my face scrub, and the other has hair product. They are from humangear, and they are the small size GoTubbs. You can see both sizes here:
The GoTubbs in Small hold .4oz, and are 1″ tall and 2″ wide. They’re $7.50 for a set of three.
I can fit a pretty solid amount of my face scrub in one, and it’ll last me about a week.
The Medium GoTubb holds about 2oz and is about 4″ wide. A set of three is $8.
I have an orange one in my toiletry case that I use for medication:
I know somewhere, a pharmacist is screaming, but I know which pills are which and can put a week’s worth inside one tub.
I’ve bought two sets of the GoTubbs in small and medium, and we use them for everything now. Allergy meds for the boys, medication for the dogs (labeled, obviously), some cooling gel in case we get sunburn. They’re ridiculously useful.
Note: There is also a GoToob with a soft silicone bottle meant to hold shampoo, conditioner, or other liquids or gels, but I had one set and really didn’t like them. The suction cup on the side did not hold, the lid cracked in my bag, and that made it leak. So it wasn’t as useful as repurposing a travel-size bottle and refilling it each time I go.
So, back to the leaky stuff. I put all the 3-1-1 TSA liquids in a separate zip top bag, and put that in the toiletry case on the far left side.
When I go through security, if I need to place liquids separate from my bag, I can grab the baggie and off I go.
The far right zipper pocket does expand if I need it to, but the most it holds is my toothbrush, paste, and floss. I keep a separate toothbrush in my bag so I don’t have to move my home toothbrush around. I get so many from the dentist, I have spares.
Now for the main compartment: this is where I keep my pills, my mouthguard, and a few larger items, plus some first aid items, too.
In the small zipper pocket in the middle, I keep bandages, Tylenol sinus, ear plugs, emery boards, tweezers, and a tiny pair of nail clippers.
In the main pockets of the middle section, I keep Tylenol in a small bottle, plus Q-tips, a deodorant (full size), and a comb.
I have very short hair, so I don’t need much in the way of travel hair product. A comb and a small tub of styling cream are plenty. But when my hair was longer, I had a small brush and a snack-sized zip top bag with hair ties, bobby pins, and the like in this section, too.
Now on to the makeup. This took a few trips for me to refine, especially because most of the time, when I travel, it’s for something business-related, and I want to look somewhat professional.
Usually I don’t wear a lot of makeup. My cats don’t care if my eyelashes are thick and full, and my skin dislikes it. Around the third day of a conference, my skin starts freaking out – what is this silliness? Stop it! So I carry very basic cosmetics that I know won’t make my skin irritated, and that are versatile for different occasions.
Again, all of these items are for travel only. I keep these items in my travel bag, and leave them there. They last longer and I don’t lose them.
Here is what I carry, starting with the largest item.
This is the Budoir collection from Too Faced ($39).
It’s housed in a metal container so it’s durable (it’s never been a problem in security, either).
The key here: INSTRUCTIONS IN THE LID. Seriously. I am not that skilled with eye makeup, and the instructions make sense and I don’t feel like a total idiot.
The tin doesn’t come with brushes, but after a few cosmetic “bonus with purchase” bags, I have an eyeshadow brush that came free with one bonus, and I bought a narrow, slant-edged brush for using the darker shades as eyeliner (which works really well for me).
I love the Too Faced eyeshadow collections, and this one is great for travel. There are two others in metal tins: the Natural Matte collection ($40) and the Natural Eye collection ($40). I have another collection, but it lives at home because the housing is paperboard. The Boudoir collection is the only eye color I have in my bag.
This is the rest of the makeup I carry:
Much like the idea that large items of clothing are worn twice on a trip, most of the items in my bag can be used in multiple ways. Here’s a list of what I carry:
- Clinique: Black Honey
- Maybelline Matte – Divine Wine
- Eyeshadow brushes (see above)
- NARS the Multiple – Malibu
- NARS the Multiple mini – Orgasm
- Too Faced Shadow Insurance Primer
- Avon light blue eyeshadow stick (discontinued, I think)
- Cover Girl eyeliner – Brown
- BareMinerals matte with travel size brush
- BareMinerals Mineral Veil in travel brush compact
- Dr Jart BB+ cream (I may switch to a different one, but I hardly wear it)
All of these items, plus my mouth guard, fit into this case easily. I have extra room, even. But I haven’t found myself in a hotel missing something I vitally needed.
To develop your own toiletry kit master list, or pack yours up now, you can use the existing Packing List Templates:
- Calm Traveler Packing List Template for Business Travel
- Calm Traveler Packing List Template for Family Travel
The second tab, “Toiletries,” is filled in with the basic essentials I carry, but it’s a spreadsheet, so here’s literally thousands of cells for you to customize for yourself (but don’t carry thousands of thing! You’ll hurt your back).
The process is very similar to the Packing Template sequence:
- Identify your essentials
- Identify the things you need each morning and evening, when you shower or bathe, and when you get ready for a professional event
- Streamline products when possible
- Decant or distribute existing full-size products into smaller travel-friendly containers
- Assemble the items and pack your kit!
Now, whenever you’re ready to travel, you won’t have to run everywhere gathering each item. It’ll be ready to go when you are.
If you’re enjoying this series, you can get this content early and exclusive extras on personal organization, both digital and actual, from the Organization Academy newsletter:
What are your toiletry essentials? Any products you swear by and never leave home without? What type of bag is your favorite?
Thanks for sharing this. I traveled a lot when I was younger, both foreign and domestically, but I’ve somehow morphed into a terrible, nervous traveler in my old age, especially where air travel is concerned. But it really does help to read tips and advice on how other people cope with it.
BTW, have you ever run into problems with having your meds loose like that and not in their original prescription bottles?
Have I told you lately that I love you? I am pretty sure we are just about travel twinsies.
Two more suggestions to add to this excellent list:
1) Over the years, I have started shifting to non-liquid toiletries for travel (and some daily life, too). I use bar facial cleansers (that work really well for my skin), a stick foundation that doubles as concealer, etc.
2) For the toiletries that I can’t switch to solid form, I add a tiny piece of plastic between the bottle and lid. I can’t remember where I found this tip, but it is a lifesaver. It can be bits of plastic bag, or whatever. It just needs to be thin enough to create a decent barrier, and large enough to fully cover the bottle opening.
Both of these strategies greatly reduce the number of spills you get in your toiletry bag. I am cheap, and I like to reuse the plastic bag I put toiletries in, so I hate when something spills and makes everything around it sticky or soapy.
I completely agree about non-liquid products for travel. I switched from my usual face wash to the drunk elephant pekee bar because I was so sick of decanting products. For fragrance my recommendation is to go to Sephora and ask for samples. Each Sephora visit you can get three samples, and you could use them all on perfume. My recommendation in terms of toiletries is to get tsa precheck. If you fly with any regularity, not needing to take out the toiletry bag (or your laptop) in security is such a benefit.
Rebecca – ha! Great minds think alike! Drunk Elephant is the line I use. For anyone who might be skeptical – the face wash bars seem really expensive, but the bars last FOREVER. Seriously, I bought the Juju last summer, and after a year of once-daily use, I’m just now getting to the replacement point. It’s amazing on my skin, too, when I alternate it with the Pekee. (Twice-daily Juju is just too much exfoliation for my skin, no matter how gentle.) Seconding the Sephora sample recommendation, too.
Is this the soap you mean? How is it on sensitive skin? (My face freaks out easily!) I may have to order one and try it next week. I agree, when possible, solid toiletries vs. liquid are preferable.
Thank you for the compliments, too! I love doing this series.
Oops- forgot. I haven’t had any problems with my pills not in their original bottle, but only one of them is prescription medication. And that prescription is so big, the bottle would probably qualify as a piece of luggage on its own!
SB Sarah – yep! I use their Juju in the morning, and the Pekee at night. There’s also a smaller travel duo set that retails for about 30 bucks, and they’re great for testing the bars out.
I have super oily, acne-prone skin that FREAKED OUT in my late twenties/early twenties. I initially went with overly harsh cleansers, and that made things worse. This line is really gentle. These bars have completely eliminated the painful, deep, cystic breakouts I used to get. I still get occasional breakouts (especially if I use the Juju too much) on my chin and forehead, but they’re small/not painful, and they go away very quickly. For summer, I also use the line’s gel moisturizer, which is super light and delightful. For winter, when I actually get dry skin, I use their Lala Retro.
I know I sound like a sales rep for this brand, but I’m not – swear! This is just my holy grail skincare. I teach, and there’s nothing worse than standing up in front of a class of 18-22-year-olds with perfect skin when you have a huge red zit on your chin.
OH MY GOSH ME TOO. I found the two-bar set and am totally ordering it. Thank you so much!!
I understand switching out solid for liquid where possible. In the case of soaps (assuming I understood the discussion above), however, how is packing a wet bar any better than worrying about potential leaks? Years ago, we traveled with solid bars in some kind of container that always leaked. What am I missing?
Dermstore.com has the Drunk Elephant bars with free shipping, and they have pretty frequent sitewide sales + freebies for extra perks:
https://www.dermstore.com/product_Baby+Juju+Baby+Pekee+Travel+Duo_67444.htm
Typically, soap dishes have never worked for me, but a zip top bag works very well. Perhaps that’s a better option? I’ll report back!
We’re also fans of GoTubbs. My husband, who tutors, keeps a small one in his backpack filled with four large acerola (chewable vitamin C) tablets. Whenever one of his students is sniffling, he takes a tablet right away. We’ll be using them for travel, too.
I have had the llbean large toiletry bag for close to 10 years now and it looks none the worse for the wear. I can fit a ton (I pack for myself and two children). Recommended!!
When it comes to traveling with make up, once I switched to Trish McEvoy, I’ve never looked back. It comes in a case that looks like a Fil-o-Fax or the Franklin Covey of makeup!!! I was totally sucked in by the organizing “pages.” It’s not the cheapest make up but I love it! They helped me assemble a kit and the pockets hold everything else (foundation, primer, brushes etc). As I said, it looked like an old Franklin Covey organizer from the outside. I was on the road a lot and this made packing super easy.
http://www.trishmcevoy.com/c-328-see-all.aspx
Thank you! I’ve been waiting for this post as this is what I struggle with the most and the reason I always check my luggage.
I notice you don’t put your mascara and face creams in with your 3-1-1 bags. That’s where I get confused. I felt like I had to put all my creams and my liquid mascara and my mineral.face cream into the 3-1-1 bag. Even the toothpaste. I cannot find good answers on the internet, but looks to me like you are not doing this and are getting thru the checkpoints just fine.
Any additional comments?
This is funny. I have, keep and use the small size LLBean hanging toiletry bag in my gym bag. For travel I have a one-compartment “ditty” bag which is just the right size but requires a lot of fishing around inside to find things. It never occurred to me to use a hanging toiletry bag for travel.
The Container Store has a good selection of travel accessories.
@Debbie: I haven’t been asked to, but I don’t have any face creams outside the 3-1-1 bag. I have a tube of hand cream and a very small tube of toothpaste, and that’s never been a problem. But like I said, every TSA can be a little different. I know where everything is, so if I’m stopped or asked to pull something out of my bag, I know where it is. Hasn’t happened yet .
I use this for road trips and plane trips too! My toiletries bag is always ready to go, all I usually need to add is a fresh razor and contacts and occasionally top off my shampoos and stuff.
It’s usually makeup that trips me up.
Keeping the samples from hotels is also useful. You can use them in a pinch since they are generally sized right for flight. O
Depending how I feel I follow a 5-12 step skincare regimen morning and evening so decanting is practically a way of life. For decants, think about product consistency and how much you use of each product before choosing containers. The small containers Sarah recommended look great but they only come in up to 60 mL (2 oz) sizes which may not be enough to squeak by on, for example, if you slather lotion over your entire body after each shower (guilty). Remember, though, air travel carry-on restriction is 100 mL (3.4 oz), so unless you want multiple decants I don’t recommend purchasing in volume larger than that. You can always decant two containers and as long as they all squeeze in your quart size bag I’ve never had a problem!
Liquid products (like toner) work best in mini spray bottles. If you use less rather than more product work great. I also decant products for at-home use into small spray bottles for ease of application and so as not to waste product. Decanting on trips may also save you having to bring cotton squares for application, keeping them dry, etc. I use mini plastic funnels like these to transfer product.
Mini spatulas such as this come in handy, too, though most probably have things in their kitchen that work just as well…just make sure it’s sanitized before sticking it in the product! I keep the spatulas that come with products so I always have a few on hand to bring along. They are especially useful for decants because sometimes you need them to get the product out of those small containers!
Regarding air travel and skincare, specifically moisturizer: the 3-1-1 rule does NOT apply to sheet masks, which, if you have the time for them, are more moisturizing than just moisturizer and are sooooo relaxing. However please save yourself some money and never, EVER buy them at retailers like Sephora and Ulta. You can get a box of on Amazon (it is a Taiwanese brand, FYI) for less than $15. I know I’m just some stranger on the Internet, but I’ve been sheet masking for years and at this price point you cannot find anything better, at least not in the U.S. They are just fabulous. Those $6 Sephora house brand ones are ROBBERY, so don’t do it!
Two final thoughts to add regarding makeup: 1) most makeup like eyeshadow will be fine but – unless you travel super regularly – don’t forget once a mascara has been opened it will dry out/won’t perform after a few months. Same goes for some face products, especially if it’s a mini size that just lives in your travel kit and only ends up used several times per year. Double check these items before heading out the door! 2) to save on space remember there is more than one way to use a product such as contour powder as an eyeshadow or lipstick as a creme blush. Just be careful if you have sensitive eyes or if the product is marked ‘not for use near eyes’.
@Alex Opps…messed up my links, sorry about that!
This is my first comment ever, and it’s about something I know! @Darylynn, I worried about messy soap bars too. I travel with a bar body soap because I don’t like to bring shower gel and I refuse to use a bar one or two days and throw it away at the hotel. I get one of those paper things that they put over a glass in the kitchen or bathroom area. The thing that protects the opening, you know? It’s usually a heavy paper with a coating of some sort. After I use the bar in the morning, I use a washcloth to blot it dry, and fold the paper thingy over it and then put it in my toiletry bag. It dries out and doesn’t get gunk all over because of the paper thingy.
I travel about 65-75% of the time via car, and usually in multiple cities in a week. I am ordering the Drunken Elephant now! I’ve been looking for a good bar cleanser, and that travel duo looks great!
When it comes to travel eyeshadow palettes, I HIGHLY recommend the Viseart Petit Pro (http://www.sephora.com/eyeshadow-palette-petit-pro-P416421?skuId=1916725&keyword=P416421). It is fantastic quality, has all the colors you need for a day or night time look, and the design is PERFECT for travel… it’s literally the size of your palm and still manages to have a mirror! It has been my trusty travel buddy all this year
Seconding the love for Drunk Elephant- that night serum saved my skin from 18 months of weird breakouts.
And finally, I’ve never had a problem not putting my face creams or mascaras in the TSA 3-1-1 bag. Not saying it’s officially allowed, but I’ve literally never had a problem with it
I put all my supplements and prescription medicines in a 7-Day medicine container. It’s never been a problem. It sounded like some people are worried about TSA getting annoyed if medicines aren’t in their original containers, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. I don’t think they’re supposed to be looking for drug smuggling or anything like that. Of course, for your own sake you have to know what everything is!
I recognize soooo many things! My Nars is Copacabana! I also pack Lush solid shampoo – many good ones to choose from. I don’t care much for their solid conditioner, so I bring a tiny bottle of Moroccan Oil and use that on damp hair, foregoing conditioner. I also put daily pills into the same plastic containers. Very practical. Never had an issue with TSA. And lots of things aren’t even “liquid” – like face gels and creams that I too put into little pots.
One more travelling tip – when I go somewhere really hot/humid, I put meds, makeup, face creams etc into a fridge – if at all possible.
For my bar soap I actually put it in one of those 1.25 Rubbermaid Tupperware containers. It’s the small square one and perfect size for the drunk elephant soap. I just wash the container every few trips and I don’t seem to have any leaking issues.