As you read this I’m 36,000 feet in the air on my way to Nashville, Tennessee for a blogging conference called BlissDom. I’m 10 kinds of excited for this trip. I didn’t go to the conference last year and heard wonderful things about it, so I can’t wait to hop off the plane and party like it’s 1999 with all my blogging friends.
For the record, Precocious was born in 1999. I wasn’t doing a whole lot of partying. Or sleeping. But that’s neither here nor there.
While packing for this trip I got to thinking about what to take on a 4-day trip. I tend to *ahem* over-pack a little {a lot} because I hate being left without the one thing I knew I’d need on the road. I’m getting better the more I travel, I really am, but it’s taken some time.
Here’s a really compressed version of my makeup bag, the traveling kit I take when I fly. Don’t laugh. I really do need this much at my disposal when I travel; I never know if I’ll want to go natural or smoky eyed. I’m mysterious like that.
And these are all the brushes I need. This is a compact version of my makeup brushes, I have at least twice this many. I know, I know, it’s a sickness.
But look! It all fits nicely inside this cute pouch my friend Donna made for me. Isn’t it great?
In case you were wondering, yes, I was able to zip it closed. I only had to offload a few things to an extra Zip-lock bag for safekeeping. Shhhh.
Which leads me to jewelry. Yes, I pack my jewelry in Zip-lock bags. I probably could use a fancy jewelry roll but these work just fine. Who says Zip-locks aren’t fancy?
I have to do a little bit of untangling when I land, but no one is worse for the wear and all the jewelry is contained in its own little space. I love things being in their own little space, it’s the organizer in me.
What packing tips do you have? Anything I should know to streamline the process? Do tell.
Allison
Hello there! I'm Allison Czarnecki, founder + editor of Petit Elefant, a blog all about style on a budget for every part of your life: style / home / travel / family. I do a lot of how-to beauty + style tutorials, travel posts, easy recipes, home remodel projects, and cool DIY crafts you totally want to try. I'm super happily married (to a hot Polish immigrant) and am the mother of two kids, a daughter and son, all of whom are featured here on the regular. We live in the country but we're a little bit rock + roll. Welcome!
I keep/pack my makeup in a very small tupperware container. Good make up brushes are expensive and it provokes my anger when the hairs of the brushes get caught in a zipper.
It's not the most space-saving solution, but what do I need space for? It's not like I'm buried in fashionable clothes and shoes. ;)
TM Erin,
You are brilliant. Tupperware! Why didn’t I think of that?
Handy! Given that I still need to pack. Doh! See you soon!
Laying all of my clothes one on top of the other and folding in half is my trick. Saves a huge amount of space.
Wonderful idea. Why have I never done that?!
I think you're a bloody legend (sorry, aussie slang) – anyone that uses zip lock bags on the destination to somewhere fabulous – is alright by me!!
make sure you schedule a flight down under sometime my friend!
(wow, i wish i could be heading off to all these cool jaunts you go on!)
jules
Jules,
Australia is in my top 3 places to travel before I die. I might take you up on a visit soon. Really and truly.
Love that you're a MAC junkie! And I'm always on the lookout for a good foundation. Do you like the Mineral Power one you're using? Have fun at Blissdom!
Emily,
I’m obsessed with MAC, it’s the best bang for your buck in addition to being beautiful!
I like the mineral powder okay, I’m just not a big fan of foundation period, but this was good.
maybe this is too much work (and not very "green") but i had a mishap where 2 of my necklaces somehow got way too tangled and it took an hour to undo, so now i put my "chain-y" bracelets and necklaces in individual little "snack" ziplocks and then put those in the big ziplock to keep them separate…
and i'm totally like you in the sense that i have to pack anything i might remotely be in the mood to wear, which usually ends up being a good portion of my closet!
Jenny,
No, it’s brilliant and I’ll do that for sure. Fabulous tip.
As I've been traveling more lately, I've found that I'm actually packing more than I used to! It's always that 'Just in Case' scenario: Just in case…it rains, I spill on my clothes, it's hotter/colder than expected, I decide I don't like what I packed…and on and on and on. Have fun!
Donna,
The problem is that it’s always JUST IN CASE.
You take after your parents with your need to pack everything "just in case."
Well, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been validated. It reinforces my behavior.
We just spent 2 weeks in New Zealand and the packing was very interesting. I mean how do you fit 2 weeks of honeymooning in different climates into one bag?
I used a travel bag that had spaces for my make-up and jewelry. I'm fancy like that.
You ARE fancy! Way fancier than me and all my Zip Locks. But I love my individual bags!
Congrats on a great honeymoon!
is it bad that my makeup is much more valuable than all my jewelry combined?
NO! I shop for jewelry at H&M, Forever 21, and Charlotte Russe.
I heart my makeup.
Cute pouch! I always put jewelry in socks, haha. That way the different pieces don't scratch each other.
Tammy,
That’s brilliant! I’ll have to do that next time I go.
Zip-locks are very handy! I LOVE it. I keep my brushes in a small pouch, and keep the rest of my make up in a smaller pouch. The ziplocks are for the jewelry (like you!) and for the liquids (lotions, gels, etc). I hope youre having a grand time!
I have an explosion every time I travel, no matter what. Having it all in separate Zip Locks keeps it contained.
I live on the road doing a little show called Wicked. I pack for a living. Zip Lock bags are my go to for EVERYTHING. I can't live without them. But, a travel case that hangs up with clear protectors for make-up is my favorite. Got mine at the Container Store :)
A little show called Wicked? I may have heard of it.
Also, if I lived by a Container Store? That would be trouble. I’d have a maxed out Container Store credit card.
Ziplocs are the way to go! I put socks and small things inside shoes and roll most of my clothes. It all fits really nice and leaves plenty of space
I love the idea of putting it inside shoes! Look at you, multi-tasking.
I use ziploc bags for my jewelry too when I'm traveling, but I get annoyed when all the necklaces end up tangled together and I have to sit there for ten minutes untangling them. So I've been thinking about buying one of these:
http://www.mrspottsthoughts.com/2010/01/jewelry-travel.html
I’ve got to figure something out for my longer chain necklaces, those ones are tricky!
We failed to do a smokey eye on me! We're going to have to do that at Mom 2.0, pa-lease!
One of these days I’m going to get you in a corner.
p.s. no one puts Baby in a corner.
Gosh, we are soo alike. I packed about the same amount of makeup, and the jewelry came in freezer bags. I also used freezer bags to store the business cards I collected.
Ahh, see? All my collected business cards end up at the bottom of my purse. One Zip Loc is perfect for those!
for the long necklaces how about wraping each one individually in tissue paper and lay them out carefully in a large ziplock bag and carefully lay the bag flat between your sweaters, pants or what ever will keep the bag snug and prevent it from shifting around during the flight.