Heading off on holiday? 5 clever ways to cut down your beauty baggage

By Katie Wright

These innovative products will help you streamline your suitcase, says Katie Wright.

Unless you’re heading off on some kind of digital detox or remote retreat, where make-up is the last thing on your mind, packing for a summer escape poses a bit of a conundrum.

You want to look (and smell) good on your holiday, yet you don’t want to be carting away the entire contents of your bathroom cabinet – particularly if all you’ve got to play with is a budget airline’s measly cabin baggage allowance.

Fear not, however, because there a lots of space-saving products and handy tools to help you condense your cosmetics, so you only pack the absolute essentials and can spend less time stressing over your suitcase…

1. Travel-size bottles

The clue is in the name, of course. These mini tubes and bottles never go over the 100ml airport security limit, but they’re big enough to see you through (depending on the product) a fortnight away.

Nuxe My Travel Essentials Gift Set, £12, Escentual

This excellent-value five-piece set from French brand Nuxe features a mini shower gel, cleanser, moisturiser, hand cream and the brand’s cult favourite body oil.

Sunday Riley Wake Up With Me Kit, £81, Cult Beauty

Can’t bear to abandon your multi-step skincare routine while on hols? Sunday Riley’s luxurious new six-piece set has everything you need to cleanse, exfoliate, hydrate, brighten, soothe and firm your complexion.

2. Beauty bars

Not only do they help cut down on plastic packaging, solid beauty bars are ideal for travel too, especially if you opt for mini versions.

Ethique Tone It Down Shampoo Mini, £3

Sustainable beauty brand Ethique has a huge range of 15g mini bars, including shampoo, conditioner, bodywash, cleanser and serum.

Lush Sleepy Face Naked Cleansing Balm, £8.50

While many skincare bars weigh in at a hefty 100g, all Lush cleansing bars are a suitcase-friendly 35g. We love the lavender scented Sleepy Face.

Eco Warrior Mini Cube, £8, Little Soap Company

Great for couples, this quartet features shampoo, shaving, cleansing and exfoliating bars in 30g cubes.

3. Portable palettes

There’s no point packing a huge make-up palette when you know you’re not going to use the whole thing. That’s where refillable sets come in really handy.

Benecos It-Pieces Pretty Cold Palette, £21.95

The Benecos It-Pieces collection lets you choose up to eight pans to insert into an empty palette (£5.95), from a selection of eyeshadows, powders, blushers, bronzers and highlighters, with refills starting from just £3.95. Alternatively, you can select one of two ready-made palettes.

Hourglass Curator 3-Pan Custom Palette, £96

New from Hourglass, curate your own three or five-pan eyeshadow palette, selecting from 40 different wearable shades in matte, satin, metallic or shimmer finishes.

4. 

   Skincare capsules

The ultimate in space-saving chic, individual skincare capsules ensure you don’t take away a drop more product than you need.

Eve Lom Cleansing Oil Capsules Travel Pack, £20, Space NK

This luxe travel kit provides 14 biodegradable capsules filled with nourishing cleansing oil and a seven-day dispenser.

Elizabeth Arden Celebrate with a Twist Ceramide Capsules Set, £25

Worth £34, this great-value set features four tubes of seven capsules, each containing a different skin-boosting serum from the Elizabeth Arden ceramide range.

5. 

   Perfume decanters

Even small glass perfume bottles are often on the heavy side, and mini versions of fragrances can be over-priced. Take your signature scent on holiday by filling a 5ml atomiser, which equates to around 65 sprays.

Travalo Perfume Pod Spray, £5, Escentual