Packing Your Kit for Plane Rides & Weddings

Hi Bellas,

If you follow me on twitter you'll know that I was tweeting a lot about my trip last weekend to Houston.  I attended my sorority sister's wedding and also got to have a mini reunion with some of my close friends/sorority sisters from college.  While I was there for fun, I was also charged with doing the makeup of the bride.  Since I needed to travel via plane, I thought this would be a good opportunity to do a video on what I packed, and how I packed it.

To read more, click here!
This time, I was only doing makeup for one person which made it easier.  However, since it's the bride she's also the most important.  I also needed to pack my airbrush equipment for face and body cover-up.  I'm a really detailed packer to the point where I have spreadsheets and start packing weeks in advance.  In the past I've both over-packed and under-packed.  I've tried to get it down to a science.  Hopefully my OCDness will help some of you!

Check out my video!  Just warning you, it's 20 plus minutes long.  I covered literally everything I packed, lol. The video took me like a dozen times to re-edit and upload due to technical problems...that explains why it took so long to finally get it up!  Hopefully it was worth it, lol.
Part 1:


Part 2:


Here are some pics of the makeup I packed:
The only thing I forgot to show was the bride's eyeshadows.

I made sure to check the latest TSA regulations when it comes to makeup and tools.  I read over the rules and applied them to what you would pack as a makeup artist/enthusiast.

Here's What I found:

  • All liquids and creams in 3 oz size bottles.  No full size bottles with 3 oz of products.  It has to be in a smaller bottle.  
    • You can easily get the travel size containers everywhere if you need to transfer products.  Also check the travel toiletries aisle of your local drugstore.  I never bring full sized shampoos, lotions, hairspray, etc...it takes up too much room.
  • All cream and liquid products under 3 oz must fit into a quart size clear bag.
  • No flammable liquids such as alcohol. 
    • For this reason I needed to pack my rubbing alcohol in my check-in.
  • No scissors or blades over 3 inches long.  
    • I ended up packing my pointy tip steel spatula knives for this reason.
Here's What You CAN Pack Without Checking it Or Putting It in a Bag
  • lipstick
  • lip pencils, eye pencils, brow pencils
  • solid creams like eyeshadow bases (paint pots), concealers, and cream foundation (unless they are uber creamy and move around...then you need to check...I didn't put in my cinema secret concealer palette and Eve Pearl trio in my quart bag and I was fine...but if you're nervous about it, you can always default to the quart size bag.)
  • tweezers
  • mini scissors with blades under 3 inches long
  • eyelash curler
  • makeup wipes
  • powder products - eye shadows, bronzers, face powders (I always put this in my carry-on since they break easily)
  • brushes (I always put this in my carry-on because they're expensive to replace)
Here's what you need to pack in your quart bag or check in
  • mascara
  • lipgloss
  • gel liners
  • liquids like foundation, primer, moisturizer, eye cream, eye drops, lash glue, makeup setting spray
  • lip moisturizers like carmex or aquaphor...that isn't in a solid state (chapstick and other solid balms are okay)
If you are second guessing whether an item is a cream or liquid, might want to go ahead and throw it in the quart bag just in case (as long as it's in a 3 oz or less container).

Airbrush
I ended up packing my compressor, equipment and airbrush in my check in.  The airbrush actually has a long metal needle in it which would be considered a weapon.  I didn't want anyone thinking I had a bomb either!  I packed them in one of the Powder Group clear bags and it fit nice and snug.
I used the Powder Group Clear Bag Set to pack/organize all of my makeup.  They come in different square sizes which fit perfectly into luggage.  I love the clear plastic which is easy to see through yet very durable at the same time.  Each baggie also has a sturdy handle.  This was great when I used the largest one as a touch-up bag for the bride during the ceremony.

Here's A Shot of the Amazing Organizer Purse I used for the wedding.  Since I was dressing up for the ceremony as a guest, it was convenient to have this bag with me without looking out of place.  It had a million pockets and attached bags which made it perfect for makeup.  Better yet, I will definitely use this in the future as a travel bag.

Hope this helped you guys.  Stay tuned for another post where I'll actually post pics of the wedding and makeup :)

FTC Disclosure:  Products not sponsored by any brands.  Most items purchased by me or featured by review in another video.


Atlanta Makeup Artist