Happy new week, everyone!
Today’s edition is coming to you in real time, as I’m packing for a trip to see family in Italy this week (Will is holding the fort at home, as he has to work, and is looking forward to some peace and quiet).
It’s a super-short visit, so I’m packing light and flying with a carry-on only, and with the restrictions on liquids still in place at my London airport, I’ve been all about the travel bottle-decanting, and attempting to be the capsule wardrobe person I’ve never been in my life. (See, too, the question of HRT gel and liquid allowances - at this point, in the UK, the advice is to check with your airline. Mine allows liquids up to 100 ml, carried in a separate plastic bag, with some form of doctor’s proof that they’re required (the carrier was good with a surgery printout of my prescription, but airlines might ask for a letter).
The best beauty travel bottles
When it comes to decanting toiletries and liquid/cream/gel makeup (the jury seems to be out on blush, but I squeeze it in with liquids to be safe), one size, literally, doesn’t fit all. Many travel bottle sets tend not to include different sized pots and bottles, including squeez-y or spray ones, to allow for the different consistencies and quantities of products you might want to pack.
One of the best high street kits I’ve come across is Primark’s brilliantly priced, pastel-coloured Travel Bottle Set (£1.50).
(Side note for U.S. readers: Primark Beauty is being rolled out at stores Stateside this summer. The huge line-up of budget makeup, beauty tools and accessories is cruelty-free and includes nail care, skin care and body formulas.)
For maximum flexibility, I grabbed this Travel Bottle Set (£7.99) on Amazon, which includes 8 bottles and 9 jars of different sizes, and a handy pipette, funnel and spatula.
It worked out great. Ideally, you want a mix - I managed to scrape my beloved Jones Road Miracle Balms into the mini pots, a tip I picked up from herself at her Substack, in which she demo’ed how she takes her makeup essentials to-go.
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You can also shop mini balms at Jones Road, where they’re included in limited edition kits. Mini versions of favourites are, of course, always great for travel—it’s worth asking at counters for samples of lip glosses, skin care and base, along with body essentials such as shower gel—besides being dollshouse-cute.
The lovely Jane of posted this clip of her favourite minis to Instagram a few days ago.
One of my favourite mascaras was a Chanel freebie sample I picked up at Sephora, and it lasted forever. Speaking of which, Sephora does a great mini perfume atomiser, into which you can decant your fragrance (without the need to spring for pricey handbag-sized sprays). One small bottle will give you plenty to see you through a good few days worth of spritzing. Job done.
Other extras worth thinking about: any cheapie eye mask, to ensure a better night’s sleep while you’re away, and a shower cap that’s actually waterproof, to help protect a holiday blowdry (you know what I’m going say here: TK/TJ Maxx). Speaking of which, the flimsy hotel bathroom plastic shower caps are, weirdly, often the best on this front, so it’s worth saving them. And, while not essential, I make space in my carry-on for a small, round body brush from The Body Shop (£8). Body brushing has become so much a part of my morning routine, I miss it (almost) as much as coffee when I don’t do it.
For hair styling, if wash-and-go isn’t an option for you, something lightweight and packable like the new Babyliss Air Wand, which I wrote about here, covers you for drying, styling and smoothing.
When it comes to packing clothes, I refer you to the experts, like , whose genius strategy I 100% tried for this trip.
A really useful skirt
This is the skirt of my summer trip (and summer, generally) dreams: the Pure Cotton Midi Tiered Skirt by Finery London, at M&S (£35), in black or white.
Cool, tiered (so no stress about it looking perfectly smooth) and a great length.
And look at that friendly waist!
This is fabulous as always and such great advice. My youngest as you know flew to Rome earlier this year and there were days of stress due to her not being sure how to manage her products because of the liquid restrictions. Lots of decanting into little pots lol. I'm showing this to her as she will love it for next time. Hope you have an amazing trip xoxoxo PS Cindy was always my favourite supermodel, I so wanted to look like her lol 😂
Love that white skirt! Have the best time ☀️