If you’re planning on traveling for more than a couple of weeks, you’ll be wise to travel light. Every ounce counts and every part of an inch or centimeter as well.
Women, you might not think of this but there are issues to consider for every piece of makeup you choose to take with you.
Let’s look at Mascara for travel
In many ways, Mascara is the easiest makeup item to choose for travel. It’s not likely to be damaged by water or crumple to uselessness when dropped. However, there are still issues.
Size
Have you noticed that makeup companies are packing their same amount of mascara in wider and larger containers now? This trend has gotten worse in recent years.
Apparently, makeup companies are certain that women as so stupid we are fooled by larger packaging and believe that we’re willing to spend more on “more substantial looking” items.
For your travel, I advise that you pack a nice narrow, small mascara in a light container.
You might laugh at this now but during your travels, you’ll wish you had that extra space.
Washability
If your current mascara waterproof? Water resistant?
Makeup salespeople tell me waterproof mascara should always be removed with makeup remover. Even if you’re using coconut oil to remove your makeup, that’s a requirement in your packing.
Does your mascara require makeup remover?
If you use makeup remover, now — even if you don’t intend to travel for another year — try washing your face with soap and water? Does your mascara come off well enough for your comfort? Can you get away without the extra product? Remember, you’ll need to carry that makeup remover.
If you need a makeup remover for your mascara, consider changing brands for your travels. Start looking now. The sooner you find a better mascara, the better.
Mascara shopping
Makeup is sold all around us. There are so many stores you can walk into and peruse the makeup aisles, the mascara sections.
It’s easy to see the packaging. It’s simple to note and consider only the thin packages, the tubes that are not insanely long because of some fancy handle. It’s also not too hard to read the word waterproof or water resistant, although testing their claims requires purchase and trial.
Read the ingredients if you can. Bear in mind that fibers for length or thickness can flake off into your eye and land who-knows-where in your body. Know that the most common ingredients of mascara combine to form formaldehyde. Yes, for real. You can look this up. You won’t see formaldehyde as a listed ingredient but you can sure smell it in many brands.
The goal of this article is to help you pack wisely and to know all the considerations that I had to learn. Not to sell you anything. However, I am going to recommend my mascara of choice because you won’t find it in the drugstores or department stores — and it’s worth knowing about. My goal isn’t really to sell you on it. I don’t get a reward or kickback.
My mascara of choice
I love that my mascara of choice — Truly Natural Mascara — has bucked the overgrown mascara craze. Maybe because the person behind it is a woman (Melissa Hertzler) and she owns the company (Honeybee Gardens). This mascara is easy to pack. It fits well in a minimally sized makeup bag and won’t weigh you down much at all.
The container is a lightweight recyclable plastic minimalistic in its eco footprint. Plus, you can see into the container so you may be able to get an idea of how much you have left.
The Honeybee Gardens mascara really is all natural. There’s no horrible smell. It’s not sticky and gunky. Unlike many commercial mascaras, the ingredients don’t form formaldehyde when mixed.
It’s water-resistant, not waterproof. Water-resistant is much easier to wash off. My eyes tend to tear so my eyeliner and mascara frequently smudges. That never happened to me with this mascara (or their eyeliner, mentioned below).
The ingredients are listed right on this mascara’s product page. I once sought and compared the ingredients other mascaras — when I could find them published. The others were a long way from sounding like something I wanted near or in my eyes.
I think you’ll welcome Honeybee Gardens mascara as your everyday life mascara as well as for travel.
The only catch is, as I mentioned, that you won’t find Honeybee Gardens mascara in stores in the States or around the world. It’s available online. (I discovered it at Natural Products Expo and repurchased it in person from Melissa there. Running out of it and buying commercial mascara I am reminded how much I can’t stand the other stuff.)
Truly Natural Mascara ($12.99).
Eyeliner
Eyeliner is the most flexible of your makeup items. It’s all pretty much the same size and weight. I hope you don’t opt for plastic containers, but realize you also need to take a good sharpener with you when you use the traditional wooden kind.
As with mascara, see how well yours washes off your face without makeup remover. You’ll want a brand that stays on your eyes without smudging but also washes off easily.
My choice is Honeybee Gardens’ Effortless Eye Liner ($8.99). It goes on softly, doesn’t smudge (for me), comes off easily, and never makes my eyes burn or hurt.
What about other makeup?
I’m getting to that. I’ve been waiting to discuss this stuff for a long time. I’ll have another article for you soon.
And if you’re wondering why I am writing this now, it’s because packing for my next year and a half is on my mind. Waiting until just a month or two before will cost me weight and cause me to pack things that are not the best or most useful.
Very handy and useful information – thanks again for the great tips!