How strict at Gatwick - liquids

[BranchGold]

Going away on holiday next week and thinking about packing my make up/toiletries. A lot of my products are hard cream blushers/bronzers, lipsticks that technically come under the liquid rules, but can I ask if anyone has had these flagged/removed?

These new scanners and the liquid restrictions being scrapped can’t come soon enough!

We had an incident with a melted freddo in dds hand luggage one year that led to everything having to be checked

And on a different occasion dhs keyring made the scanner think there was a knife in his bag as he forgot to put his keys into the tray

Is it possible to buy travel versions of some of your products if you haven’t already?

Really they don't do it, if you are organised and have everything ready!

Have a bag with all your electricals ready. Have your liquids ready.

Airport staff might actually smile at you. (True story).

The liquids rules were introduced hastily in 2006 as “a temporary measure” to protect against explosives. Despite repeated promises they remain in place.

New scanners Supposed to be done by 2022. Then by June 24. Heathrow now saying it won't be till at least 2025, possibly 2026.

Cos they've actually ordered the scanners and they have to put them into use fairly soon!

Honestly, I'd rather not risk being blown up by an explosive than the minor inconvenience of cutting down on my make up or paying for luggage to go into the hold.

I also get a full body scan and pat down as security don't accept my proof of surgery. That's also fine. Although you'd have no issue at Kos airport as the staff had their back to the scanning machines for a good 5 minutes last time we visited.

I flew from Gatwick to Palma with some girlfriends last September and we all had hand luggage only. Three of the girlfriends had a big plastic cosmetic pouches full of liquids of all sizes, pouches were see through but much bigger than the standard flimsy bag you get handed at the airport.

They all got through without a word and same in Palma on our way back. I couldn’t believe it. I’ve been so dutiful always at packing the minimal amount and making sure it’s all within the rules but felt like it’s been pointless 🤷‍♀️.

Yep. They did this to me. I didn’t know it was one bag only!

Now I just tend to find somewhere I can buy everything on the other side and only take absolute bare minimum stuff.

My top tip for a few days away with hand luggage only is to decant stuff you definitely need but only a small amount of into contact lens pots. I also save sample size bottles for larger amounts for products that aren't sold in small bottles.
I bloody hate it though, such a faff.

It’s been 22 YEARS since the rules came in!

I travel every week for work so have a complete set of minis on the go permanently.

As PP said, the delays in getting new scanners here are irrelevant if you're returning from somewhere without one.

It's cheap to buy small bottles and pots to decant into. If you do that, surely it's possible to fit everything in. You can have 20 x 50ml containers. Most blushers etc will be less than 50ml.

I’m abroad now having flown out of brum and Bristol within the last month. Back from Verona was fine. Awaiting Portuguese opinions 🤣

take no more than one bag of wet stuff that meets ALL the size criteria - don’t push it you will be caught one end or the. Other.

lipsticks etc aren’t liquids though nor are deodorants like wild. Wipes and contact lens “ blisters “ also don’t go in the wet bag

I haven't read the full thread so apologies if I'm repeating anything. We flew out of Gatwick last week and they were super strict. They pulled both my bag and my son's and checked the liquids. My son had a small spray deodorant in his bag that he forgot to put in the clear plastic bag so this was the cause. They did a swab or some sort of test on this and it was fine. My bag meanwhile was pulled as I hadn't put my small Vaseline pot in the clear plastic bag. I kind of thought Vaseline would be a solid as it doesn't run but there you go!
I love my skincare and make up and had way more than 10 liquids in my clear bag. We were just going to London for 4 nights and had carry on baggage and I decanted all my skincare (cleanser, toner, essence x 2, serum, oil, moisturiser, spf) and make up (primer x 2, foundation, concealer) etc into tiny clear pots from Amazon. It was a faff but fine.

I have taken more than 10 small items in a plastic bag.
I scaled back my make up and found it just about doable.
I took face wash, day cream, night cream, eye cream, lip salve, eye drops, concealer, mascara, eye brow pencil, blusher, lipstick, eye liner, tiny eye shadow palette.

I can fit: shampoo, conditioner, hair oil, face wash, moisturiser, eye cream, serum, suncream, foundation, concealer, cream blush, contour, highlighter, lash primer, mascara, eyeliner, brow gel, lip balm, foot cream and body cream in.

Don’t risk it.

I need alot of contact lens supplies and eye drops. I’ve realised I can’t just take hand luggage anymore
Can't you order your solution on Prime and have it delivered to your hotel/appartment?

Women really have been sold down the river, haven't we? Believing that three cream blushers are in any way necessary for a mini break.

OP, Gatwick will be very strict. You must be able to seal the (tiny) plastic bag.

You risk losing stuff if you use 2 bags. It's 1 plastic bag with up to 10 100ml containers in it.
I've seen security take stuff if you try and take too much.

Put it in your hold luggage = sorted

She doesn't have hold luggage

It's one bag 20cm x 20cm with as many containers as you like, provided the bag ziplocks shut, that no one container is more than 100ml and that the total of the liquids is no more than 1000ml.

I think contact lens solutions comes under "medical" so you can take more than 100ml, but check with the airport.

OP - can you get sample/travel sizes of as much as possible, then order travel sizes of everything to collect at boots airside? You'll probably use use a lot of it during your holiday, so won't be bringing back as much.

I tried to use a ziplock freezer bag a few years ago at Teeside airport. Nope, had to be a completely clear airport approved one, available from the airport vending machine (despite a ziplock freezer bag being OK at a different UK airport that morning).

Since then I’ve stuck to the freebie Gatwick ones, grab a few each time I’m passing through.

DS mistakenly left a big bottle of expensive parfum in his bag and realised at the airport, but was able to leave it in lost property and pick it up on the way back (smallish regional airport though).

Would also add that went through Gatwick a few days ago and I don’t know if it was new scanners playing up or high security alert (or both) but lots of bags being pulled for rescans and searches and lots of things being confiscated and disposed of.