Girls weekend toiletry essentials with hand luggage only!

[AuntieMaggie]

What would be your hand luggage make up/toiletry essentials if you were going on a girls weekend abroad but only had hand luggage allowance? Struggling to decide what I can live without!

I have a stack of travel pots I use to decant my must haves into which for me are my lovely shampoo and conditioner (especially if going away cos I want to know my hair will look good), and I've whittled my make up down to several essentials that work really well for me - mini Laura Mercier eye stick, single shadow, Glossier boybrow,, eye pencil, blush, lipstick etc which for fortunately don't take up much room. Pressed compact. Brushes in bag. I decant foundation into travel pot and I take a superdrug serum/moisturiser (dead cheap) which I'm happy to share with the girls, use excess as body moisturiser or leave behind. Flying Tiger do good reusable travel pots. I take a Travalo atomiser for perfume. If feeling swish, I pick up a lovely posh lippy in duty free these days too.

Stuff I don't bother taking - either buy on the departure side in travel sizes or, my preference and if time allows because I love nosing about in European/overseas pharmacies, in a local chemists/supermarket - soap, toothpaste, deodorant, hairspray, body moisturiser.

If flying with Easyjet I now make use of their 'free of with Three' hands-free option if going for longer than a weekend, to drop off my hand luggage to go into the hold (then it's about six quid for return flight)...am in Spain now and it was great cos I had to bring suncream, Aftersun and mozzie stuff I know I don't get allergic reaction to and as there isn't a liquids limit on "hands free" and you get to take a tote bag (which they give you that effectively you can take a fair few extra things in...the bag is pretty ugly so I had a much nicer one to drop it into ) on the flight so got my lovely make up with me and bag had several bigger bottles in the hold that I'll either use up or leave in the Air BnB for next guests to make use of. For £6, worth it for me!

Also, when I go away with my female friends we have in the past WhatsApped our packing list and share a load of things like toothpaste, deodorant, shower gel, body moisturiser, hairspray and e.g. Hairdryer, straighteners, Big Hair With my best mate, we do this with clothes/accessories too as fortunately we're the same size so you get double the choices on your break. Obviously, you've got to be comfortable with the but it's always worked great for us - there used to be lots of weekends away with a bathroom with four cans of deo, four bottles of shower gel in etc - seemed so obvious when we finally thought about it!

I take bar soap and a lush shampoo bar so I can use my full allowance for my real products!

My biggest prob is sunscreen though, I'm allergic to most so have to take my own big bottle instead of buying airside.

I learned the hard way that there's limit to how many under 100ml items you can take

Me too and I'm a very reserved packer, although thankfully I didn't have to dispose of anything too precious. If I'd had to hand over Sephora stuff I think I'd have cried.

So here what I do......take
shampoo
conditioner
shower gel
Facial wash
Deodorant
Moisturiser
Foundation
Hair serum
Hair spray
Mascara
Nail varnish
Perfume
Toothpaste
......in 2 bags!!
Just stick one in tray with jacket and one in tray with case. Never been an issue!!

A few years agoDP bought a Tres Somme shampoo and conditioner miniature from Boots. Those containers have been reused so many times as they are big enough for a week long break.
Make up is usually powder so that doesn't have to go in the plastic bag.

So in the bag is a shampoo and conditioner, a deodorant, a lipstick toothpaste and an anti histamine.
Eyelashes ate usually tinted so no need for mascara on holiday.

I either:

• collect shampoo/conditioner/body wash sachets from magazines & take enough for the weekend
• put in a boots order to be collected from airside so I know I'll have everything I need

I bought one of these in Ikea last year. You can decent all your favourite stuff into the little bottles and because they're all square they pack together really neatly in the case and take up very little room in your luggage. Total bargain at £3.

www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/ikea-family-products/travel/förfina-10-piece-travel-set-art-10328182/

I have sensitive skin so need to bring a small travel size suncream, moisturiser & foundation in small pots. Also bring travel size mozzie spray if going abroad.

Small aerosol deodorant & some boots travel sizes as well.
I usually have makeup remover wipes/soap/non-liquid makeup in case.
A friend gave me a tip to soak cotton pads in cleanser and seal in a bag - technically they can go in your case too.
Like the tip to take two bags and spread them across two trays!! Clever...…..

agreed with BusySittingDown - just take stick deo and soap - I take travel sizes of both. This morning I saw for sale travel sachets of Elvive Shampoo and snapped them up. I save any of those sachets you get as freebies - like L'Occitane moisturiser, body lotion sachets you get in magazines etc and bring those too.

Anything else you can buy there or as sweetheart says buy anything else and take them on plane - if I do that then I buy stuff I don't mind leaving behind.

To be honest too - all the stuff you 'think' you'll need like a serum etc - it's nice if it comes in a small travel bottle or sachet or you can decant it - but do you really use it on a 2 day trip away? I recall just being so tired and drunk the most I could do was to take off my makeup and apply night cream!

oh, also - keep an eye out for the teeny tiny travel sizes you get as GWP - clarins etc do them - they're smaller than travel sizes look almost doll sized but fit well into toiletry bag.

I've found before - tiny John Frieda serum, tiny Clarins face washes and moisturiser etc.

I keep a special stash (so does SIL) of travel sized toiletries so I can use them on trips abroad.

I thought you could only take 10x under 100ml items? Doesn’t this include lipsticks etc? Sorry, I’ve never travelled hand luggage only and doing it twice in the summer...and I’m panicking

Maximum 1 litre overall, 100ml max per item.

Maximum of 100ml per item, and must fit in a sealable, clear bag with a capacity if about 1L, with dimensions of approx 20cm by 20cm.

Away next week, I plan to take usual make up plus jo Malone solid perfume. If only using carry on I just but shampoo, conditioner, body wash, moisturiser and sun at the boots in duty free.

I'm pretty low maintenance compared to most of you

Soap, not shower gel
Don't wear mascara or foundation on holiday
Don't need insect repellent

My must haves are moisturiser, lipstick, shampoo & conditioner, solid stick antiperspirant, facial soap, toothpaste.

I leave serums, night cream, cleansers etc behind as I can manage perfectly well without them on a short break.

I would use it as a good excuse to treat myself to a new palette which contains it all, like a Benefit one or something! Then take a soap, stick deodorant (I use a crystal one) I wouldn't bother with shampoo etc as I wash my hair every 3 to 4 days. I'd then take a small tub of Nivea and make do with that for face and body. I've done 3 weeks in Bali with hand luggage and it was fine. You can always get a few bits at the other end!

I thought you could only take 10x under 100ml items? Doesn’t this include lipsticks etc? Sorry, I’ve never travelled hand luggage only and doing it twice in the summer...and I’m panicking blush
Correct but it must go in the sealed airport bag. Dome airports they are free other airports charge.

Shampoo bar (face/hair/body)
Sun cream
SPF moisturiser
Stick deodorant
Toothpaste/brush/floss
Lip balm

I don't wear make up a lot at home and it just slips off my face when faced with any humidity so I don't bother with that.

stick deodorant/lipstick are classed at liquids.
I take make up and face moisturiser and a sachet intensive hair conditioner.
buy a bottle of body lotion/shampoo airside or at destination and leave there (or just use hotel stuff)

Stansted can be strict about enforcing the one bag rule. I tried to take two through recently, not realising it was not allowed, and was told I’d just have to ditch some of my stuff.

Not applicable in this situation but when travelling with DH he takes all the every day stuff like shower gel, shampoo etc so I can use my allowence for make up and hair products.

When travelling with friends one brings shower gel, one brings shampoo, etc etc so we all have enough allowance for our personal bits too.

I believe the limit is 10 items or up to 1lt in 100ml or less containers.

I went through Heathrow with about 30 miniatures in my hand luggage. I was moving abroad and wanted to take them with me so I had plenty of treats to keep me going (moving to a poor country, not many good shops) and I totally forgot that I packed them in hand luggage. I obviously beeped at the scanner and I was in a que for ages, the security guy searched my bag and I was so ashamed. I apologized and thought he'd take them off me but he was lovely and put them in a clear bag and said it happens all the time and not to worry. I had LOADS. Think M&S advert calendar treats x 2 calendars worth!!!!