My Go-To Travel Makeup Bag: Don't Leave Home Without It

My mom has been a travel writer for about 30 years, which means that, growing up, my brother, sister and I got to join her and my dad (a lawyer/travel photographer) on some pretty cool adventures. It also means that she thinks she knows everything there is to know about hitting the road -- from how to score an upgrade to precisely what to pack -- and, to that end, we each always had a hanging makeup bag that housed everything any of us could possibly need on a trip.

These bags -- they were always the Henri Bendel Hanging Weekender, $70 with the signature Bendel "Centennial" brown and white stripes -- had see-through compartments that would hold Band-Aids and bug spray and Pepto and Benadryl (and loads of other drugstore items) and they'd always stay packed so when we were getting ready to embark on a trip, we never had to scrounge around the house trying to find stuff.

And, I have to say, as anal as that sounds, those Band-Aids (and other gear) came in handy more than once. That's probably why, to this day, I've kept up the tradition. Well, sorta. I do pack the requisite items, but I've switched to a new bag (how cute is the Mini Kittour by Vonda Overnight 2-in-1 Hanging Traveler, $100?) and these days I bring along makeup, night cream and a whole host of other "mom" type stuff.

Of course, because I don't have two complete sets of makeup, I can't leave one permanently hanging in the bag on the off chance that my husband will whisk us away to Paris for dinner, but I do have a checklist of the look-pretty stuff that I'll need while I'm away, so packing becomes a no-brainer, which is good when you have two kids and their DS cartridges, Lego sets, bug kits (ad nauseum) to round up.

One of the best things about this new bag is the bottles it comes with are all three ounces or less, so that they comply with FDA regulations for carry-on bags. That's a bonus because I hate to check my makeup -- you never know if it's going to end up in Tupelo instead of in Minneapolis with you, and it's such a pain (and expense!) to replace it.

But, while I've moved on in terms of which hanging bag I use, I have to say that my love affair with Bendel's Centennial stripe was rekindled recently when I discovered their Henri Bendel Mini Flat Iron & Travel Set, $60 which is chic, compact and contains a fully functional baby flat iron that perfectly tames Caribbean frizz or Albany static electricity without having to schlep your big ol' iron from home. Genius.


Have any beauty travel tips you think are inspired? Share! It's not possible to have too many.