The Ultimate 5-Day Travel Toiletries & Makeup Guide: Pack Light, Look Great!

Going on a 5-day trip? Packing light doesn't mean sacrificing your beauty routine! This guide helps you streamline your toiletries and makeup to save space and still feel fabulous. We've even included product recommendations to make your packing a breeze. For products we don’t carry, some links open outside of Girl on the Go. We earn a small commission on Amazon links that helps to pay for our travel content.

Part 1: Toiletries – The Essentials

Let's face it, packing toiletries can be a pain. But with smart choices and travel-sized containers, it doesn't have to be!

• Hair Care:
• Shampoo & Conditioner: Our 30-50ml Flat Pouch Bottles  are perfect for a 5-day trip. I only wash my hair once a week, but it is extremely thick, so I find that the 30 ml bottle is good for 2-3 washes, while the 50 ml is good for 3-5.
• Dry Shampoo: A lifesaver for those in-between washes! It’s a little difficult (but not impossible!) to decant dry shampoo, so to make it easier, grab a bottle of our favorite Batiste Dry Shampoo.
• Hair Styling Products:
• Anti-heat Spray – decant into our 10 ml Plastic Spray Bottle
• Styling Gel/Mousse – gel is easy to pour into our 10ml Squeeze Bottle, but mousse is a little trickier. We love R+Co products, so we suggest either picking up a travel size from your favorite salon or you can order from Amazon
• Hair Spray – pour your non-aerosol spray into our 30ml Plastic Spray Bottle
• Hair Smoothing Cream – use our 15ml Soft Plastic Tube with a screw top for easy access
• Tools:
• A travel-sized brush – the NuWay4Hair Traveler – keeps your hair untangled without taking up a lot of space – and it comes with a handy case so the bristles don’t get smashed!
• A curling iron/straightener – We love when a product does double-duty, so our favorite is the L’ange Le Duo that both curls and straightens your hair. It’s compact, heats from 280°F-430°F, and is also dual-voltage!
• A foldable hair dryer – the Conair Travel Hair Dryer is a great compact option.
• Body Care:
• Body Wash: Pour yours into our 50ml Flat Pouch Bottle to stay squeaky clean on your trip
• Face Wash: You need surprisingly little for a 5-day trip. Use our 15ml Soft Plastic Tube with a leak-free flip top.
• Feminine Wash: This is also a great fit for our 15ml Flip Top Soft Plastic Tube.
• Shaving Cream/Oil: I was a shaving foam loyalist, but it's just not practical for travel. Enter Cremo French Lavender Moisturizing Shave Cream and Tree Hut bare Moisturizing Shave Oil! These are game-changers—they work great and are super easy to take with me on trips. Decant shaving cream into our 10ml Squeeze Bottle, and shaving oil can go into a Venus Travel Razor is so convenient and easy to use that you mind find yourself using it at home too!
• Loofah: A small, compact one is key! We love these Loofahs from amazon that include a waterproof pouch!
• Deodorant: Secret Outlast is a great compact option.
• Body Lotion & Sunscreen: Our 50ml Soft Plastic Tubes with a flip top are the perfect way to bring these along.
• Face care:
• Eye Cream: Squeeze or scoop a small amount into our 5g Plastic Cosmetic Jar
• Face Cream:  Using a silicone spatula, transfer your cream into our 10g Plastic Cosmetic Jar
• Face Serum:  Our 3ml Glass Dropper Bottle is perfect for a 5-day trip. Use a spring pipette to transfer.
• Face Spray:    I like to use our liquid pipette to transfer mine into our 10 ml Airless Plastic Spray Bottle
• Makeup Remover: For liquid makeup remover, use our 30ml Plastic Bottle with a leak-free flip top. Or you can grab a few of our Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cloths.
• Oral Hygiene:
• Toothpaste: Our 15ml Soft Plastic Tube with a secure screw top holds enough for 5+ days
• Toothbrush: Choose a travel-sized one. Our favorite is the GUM Folding Travel Toothbrush.
• Mouthwash: Grab a few of our single use GO Mouthwash packets or pour your own into one of our 30ml Plastic Bottles with a leak-free flip top.
• Hand Care:
• Hand Sanitizer: Our Noshinku Hand Sanitizer Pocket Spray is the perfect size for traveling. And it comes in 6 amazing scents! If you already have a favorite that you can’t leave home without, pour some into our 5ml Plastic Spray Bottle using a mini liquid funnel.
• Hand Lotion: Decant your go-to hand lotion in our 10ml Squeeze Bottle.
• Cuticle Oil: Our 5ml Plastic Roller Bottle is the perfect way to take your cuticle oil along.
• Nail Polish & Remover: Grab your favorite mini polish and pour some remover into our 10ml Dropper Bottle.

Part 2: Makeup – Minimalist Magic

Who says you have to compromise on makeup? With a bit of planning, you can have a stunning 5-day makeup routine without lugging your entire collection.

• Face:
• Primer, Concealer, and Foundation: Our Airless Pump bottles are for perfect for these items preventing oxidation and growth of bacteria. We recommend the 5ml bottle for Primer and Concealer and the 10ml bottle for Foundation.
• Highlighter, Bronzer, Blush, and Powder: For pressed products, you can simply take a spoolie (an eyelash brush that looks like a mascara wand) and scrape back and forth across your pressed product to loosen it then carefully pour it into our 3g Powder Jar, which comes with a puff to apply the product! For cream products, use our cosmetic spatula to transfer a small amount into our 5g Cosmetic Jar.
• Eyes:
• Eyebrow Pencil & Eyeliner: Most are pretty small, so go ahead and just toss them in your travel makeup bag.
• Eyeshadow: Eyeshadow singles are great for traveling. Toss in one or two of your favorites. Or, E.L.F. makes a great Bite-Sized Palette.
• Mascara & Eyelash Curler: We love to get a lash lift & tint just before traveling so we can skip the mascara and ditch the eyelash curler, but if that is not your thing, Benefit makes a great travel-sized Lengthening Mascara and our Mini Eyelash Curler packs small and flat for added convenience.
• Lips:
• Lip Liner: Like your eyebrow pencil and eyeliner, these are usually small enough to just toss in your bag.
• Lipstick: If your favorite lipstick doesn’t come in a travel size, you can decant a small amount of yours by using a cosmetic spatula to scoop or cut a portion and transfer it into our 5g Cosmetic Jar.
• Lip Gloss: Use a spring pipette to transfer yours into our 5ml Lipgloss Tube.
• Makeup Brushes: A travel brush set is essential! We love our new travel makeup brush set. It not only comes with 6 brushes, but they all fit onto the included compact case.
• Multi-stick: Consider packing the E.L.F. Monochromatic Multi Stick, which can be used for cheeks, eyes, and lips. It’s so easy to carry with you for on-the-go touchups!

Tips:

• Use small, leak-proof containers.
• if you’re flying, only fill containers about 3/4 full to avoid compression leaks. You can also add a small piece of plastic wrap under the lid for extra security. 
• Add labels to your containers to help identify the contents.
• Remember to check airline regulations regarding liquid carry-on limits before your trip.
• When you return from your trip, continue to use any remaining products from your travel containers. When they are empty, thoroughly wash and dry them and them put them away for your next adventure!

With a little planning and these tips, your 5-day trip can be both stylish and stress-free. Happy travels!

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