This Travel Makeup Bag Is Beauty Writer

This compact bag organizes all my brushes and palettes and fits in my carry-on.

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Travel + Leisure / Daisy Rodriguez

I love makeup. I don’t mean that I occasionally wear makeup when I get a handful of wedding invites every year. I mean that I am a beauty influencer, I work in the beauty industry, and every week I host a live show on social media where I apply makeup in front of a live audience. I have a legitimate beauty closet in my house where I store the overflow from my vanity corner. So, needless to say, I’m very picky about how my makeup is handled.

Anyone who flies knows that checked luggage can take a beating. Even if you buy the most durable bag that can withstand whatever the luggage handlers dish out, it doesn’t guarantee that the contents don’t get damaged. This is why I don’t check my makeup — it travels in the cabin with me in my carry-on. I’m not about to have a Pat McGrath Mothership palette get destroyed, and in my hunt for the most durable and functional makeup bag, I stumbled across this unassuming Jourmon Travel Makeup Bag on Amazon, and I’ve never looked back.

Amazon

To buy: amazon.com, $19 with on-site coupon

I have to admit, I was a little skeptical when I first bought the Jourmon Travel Makeup Bag. I’m not a price snob, but we all know the adage “you get what you pay for.” With a price as low as $20, I went into this purchase with my expectations firmly managed. I figured I might get a handful of uses out of it before the zipper broke or the sides got crushed. But, I’m now going on two years of consistent use both for flights and road trips, and this is the little bag that keeps on moving.

The handle has reinforced stitches, and the zipper is incredibly durable. Most importantly, the sides are very sturdy since this is essentially a plastic frame slipped into a fabric cover. Meaning you don’t have to worry about the bag getting crushed or foundation bottles getting cracked open—even in your carry-on. I also like that there’s a tension strap to hold the top flap open once you unzip the bag.

The biggest draws for me are the adjustable compartments in the main body. The bag comes configured in a layout that has four small and three medium compartments, but thanks to removable dividers, it’s a breeze to customize this makeup bag. That means bigger palettes or even oddly-shaped containers can easily fit into this. And, yes, the dividers stay put so smaller items don’t slide underneath and into other compartments.

Amazon

To buy: amazon.com, $19 with on-site coupon

To really maximize space, there’s even storage in the lid. I store makeup brushes in the interior pouch and love that there’s a velcro flap to prevent transfer onto my makeup containers from the brushes. There’s another side zip in the lid for even more storage. I have the small size that measures 10.2 inches long, 9 inches wide, and 3.5 inches tall, and opted for the black color which is less likely to show dirt.

In my opinion, the small version is more than sufficient. It easily fits into my Dagne Dover Landon Carryall when I want to be stylish, but also fits in my Wonhox Large Travel Tote Bag when I’m a traveler on a mission with an overstuffed carry-on for business class long haul international flights. If for some reason you want even more storage, the Jourmon Travel Makeup Bag is also available in medium and large sizes.

While I use this bag to store my makeup, it’s perfect for anything you feel is too fragile to survive the checked luggage experience, and at under $20, there’s really no excuse not to try it.

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