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You didn’t spend your paycheck on makeup just to have it squashed in your suitcase. Toiletry Makeup Bag
Imagine: You’ve spent months, maybe even years, trying out way too many makeup products to count, and you’ve finally curated your perfect collection of formulas, shades, and tools. You’ve lined them up across your vanity so beautifully that even a Sephora associate would envy the display. Then suddenly, you’re a week away from your vacation, and reality hits: How can I get my makeup stash there safely? There is a simple solution: Makeup bags.
Depending on your needs, beauty collection, and travel destination, the right makeup bag for you will differ from the next person. Destination bridal makeup artist, Tia Codrington, recommends having a clear makeup case. Not only “has it helped me with organization, but it’s useful during security checks in the airport because security officers have a clear view of what’s inside the bag without having to go through all your stuff,” she says.
For those who lack organizational acumen, we did our best Marie Kondo to see which of the buzziest bags out there were actually useful by filling them with bottles of lotions, creams, sprays, brushes, and powders. Then, we pretended each was a dodgeball and threw them around our NYC-based lab. The makeup bags that emerged victorious, with the fewest spills, breaks, or explosions, were then judged for material quality and compressive ability. And of course, we tested to see the amount of space it took up in a carry-on bag, design, usefulness of the compartments, and overall capacity. This list comprises our highest-ranking makeup bags we’d be happy to take with us for a long weekend or months-long adventure (we wish!).
What We Love: It comes with a mirror. What We Don’t Love: You can’t compartmentalize as much.
Out of all the makeup cases we tested, we found the Béis Cosmetic Case to be the most universally useful. It comes with a removable mirror that’s quite generous in size and stands upright to give us a view of our entire face so we could do our makeup on the go.
In terms of space, there’s a center section for brushes, which is removable, and we were able to get five brushes in comfortably without flattening the bristles. Then in the main compartment, we were able to fit all of our go-to makeup products with ease. There’s even a shallow zippered section attached to the top lid where we slid in our powder compacts and palettes. Even the hardware holding everything together felt luxe and sturdy, not to mention easy to wipe clean. We also loved how the case opened up completely, putting everything on full display and easy to access. That being said, there weren’t many compartments or straps to organize our products. When we tossed the bag around, the items remained protected and safe without spilling or coming loose.
Materials: Faux leather exterior, nylon lining interior | Compartments: None | Colors: 10 | Size: 9.5 x 4 x 7” inches
What We Love: The quality feels much more high-end than what the price suggests. What We Don’t Love: We wish it was slightly more cushioned.
We love a good budget option when the product feels much more high-end than what it’s priced at—that’s how we felt about this Narwey makeup case. The lightweight option doesn’t lack in space, compartments, or even aesthetic appeal, making it a phenomenal option for everyday use.
Much like the previous Beis option, this bag opens up fully, giving us complete access to all our goods. On the lid-side of the bag, we could squeeze 20 brushes in the eight brush pockets (ranging in size)—there’s even a flap to cover and protect the brush heads. The bag comes with a fully removable pouch, where we kept our face palettes, a color correcting palette, three eyeliners, four lipsticks, a mascara, and a lash curler. Then in the main compartment, we stored our foundations, moisturizers, makeup removers, favorite dry shampoo, and more. Needless to say, nothing needs to be left behind with this bag, and yet it didn’t feel completely bulky—we were able to store this in our backpack and carry-on cases sans-problem.
Materials: Water-resistant fabric | Compartments: 3 | Colors: 15 | Size: 9 x 6.7 x 3.5 inches
What We Love: You can add a personalized monogram. What We Don’t Love: It’s only available in two colors.
Now onto something for the makeup gurus who don’t play about their beauty collection. The price of this travel case is on the higher side, but after thoroughly testing it we think it’s worth every penny.
Let’s start with the luxurious material, stitch, and zips. This bag is about as sturdy as it gets without having a full-on hard-shell makeup case. The leather is strong and sturdy, while the zippers glide smoothly all the way around and open in a clam-shell style. The lid portion features four loops for brushes and an elastic pocket to collect the ends. The leather divider in the middle helps to protect the brush heads from the items on the other side, where we placed our foundations, bronzers, blushes, and more. There was even a clippable pouch that we could remove and use on its own on a flight. Because of its sleek and long shape, we placed our waterproof mascaras, eyeliners, and brow products in there. We could even sneak in an eyeshadow brush as well. Knowing that it will last us well over a decade further makes this worth the investment. Slab on the fact that we could add a personalized monogram and it’s truly chef’s kiss.
Materials: Leather | Compartments: 4 | Colors: 2 | Size: 6.2 x 10.2 x 3.1 inches
What We Love: There’s a removable pouch, making it easy to take essential items along during day excursions. What We Don’t Love: It’s very bulky and large, making it harder to pack.
This is for the beauty guru who needs to bring their entire beauty routine with them on the go, even if it means sacrificing a sweater or two in their luggage space. The Beis Hanging Cosmetic Case was truly made for the expert—even professional makeup artists will find great usage out of all the space, compartments, and hanging ability.
We first noticed how the outside has a stiffer material, making it absorb any drops and protecting the contents inside. Meanwhile, the interior is quite slick, so we would have no quarrels giving it a good clean should any powder or creams ever get spilled. The bag flaps open into three sections and has a little hook to hang for when we don’t have any counter space to lay it out flat. Thanks to all the zippers and netted pouches, nothing would fall out while being perfectly visible in its vertical position. We fit absolutely everything we could think of here—moisturizers, creams, foundations, makeup palettes, four eyeliners, five lipsticks and glosses, and still had room to spare. The pouch in the middle is also removable, which we found to be very useful when we wanted to head out for the day and bring a few essentials along.
Materials: Nylon, vegan leather | Compartments: 5 | Colors: 2 | Size: 9.75 x 7.25 x 6.5 inches
What We Love: It comes with removable dividers to keep bottles cushioned and separated. What We Don’t Love: We wish the handle could be opened and closed so that we may loop it on a towel rack and save counter space.
Do you have any delicate perfume bottles, creams, or foundations you want to keep properly cushioned and separated? Then it truly does not get better than (or cuter than) this toiletry organizer from Dagne Dover. The circular and upright bag has a cushioned mesh fabric all throughout the interior, with six adjustable compartments to place individual items in securely.
More than just the six main compartments, we were able to place pencils and brushes (which fit perfectly upright) in the side slits as well. Then on the opening flap, we placed sunscreens, hair ties, lipsticks, and other miscellaneous items in the zippered mesh bag. Of course, removing the dividers altogether created even more space, but we liked how our glass bottles were protected inside the dividers—not even throwing the bag across the room could affect the interior. Because of the flexible cushiony material, it was easy to squish the bag down and save space in our luggage as well.
Materials: Recycled polyester | Compartments: 11 | Colors: 4 | Size: 5.5 x 5.5 x 5.5 inches
What We Love: There is a discreet hidden black pocket for anything you want to keep private. What We Don’t Love: The makeup brush compartment clips off, but we’re not sure why as it does not conceal an extra compartment or save space this way.
A good makeup case for travel should be able to endure the rough handling of TSA, flight turbulence, and rolling over cobblestone streets. For this reason, the hard yet cushioned shell of the Away Cosmetics Bag is ideal. The neoprene exterior felt luscious and high-end, which is very on par with all of Away's products. Inside, there is a clear zippered main compartment, and underneath it hides a little black pouch, fit for eyeshadow palettes and medications. The clear compartment is spacious enough to hold just about anything, from creams to lash curlers to hydrating lipsticks. And because it’s made of plastic, it’s easy to wipe off any potential spills.
On the lid side of the bag is a detachable brush holder with five pockets. We will say, however, that we’re uncertain why they made the brush holder detachable, as it doesn’t conceal anything underneath or even save a bunch of space. The holder alone is of no use without the case either.
Materials: Nylon, neoprene | Compartments: 3 | Colors: 2 | Size: 8.3 x 6.3 x 3.9 inches
What We Love: The internal dividers can be adjusted to your liking. What We Don’t Love: It's too big to fit into a backpack, and will take a lot of space in a suitcase. If you’re a professional makeup artist and have to travel to see your clients, then this is the makeup case to opt for. More than just large, this case has been expertly designed with makeup artists in mind, giving us adjustable compartments made of mesh, smooth, and easy-to-clean material.
We consider ourselves on the higher end of neat and tidy, (Marie Kondo is our saving grace), and we can’t begin to describe how satisfying it is to have our un-shamefully large collection of foundations, eyeshadow palettes, lip kits and more, properly stashed in their own compartments. The brush compartment on the internal divider had scrunch pockets, and the flap that goes over the brushes sufficiently covered all of them for protection. Thankfully, the bag itself is very lightweight, as the weight of all our products is already heavy enough. The bag came with an adjustable strap, which we could wear as a crossbody or even turn into a backpack. That being said, it’s a little too large to comfortably fit into a backpack.
Materials: Nylon | Compartments: 9 | Colors: 20 | Size: 10.3 x 9 x 3.6 inches
What We Love: We could fit at least 15 brushes in the bag. What We Don’t Love: There is no pouch over the brushes to protect them.
She may have small in the title, but this bag actually fits a ton of product—at least enough for your everyday makeup needs. The most notable feature of this bag however is how many slots there are for brushes. From big to small, there are two walls dedicated to just brushes, easily carrying at least 15 makeup brushes in various sizes.
The interior divider features a row of brush holders on one side, and mesh pockets on the other. Once we flipped that over, we were met with a large (but not very deep) space for all of our creams and cases. It could fit plenty of mascaras and lip glosses for everyday wear, but if you wanted to go full glam you may feel it’s not spacious enough. For the average consumer, however, we believe the soft bag is perfectly sufficient for a casual week away.
Materials: Nylon | Compartments: 5 | Colors: 21 | Size: 8.9 x 5.1 x 5.1 inches
What We Love: It fits a lot more than it looks. What We Don’t Love: There aren’t any compartments to organize specific items into.
Not only is this makeup pouch small, but soft-shelled as well, making it easy to compress for travel. It’s made of the same materials as Lululemon’s infamous belt bag, which is water-repellent and durable.
The pouch consists of one main compartment, with a mesh interior pocket and an exterior zipped pocket. It didn’t seem like much at first, but once we started placing our foundations, creams, powders, and beyond in it, we realized just how much it could hold, which is a lot (two liters of stuff, to be exact). Thanks to the nylon material, it's easy to clean should anything ever spill—and spill it might, as there isn’t really a hardcover protecting any of the contents. There aren’t a plethora of compartments, and we did get a little lost trying to find specific items in what feels like a Mary Poppins bag, but we’re happy with how discreetly it can fit a bunch of items in a small size.
Materials: Recycled polyester, nylon | Compartments: 3 | Colors: 3 | Size: 8.7 x 3.3 x 6.3 inches
What We Love: The cushiony exterior kept everything safe and protected. What We Don’t Love: We wish there were one or two more compartments.
We selected this option as our best pouch pick not because of how much this bag can hold (although that is a big point), but because of its cushiony exterior. Instead of a hard shell, this quilted bag felt like a protective pillow around our valuables, while being flexible enough to press down in our suitcases.
The top zips open almost fully, making it easy to access all of our makeup. There are only two compartments—the main interior and a not so little side zip. We were flabbergasted at just how much could fit into this little black hole: three micellar waters, two travel-size shampoo bottles, a large liquid concealer, a bronzer, five lipsticks, and about seven brushes nestled next to each other, and the bag still didn’t feel like it was filled up. The bag was almost like a flexible fleece jacket to our goodies, easily accommodating our large collection of beauty products without taking too much luggage space.
Materials: Leather, REC oxford | Compartments: 2 | Colors: 1 | Size: 9.49 x 4.02 x 5.98 inches
What We Love: There are organizational compartments on the interior side that don’t take up any space. What We Don’t Love: It’s very tall, so it may sit awkwardly in a suitcase.
A classic train case is a stylish way to hold all your beauty products on the go. We tested several, but found this full grain leather option the most practical. While at a first glance it looks like any other spacious rectangular box, a closer look revealed that each of the walls had a different organizational perk. Two sides had a pocket sleeve with an elastic strap, one side had a slip pocket, and the last had a zippered pocket. There was even a mesh zippered pocket on the lid, where we kept eyeshadow palettes and mascaras. We loved how these compartments didn’t take up any additional space (like a divider would), while still giving us the opportunity to organize a little.
The box is quite deep, so even our travel-size shampoos could stand upright. Unless we packed everything snugly side by side, these items would fall to their sides and look a little messy after travel. Should anything spill, however, the water-resistant lining made it very easy to clean.
Materials: Leather, nylon | Compartments: 3 | Colors: 14 | Size: 7.5 x 5 x 5.2 inches
What We Love: The pockets are all clear, giving us good visibility into the interior. What We Don’t Love: The cover is not that protective or sturdy.
It’s not enough for a bag to have great organizational capabilities, it needs to provide great visibility into our collection of products as well, and this bag does just that. It comes with a little rotating hook, which we used to hang the bag onto a towel rack.
Once fully folded open, it reveals four bagged compartments, all made of clear plastic. The two center pockets are larger than the outer ones, so we stored our hair spray, body lotions, and all other cream products in there. In the smaller pouches we hid our brushes, eye creams, and any other miscellaneous items in. Although it looked stuffed to the brim, once closed it did not bulk up any more than it did while empty. It still folded easily and zippered closed without putting up a fight. Celebrity makeup artist Katie Nova stresses how convenient it is to keep all her skin care and beauty products separate, but in the same container, “eliminating the need for a separate bag and simplifying my travel routine further.” With a water-repellent finish and light padding, it’s perfectly usable for everyday use.
Materials: Brushed, water-repellant | Compartments: 5 | Colors: 8 | Size: 11.4 x 3.8 x 7.5 inches
What We Love: It comes with two bags in one set. What We Don’t Love: The leather exterior and interior are difficult to clean.
If you want to have your beauty items close to you while on the go, then a pouch small enough to fit in your purse is the way to go. This Cuyana set, which yes, comes with two different sized pouches, was quick to steal our hearts with its beautiful pebbled leather design. The bag opened up so wide, it was easy to pack all our essentials in and get quick access to them. The larger pouch has one slit pocket on the side, although we have to admit, it’s more for the aesthetics than any functional purpose.
The second pouch is merely a smaller version of the large one, without the slit interior pocket. At first, we wondered why we would need two of the same bag, but then came to realize how useful it is to keep one in our check-in luggage and the other in our backpacks and close to us on the plane. Together, we could easily bring our entire makeup routine with us wherever we go. Because it’s made of full leather on the exterior and interior, it was difficult to clean the bag. One of our eyeshadow palettes popped open and stained the bag slightly. Luckily, Cuyana gives detailed instructions on how to care for the pouch.
Materials: Leather | Compartments: 2 | Colors: 16 | Size: Large pouch: 7 x 12 x 3.5 inches, small pouch: 5 x 8 x 2.5 inches
On top of the above mentioned size, material, and compartments, you have to make sure you’re following TSA guidelines—like not including liquids that are more than 3.4 ounces and storing everything inside a clear container, if it’s coming with you in your carry-on luggage. Guerra, who frequently travels to meet his beauty clients, offers a few tips for traveling with makeup: “When flying, I’ll often wrap my powder palettes and compacts in bubble wrap or a small towel to prevent them from breaking en route.” If you’re absolutely worried about anything spilling, Guerra suggests “storing creams and liquids into Ziploc bags before placing them in your makeup case.”
Professional makeup artists are going to need a lot more space to accommodate their wide range of products and shades. They also require easy access to their products, so bags must open wide or offer a clear case. “I typically go for bags that have a wide opening and transparent compartments. This allows me to easily see and quickly access items for red carpet touch-ups or makeup adjustments on-set,” says Guerra.
Medium Makeup Bag Bianca Kratky is a commerce writer at InStyle with three years of experience covering fashion and beauty stories. She’s a frequent traveler, having even traveled the world on her own for a year, and knows a thing or two about smart packing tricks. In order to write this story, she dove deep into the insights of the testers who each individually handled the makeup cases. She then consulted celebrity makeup artists J. Guerra and Katie Nova, as well as destination bridal makeup artist Tia Codrington, for further insight into what to look for when shopping for makeup cases.