What's in your baggie?

  Security theater prop 
  Originally uploaded by dynamist.

I am flying off on a dizzying trip later today - London (via Washington, DC) for two nights, then Dallas (via Chicago) for a few nights, then Fayetteville, Arkansas (via Memphis) for one night, then back to Dallas for a night before flying home. I'll be gone ten days.

One of the most important, and annoying, bits of preparation is putting together my quart-sized bag of liquids, gels, and anything else the directors of our ridiculous security theater might deem a threat to international security and the lives of others. For example: lip balm, mascara, hand lotion. You know, the usual weapons of choice.

I also include a tooth flossing pick (Plackers* are my favorites, hands down, as they smoothly navigate between the closest set teeth), because if there's anything worse than airline food, it's having a bit of airline food lodged in your teeth. This may well be confiscated as a dangerous piece of contraband.

What I try to do is fit a duplicate set of makeup in the baggie, so that if my luggage is lost, I at least have the basics to look halfway decent. (And when I say "basics," I include three different lip products, eyebrow makeup...you know, the bare essentials.) All that and a contact lens case so I can nap (Dramamine goes in the bag to put me to sleep) and I'm good to go.

Still, what a load of old bollocks. I don't resent it quite as much on international flights - where I need to check baggage anyway - as I do when I'm flying to, say, New York for one night and could otherwise easily get away with a small carry-on. Except I can't, not if I want to take a full set of cosmetics, my skincare products, a razor for my legs, and tweezers for my brows.

I'm interested in how you cope. Just what goes into your travel baggie?

*Originally received as a PR freebie, it's a product I will buy again and again.

Comments

[raker]

Olay Multiradiance, and a few sample pots of Bare Escentuals are more than enough (still hanging on by the fingertips to the last dregs of birth-related hormone plumpsciousness - it's definitely on the way out though), plus numerous and varied lip balms and YSL Faux Cils.

What REALLY pissed me off on a recent UK flight (Belfast to Bristol) was the security person's insistence that my baby milk was a security risk; I could bring one through, but not the other, and they couldn't confirm whether I could buy a replacement at the Boots 50 m round the corner. I was absolutely livid, especially as the last time I flew that route after Christmas we were delayed by 5 hours and there's NOTHING at the departure gates. GRRRRRRRR

[SV]

- mini pot of Nivea cream to double as hand and face cream
-biotherm Sense Comfort foundation
-clinique GWP High Impact mascara (when I lived in the UK I used to replenish that supply on ebay, now I am in France, and no such lucky here on the continent...)
-Vichy blush mousse (pink or brown, depending on season)
-Dior Lipstick in shade 631 (well, US shade 631, never found it in the UK). best shade EVER.
-Chapstick. Whichever one I can find in the bottom of my purse.

do they still do that on UK/US flights that you can only have one piece of handluggage, ie either your purse OR your laptop?Ridiculous idea.

[Diana]

Moisturizer, hand lotion, contact rewetter (or whatever that's called) and case, lip balm, travel toothbrush and paste, Mario Badescu Facial Spray, Espa Botanical Rescue.

[Marie]

Apparently I put hazardous and possibly dangerous materials in my travel bag. See, I thought that a miniature tube of concealer and an inch-long bit of lip gloss were just cosmetics basics, but a trip to Spokane taught me otherwise. Since when do terrorists use lip gloss?!

[Cora Michael]

Once while traveling on a domestic flight through LaGuardia in NYC, my Bigelow Quince hand cream was confiscated from my backpack, but I was allowed on the plane with foot-long knitting needles!!! Tell me, please, which is potentially more dangerous as a makeshift weapon?!?!? It's worse than theater -- it's a farce.

[Kate]

The most ludicrous things I've had confiscated are my pot of vaseline and tweezers - obviously I had to go through to the departure lounge and buy replacements because they are completely essential to my travel bag.

[MIMI]

I have this problem every year when I go to my house in India. a 13 hour flight mind you!

I love:

1. Perfume solids!
2. Nail polish remover pads
3. Burts lip balm!

[Grayburn]

Grayburn.blogspot:

Imju mascara, Immortelle Elexir by L'Occitane, Suki's skin velvet cream, YSL powder compact, Elizabeth Arden lipgloss,

[Mikaela]

GREAT post! This is just like a day in my life, as a flight attendant (and esthetician!) I constantly hear about what beauty products have been taken away from people. I seriously feel for them. I was moving back to the US after living in the UK for a year (1 week before the big terrorist shake down in London which started the whole quart size baggie thing) and I seriously would have gone nuts on anyone had they tried to make me get rid of my stuff... I had literally thousands of dollars worth of beauty products in my carry-ons.

Anyway, come visit my blog, I have a post on Bobbi Brown travel empties that are very helpful in this situation, and other useful beauty advice.

Again, love the post

[laura linger]

Lemme see, what usually goes in:

1.7 oz. bottle Fresh Sugar
couple of Smashbox lip glosses
Lady Mitchum gel deodorant
couple of MAC lipsticks
Rosebud salve tin in Minted Rose
mini Olay Renergist
tube of eye cream, usually Beyond Beauty Vita-C
mini toothpaste

Everything else has gone the way of the towlette: face cleanser, baby wipes, facial masks (from Japan...the best). Those go right through security, especially if you tuck them in your book or magazine.

The TSA, it must be said, is a joke. Theater. Yep, that's just about right.

[Helena Handbasket]

I recently traveled by plane from Sydney to New York (24 hours in the air--fun!) and my baggie contained the following indispensables:

REN Phyto-Lifting Spray for constant hydration
Arden Eight Hour Cream for hands and lips
A tiny pot of Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer which is foundation and concealer in one
A NARS multiple stick in Mustique for cheek, lip and eye color
LUSH's unbelievably awesome jasmine-scented Flying Fox Temple Balm which I use as solid perfume
A packet of Priceline-brand facial cleansing cloths for face and body

Incidentally, since I knew I was going to look crap for a while after I got off the plane, I had a mild TCA peel done 4 days before leaving. That way most of my peeling would happen in the air, and any leftovers could be blamed on the flight conditions. Plus I got to strut around New York with fab-looking skin!

[taffy489]

Depending on the trip, but if I have to look good here is the list.

Benefit pocket pal- It is benetint a cheek and lip stain on one end and lip gloss on the other. What I like is that since it is a stain it stays on forever. And if my lips are chapped I put on burts bees over the tint.

Badgal lash- by benefit, you always need a good mascara

A mini jar of mango body butter by body works. Smells so yummy.