5 Travel Tips for a Makeup Artist & Hairstylist

Although travelling with work is such an exciting bonus, it also means transporting your large collection of makeup and hair equipment, which could be quite frustrating when you're going for a long-distance trip by train or plane.

You may be wondering - How should I deal with so many makeups and hairstyling necessaries for travelling? How can I ensure the safety of my valuable kits during the trip?

Have the potential perils given you headaches already? No worries, we're delighted to help you with these easy-to-follow tips to make your travel smooth and benefit you in getting the work done perfectly!

1. Think Through & Make a List

Your rich working experience in the beauty industry must have taught you how important a full preparation of complete makeup kit and hair tools is for successful styling, especially in major events with limited time, for example, stage performance, live speech, or wedding ceremony.

As you can imagine, it would be a horrible disaster or even a career crisis if you only found out you forgot to bring certain things to complete the look at the last minute. You must make a list!

The first essential thing you should do is to think over what you need on the job, which depends on the makeup or hairstyle look you are planning to do.

To be more specific, consider these aspects when you're deciding what to pack: your client's age/professions/facial structure/his or her request on the look, the occasion, and the environment the makeup or hair will be exposed in.

Based on the answers to the questions above, you will be able to finalize the looks you're going to make.

Next, we suggest you go through the whole process beforehand and make a full list of every item you need to use.

This list should be all-around. Try to imagine all the possible situations that might happen on the spot and think of practical alternatives for them. Make the list meet a wide variety of needs so that you won't be scrambled in any situation.

Following this, you want to make sure all the stuff on the list is in expected condition: check if they are expired or not, if the rest of the amount is enough for use if they contain any substances that may easily cause allergies, etc.

2. Pay Attention to Cleaning

As it is known, makeup kits and hair tools are usually shared by all the clients, which inevitably brings up a hygienic concern.

Especially under the global pandemic environment, you can never be too cautious about maintaining the cleanliness of your beauty styling kits.

It is wise to always avoid reusing tools that have direct contact with the clients' skin and get rid of the waste as soon as possible.

If you have to reuse them, make sure they are deep cleaned and sterilized.

In addition, you can also prepare disposable products and tools as much as possible, so that you can save some time and energy on cleaning as well as reduce the clients' hygienic worry.

3. A Rolling Makeup Train Case is a Must

After confirming what to bring and cleaning, you are ready to start the packing process.

Here comes another significant thing to consider - where to place your kits?

A rolling makeup train case would be the perfect solution for you.

Cosmetic case trollies are specifically designed for makeup and hair artists for traveling.

Universally, a makeup beauty box case is equipped with a telescopic pull-out handle and four 360° swivel wheels for stable grip and easy mobility.

Besides, it usually features several retractable slide-out trays on the top and large bottom compartment, providing sufficient storage space for your makeup and hairstyling kits.

You can place smaller items like makeup products, brushes, beauty blenders, combs, hair scissors, etc. on the top trays, and store larger objects like hair curlers, hairdryers, wigs, mannequin heads and so on in the bottom space.

Even your clothes and toiletries can be put in the bottom compartment, eliminating the need to bring an extra suitcase.

In addition, the durable surface and strong metal frame can well protect your makeup from breaking and damaging, always keeping your beauty essentials in good condition.

They also come with lockable latches with keys for extra safety, ensuring your precious items are secured in the makeup case along the trip.

Another cheerful feature of rolling makeup train cases is that there are a variety of sizes to choose from and those smaller ones can both be carried on a plane (make sure the size is within the restrictions of the airline rules) or checked.

Say goodbye to clutter and save yourself from the madness of couldn't find the thing you need within seconds while working.

4. Always Prepare a Backup Bag

If you decide to check in your rolling makeup train case, you would be apart from your makeup and hair kit.

In case of something unlucky happened unexpectedly that your makeup case can't return to you on time, we highly recommend you to prepare another smaller kit in a portable makeup bag and carry it onto the plane.

This backup kit should include the most multipurpose and easy-to-carry products and tools. So that it won't occupy too much space of your carry-on luggage and can greatly help you out in times of emergency.

5. Careful Packing

Imagine opening your travel makeup case and see a liquid leak, glasses break, powders crumble and scatter all over the case. What a nightmare! - Don't simply throw everything into your makeup case and go!

Some strategies should be involved in packing your kit to avoid these disasters.

Before you start packing, there's one major thing you need to consider - are you checking your makeup case trolley or taking it with you onto the plane?

If you decide to carry the rolling makeup case on the flight, you have to be very cautious about the airline restrictions of liquid and carry-on bag sizes. Make sure the size of your makeup case trolley meets the requirement and the liquid amount doesn't exceed the limit.

No matter for carry-on or check-in, it's always important to keep all your items in the case intact during transit.

Pressed Powders

To prevent pressed powders like eye shadows and blushes from shattering, you can place a cotton pad or powder puff between the powder and the lid, creating cushion protection to keep the powers in shape.

Liquids

To avoid spills of liquid-like foundations, essential oil, sprays, perfumes, etc., it's a good idea to wrap plastic around bottle openings or replace the lids with a tighter one. For further enhanced protection, you can wrap the liquid bottles with bubble wrap and put them into a zip-top bag.

Loose Powders

Loose powers scatter all over the case could be the most annoying thing ever. The best way to keep the powders in good condition is to wrap the lids with cling wrap or tape and put them into a zip-top bag as well.

Tools

In terms of tools especially electric tools, it's better to separate them into individual cases or boxes to avoid collision and breaking while being stored in the bottom compartment of the makeup case.

If there are left open spaces, it's clever to fill the space with soft objects, for example, bubble wrap, clothes or towels to keep the items from rolling over and being damaged.

A Few More Words…

Travelling as a makeup or hair artist can be both exciting and challenging. Especially when it comes to packing your large kit, it can be very overwhelming.

With a big investment in makeup and hairstyling products, you want to protect your valuable items in good conditions at all times to better serve your work.

Therefore, it's worthwhile to spend time and effort on reliable packing - take inventory, careful cleaning, get a rolling makeup train case, prepare a backup makeup bag, and organize everything meticulously.

Follow these simple yet useful tips to make your journey effortless and maximize the efficiency of transforming your clients wherever you go!