Travel Pretty

Meghan A.T.B. Reese

Summer means escapes to the Cape, weekend getaways at the Vineyard, cross-country excursions, or journeys abroad. It's also time for sunscreens, shimmers, lotions, and sprays. Your makeup suits you. Your travel makeup bag should, too. You can easily find a plain, plastic pencil case at any drugstore for $4.50 or a striped, plastic pencil case at Kate Spade for $125 to contain all your travel cosmetics, but since you may want something more grown up than the former or less costly than the latter, we've test-driven some of the options in between.

Bari J.’s Lizzie Makeup Bags are sweet and simple. Snap closures and scalloped edges are among the dainty details of these clutch-sized bags. Each Bari J. includes a unique vintage or vintage-inspired accessory, and you can customize a hand-made bag or choose from a plethora of ready-made styles.
www.barijonline.com

If your makeup must-haves include spill-prone liquid foundation, eye makeup, or nail polish remover, Lapin Vilardi’s cosmetic bags might save your life, or at least your luggage. Machine washable and waterproof, the sharp bags that comprise the collection are named for travel destinations from Palm Springs and New Orleans to Tokyo and Stockholm. From the chic Manhattan to the vibrant Miami, they're perfectly sized so that you can throw them in your purse or carry them alone with your credit cards and daily essentials. Vilardi also offers matching bags for your shoes and accessories, not to mention your unmentionables. www.lapinvilardi.com

If traveling light isn't your style when it comes to makeup, you may need more than a single pouch cosmetic bag. Designer Stephanie Johnson’s Mary Nest Bag is a two-in-one case with brush compartments and a separate bag inside the larger case for your smaller items. The Nest is a pretty home away from home for your makeup that doesn’t scrimp on details, right down to the Turkish silk knots on the zippers. Still need more space for your face essentials? Johnson has another option, the Cosmetic Briefcase, which accommodates full-size bottles and glamour products galore. Additionally, designer Cris Notti’s Kimono toiletry case, made of authentic, hand printed chirmen kimono fabric, is the perfect size for your secret weapons such as straightening or curling irons and blow dryers. Inside are elastic bottle holders and a “crocodile”-trimmed mirror. www.stephaniejohnson.com and www.crisnotti.com

Yearning for something more sophisticated than a cosmetic case from Target? Cole Haan’s Village Collection cosmetic bags, in peddle grain leather, lined with delicate nylon, and featuring satin nickel or brass hardware with magnetic closure, are so elegant they could double for an evening clutch.
www.colehaan.com

New baggage and check-in rules limit the options for fliers who don’t check their luggage. But before you sigh and reach for a Ziploc, consider 02Hide’s cosmetic attaché. For $6, you can fly with all your 3-ounce liquids tucked safely in your carry-on luggage without worrying about leaks or rips. www.02hide.com