Any recommendations for packing make-up?

[darbs]

I got a great brush set from Target that came with an attached pouch. The brushes are all natural and could work for travel. I agree with JLE about maybe having a travel set of brushes. She might be able to find something more compact that is perfect for travelling.

[JLE]

Funny you mention it, the 3/1/1 bag just got ordered last night, as well. I actually just ordered that bag, the CQPC, the Side Effect and the wallet. So I'll let her take a look at the latest batch of Bihn goodies and see if she thinks any of them might work.

Wow, there's no stopping you on your TB buying spree! . Are you getting lots of different colours? That's my problem - deciding on which colour to order when you only have the screen shot to go by. When I am paying for things to be sent to Australia I don't want to have to make any returns if I can help it. Perhaps I should ask Katy or Darcy to send me over a set of swatches in every colour! Then that could become the Australian swatch set and travel around the country as needed to help Aussie forum members decide on their purchases...

[conejo23]

JLE....it gets better. We have an order arriving tomorrow with my wife's new Smart Alec, one of the water bottles, and then about 10 organizer pouches for us both to split up in various colors. Seems kinda dumb to be excited about getting organizer pouches, but there you have it.

And I'm really looking forward to seeing the Smart Alec in person. My wife likes the styling, but it didn't appeal to me online. I haven't taken my Brain Bag out of the house yet or cut the tags off just in case I end up liking the Smart Alec better. Tomorrow is the day of decision!

[JLE]

JLE....it gets better. We have an order arriving tomorrow with my wife's new Smart Alec, one of the water bottles, and then about 10 organizer pouches for us both to split up in various colors. Seems kinda dumb to be excited about getting organizer pouches, but there you have it.

And I'm really looking forward to seeing the Smart Alec in person. My wife likes the styling, but it didn't appeal to me online. I haven't taken my Brain Bag out of the house yet or cut the tags off just in case I end up liking the Smart Alec better. Tomorrow is the day of decision!

I like the styling of the Smart Alec too, but not so much the top loading design in a bag that large. I just got the Synapse, and it is every bit as good (and as Tardis-like) as everyone says it is.

[conejo23]

The synapse looks great, just a bit too small to safely hold a 15" Macbook Pro in a brain cell.

Pity, looks like a terrific bag. That said, I'm VERY happy with this Brain Bag.

[JLE]

The synapse looks great, just a bit too small to safely hold a 15" Macbook Pro in a brain cell.

Pity, looks like a terrific bag. That said, I'm VERY happy with this Brain Bag.

You made a great choice!. The Synapse would definitely have been too small for your needs but it is perfect for mine (I don't carry a laptop, just an iPad).

[darbs]

Conejo, I can't wait to hear what the wife (and you) think of the Smart Alec. I've been eyeballing it myself, thinking it will make a great all-purpose bag. Let us know what she says!

[conejo23]

darbs...will do.

Also, they were out of vertical brain cells when I ordered my brain bag so I got a horizontal one, and it sits really awkwardly against my back, so I'm returning it and have a vertical one coming in the same order. So I'll start another thread comparing the two, both functionally and aesthetically.

[Katy]

If this isn't her problem, sorry for wasting your time!

I consider this a Public Service Announcement. Brushes are expensive and so many people don't take the time to care for them correctly!

[dorayme]

The closest thing I wear to makeup is Alba Organic Lip Gloss at this stage in my life. From when I used to wear makup, a LONG time ago, a Small or Pencil Pouch would have been nice for brushes. A CQPC or 3-D cube would have contained the rest (various powders in small pots-mineral makeup, a tube of mascara, and a tube of lip product) and also the brushes if they were in a Small OP. And if I was using airflight sized toiletries, the rest of my toiletries would fit on the opposite side of the CQPC. If not, I would have a separate toiletry bag.

I feel like I'm harping. . . but here is where the "Palette" if it were real would shine. Different individuals could use the differently designed cards to make their perfect brush and pencil form makeup containment system and either carry it solo, or inside of their CQPC.

[lagolden]

I consider this a Public Service Announcement. Brushes are expensive and so many people don't take the time to care for them correctly!

Huge second on this, Katy! And conejo, before you recommend buying a travel brush set to your wife be prepared for some pushback. Travel brushes are so compact that they don't give nearly the same sort of application as their full-size counterparts.

Another thought- tell her to check out the Container Store for all sorts of containers for loose powder, etc. She definitely won't need full size products for just a few days or a week at a time, and she'll be surprised by what ingenious solutions they have for some of the basic items.

[JLE]

Huge second on this, Katy! And conejo, before you recommend buying a travel brush set to your wife be prepared for some pushback. Travel brushes are so compact that they don't give nearly the same sort of application as their full-size counterparts.

Another thought- tell her to check out the Container Store for all sorts of containers for loose powder, etc. She definitely won't need full size products for just a few days or a week at a time, and she'll be surprised by what ingenious solutions they have for some of the basic items.

Happy to be of service! This is really good point about travel sized brushes. It is definitely a trade off between convenience/weight/bulk and function. It probably depends how committed she is to downsizing.

[conejo23]

Oh, trust me, I'm not "recommending" she do anything on this count. I didn't get to the point where we're about to celebrate our 28th anniversary by being a fool! I'll give her options, express my wish that we could minimize the weight and size as much as possible, and then in the end, her decision will be the absolutely perfect choice.

You husbands know EXACTLY what I'm talking about, lol.

Seriously, she does want to keep things as compact as possible while bringing what she needs. And what does she need? I have no idea. This stuff is all foreign to me. We were standing in our bathroom once while she was putting on makeup before we went out and she asked me to hand her the mascara. I just laughed, "you think I know what mascara is or looks like?" Just a bunch of tubes and containers to me.

[Katy]

And what does she need?

This might be a good question to ask her! Maybe she could let you know what she would like to take with her, you could relay the information to us and we can come up with a solution that you could propose to her.

Everyone uses different products and will in turn require a different solution. I use the Clear Quarter Packing Cube to house my makeup because my brushes fit perfectly in one side and the other side houses all of my makeup which amounts to very little.

[darbs]

Yeah, every woman is different. What some of us "need", others can live without. You should have her hop on here and give us a rundown of her needs. Then we can really make some good suggestions! I'm sure she already has her own brushes she likes. Most of us are picky about those! Sephora has a few good smaller bottles she can decant perfume into. I use this one:
Sephora: SEPHORA COLLECTION Fragrance Atomizer: Refillables

And she can always ask for sample sizes at her preferred makeup counter which is what I do. I think she could easily use the CQPC as an option. I'd just let her paw through what you have coming and see if any of that works first. I know FT is full of ideas for packing makeup too.