Carry On

We’ve been longtime fans of stick foundation for so many reasons, including its travel-friendliness. Westman’s version is the best of the best: creamy, malleable, blendable. We apply it with our fingers but go ahead and be fancy with a brush.

You wouldn’t dream of going outside without sunscreen, but you still might secretly long for what used to be known as “sun-kissed skin.” This stick delivers a glowing flush, with ceramides, mango and shea butter—and not a scintilla of damage.

Mix a few drops in your face cream for a subtle fake (but not fake-looking) tan. Or stir some into your body lotion (ignore the word “face” on the bottle; you’re not narrow minded). It’s a perfect size for carry-on and delivers just the right dose of color.

Doctors generally don’t love stick sunscreens because most people under-apply them, but you’re not most people. They’re great in a pinch. (Also, when we get to our destination, we always buy a big tube of sunscreen lotion to wear with our halo.) This one is handy, lightweight, and water-resistant.

Oh, detangling brushes, we’re so happy to have you in our snarled, messy lives. With flexible bristles, they unravel knots without ripping or damaging your hair. This wee one is ideal for travel and comes in a sweet pastel blue or pink.

We’ve sworn off disposable cotton balls and instead rely on these bamboo rounds for makeup removal, essence application, and a swabbing of Lotion P50. They can be tossed in the laundry and used again and again with an unsullied conscience.

This doll-size bottle from the luxury Korean skin-care brand holds the perfect amount of makeup remover for an extended vacation. It smells refreshingly like ginseng and orange and contains apricot-kernel oil. So sweet.

How can you give space in your carry-on to a hair mask while you have bigger concerns, like shoes. Ah, but this mini isn’t superfluous. Mark Townsend, hairstylist to Aubrey Plaza, Dakota Johnson, and more, believes it’s essential for summer-ravaged hair.

This highly volumizing, thickening, bushy-brushed mascara has become a perennial best-seller for a reason. The mini one packs a surprising number of strokes in its tiny tube.

You can keep your roll-ons. We prefer the spray form of this white-floral beauty. It’s loaded with creamy tuberose, jasmine, and a Chinese honeysuckle called Rangoon Creeper, and laced with neroli, bergamot, and orange blossoms for a citrus kick.

Sure, you could put your hair at the mercy of the hotel’s random products, or you could coddle your hair on vacation while you soothe your addled mind. This kit includes the impeccable Nounou shampoo and conditioner along with a packet of The Renaissance Circle. Serious business.

Head to Biarritz in spirit if not in fact. Shake a few drops of this dry oil in your hands and run them through your hair. Don’t stop. Dot some on your cheekbones, your collarbones, your shinbones—all the bones. There, isn’t that better?

Excuse us while we do our Audrey Hepburn imitation with this silk eye mask, which was designed not to disrupt eyelash extensions or absorb face cream. For those without such concerns, it blocks light brilliantly, doesn’t weigh on the lids, and has changed our REM performance remarkably.

Yes, this is a lot to pay for a toiletry bag. But we own several that have been in our life longer than our now-grown children. Amortize that! All of Prada’s Re-Nylon bags—made from recycled plastic—are lightweight, durable, stuffable, with zippers that are stronger than Zeus.

If you’re changing time zones, melatonin can help. Sleep experts often recommend taking melatonin about 30 minutes before you want to fall asleep—synched to bedtime at your destination. These also have chamomile and taste like pomegranate.

We always have at least four lipsticks rolling around the bottom of our bag. But on vacation, we really just need this one: a gently tinted lip balm that’s pumped with oils and butters to keep you moist and pouty on the plane, at dinner, and during a long nap in a hammock.