The Best Makeup for Traveling Carry On Only

I love getting a little dolled up for a night out when I’m traveling, or to capture that perfect Instagram shot. However, cosmetics can add a lot of weight and take up a lot of room, especially if you travel carry-on only. Here are some of my favorite cosmetics for travel that are multi-functional, compact, and user-friendly! Most of these products are vegan and cruelty-free.

Table of Contents

Skincare for Travel

I try to cut down on liquids as much as possible and use solid toiletries when I travel that are TSA friendly.

Ethique Solid Face Wash

Ethique is a vegan, cruelty-free, zero-waste company that makes incredible solid toiletries. Their solid face wash does its job at removing makeup and gently cleansing my skin. I also really love their solid shampoo and conditioner!

e.l.f. Moisturizer

e.l.f. is one of my all-time favorite makeup and skincare brands because it’s so affordable and it WORKS! While they’re not solid, I really enjoy e.l.f.’s Daily Hydration facial moisturizer and the Holy Hydration! under-eye moisturizer. They both have small packages and a little goes a long way. You’ll definitely want to hydrate on those long flights! Every e.l.f. product is vegan and cruelty-free.

Milk Makeup Matcha Toner

Who says toners have to be liquid in large bottles? I adore this tiny, solid toner from Milk cosmetics. It’s TSA-friendly and works great! All of Milk’s cosmetics and skincare are vegan and cruelty-free.

If you just can’t part with your liquid toner, snag an ounce cosmetics travel container. You can try this one or just find one at your local grocery or convenience store.

Primer and Setting Spray

Benefit POREFessional Travel Primer

I haven’t had much luck with solid primers, but I love the travel-sized POREfessional primer. A little goes a LONG way with this primer and it fills in all of my pores for that airbrushed look. It’s not too sticky and stays on all day!

This product itself is vegan, but Benefit does use some animal byproducts in other products (beeswax, lanolin, etc.) and cannot be considered cruelty-free due to selling their products in China where animal testing is required through a third party.

Urban Decay All Nighter Travel Setting Spray

My favorite travel setting spray has to be Urban Decay’s All Nighter. It comes in a compact size and absolutely freezes my makeup in place with just a light spritz. It’s also vegan and cruelty-free!

Foundation, Bronzer, and Blush

Anastasia Beverly Hills Luminous Foundation

Foundation is where it gets tricky for me. Because of my blemish-prone skin, I have to be picky about what foundations I use. Luckily, most liquid foundations come in a bottle that’s TSA friendly. Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Luminous Foundation works best for me. If you have any recommendations for a solid foundation stick that would be better for travel, please let me know!

This foundation is vegan and none of ABH’s cosmetics are tested on animals. However, the brand does sell makeup brushes made from animal hair and some cosmetics contain animal by-products (beeswax, lanolin, etc.)

Milk Hydrating Bronzer Stick & Lip and Cream Blush Stick

For bronzer and blush, a compact that contains both might be your friend to keep things, well, compact for travel. If you’d prefer a stick, I highly recommend Milk’s Hydrating Bronzer stick and Lip and Cream Blush stick. They’re super compact and perfect for travel (and TSA friendly!) All Milk products are vegan and cruelty-free.

Eyeshadow Palettes

Eyeshadow palettes are probably the bulkiest item on this list. However, I always travel with one! The trick is to find a small palette that is multi-functional and can create dozens of different looks. I always bring Raw Beauty Kristi’s double-sided eyeshadow palette on trips because it is so small and versatile. However, this was a limited edition item and cannot be affordably purchased anymore.

Similar-sized palettes can be found everywhere! ColourPop has dozens of affordable palettes the same size as the one I use and are high quality for their price. Most of ColourPop’s palettes are vegan with some specific shade exceptions. You can find those here.

Highlighter

Benefit High Beam

My go-to highlighter for travel is the High Beam by Benefit cosmetics because it is layerable and super small. I even wore it on my wedding day! However, it is a liquid, so you might want to go for a pressed highlighter instead of you are short on liquids space.

I do believe this product is vegan (I scoured the ingredients list) but Benefit does use some animal byproducts in other products (beeswax, lanolin, etc.) and cannot be considered cruelty-free due to selling their products in China where animal testing is required through a third party.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Highlighter

If you prefer a solid, compact highlighter you can’t beat Anastasia Beverly Hills. They’ve got their formula down! They even have a blush, bronzer, and highlighter compact to make things even easier.

These pressed compacts are vegan and none of ABH’s cosmetics are tested on animals. However, the brand does sell makeup brushes made from animal hair and some cosmetics contain animal by-products (beeswax, lanolin, etc.)

Brushes

I like to choose just a few brushes that have multiple functions. I always carry a small beauty blender, three small eyeshadow brushes (packing, blending, and pencil) that I also use to place highlighter, and a small fluffy brush for bronzer and blush if I pack pressed makeup. I prefer to use e.l.f. brushes as they are super affordable and completely vegan!

If you’re short on space don’t forget the power of your fingers! Beauty influencers may scoff at the idea of placing your makeup with your fingers, but it definitely works in a pinch. I often apply and blend stick and liquid highlighter, blush, and bronzer with my fingers instead of carrying an extra blending brush with me. No one notices!

Lips and Mascara

As most lipsticks and mascaras are pretty much the same size, I have no real recommendations for these to save you space. However, you can try to snag sample sizes from Sephora, Ulta, or Mac in stores that make excellent cosmetics for travel!

The 3-1-1 Rule

When flying carry-on only, all passengers must follow TSA’s 3-1-1 liquids rule. Every liquid must be 3.4oz (1000ml) or less, fit into one quart-sized bag, and each passenger is allowed one bag. (3.4oz-1bag-1person). It’s shocking how quickly you can fill that allotted bag, so use as many solids as you can!

As I continue to change up my favorite products I will update this article. If you have any favorite items that are always in your travel makeup bag, I would love your recommendations!