Makeup in hand luggage: what to pack in your makeup bag

Short answer

Makeup in hand luggage is allowed, but creams, mascara, lip gloss and other liquid products must be in containers of up to 100 ml, and scissors with blades longer than 6 cm go in checked baggage.

Every day, your makeup bag only needs what you use for touch-ups; for a trip, add skin care and brushes.

Full-size bottles and spares stay at home.

Which makeup you can take on a plane

At security your makeup bag is checked with the rest of your hand luggage.

Creams, mascara and other liquids

At security, anything that pours or spreads counts as a liquid: cream, gel, mascara, lip gloss, foundation.

Each bottle or tube can hold no more than 100 ml.

All of them go in one clear, resealable bag of up to 1 l.

Security may ask you to take that bag out, so keep it at the top of your hand luggage, not inside your makeup bag.

Stick lipstick and compact powder are not liquids and can stay in your makeup bag.

Some airports, such as Kraków and Poznań, have new scanners that accept containers of up to 2 l; at airports without them, the usual limit applies.

Scissors, nail files, razors

• Nail scissors: in the EU, scissors with blades shorter than 6 cm are allowed, but some airports are stricter.
• Nail file and tweezers: many airports let them through, but a metal nail file may be taken away.
• Razor: a disposable or cartridge razor is fine; loose blades and a straight razor go in checked baggage only.

If you would rather not risk it, pack scissors and nail files in checked baggage.

Nail polish, sprays, batteries

• Nail polish, perfume, hairspray: these are liquids too and go in the same clear bag. Some airports do not allow pressurised cans in the cabin, so hairspray is safer in checked baggage.
• Acetone nail polish remover: some EU airports do not let it through, so it is easier to buy it at your destination.
• Spare battery for a cordless curling iron or straightener: hand luggage only.

Airlines and airports can have their own rules, so check their websites before you fly.

Makeup in checked baggage

There is no 100 ml limit in checked baggage: cream, shampoo and toner can travel in their normal bottles.

Perfume, hairspray and other sprays have a limit of their own: no more than 0.5 l per item and 2 l per person.

A cordless curling iron in checked baggage must be switched off completely.

Close bottles tightly and put them in a bag: if one leaks, your things stay clean.

What to keep in your makeup bag every day

• Lips: lipstick or gloss.
• Face: compact powder or blotting papers.
• Hands: a mini hand cream and hand sanitiser.
• Small things: a mirror, a hair tie, a few plasters, wet wipes.

What to pack in a makeup bag for a trip

Add what usually stays in your bathroom to your daily kit:

• Skin care: face wash, moisturiser, sunscreen.
• Makeup: foundation, mascara, a small palette, brushes.

Take only what you use every day, and swap full-size bottles for minis or decant them into travel bottles.

How to store makeup at home

Keep makeup closed and away from radiators and sunlight: heat breaks down preservatives and lets bacteria grow faster.

If a product changes colour or smell, throw it away.

Replace mascara three months after you buy it, and never add water to a dried one.

The open-jar symbol with a number on the pack tells you how long the product lasts once opened.

Write the opening date on the pack with a marker so you do not have to guess.

Which makeup bag size to choose

Our makeup bag comes in three sizes:

• S, 15 × 9 × 7 cm: for every day — lipstick, gloss, powder, a small cream.
• M, 16 × 12 × 12 cm: everyday makeup with brushes, small palettes and tubes.
• L, 24 × 12 × 12 cm: a full kit with large palettes, brushes, skin care and bottles — for a trip.

All three have a cotton lining you can turn out and wash with a mild detergent.

If pills, cards and other small things get lost in your handbag, keep them apart in a mini makeup pouch.