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13 Travel Makeup Bags to Keep Your Beauty Essentials Secure and Organized

The cosmetic bags, cases, and pouches that protect our makeup products from spills and breaks.
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The best travel makeup bags keep your beauty and skincare essentials secure and organized while in transit, and help protect the rest of your belongings from accidental spills and leaks. A few years ago, I ruined one of my favorite tote bags after a bottle of foundation broke in my old makeup bag and spilled everywhere. There goes my tote bag and my overly priced foundation. After that, I decided to invest in a protective, durable travel makeup bag that could handle bumpy car rides, long-haul flights, and a reckless suitcase toss or two from TSA. The best options are also roomy enough to fit a vacation's worth of makeup while still being compact enough to neatly fit in your carry-on or personal item. And bonus points go to the cosmetic cases and bags that feature smart pockets or loops to keep small products like brushes, lipsticks, and eyeliner in place.

Below, we've rounded up the best makeup bags for travelers to pack on their next trip, including top-rated bestsellers across the internet and some tried-and-true picks from our editors. Whether you need a small pouch for a weekend's worth of essentials or a well-organized case for a destination wedding, we have a cosmetic bag that will hold everything you need. Your days of rummaging through a never-ending black hole of a makeup bag are over.

This article has been updated with new information since its original publish date.


Our top picks:


Lay-n-Go drawstring makeup bag

Without an organized cosmetic case, doing your makeup often involves rummaging around in a bag trying to find everything. This Lay-n-Go bag, though, is a dream come true. Instead of having to dump out all your products, the bag opens up by way of drawstrings, and can be laid out as a circle on any surface, allowing every product to be on display. When finished, pull the drawstring back together and watch it transform into the size of a clutch. It also comes with a zip pocket for storage and elastic brush loops, so nothing goes rolling off the bathroom counter.

Calpak medium clear cosmetic case

For travelers who have no desire to pack light, Calpak's oversized cosmetics case will keep all your favorite products neat and visible, thanks to its full transparent exterior. The clear makeup bag unzips fully so each side can lay flat, and has an extra mesh interior pocket to hold smaller items. Senior commerce editor Madison Flager uses the large version for extended trips (closed, it's as big as a sheet of printer paper, and several inches wide), but we recommend the medium size for weeklong vacations. These bags are roomy enough to be used to hold makeup products on one side and skincare essentials on the other, allowing everything you need for your travel beauty routine to be kept in one place. Plus, a top handle makes for easy carrying or looping over a bathroom hook.

Parallelle The Carry-On makeup bag

When I arrive at a hotel or an Airbnb, I usually have to empty my entire makeup bag and lay everything out on the bathroom counter just to find what I need. Earlier this summer, I finally discovered the ultimate solution to keeping my beauty products organized and easy to find: the Parallelle Carry-On makeup bag. The standout feature of the Parallelle makeup bag is its foldable shape. After you unzip the bag, each side can be pulled down to lie flat, allowing you to easily see all of your products at once. It's designed to keep each product secured in an upright position, again making them easy to spot and reducing the risk of any spills. The medium-size case features 16 wall pockets, 4 elastic mesh pouches, and 3 adjustable compartments. The small wall pockets are ideal for holding slim products like makeup brushes, mascara, eyeliner, lip liner, or lipstick. The four elastic mesh pouches hold loose items, like blush, bronzer, and pressed powder. And the adjustable compartments are where you can stash bottles and containers, like foundation, makeup remover, and setting spray. There's a place for everything—and I mean everything.

Read a full review here.

Bagsmart hanging toiletry bag

An affordable option that's great for long family vacations, this Bagsmart hanging toiletry bag will fit all of your makeup products and toiletries in one. Hang it on the back of the bathroom door when you arrive and you’ll stay organized the rest of the trip. There are four separate clear sections that make finding what you need easy and prevent liquid products like shampoo and conditioner from spilling onto your makeup. Plus, the case itself has a top handle to make transport even easier.

MZ Wallace Mica cosmetic bag

This lightweight cosmetic bag from MZ Wallace is the perfect size for most any getaway. It’s large enough to store all of the makeup products you’d need for a week and features an interior pocket and lining to protect it against any leaks. When you’re not using it to pack your favorite makeup products, use it as an emergency kit to store beauty essentials at the office or in your gym bag.

Gosect makeup bag

This ultra-soft, spacious bag couldn't be cuter—and its just $10. Its roomy enough to hold makeup and skincare products for a one-to-two week trip, but its soft cotton material allows it to be compressed flatter when its not totally full. It features two zippers that open the top of the bag completely, allowing you to see all of your products at once, and a carrying handle. Inside, you'll find a zippered mesh pocket to hold brushes or beauty accessories like tweezers or an eyelash curler.

Béis The Cosmetic Case

On the outside, this Béis bag looks like any other makeup bag; inside, it's obvious it was designed by someone who's traveled with a drugstore full of makeup once or twice. Inside, there's a larger-than-average compact mirror that slips out, a double-sided detachable brush holder to keep eye and lip brushes separate, and smaller compartments to store odds and ends, plus a spacious main compartment. Even better, the water-resistant lining makes it easy to wipe clean.

Bagsmart makeup bag

Another bestseller from travel-friendly brand Bagsmart is this puffy, water-resistant cosmetic pouch. We love this one for its interior pockets that are designed to hold circular products like blush, bronzer, and pressed powder. There's also a slim side pocket to hold brushes or lip liners, and enough room in the main compartment for palettes, foundation, and setting spray. Choose from several colors, including this light pink, beige, blue, purple, gray, and black.

Relavel cosmetic case

This Amazon bestseller is another great option for the travelers who don't plan to skip any steps in their beauty routine or are headed to a destination wedding or other special occasion where full glam is order. The affordable and durable case has racked up nearly 20,000 five-star ratings and hundreds of rave reviews. It scores major points for organization, with several adjustable dividers that let you keep all of your products secure and separated. There are also slim pockets to hold makeup brushes and and a zippered compartment for eyeshadow palettes. The thoughtfully-designed case is waterproof and shockproof, so it can handle some major bumps and drops.

Stasher Everyday Bag

For shorter trips or weekends away, Flager reaches for this transparent bag from Stasher. This compact pouch is made of a sturdy platinum silicone that protects bottles and liquids from breaking, and it features a leakproof seal. What we love most about this lightweight bag is how versatile it is; when you're not using it for makeup essentials, pack it with shower products, tech accessories, or jewelry. Another pro: It's dishwasher and heat safe.

Cuyana leather travel case set

Our editors regularly turn to Cuyana for its high-quality leather totes and crossbody bags. Traveler editor Erika Owen has been using this leather set for years, and its still looks good as new. It comes with two chic cases: one large bag that fits foundation, eyeshadow palettes, and skincare essentials as well as a smaller bag ideal for makeup brushes or tools like an eyelash curler. Both bags feature a leather interior that you can easily wipe clean with a damp cloth after any accidental makeup spills. The set is available in a variety of colors, including blush, sapphire, red, burnt orange, ecru, and classic black.

Dagne Dover Mila toiletry organizer

This small-but-mighty toiletry organizer with a carrying handle is ideal for quick one- to two-day getaways when you're packing the basics. It's made with Dagne Dover's signature soft neoprene material that's conveniently water resistant. The inside is completely lined with mesh and allows makeup products like foundation, setting spray, and serums to stand straight up in their own dividers, making them easier to find. There are also small loops on the side for mascara, lip gloss, or makeup brushes.

Away The Cosmetics Bag

Away designs some of our editors' go-to suitcases, prioritizing durability and smart features. The brand's cosmetic bag is equally as easy to love, with enough room to store all of the makeup and beauty must-haves you'll need for a week's vacation (or longer). The main compartment is made of water-resistant nylon with a coated wipeable interior and offers transparent pockets that make finding what you need simple. The standout feature of this case is the detachable brush roll that snaps to the top lid to keep makeup brushes organized and easy to grab.