Looking for the perfect Travel Cosmetics Bag for your next adventure? At SIXT.VN, we understand the importance of staying organized and stylish while exploring amazing destinations like Vietnam. Let us help you find the ideal travel companion to keep your beauty essentials safe and accessible, ensuring a stress-free and enjoyable journey. Discover top-rated options for cosmetic organizers and makeup travel bags.
Contents
- 1. Our Testing Process (Video)
- 2. Tips for Buying a Travel Cosmetics Bag
- 2.1 Decide How Much Space You Need
- 2.2 Prioritize Organizational Features
- 2.3 Determine the Best Material for You
- 3. Our Top Picks for Travel Cosmetics Bags
- 4. Best Overall: Béis The Cosmetic Case
- 5. Best Design: Relavel Travel Makeup Case
- 6. Best Compact: Dagne Dover Mila Toiletry Organizer
- 7. Best Value: Narwey Travel Makeup Bag
- 8. Best Train Case: Leatherology Train Case
- 9. Best Multi-compartment: Boacay Hanging Travel Toiletry Bag
- 10. Best Set: Cuyana Leather Travel Case Set
1. Our Testing Process (Video)
To accurately test makeup cases in our lab, we assessed them by filling them with props, including makeup brushes, palettes, foundation, eyelash curler, mascara, lipstick, toiletry bottles and hairspray to see how much they could hold. We placed the filled makeup bags into a backpack and carry-on luggage, noting how much space each bag occupied. Then, we dropped, shook, and tossed them to test the movement and potential damage to the contents.
Throughout our tests, we rated each makeup bag based on ease of use, quality, capacity, design, portability, and value. The makeup bags included in this article are the picks that scored highest in each category.
2. Tips for Buying a Travel Cosmetics Bag
Choosing the right travel cosmetics bag can significantly enhance your travel experience. Here are some tips to guide you:
2.1 Decide How Much Space You Need
Consider your makeup routine while traveling. According to a study by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism in 2023, most travelers prefer lightweight luggage. If you enjoy wearing a full face of makeup, opt for a larger bag with built-in organization features like pockets and brush straps. For minimalists who prefer a simple routine, a smaller cosmetic case will suffice, preventing your few products from moving around excessively.
2.2 Prioritize Organizational Features
A single compartment might seem adequate, but organizational features are invaluable. Bags with slots, pockets, straps, and compartments, like a train case, help keep cosmetics in order, streamlining your makeup routine. A well-organized bag saves time and reduces the risk of damage.
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2.3 Determine the Best Material for You
Consider potential travel mishaps when selecting a material. According to research from TripAdvisor in 2022, durability and ease of cleaning are top priorities for travelers. Leather and nylon handle spills well, while neoprene and mesh keep luggage lightweight. Clear materials or clamshell openings allow easy visibility of contents, so you can find your waterproof mascara easily.
3. Our Top Picks for Travel Cosmetics Bags
Here are our top picks for travel cosmetics bags, ensuring you stay organized and stylish on your trips:
- Best Overall: Béis The Cosmetic Case
- Best Design: Relavel Travel Makeup Case
- Best Compact: Dagne Dover Mila Toiletry Organizer
- Best Value: Narwey Travel Makeup Bag
- Best Train Case: Leatherology Train Case
- Best Multi-compartment: Boacay Hanging Travel Toiletry Bag
- Best Set: Cuyana Leather Travel Case Set
- Most Durable: Cuyana Travel Beauty Case
- Best Pouch: MZ Wallace Mica Cosmetic Case
- Best Clear: Paravel Mini See-All Vanity Case
4. Best Overall: Béis The Cosmetic Case
Why We Love It: It’s durable, capacious, and nice to look at — plus, it has a large built-in mirror.
What to Consider: We feel it could benefit from interior straps to hold products down.
Reliable, stylish, and compact yet spacious, it’s no wonder this easy-to-pack cosmetic case from luggage brand Béis impressed us the most. The main compartment opens and closes smoothly, while a center compartment for brushes and other smaller items can be removed in a snap. There are even multiple additional pockets, pouches, and subtle slots in the bag, so there’s truly a place for everything. We also noticed that, because the interior of the case is so roomy, it’s incredibly easy to see every item inside when fully opened. And speaking of the interior, the bag actually boasts a large attached mirror on the inside, which comes in handy for in-transit makeup application — though some might still prefer to also pack a lighted travel makeup mirror.
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During our five months of assessments, the PU leather and hardware worked together to create efficient padding that kept the contents of the case safe and intact through bumps and drops — not to mention, the bag itself still looked good through the wear and tear. On many occasions, we tossed this case in a duffel before going through airport security and boarding a flight, and it still looks good as new. Though $68 may feel a bit pricey for a makeup bag, we felt this case’s thoughtful design and durable construction is worth it. You can grab the case in eight colors ranging from beige to berry.
The Details: 9.5 x 4 x 7 inches | PU leather, nylon, PVC, poly | Zipper closure | 1.38 pounds
5. Best Design: Relavel Travel Makeup Case
Why We Love It: It’s one of the roomiest bags on our list and it’s lightweight — plus it’s great for organization.
What to Consider: It does take up a bit of space in your luggage.
While this case is on the larger side, we felt that ended up being more helpful than hurtful while traveling. We could fit pretty much everything in this thing: a whopping seven palettes, a whole brush collection, two foundation bottles, five toiletry bottles, over 15 lipsticks, an eyelash curler, hair spray, and a travel-sized moisturizer bottle, to be exact. Despite its size, the train case actually remains quite lightweight as well as organized thanks to its adjustable dividers and stretchable pouches on the inside. During our five-month evaluation, we even ended up using this for both makeup and toiletries, since it provides plenty of space.
The interior additionally features layers of protective foam-like material that expertly keeps makeup bottles from cracking. We also found that both the interior and exterior of this case are easy to clean, should a spill or outdoor drop occur. Because it’s a little big, though, we’d recommend packing this case in a carry-on suitcase or even checked luggage rather than a tote or backpack. You can pick this case up in 20 different colors and prints.
The Details: 10.3 x 9 x 3.7 inches | Nylon | Zipper closure | 1.46 pounds
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6. Best Compact: Dagne Dover Mila Toiletry Organizer
Why We Love It: It’s the tiniest bag on our list, but it still fits a lot — plus, it’s easy to flatten when packing or storing.
What to Consider: It does, of course, fit less makeup than the larger bags on our list.
If you prefer to travel with something more compact, Dagne Dover’s Mila Toiletry Organizer is the best tiny makeup bag we tried. Though it’s by far the smallest pick on our list, we were surprised at just how much it could actually hold. Not only do plenty of palettes, lipsticks, and other essential cosmetics fit inside, but so do full-size makeup brushes. It comes with a removable mini divider set that helps hold items in place, though we liked how much more we could fit in the organizer if we skipped using the dividers. Because it fit so well in the palm of our hands, we had a good time whipping it across the room during our assessments — and after being pelted against the wall and floor multiple times, we were amazed to find the organizer still looked fantastic and its contents barely budged. Even when wedged into an absolutely-stuffed-to-the-brim suitcase during our five-month evaluation, the inside is so well-padded that all of our items remained protected and secure. We decided it’s the ultimate makeup bag for shorter trips since it takes up such little space and is super soft and squishable for easy packing.
The Details: 5.5 x 5.5 x 5.5 inches | Polyester, zinc alloy | Zipper closure | 6 ounces
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7. Best Value: Narwey Travel Makeup Bag
Why We Love It: It’s spacious, easy-to-clean, and more affordable than any other makeup bag on our list.
What to Consider: It could use a little extra padding for protection against drops.
There was something about this bag that just made us feel like we could easily access everything inside — there were no hidden pockets, no tight openings, and no unnecessary flaps that covered up the contents (other than one to protect makeup brushes, but it’s see-through). The zipper opening is easy to maneuver and appears to be well-made, while the canvas frame feels sturdy and protective. The bag got a bit dirty during our assessments, but it cleaned up beautifully with minimal effort. We especially loved just how much it could fit: multiple brushes in each of its eight brush pockets, three palettes, three eyeliners, four lipsticks, a mascara, and a lash curler. Perhaps that’s why we were so shocked to discover the bag doesn’t take up much space in our luggage, and it is a fraction of what many other bags on our list cost.
The Details: 9 x 6.7 x 3.5 inches | Canvas | Zipper closure | 7.8 ounces
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8. Best Train Case: Leatherology Train Case
Why We Love It: The leather exterior is soft to the touch and the interior is deceptively roomy.
What to Consider: During our five-month evaluation, we found the tall design to be awkward for packing.
Easy to clean and pack, we’re obsessed with this cute and compact train case from ultra-reliable Leatherology. It zips open in a way that allows you to see everything inside, plus there are interior pockets of all sizes to help keep everything organized. Though we felt it was slightly flimsy when we first picked it up, we quickly realized it’s sturdier than it looks, and only becomes more so when filled with makeup. Its subtle padding is also no joke, as it completely protected the contents while being thrown around, shaken, and dropped. The exterior leather is soft and supple, the interior lining is high quality, and the main compartment is deep and spacious despite its overall compact size. If you’re looking for a smaller makeup bag that’ll still fit more than just the essentials, we recommend this train case in one of 14 available colors.
The Details: 7.5 x 5 x 5.2 inches | Leather, nickel | Zipper closure | 2.41 pounds
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9. Best Multi-compartment: Boacay Hanging Travel Toiletry Bag
Why We Love It: It has multiple compartments that hold so many products.
What to Consider: Bottles can easily slip out of the plastic pockets if the case is hung up without first zipping the pockets.
Travel hanging organizers are a whole different ball game — and once you use one, you may never go back. This one opens up into four large sections, each with a transparent, zippered sleeve to store (and easily see) your makeup and toiletries. Two of the sections have straps to hold products in place, and a hook on the top section allows you to hang the bag anywhere. During our assessments, we discovered the bag is sturdy and easy to clean in addition to being large enough for different types of products, from makeup brushes to hairspray. Even when we packed it to the brim, it still folded up with minimal effort and kept our makeup in place during drop tests. While it’s relatively thin, it is somewhat long and space-consuming, so we’d probably only pack this in a checked bag rather than a carry-on, or use the makeup bag itself as a personal item. Over a period of five months, we did notice that bottles can easily slip out of the plastic pockets if the case is hung up without first zipping the pockets.
The Details: 11.4 x 3.8 x 7.5 inches | Zipper closure | 12.3 ounces
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10. Best Set: Cuyana Leather Travel Case Set
Why We Love It: During our five months of evaluations, all stains and smudges were easily cleaned to keep the case looking new.
What to Consider: It doesn’t have organization features or particularly thick cushioning.
Upon trying this set out, it stood out for two reasons: it comes with not one, but two luxe pouches, and the interior is lined with the same soft leather featured on the exterior. We appreciated how wide both bags open, despite their top-zip construction, making it easy to see everything inside. The larger of the two bags is so spacious, we were able to fit an impressive amount of makeup inside — in fact, we felt we realistically probably wouldn’t even need the smaller bag for makeup, and could instead use it for small toiletries or loan it to a travel companion. There aren’t any dividers or straps inside these bags, so the products inside may shift in-transit if not packed to the brim. Still,
