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How Do You Pack An Eyeshadow Palette For Travel?

Eyeshadow palettes can be expensive and the last thing you want when going on vacation is arriving to find your fave eyeshadow palette has smashed during the journey.

This has happened to me in the past and I had to get rid of an expensive eyeshadow palette that I loved.

To avoid this happening to you, I’ll be sharing my secrets to keeping my eyeshadow palettes safe when I travel and telling you how to pack an eyeshadow palette for a flight.

How To Pack An Makeup Palette For Travel

To protect your eyeshadow palettes while traveling you can follow the simple instructions below:

Method 1: Packing Eyeshadow Palettes With Cotton Pads

place cotton pads inside the palette
  • To prevent your eyeshadows from breaking, you should place a cotton ball or cotton pad on top of the powder before closing the palette. 
  • This will provide extra cushion to the shadows and will prevent them from shattering. The cotton balls/pads will provide an extra level of shock absorption so if something were to bump or hit the palette, this should keep them secure.
  • You could also use a powder puff, tissue or flat makeup sponge instead for a similar effect.

Method 2: Preventing Eyeshadow Palettes From Smashing With Bubble Wrap

use bubble wrap
  • Another method is by wrapping your palette in bubble wrap
  • This has a similar effect and will provide some cushion to your palette so if they’re bumped, they won’t smash.
  • If you don’t have any bubble wrap then you can wrap them in a towel or clothes instead.
  • These will be things you are already packing so it won’t take up any extra space in your suitcase.

Method 3: Keeping Eyeshadow Palettes Safe With A Makeup Bag

Use a padded makeup bag

This is the method that I personally use the most.

  • These do all the work for you and will also keep all of your other makeup safe too.
  • Due to the padding, they provide an extra layer of cushion that will keep your eyeshadow palettes (and any other powdered makeup) safe during travel.
  • I’d recommend trying to find a bag that has separate sections inside. That way, when you put your makeup palette inside, it won’t move around at all.
  • To make this even safer, you can add a layer of clothes around the makeup bag for ultimate protection.

There are some restrictions when traveling with makeup palettes. Read my guide on if you can take a makeup palette on a plane for all the details.


And that’s it!

Thanks for reading this post on how to pack makeup palettes for travel to avoid them breaking. 

Eyeshadow palettes can be super expensive so it’s definitely worth the extra effort to keep them safe during travel.

Megan Jones is a travel expert and founder of Traveller's Elixir who has been travelling the world full time since 2021. Megan's travel tips been featured in numerous media outlets including Metro, Timeout, Thrillist and more.

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