What I Put in my Travel Toiletries Bags

Today I was reorganizing my toiletries bags and I feel quite happy with them so I thought I'd share.

First of all I have four "toiletries" bags. One is general toiletries that I take on most trips lasting less than a week. Another is a swim toiletries bag that is the roughly the same as before except I keep it in my swim bag with tanning lotion. Another bag is "all things showering" (ie: shampoo/conditioner, razor, shaving cream, ect.) that goes hand in hand with the first bag. And lastly is my make up travel bag. This one I keep in the bathroom because I take it with my swim bag as well as my usual travel bag. I will be sharing the contents of two of these bags.

So first up is my make up travel bag.

#1 VS Sample Perfumes - these were from a set I bought a few years ago at Victoria Secret, I think the set cost around $15 but I probably had a coupon (the real reason I shop at VS)
#2 Lancome Toiletries Bag - this is part of a three bag set I bought at a garage sale last summer ($2). They looked brand new and I loved the colors.
#3 Mary Kay's Mini Make-up Brush Kit - this is from my mom. I'm sure it was one of those promotions where if you buy a certain amount of product you get a free gift. I love that word, FREE. I added a few eye shadow applicators from Walmart (a 20 was roughly $2).
#4 Foundation - This is the tube I was using prior to buying Bare Minerals. It still has half the product left so I thought I would put it to good use. I usually don't buy more make up if I know I have plenty at home. The only reason I bought the new foundation when I did is because I had a gift card and I had tried Bare Minerals before.
#5 Eye Primer - pretty much the same story as before. I bought this sample at Sephora along with a face primer sample and found out later that the face primer can be used for both.
#6 Concealer - I bought this at Ulta for a couple of bucks.
#7 Foundation Brush - Bare Minerals came with a new concealer brush that I like much better. This particular one was a couple of bucks at Walmart.
#8 Emery Board
#9 Brow Brush - I don't usually use these much but I somehow ended up with an extra one. It didn't fit in the bag so I snapped off the end of the stick.
#10 Mary Kay Eyeshadow Sample Cards - I have been hoping to find these for years now, and I happened to get my hands on a few this week. My mom is technically a Mary Kay consultant, although she doesn't do much "consulting." (psst - it's really just for the discount) I guess every few years you have to re-sign up which costs a little bit of money but comes with loads of samples and keeps the mega discount. So, mom picked out a few samples and I got the rest. The eyeshadow cards have just enough make up for one application. Each card comes with three eyeshadow colors, one cheek color, and even some lip stick. They fold up nicely and fit perfect in my bag. This is my favorite piece!
#11 Clinique Mascara - This was in a promotional sample set my mother-in-law picked up last fall when we were shopping. She didn't want the samples so I gladly took them.
#12 VS Lip Gloss - I think these run about $5 at VS. Again, I probably had a coupon.
#13 Ulta Cream Blush and Applicator - same story as the foundation. Used it, found a better brand in a bigger bottle (probably had a coupon), and I saved it from ending up in the garbage.

Next up, my swim toiletries bag.

#1 Deodorant - I don't buy the small travel sizes of deoderant because I found myself always having to replenish my supply. Full size is more economical anyways.
#2 Lotion - I have loads of fruity lotion I never use. This is where it ends up.
#3 Burn Relief - I cannot go to the beach without this. The bottles these are in are Walmart $1 bottles from the travel sample section.
#4 Moistened Face Wipes - I found these at Walmart for super cheap, I like that they already have face wash in them, one less thing to pack.
#5 More Lotion
#6 Hair Gel - the only time I really use gel is when my hair is wet and I don't have the time or the resources to fix my hair the way I like. But that fits perfectly in the criteria for my swim bag.
#7 Hair Serum - can't leave home without it. These bottles were originally shampoo bottles from a hotel, but they didn't have a conditioner bottle with them so I washed them out and re-used them. One less thing in the landfill.
#8 Cosmetic Rounds - I use these to remove eye make up. Eye make up remover not pictured.
#9 Pantyliners - duh.
#10 Face Moisturizer - part of the Clinique sample set that came with the mascara.
#11 Dove Soap - just in case.
#12 Mary Kay Satin Hands Samples - I love Satin Hands and these came with the eyeshadow cards.
#13 Conditioner
#14 Shampoo - usually I keep these in my "All things showering" bag but this is my swim bag and I still need to wash my hair after the pool/lake.
#15 Comb and Hair Ties - you can never have too many of these.


(Sorry this is another super long post)
All in all, these bags cost me next to nothing. A lot of things were given to me, a lot of things were leftovers, and everything else was cheap samples. I understand most of these items I had to be in the right place at the right time, and may not seem applicable to you. However, if you are always on the look out for these kind of items, you would be surprised how often they come available. Also, I've always had the mentality of, "Never say 'no' to free." (Ok, 95% never)