Last year I ditched my whole makeup stash and switched to mineral makeup when Young Living came out with their Savvy Minerals makeup line (read more about that here). Although I have absolutely loved the makeup in general as far as coverage and ingredients, the fact that it was almost all loose mineral powder has taken some getting used to and I was definitely concerned about the mess, especially when traveling. Over the past year I have traveled quite a bit with my Savvy and have come up with some handy tips for traveling with mineral makeup that’ll hopefully help you keep the mess to a minimum.
This post contains some affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link I make a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you!
Tip #1: Use an organized storage case
Unless your makeup containers have one of those sliding lids that cover up the holes (which at this time the Savvy Minerals ones do not) then one of the biggest struggles with traveling with mineral makeup is keeping it from dumping a ton of makeup out of the bottom of the container into the lid.
One way to combat this is to use a structured carrying container that will keep your makeup from sliding around and tipping over. I really love this one.
Some things I love about this case:
- There are plenty of pockets at the top for my makeup brushes and even my large Veil brush fits in there
- There is a flap that folds over the brushes to prevent powder residue from getting all over everything
- The dividers in the case are repositionable so you can customize the case depending on the size of your products
I was able to easily fit 3 of largest Savvy Minerals containers (2 foundations and Diamond Dust), 3 of the medium sizes (2 blushes and a bronzer), 12 of the smallest sizes (10 eyeshadows and 2 eyeliners), 5 lipsticks, 5 lip glosses, and mascara. I also had space for another large container, another medium container, and lots more lipstick/lipgloss (or other items). So it’s very roomy! 
I personally would not use this for air travel. Yes, it keeps your makeup upright and protected…but only if the case itself is upright. If you have it in your packed luggage and that gets tossed all over creation then it’s likely to still get turned upside down and dump product into the lids. However, this is perfect both for everyday storage in your bathroom as well as for car travel since you have more control over whether your bags stay upright.
Tip #2: Use cotton balls
A great way to minimize the powder getting dumped into the lids is to simply use a cotton ball (or tear a piece off of a cotton ball if a whole cotton ball is too big for the space) and wedge it into the top of the container. The cotton ball pressed between the holes and the lid will keep the powder from coming through the lids. I’ve used this method multiple times and it works great!
Tip #3: Downsize into smaller containers
After trying several things, this is by far my favorite method! I like to take a variety of colors so I have options to pick from but I don’t like having to pack up all those containers just for a couple of days!
What I did instead was buy these very small makeup sample jars and transfer a small amount of each color into one of the jars.
Not only did this greatly reduce the space that my makeup needed to take up but it also created me a little mini makeup set that I can leave packed up. Now when I’m packing I don’t have to pack up everything, I just grab my mini set, my brushes, and my foundation (I use quite a bit more of that so I didn’t think one of these small pots would fit what I needed for a multi-day trip).
I do recommend labeling your little containers with stickers. I took these pictures right after I filled the containers and the lids were still nice and clear so you could easily see what colors were inside. After they got jostled around and turned all sorts of directions when I’ve traveled, the lids have gotten residue inside them making them a bit dusty/cloudy and harder to distinguish what color is inside without opening each one. So go ahead and label them for easy identification!
Here’s the Crushin’ eyeshadow travel pot I made next to the actual eyeshadow. It’s quite a bit smaller and when you multiply that by 10+ (depending on how many of the eyeshadows you have) that can make a big difference! 
FYI these are also great sizes for sharing with your friends if they want to try out a color for themselves.
Tip #4: Try turning it into pressed powder
This is my least favorite of the tips but I did want to throw it in here anyway. If you REALLY dislike the loose powder you can try pressing it into a palette. There are some big benefits: you can get a ton of colors into a small space (even smaller than my downsized containers in Tip #3), you don’t have to open multiple lids, and there’s way less mess/spillage. However, there are downsides too: it takes a LOT of loose powder to press it into the tins so if you mess them up you’ve just ruined a pretty big amount of makeup, you have to use some kind of liquid binding agent and there is some concern that doing so might compromise the makeup or introduce bacteria and other ickies, and it’s a bit tedious so if you don’t like DIY projects you won’t want to do this.
All that said, I did try it with a few colors before I flew out on a trip a few months ago. I only tried 3 – bronzer, blush, and eyeliner. The blush and eyeliner turned out just fine, but I must have added too much of the oil I used (fractionated coconut oil) to the bronzer because it was much harder to get any of it on my brush. It’s definitely a fine balance.
I loved the portability and having multiple items in the compact, but I haven’t attempted it again because of the way the bronzer turned out and not wanting to risk it on more of my colors.
If you want to try this for yourself, I used a few drops of fractionated coconut oil, a few drops of rubbing alcohol, mixed it into a paste, and pressed it into the palette. 
Which of these travel tips have you tried? Do you have any other tips to share? Leave a comment below!
Want to know more about Savvy Minerals make up and what sets it apart? Check that post out here.
See my everyday Savvy Routine here
Find out how you can purchase Savvy Minerals here
Other products mentioned:
For the pressed powder I’ve heard to use your ART Toner. I haven’t tried it myself but it’s on my list. Thanks for the great tips!
Yes! I’ve heard that too but haven’t tried it yet either. Let me know how it works out for you if you do!
thanks for showing us how you travel/store your Savvy Minerals – I’ve also been making the switch, and my old cosmetics bag just doesn’t do the trick when traveling. You’ve given me some good ideas, thank you!
You’re welcome!
Fabulous suggestions! I just put the makeup case on my wishlist.