Packing beauty products for distance move

[sprocketta]

I am moving cross-country. Given the distance and items going to storage, the important things are going in the car with me. Including makeup, skincare, shower and hair products. I am trying to determine best way to pack went move without damage to lipstick and eyeshadow. Any recommendations? Thanks all.

 

 

 

[tsavorite]

@sprocketta ,

I am really late in seeing this Thread.  Maybe you are already back home in the Chicago area!  Congratulations that you are able to make the changes to move back closer to your family!  That's such good news!  I'm so happy for you!  I admired your bravery to move to North Carolina, take a new job, and be away from your family for so long during the COVID pandemic.  I'm glad that you can see it as a positive growth experience in many ways.

[lmaster]

@sprocketta oh congratulations 🎉🎉 good to have you back 😘❤️

[Titian06]

@sprocketta - Congratulations on moving home.  I have no advice.  When I moved 19 years ago, I had very little makeup and moved 20ish miles away. 😄  On the other hand, having ordered massive quantities of nail polish, most bottles come individually wrapped in bubble wrap.  They are so well wrapped, I could probably drop them from the roof and they wouldn't break!  Best wishes with your move!

[JoSometimes]

Hi @sprocketta! Not sure what the weather will be like during your travels, but if it’s going to fluctuate way above or down below room temperature during your overnight stops, it might be a good idea to bring anything skincare related inside with you. Big temperature changes may start deactivating the active ingredients. 

[WinglessOne]

@sprocketta  Bullet lipsticks are pretty tough and can handle some jostling around. I've literally dumped a bunch of MAC lipsticks into a shoebox lined with bubble wrap (and sealed shut with tape) before a move and had no casualties. When it's time to pack for my next move, I won't wanna empty all my lipstick carousels. I plan to leave 'em full and simply cocoon them in bubble wrap. Eh, I might first stuff a cotton ball or 2 into each lipstick slot to stop the bullets from rattling around. Then I'll put my carousel cocoons in a cardboard box that's also lined with bubble wrap. All this padding is more to protect the acrylic carousels than the bullets they hold. You could do that with your carousel. If you choose to empty it, just be sure to pad that carousel well. 

I get more nervous about glass tubes of gloss, liquid lipsticks, and liquid eyeshadows. Those I'd probably bubblewrap via snowball method: lay out one long piece of bubblewrap, put one tube of makeup on one end of the bubblewrap, roll it so it's fully wrapped one time, then put another tube on the bubblewrap, roll it to full wrap it, and so on. 

Whenever I pack up my dishes, I put all my plates and bowls in cardboard boxes and separate them with several sheets of newspaper or brown wrapping paper. They've survived decades of moves that way. I think eyeshadow palettes might too. Any palette or compact that doesn't have a clasp to keep it closed could be taped or wrapped in a rubber band. 

Skincare products with flip-top or pull-off lids would be taped closed. Glass bottles/jars would get bubblewrapped and then stored in plastic zip-top bags. Everything else would be put in zip-top bags without padding, as I've yet to have a plastic bottle, tube, or jar rupture on me during a move. Plastic bags would contain similar-weighted items: no jumbo-sized shampoo bottles in the same bag as tubes of Inkey List Oat Cleansing Balm and Paula's Choice Azelaic Acid Booster, for instance. (Pack better than Ulta does. 😂) All my plastic bags would then be stored in boxes—probably shoeboxes in my case. I'd keep bags containing glass in separate boxes from everything else. 

Hopefully anything you have in a pump bottle has a lockable pump. Tape those down as extra insurance, to keep the pump from turning and unlocking in transit. I'd try to transport those bottles standing upright in a box to further reduce the chance of a pump unlocking. 

Hope your move goes smoothly and leads to wonderful things! 

[sprocketta]

@WinglessOne Thanks much. I didn’t think I could bring the lipstick within the acrylic but I may consider that now. I have a lot of Fenty glosses and liquid lips so they will get bubble wrap then. But they are plastic tubes. The skincare always has PC! I have a few glass bottles of highlighter and base makeup that will  get bubble and ziploc. This response was so specific and helpful. But you always are. Thanks lovely lady. 😊

[alexasteph]

@sprocketta When I moved cross country a couple of years ago, I also took a good chunk of my beauty counter with me. Certain things I organized by type, others by packaging. For example - I stuffed all of my lip products along pockets of a piece of checked luggage and simply taped the lids down. Anything in a flat compact was packed in a box supported by those packing bubbles and either shipped or packed in my car. Things that were misshapen or had uneven packaging were packed with plenty of cushion between, and taped shut (think - skincare, perfume bottles, rounder compacts). My stuff moved with me in 4 different ways: shipped via USPS, packed in my car with the shipping service, packed in my checked bags, or packed with me personally.  Before I moved, I used up anything I could and didn’t buy anything new! If I ran out of a staple product… I just needed to wait to repurchase. I also was in temporary housing for the first two months as I was waiting for my house to close, so most of my stuff stayed packed until I moved in. I treated my “everyday stuff” the same way I would if I went on a trip and either had it in a carry on or checked luggage. The rest I didn’t see or use until I had my house. 

Everything arrived safely, but it did take some creativity to get it all here! Good luck with your move, for me it was the best decision I ever made in my adult life so I hope you are similarly successful in your new environment. 

[sprocketta]

@alexasteph One of my biggest concerns is the lipsticks opening and breaking. I wasn’t sure if I should bubble wrap around them. I have 80-100, lots of PMG and don’t want those to be ruined. Did you bubble the lips? I have never packed multiple eyeshadow palettes so if I can stack with lots of bubble wrap, not too many of them. Okay to stack with bubble or separate boxes/bags? You clearly had this figured out. I figured bath and shower would go into ziplocks but wasn’t sure if box or toss into shopping bag. Guidance is appreciated.

I relocated to NC from Chicago at the end of 2019 for a big career opportunity. It has done a lot for my career and given me a better perspective on the world, but I miss my family who is back in IL and WI. I haven’t seen them much due to pandemic and this job. I missed another round of holidays due to having covid, and I really evaluated. For me, the most important things in life are people you care about (family at the top) and your health. I go back with a better opportunity in work because I made the career jump and got the experience. I just booked a ticket to see a concert with family this summer, exactly why I’m going back. I’m glad your move was the right decision for you. The weather sure is better in NC…but family.

[alexasteph]

@sprocketta Other than tape them shut, I just had the lip stuff packed in the different zip pockets. It was all pretty secure with the other stuff I had in there, jackets, sweaters, etc. Regular tubes of lipstick should be strong enough to be packed without anything extra, but I’d definitely tape them shut and keep them out of a storage unit, unless it’s temperate controlled. 

Yeah, all my flat stuff was perfectly fine with the packing supplies I had. Any open space left in the box I just stuffed with paper to keep things nice and tight. If you’re driving, I’d say putting all the shower/hair/bath/body stuff in a large packing tote in the car is fine. 

[CynthieLu]

Good luck with your move @sprocketta 

Your going to want to make sure all your make up stays closed, dosen't bounce around or move and has good cushioning. Using a cotton tissue between the makeup and the lid and than wrapping it securely in bubble wrap is an idea. I would also reccomend small boxes and containers, you don't want extra space. 

I would also reccomend to put liquids separate. When I travel with liquids I keep them upright in thier own zip lock bags. The freezer bags work great for larger ones.  I stand them all up snuggly togeather so there's no tipping or spilling. Just like the make up to want everything cushioned so it won't bounce around. 

I hope this helps 💖