These 9 Accessories Are a Must-Have for Holiday Travel, and They Start at Just $34

I’m what someone might call a maximalist. I love my eight-step skincare routine (morning and night), my everyday makeup look with a minimum of 13 products (way more, if I have the time), and my four-step body care routine (some may think of body care as low priority, but my extremely dry skin begs to differ). This makes traveling complicated; I don’t like to be rushed and the thought of sloshing my expensive skincare in and out of travel toiletry bottles hurts my soul. 

So, I needed a workaround. After years of refinement, and a little help from our NYC-based Testing Lab, my fellow InStyle editors and I tested 106 travel accessories, from toiletry bags to travel hair dryers and travel jewelry cases, to determine what’s actually helpful and what’s a gimmick. Through this testing journey, I’ve finally found a travel-friendly strategy that allows me to bop around the world without sacrificing a single bit of beauty — because it would be unacceptable to me if I jetted all the way to the Great Pyramid of Giza and I didn’t look cute in my selfie.

Shop the 9 Best Beauty and Fashion Travel Essentials:

• Dagne Dover Landon Carryall Large, $162 (Originally $215)
• Kusshi Makeup Brush Organizer, $34 (Originally $39)
• Pureology Strength Cure + Color Fanatic Kit for Damaged, Color-Treated Hair, $72
• T3 Afar Travel Hair Dryer, $135 (Originally $180)
• Cuyana Travel Jewelry Case, $98
• Ellis Brooklyn Mini Chapters Perfume Coffret Set, $51 (Originally $59)
• Westman Atelier Clean Glow Trio, $75
• Béis The Cosmetics Case, $68
• Eadem Bare-Skin Confidence Brightening Trio, $45

Dagne Dover Landon Carryall Large

At the ripe age of 32, I looked around the train headed for Montauk and noticed that every single young person had a clean- and sophisticated-looking weekender bag. I very much did not. My massive twin L.L. Bean canvas totes overflowing with clothes and sandals, and stained after years of use. I needed a real weekender bag. Ideally, it would be something that I could smash loads of things into, isn’t delicate, and has a chill, relaxed look. 

As I was about to give up, this Landon Carryall came into my life. In the sea of roller suitcases and carry-ons, I immediately loved the old school, no-nonsense vibe of this just-throw-it-over-your-shoulder duffel. And its thoughtful interior design is even better — the brand had thought of all the pockets I’d need, pouches I’d use, and compartments I now consider essential. 

Plus, the sustainable neoprene has a glorious amount of stretch, so I’m able to shove way more into it than I thought possible, but it surprises me every time — and it still fits under the seat in front of me. 

Kusshi Makeup Brush Organizer

Not to be dramatic, but this makeup brush organizer changed my life. In college, all the brush holders were non-stretchy cases that stood upright and were extremely unconducive for travel. So I did what any college kid would do and I put all my makeup brushes into Ziploc bags. But now, the beauty industry has caught up, and Kusshi not only creates my go-to makeup brush pouch, but also bright, colorful pouches of all sizes and shapes. 

If you use makeup brushes for foundation or to create an eye look, you’re very familiar with how expensive they are, and how easily their bristles can get ruffled. And I don’t care what my mother says: Once the brush heads are mussied, with bristles shooting out in every direction except for straight up, or their shape has changed completely, they’re never the same, so the fact that these can be laid flat, like the delicate little things they are, with a protective flap that folds down to protect every single bristle, I can enjoy the in-flight entertainment without a worry.

Pureology Strength Cure + Color Fanatic Kit for Damaged, Color-Treated Hair

After years of too much time with my colorist and too few hydrating hair masks, my hair started to betray me, with scraggly ends, dry straw-like strands, and brassy-looking highlights. Something had to change, and the entire Pureology Strength Cure + Color collection helped resolve my toxic relationship with my hair. To my delight, this holiday gift set has all three of my hair essentials, in perfect travel-size containers, and I’m buying it in bulk. It’s going to cost me a pretty penny, but it’s well worth it to avoid needing to use hotel haircare, which always sets me back to square one and takes weeks of begging, pleading, and masking, to get my hair looking somewhat healthy again.