Express & Star

Holiday packing: Get on the suit-case

Packing for your holiday can be a little stressful, lots to take but with limited space. Becci Stanley shows us how it’s done. . .

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Pack it in – be clever with your packing and take the essentials

Summer holidays are fast-approaching and so is the dreaded rifling through every drawer and cupboard in your home for must-have items, that you then have to painstakingly sift through to save space.

Woman is here to help, with some space-saving tips that will help you get the most out of your luggage space...

A MULTI-FUNCTIONAL EYEBROW PALETTE

The natural tones that can be found within both powder and cream eyebrow palettes can also double up as eyeshadow and contour kits to create an earthy and sultry make-up look without having to bring multiple pans with you.

INVEST IN SOME SANDALS

We’re all guilty of owning too many pairs of shoes, and sometimes we even try to take them all with us on our trips abroad. Investing in one pair of smart sandals can be the answer to all of your footwear conundrums when packing. Sandals can make a casual day look, and accentuate a smart evening look.

ROLL YOUR CLOTHES INSTEAD OF FOLDING THEM

When packing clothes into your suitcase you’d be surprised how much room you can save based on how you fold them. If you roll clothes rather than folding them, or throwing them in in a bundled heap, you will save yourself a lot of rearranging time.

FORGET CURLERS USE BOBBY PINS

If you’re a big fan of having bouncing curls but don’t have the room for a curling wand in your case, buy yourself an ordinary pack of bobby pins. Simply work your way around your head by grabbing sections of hair, curling it around your fingers, and securing it to your scalp with bobby pins. Spray the little knots of hair with a light spritz of water and leave it to dry. When you remove the pins, you will be left with luscious and long-lasting curls minus the heat damage.

USE ZIPLOCK BAGS TO ORGANISE SMALL ITEMS AND ELECTRICALS

Throwing different electricals and small items into bags not only takes up space, but becomes confusing and can damage the items. Seperate all of these stray accessories into zip-lock bags and pack them between clothes to keep them safe and save room.

PACK NEUTRAL COLOURED CLOTHES TO MIX AND MATCH

We all have our favourite leopard, floral and Aztec print items of clothing in our wardrobe - but they don’t match with everything. The more neutral-coloured clothing options that you pack, the more variable outfits you have at your disposal without having to bring your whole wardrobe.

ONE LARGE SILK SCARF CAN BE USED FOR MULTIPLE THINGS

Can you make a skirt, a top, a head dress and a sarong out of one item? Yes you can, and you can save space doing it. By taking one large silk scarf on holiday you have a variety of different outfit choices at your disposal. You can wrap it around your waist as a sarong or skirt, fold it around your torso and fasten it to your neck to create a light-weight top, or you can weave it through your hair for an intricate headpiece.

USE A CONTACT LENS CASE TO TRANSPORT PRODUCTS

Taking your entire make-up bag on holiday is out of the question when you need to save luggage space. Rather than take a full product, you can pour select amounts of foundation, moisturiser, primer and other products into contact lens containers to limit the bottles joining you on your trip.

BUY A LIGHTWEIGHT CASE

It’s easy to overlook the suitcase itself when you are packing but if you are worried you may go over the weight allowance, get yourself a lightweight, soft-sided suitcase. This could save you those last few crucial pounds.