Depotting Makeup: A Brilliant Way to Travel Light

Depotting Makeup is a brilliant way to create a travel friendly palette in a container the size of a credit card. You will barely notice you are carrying it.

I took this makeup palette with me on a five-week trip to Italy, and I didn't run out while using it every day. It was a great way to save space, allowing me to see all my favorite shades at a glance. Plus, you can easily swap out shades depending on your destination, ensuring you always have the perfect makeup.

Isn't it surprising that when you're packing for a trip, your luggage feels weighed down, not by your clothes, but by your toiletry bag? Despite opting for travel-sized items and attempting to pack minimally, it just never seems light enough.

As an experienced traveler, I've explored many ways to pack efficiently. While numerous articles share how others do it, many of their ideas never quite work. It could be an HSP thing. If it doesn't look right and feel right, it's annoying.

Something that has always sent me over the edge was the noise of women putting on makeup at the gym. All the clanking of the makeup bags while they are looking for products. It seemed like every three seconds, someone was bashing things around, looking for something, and THE NOISE!!! The sounds drove me mad.

There is no noise with my travel makeup palette; it's all in one place. No. Noise. Is. Important. Anyone who is not an HSP will by now think this article is insane, but if you have sound sensitivities, you will so understand what I am talking about. And, finally, I have found a way to make it all work!

Enter the World of Depotting Makeup

A brilliant solution that allows you to create your customized, travel-friendly makeup kit. This will save you space in your luggage and make mixing and matching your favorite shades easy for endless makeup possibilities.

Makeup Forever offers an empty palette you can transfer things into, but I chose not to purchase from them due to their parent company's involvement in animal testing. I found this one on Etsy, and it is lovely, but it's made of paper, and the feel of the container was all wrong.

Some depotting methods involve removing the pan from the original packing and putting it into a new container. However, since different brands use different size pans when you do that, the pans don't always line up, creating a messy-looking palette. I tried that method and didn't like it.

During a late-night Etsy binge, I stumbled upon a tiny watercolor paint container no larger than a credit card. Skeptical if it would work or not, I decided to give it a try because I loved its compact design.

Surprisingly, when I received it, I found it was perfect for transferring my makeup and creating a little palette that contained everything I needed while traveling. It is also great for having in your gym bag or handbag; it's so small you will barely notice it.

Depotting Makeup – what you will need:

This Etsy Paint Travel Palette
Beauty Scoop or an X-acto knife works great also.
Rubbing Alcohol at 70% concentration (for sanitizing & to set powder)
Paper Towels

Depotting Makeup Like a Pro

Depotting makeup is a popular technique that involves removing makeup products from their original packaging and placing them into individual pans or containers.

This technique is especially useful for those who want to declutter their makeup collection or customize their palettes and it works amazingly for traveling.

Depotting makeup may initially seem intimidating, but it's a simple process, and a little messy. Start by selecting the makeup products you want to depot; cream products are easier to transfer, but you can also transfer powders with an additional step. Depotting Makeup – this is how to do it:

Choose the makeup you want to depot, and ensure it is clean and dry. You can use rubbing alcohol to sanitize it if necessary.

Take out the small white palettes from the container and wash them thoroughly.
Place both palettes on a flat, clean surface.
Start with your cream products, and with the spatula or knife, transfer the makeup from the original to the empty pan. Take your time and press it down firmly to eliminate any air pockets.
Next, transfer your powder products. Break the powder product and move it carefully over to the new pan. Press down firmly with your finger to settle it in the new pan. Don't fill it to the brim; leave a little space for the rubbing alcohol, which will set the powder in place. Put one or two drops of rubbing alcohol on the crushed powder and leave for 24 hours. It should be completely dry and hard to the touch before you can use it.

Once everything is dry, place the palettes back into the container, and voilà! You've got yourself a travel-friendly, customized makeup palette. Depotting your makeup is not only an efficient travel hack but also an excellent way to declutter and organize your makeup collection.

I found two palette options that would both work wonderfully. The silver one below has one palette on one side, the black one has palettes on two sides. Below are links to everything you will need.

Depotting Makeup Supplies

Double Sided Palette (buy slot inserts instead of slants)
Single Silver Palette
Spatula | X-acto Knife | Rubbing Alcohol.
Travel Size Brow Gel | Travel Size Mascara | Travel Size Makeup Brushes

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