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2011 will go down in my diary as the Year of the Suitcase. I took a total of five trips this year, which is nothing, I know, compared to hard-core travelers, but it was a lot for me.

And one fantastic side effect of those trips was that they forced me to upgrade my approach to packing. I went from starting the year as a contender for “Crappiest Packer Ever,” and ended it as a middleweight semi-pro packer with a handful of new tricks.

If you have plans to fly (or drive) over the next few weeks, here are three things you can do to eek out a few more cubic feet for makeup and beauty in your luggage.

1. The door is a jar

I’m a gal with a weakness for products, and there’s only so much room in those TSA-approved plastic baggies. By filling up little sample jars with your must-have skincare and other liquid products, you can fill your allowed plastic bag to the brim.

Sometimes you can find the little bottles at drugstores, places like Bed Bath & Beyond and even Target, but I like the free ones from Nordstrom. They hold less than an ounce, but for most things that’s usually enough product to last me a couple of weeks.

(I ask my favorite makeup artists if I can have a couple of them every so often when I visit a counter.)

Don’t forget 3-1-1

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) 3-1-1 program limits the size and number of liquid-filled products that can be brought aboard planes in carry-on bags. Travelers can bring aboard liquid-filled bottles no larger than 3.4 ounces (100ml) by volume and must store those bottles in a single quart-sized, clear plastic zip-top bag.

Oh, and ever since the time I accidentally used my face cleanser on my hair, I’ve taken to putting labels on the jars, small rectangular ones from Office Depot, and I write the name of each product with a waterproof Sharpie, just in case the outside of the jar gets wet.

For my next trip — and yes, I admit it sounds a little OCD — I plan to add numbers to the labels to indicate the order in which the products should be used.

I guess I just like the idea of seeing the jars all lined up on a shelf… 🙂

(TIP: Empty contact lens cases will also work in a pinch.)

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