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I happened to find myself in a funny predicament during one of my trips. When I told my staff the story, they laughed and encouraged me to share it with you. It’s especially applicable to the female readers, and you’ll soon see why.
Not too long ago, my husband, Ilan, and I traveled to Greece on business. I didn’t know it at the time, but rushing to leave my hotel in the morning, I forgot my makeup bag in my room.
I was heading out to a hectic day and I already felt like all the odds were stacked against me. I had caught a terrible cold and was feeling sick, exhausted, and to top it off, the weather was terrible.
Ilan and I were evaluating cruise ships to decide which ones to use in Friendly Planet tours, and we were meeting with our suppliers to talk about contracts and other items. I always try to look my best, especially at important meetings, who wouldn’t? But between arriving in Athens and inspecting the ships, I started to look like quite the mess.
I wore jeans and sneakers, because I was walking around a ship that was being renovated. The wind and rain were whipping, which was anything but friendly to my naturally curly hair. Plus, my nose had turned a bright red from rubbing it with endless tissues, and my makeup, applied much earlier that day, was quickly eroding. I should have seen the signs then that things weren’t going to go my way that night.
Unfortunately, the cruise ship inspections lasted far longer than I anticipated. There was no way I could get back to the hotel to freshen up before the meeting with our suppliers. There was nothing I could do about my wardrobe, but I thought I could try to salvage the hair and makeup before our hosts arrived.
So I went into the ladies’ room at the restaurant where we were meeting, and began frantically digging through my purse for my makeup bag in order to fix up my makeup and hair. I quickly realized with horror that I had left it at the hotel, along with my hair brush, spray, and anything else I might have needed to make myself look decent.
I wanted to cry. How was I going to conduct a meeting looking like a monster with a red nose, black mascara under my eyes, and hair practically standing on end? Realizing there was nothing I could do to help myself, I went on with the meeting. At least I had a glass of dry Greek chardonnay to smooth out my despair.
You might think the story is over, but you haven’t heard the funny part yet. The next time I met with the suppliers, I was dressed properly, my makeup was done, and my hair was coiffed and in place. Remembering me from our previous meeting, they didn’t recognize me!
There was a moment of embarrassed silence when I shook their hands and they stood before me, clueless as to who I was. We all laughed when they remembered the story. But by their astounded faces, reflecting the evidently dramatic before and after images of me they now compared, I understood that I must never, ever leave my makeup anywhere. 😉
So from that day on I started to practice a few tips to make sure my makeup bag is always with me and convenient enough to tuck into the smallest purse.
Here’s how to pack your makeup:
- Buy your makeup in travel sizes. Or, when you buy the full-sized products, ask for travel-size samples.
- Pack your cosmetics in one bag and keep it with you in your purse.
- Keep creams, lotions, and other items you won’t need for make-up repairs in a separate bag, in your carry-on case.
- Carry Q-tips for smudging eyeliner and quick clean up jobs under eyes.
Here’s what to pack in your cosmetics bag:
- Mineral powder and brush (better than foundation and easier to carry and apply or reapply)
- Small blusher and brush
- Lip gloss wand in a subtle color
- Small eye pencil
- An eye brush that will separate lashes, brush brows, etc.
- A sample-size mascara
Do you have a funny story to tell? Please share it with us in a comment on this post.