Parallelle Makeup Bag Review: I'm Never Traveling With Another Cosmetic Case Again

31.07.2024 - 16:01 / cntraveler.com

Wherever I'm headed, be it on a weeklong European vacation or a one-night stay at a friend's house, I'm always going to pack a makeup bag. Even if I'm not planning to wear much makeup, like on a beach trip, I always bring one just in case. As essential as a makeup bag is for me, though, I've never found one I really love.

The classic cosmetic case is usually a large empty pouch, no pockets in sight, where all my many products get dumped inside. This means that when it's time for glam, I spend twice as long rummaging through my bag to find what I need as I do actually putting on makeup. It also means that if my foundation leaks or a lipstick tube opens in transit, my entire collection is a mess. When I arrive at a hotel or an Airbnb, I usually have to empty my entire makeup bag and lay everything out on the bathroom counter just to find what I need. This was all a regular occurrence, and a travel pain point, until I discovered the makeup bag of my dreams: The Parallelle makeup bag is a total game changer for travel; my products have never been more organized, secure, and easy to reach. I finally found a cosmetic case that I actually love.

The standout feature of the Parallelle makeup bag is its foldable shape. After you unzip the bag, each side can be pulled down to lie flat, allowing you to easily see all of your products at once. It's designed to keep each product secured in an upright position, again making them easy to spot and reducing the risk of any spills.

The other feature I love most: pockets galore! I have the medium-size case, called the The Carry-On, which features 16 wall pockets, 4 elastic mesh pouches, and 3 adjustable compartments. The small wall pockets are ideal for holding slim products like makeup brushes, mascara, eyeliner, lip liner, or lipstick. The four elastic mesh pouches hold loose items, like blush, bronzer, and pressed powder. And the adjustable compartments are where you can stash bottles and containers, like foundation, makeup remover, and setting spray. There's a place for everything—and I mean everything.

The medium-size Carry-On bag keeps makeup organized and standing upright

My first time traveling with the Parallelle makeup bag was for a four-day girls trip to Montauk. I tucked all of my makeup essentials into the individual pockets and compartments, zipped up the bag, and tossed it into my weekender bag. After four hours of being squeezed into an extremely overpacked car, all of my products were still secure. No spills or leaks, and everything was in its correct place. When it was time to get ready for our first dinner out, I was relieved that I didn't have to dump all of my products onto the bathroom counter for once. Instead, I simply pulled each product out of