Travel tricks: transporting liquids

I love to travel but one moment that always used to worry me was opening my suitcase upon arrival.  I was afraid a product might have leaked during the trip, leaving a giant mess in my suitcase.  Fortunately it has only happened once, I think it was a bottle of shower gel, and the damage was limited because it was wrapped in a plastic bag.  These days, I don't worry as much anymore simply because I think I have the necessary methods to prevent something like that from happening.  

So here's how I do it:  you'll need plastic toilet bags, snack size ziplock bags, plastic foil, tape and plastic bags.  I know it sounds like much but it really isn't, trust me.  I usually buy my plastic toilet bags at H&M, they don't cost much and are cute.  Since they're entirely made of plastic, no harm's done if something were to spill.  You can wash it out easily and the plastic is like a barrier, unlike toilet bags made of cotton.

When I'm traveling to the US I know I'll be buying nail polish but even when I'm going elsewhere I usually bring nail care or a polish with me.  

First thing I do is put the nail polish in a snack size ziplock bag and close it.  And then I just put them in a plastic toilet bag.  Some polishes are wrapped in plastic like the Formula X by sephora one's but most of them aren't.  Can you imagine opening you suitcase only to find nail polish all over everything?  The horror!!  It's never happened to me.

Now, tubes are another thing.  I have this image in my head of the tube getting crushed by something (when they're throwing the suitcases in the plane for instance) and just exploding in my suitcase.  

I put tape on the lids so they can't open (well, the still can but it's a lot harder this way), I always pack tape that you can rip (instead of needing scissors 'cause we all know you never find scissors when you need them).  Then I'll put the tubes in a plastic toilet bag.  This toilet bag holds exactly 3 tubes of lotion and I'm pretty mad at myself for buying only one.  I'm still hoping that H&M will bring these back.

The most risky liquids are the really watery one's, like face toners, shower gels, shampoos ... but there's an easy trick for them.  

You just open up the cap, put some plastic foil over the opening and close the bottle again.  Just to be sure I still wrap them in a plastic bag and put some tape around that so it's completely wrapped in plastic.