Styles: Clearly, a Mixed Bag

A 1-QUART ZIPLOC BAG is not just a woefully weensy vessel in which to hold cosmetics when jetting off on a summer vacay — it's also flimsy and ugly. The clear bag system ($25, 311travelbag.com), a 6-by-8-inch plastic pouch stocked with refillable bottles (all under the TSA's stingy 3-ounce rule) is meant to help. Road-tested on a trip to Cali, the sturdy sack greatly agitated security scanners at Dulles, who made us place its sleek cylindrical vessels in a crummy Ziploc. Yet at the Oakland airport, our lotions and potions sailed through security.

» SHINY, HAPPY PEOPLE: Once upon a time, we loved Tony 'n' Tina cosmetics, which made us look like a rockabilly alterna-chick. Then the brand vanished, and we were sad. But now, co-founder Yana Chupenko returns with Shiny Mama. Her first collection, Snow Queen ($15 each, shinymamabeauty.com), is a glitter fest. Shimmer-All, a tube of frosty goodness, applies to eyes, lips, cheeks, wherever with a sponge hidden in the lid. Snow ($15) is a glitzy loose powder; use a tiny spoon to scatter it on your body. But be warned: Too much turns you into a human disco ball.

With contributions by Express' Kristen Page-Kirby
Photo courtesy 311 Travel Bag