How to make your favourite perfume travel-friendly

If you’re unwilling to give up your signature scent on holiday, you have three possible solutions. A) Pack a heavy glass bottle (this option sucks!) B) Buy a travel-sized one (what, and spend even more money?) C) Get a mini spray bottle and fill it with some of the original perfume. With this in mind, option C seems like the most sensible, right? Wrong. These refillable atomisers and I have always struggled to get along. Sometimes, nothing comes out of the bottle. Other times, the spray head gets stuck or perfume leaks into my bag.

Thanks to TikTok, I now know that there’s a fourth option: make your own travel-sized perfume in solid form.

Here’s what you need to make it work:

• Your favourite perfume
• A toothpick
• A bowl of hot water
• A small tub of ordinary Vaseline (preferably the lip one, as it’s particularly small)

Lip balms

Vaseline Original

Balm, 177.26 ml

Lip balms

Vaseline Original

Balm, 177.26 ml

What you’ll need to do

Place the closed tub of Vaseline upright in the bowl of hot water for five to ten minutes. After that, take off the lid and use the toothpick to mix the softened Vaseline. Then, spray some of your perfume inside. Spray more if you prefer a strong scent, less if you like it subtle. I went for eight to ten sprays when I tried it, so I guess I like my perfume to be on the stronger side. Once this step’s complete, grab the toothpick again and mix it all together.

Wipe off the edges of the plastic container with a cloth or cotton bud if necessary, then put the lid back on and pop the Vaseline in the fridge until it firms up again.

If you’re happy to put in a little extra work, you can take off the Vaseline labels and replace them with your own or decorate the tub with stickers. This is useful if you’re making several tubs containing different fragrances. Not only will the mini pots look good, but you’ll also be able to tell them apart.

You’ll now easily be able to fit your perfume into your handbag, topping up your scent at any time without spraying it and overpowering the people around you. The best part? If combined with Vaseline, perfume stays on the skin for an especially long time. This is because the fragrance molecules adhere better to the Vaseline’s greasy layer.