Caboodle Makeup Case: Classic Trays And Travel Bags

The brand's legend says Vanna White was photographed in 1986 using a Plano tacklebox for makeup, and Plano launched Caboodles a year later. Plano Molding Company brought out the On-The-Go Girl in 1987, molded from tackle box designs. I love that history because it explains everything: the snap latches, the tiered trays, the hard shell. A caboodle is basically a fishing case for lip gloss.

Mental Floss reports that the first on-the-go organizers hit the market in 1987 and sold 2 million units in the first two years, and it credits New Zealand native Leonie Mateer with the idea. So when I say a caboodle was everywhere, that is not just nostalgia talking. In 2012, for the 25th anniversary, Caboodles reissued a limited vintage 1987 case using the original mold, which tells you how much people missed them.

Now the cases. The Neon Green Over Lilac Makeup Organizer is the loudest, and the Pretty In Petite in Hot Pink On Rose is the smallest, a tidy little pocket for lip products and a mascara. The Large Primped and Primed Train Case in black is the grown-up one, big enough for a full kit. The On-The-Go Girl in Iridescent Mint is the pastel classic, and the Elphaba Essence edition and the School Spirit organizer in Crimson Over White are the fun collector colors.

Fill the bottom trays with things you use daily, and keep the special-occasion palette up top. The small drawers in the lid are good for the tiny things that always vanish, like hair ties, spare earring backs and a travel-size perfume. I also like a few sticker labels on the trays, if only because a week from now you will have forgotten which one holds the good brushes.

Not every day calls for a hard case. Sometimes you want your makeup to swing off a wrist and slide into a tote, and that is where the soft bags come in. They keep the same friendly, slightly retro look and none of the weight.

The Purple Sparkle Showgirl On-The-Go Girl bag is the flashy one, and the Orange Sparkle Showgirl version is its warmer, louder sibling. The On the Go Girl Makeup Bag in Purple Jelly Sparkle has a glassy, candy-bright finish. Pretty in Petite Makeup Bags in Hot Pink Over Blue are the small ones, made for the few things you actually use in a week.

I like to think of these as the after-school-club version of the old case: lighter, easier to toss around and still able to hold a few lipsticks, a compact and a brush or two. Pack them by category. Put base products in one corner and lip and eye products in the other, so your hand finds things without you looking.

A quick check before you leave the house: shake the bag. If anything rattles loudly, wrap a small elastic around the brushes or slip a folded tissue between the compacts. It stops cracked powder and stray marks, and it takes ten seconds. Zip pockets are good for anything that can leak, and I keep a spare cotton pad folded in the corner for emergencies.

There is a whole world of vanity storage that has nothing to do with plastic snap cases, and I think a good routine uses both. The case travels. The organizer stays put and keeps the everyday things in reach.

RIES's Essential Travel Vanity Bag is the neat, considered bag, and Emi Jay's On The Way Vanity Case in Toasted Sugar is the softer, more fashionable one, a good pick for a weekend away. Sonia Kashuk's Makeup Bag in Pink Waffle is the friendly, textured one, easy to grab and easy to wash the outside. Sorbus's Large Clear Makeup Organizer Case lets you see everything at a glance, which is the entire point of a clear case.

For the desk, Maison's 360 Rotating Makeup Organizer has eight adjustable layers, so you can shape it around tall serums and short jars. Mber's rotating brush holder keeps your brushes upright, white and out of the way, which helps them dry properly and keeps the bristles in shape.

What I would skip: packing every product you own into one case. Overfilled trays crush palettes and leak, and you will never find what you need. Choose the eight things you would take on a trip, and let the rest live on the vanity.

To choose a case, start by laying out what you actually use in a normal week. If it fits in one hand, go small. If you carry brushes and palettes, go for the large train case with room for tall bottles.

Then think about where it will live. A bright caboodle looks lovely on an open shelf, so you can pick colors that make you happy. A bag suits a bag. Clean the plastic with a damp cloth and a little mild soap, wipe out the trays every few months, and throw out anything that has gone dry or old. A tidy kit makes getting ready faster, and a fun case makes it feel a bit more like play. If you are buying for a teenager, or for a version of yourself who used to be one, let the color be the deciding factor. You will use the case you like looking at.