The Pack List: 36 Hours in Tampa

Packing has never been my strong suit.  To be more specific, I'm a notorious over-packer, and a serial baggage dumper when it comes to leaving luggage at my hotel.  To a point, I'm one of those people who like an outfit for all occasions.  Even more so, I'm one of those people who constantly think that they can get reading and other life work (that involves weighty items) accomplished within a trip's span.

The Fauxgchamps Bag

In the spirit of defying odds and following in the footsteps of knowledgeable people like Jean from Extra Petite, I made a first attempt at packing efficiency for this weekend's 36-hour stint in Tampa, Florida.  In retrospect, I would deem this trip's packing job as a half success, considering I still had to leave my baby camera in the hands of one of my friends to take back as it wouldn't fit in my faux Longchamps ("Fauxngchamps") bag.

Of which containing:

3 sets of swim suits 2 dresses - one beach cover-up and one maxi 1 pair of jeans 1 skirt 2 pairs of sandals

3 tops 2 pairs of shorts Tolietries, make-up, jewelry Some reading material

All that went in, and all that it came from.

Looking at this now, I'm not terribly sure how I accomplished putting all of this stuff in here.  I dare say, I'm impressed.  The takeaways?  Despite my fear of "anything can happen," I probably would've not packed about 40% of what I did.  As well, communicating what the plans were with the group first would have also been a good place to start the pack-planning.  Not to mention, going to the mall before you fly out could be considered a bad idea.  That being said, I completely resent the last statement considering I came out with a cute Club Monaco top.  Take that, efficiency!

Readers, any packing tips for the packing-deficient?  Is there hope for me somewhere out there?

Travelogue: Packing in for the Road Ahead

In two days, I will officially be on vacation.  A real, honest to God vacation... none of these "let's-break-away-from-blogging-for-actual-work" vacations, but a trip to a far away land with beaches, sangria and exotic foods.  While the actual trip portion of it is a tour through Spain, actually getting there is proving to be a journey in and of itself.  The itinerary is admittedly a mess given that I'm going from Portsmouth to Boston to New York City to Madrid.  Not to mention, packing has been quite the challenge given that I was coming straight from work.  Since it's getting rather late and I still need to finish packing, I'll probably just let the pictures do most of the talking.

ACCESSORIZE, ACCESSORIZE, ACCESSORIZE
Since I'm coming from a work trip, I needed some way to take a few clothes and make it last 2-3 weeks.  As such, I packed a bunch of statement necklaces to help differentiate looks from looks.  These of course range from the casual like the Crafts and Love necklace to the detailed J. Crew Factory statement necklace. It makes packing a whole lot easier if you also keep any small felt/fabric jewelry bags they might provide you  at the store.  That way, you don't have to fuss around with boxes or plastic bags.

Crafts and Love Fringe Diamond Charm Necklace; Madewell Necklaces (similar); J.Crew Factory Statement Necklace (similar)

SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW, SOMETHING BLING & SOMETHING BLUE
Along with basics like a white t-shirt or a black tank top, I also packed some stand-out pieces with bling and pattern to them to make things a little more stylish for the trip.  Since I don't have all of the money in the world, I'm mixing some old items like the Sanctuary Tank top with some newer ones like the Banana Republic pleated skirt.  Then of course, there's the wild card Jaguar belt which I finally will let loose in Barcelona!

Sanctuary Beaded Tank Top (old), Banana Republic Accordian Pleated Skirt (on sale), Moss Mills Jaguar Belt (similar)

FROM WALK ABILITY TO FIERCE ABILITY

I will admit that I learned my lesson about packing walkable shoes from falling down a New York subway staircase in heels.  Hence, this time around I focused on bringing more terrain-friendly shoes like Sperrys or Toms.  Then again, since I can't avoid the heels, I had to throw in something huge and gaudy.

Sperrys Blue Fin 2-Eye Boat Shoes (similar), Toms Metallic Mint Classics, Katie and Kelly Sandals, Sam Edelman Heels

If you are curious where I'm going and what's on the itinerary, click the next page.  Don't hesitate to leave a comment.  I need suggestions for places to go visit or things to eat!  

Travel 101: 5 On the Road Beauty Basics

As mentioned a thousand other times before, I'm a busy gal.  I travel, I work, and I make time to go to New York on weekends to see silly individuals that I care deeply about.  To prep for seeing that silly person and for looking fabulously while working, a girl's got to have the right tools to do it.  Not to mention, being practically a nomad comes with the added challenge of keeping everything under 300 milligrams.  What's girl to do?  I try to stick with basics (nothing too elaborate) when I travel for work and pleasure.  That way, you can save that $25 luggage check-in fee to buy something more useful... like clothes.  Packing the essential gels and liquids might be a hard battle to fight especially against your make up.  Each week, I try to prioritize and pack the essentials as to not clutter up my bag too much.

Left to Right:  Clinique Butter Shine Lipstick, Benefit They're Real! Mascara, Sephora Retractable Waterproof Eyeliner, Make-Up Forever HD Foundation, Chloe Eau de Parfum Rollerball (Pictures courtesy of Sephora)

To read actual descriptions, click below.  You know I don't like clutter.  Just do it to amuse me.   Click away!