Monday Music – Packing, Beauty Goods, and a Little Whispering

Happy Monday ladies. Today’s thoughts include some honesty about a packing mistake, a pinch of whining, and travel must-haves.

Last week I attended a content creator retreat in Nashville with some very stylish bloggers. I met Tania, Jo-Lynne and Cyndi a few years ago so reconnecting was a pleasure. These girls are awesome! Lisa and Dawn are new friends now and I’m so happy to finally meet them. Blogging is a solitary and often isolated job, so connecting in real life is beyond rewarding. Plus… these ladies are a blast!

It goes without saying that any meeting involving fashion bloggers is an opportunity to dress in their best and wear fun things. Unfortunately, I failed at this in many ways. Get ready to whine… I hurriedly packed in shots of the sinus bend. I did not pay attention to the floor and, as always, brought only a small hand luggage. All of these ladies did a “what did I wear in the Nashville post”, but I will skip this one 🙂

I brought a couple pairs of straight leg jeans, oversized shirts, comfortable sneakers, and an outfit for the evening. I missed the cowboy boot note, but to be honest, I don’t have them. My feet were happy campers as we did quite a bit of hiking…so this is it. My outfits could benefit from some strategic accessories, but frankly, I was exhausted and felt lucky to be there.

I’ve definitely felt underdressed most of the time, which is unusual for me and a good reminder to always consider where you’re spending your day when deciding what to wear.

Anyway… I may have packed the wrong clothes, but I got my skincare and beauty products right. Actually I always do because I start editing them a few days before I leave.

While we were sitting and chatting over coffee one morning, I asked the girls to share the one beauty product from Amazon that they would never travel without. Here are the beauty products I bought from Amazon in the last 2 months…

Tanya it broke me when it caught full size La Roche-Possay Triple Repair Moisturizing Cream bottle. It pumped a bit on my arm and I admit it felt great… but the size! He’s obviously checking his bags, he’s also been to Nashville, so there were no baggage restrictions.

Jo-Lynne love this Q-tips pack, which holds the perfect amount for a trip! I think I’ll refill the pack next time.

He also travels with portable jewelry cleaner which looks ingenious! Jewelry is one of those things that is impossible to clean on the road, so I love this idea.

cyndi swears on it Lay-n-Go cosmetic bag, especially when traveling in their caravans. It comes in 27 colors, 13″, 16″, 20″ or 22″.

Lisa she has gorgeous hair and she never travels without it Hot Tools One-Step Hair Dryer. I saw it using it and it definitely gave me hair envy. I don’t have enough hair to wrap this dryer 🙂

Dawn she likes it Drybar Shower Head. The outer shell keeps your hair dry and the terry cloth lining absorbs moisture from the steam.

she likes this too Plush Velvet Travel Jewelry Bag. I have a similar shape but not as pretty as this one.

I always have a few non-negotiable beauty products to buy but my current favorite this is self.

I am so happy that this makes my skin feel like I bought a small travel bottle to drain some for travel. I haven’t been without it for about a year. This may not seem very long but it is very long for me because I try new things and change my products frequently.

Last Book

My brother’s latest book is out, just in time for holiday shopping! He writes in the family, I just rant on a page 🙂

He writes adventure stories for middle-class readers. It’s about a journey back to the time of Jack the Ripper, complete with positive role models, bad villains, and historically accurate details.

That’s it for me this Monday. Most bloggers I know are starting their holiday gift guides this week. I would love to be this organized but I’m not that hopeful for next week 🙂

Thanks for reading, and be sure to wear what makes you feel safe.