Pack It Up Tight! Tropical Vacation Edition

DISCLAIMER: This post was suppose to come out before I left for my Mexico trip, but I had an epic fail.  I thought I'd posted this nearly a month ago, but it's still in draft mode when I look it up! Also please ignore the horrible picture quality, I had to resort to tiny previews of some of the items....


As I said in the last post of this nature, I'm actually doing quite a bit of travelling before the baby arrives.  On Saturday we are flying to Cabo San Lucas for a week of sun and relaxation....one last getaway before 'we' become 'three'.  We knew we wanted to do Mexico because everywhere is all inclusive, and we've done Cancun already....so we decided to look for deal on the other side of the country.  I found a great package through a local travel agent and it included DIRECT FLIGHT!  No layovers!  Now let's just pray that the weather in Chicago in agreeable on Saturday afternoon.....

So, back to the task at hand....packing.  Packing for a vacation is much different than packing for a stuffy conference.  The clothes get brighter, and smaller (yikes!) and for me the beauty products I need go WAY down.  When I'm on a beach vacation I go really low maintenance.

Knowing we were going to do a babymoon, I've been looking at maternity shorts and skirts well before I should have.  Target was a plethora of clearance deals.  Here's the bottoms I'm packing, 3 pairs of shorts and one maxi skirt.  Normally I'm not a 'color on the bottom half' kind of girl, but these were cute and SUPER cheap on Motherhood and Target websites.

Tops I'm keeping pretty minimal, most maternity tanks.....

I've got a 2 maxi dresses I picked up sale/clearance for the occasion and a spring-y pink dress for 'dressy' dinners....

And now to talk about maternity swimwear.  Every woman is different in her comfort level while being pregnant.  Before pregnancy I wore mostly two pieces because while I'm not the skinniest woman, they seem to flatter my body more because tie sides are adjustable and nothing is digging into my hips making me look extra pudgy.  So I picked up two new two pieces that I should be able to continue to wear after pregnancy and I picked up some tankinis on clearance that I'm pairing with a basic black bottom.

*disclaimer that I will NEVER look as good as the models in these suits, but I'll rock it out as hard as I can :)  Plus I'm getting a light spray tan to take the pale off

Shoes are kept even more simple with just flip flops!  I'm going so low maintenance that I might not even recognize myself!

AND....because I pack pretty light, I am able to keep it to one carry on sized bag.  However, we're still checking them because we have to bring like 18 gallons of SPF (curse of being pale).

Beauty items I'm taking consist of mascara, some concealer for under eye circles, and a pink lipstick for evenings.  Bathroom wise I'm taking some travel self tanner for touch-ups and dry shampoo (besides the whole tooth brush/floss/deodorant/etc).  I'm banking on soap/shampoo/etc being at the hotel.

So that's it!  Packing for a vacation is all about how comfortable you want to be.  If you plan on going hiking, what I plan on bringing will obviously not be enough!!

I hope this gave you something to think about when you pack for your next vacation.  Think about mixing and matching to reduce quantity!!

Let me know if there's something you want to see here on the blog or a topic you want me to research!  I'm always looking for new products/services to try!!

See you faithful readers back here in my closet!!

Favorite Polishes for Winter!

After reading that one of my favorite bloggers, Kate, at The Small Things Blog mentioned that she got her first monthly Julep Maven box, I thought....do other people not know about this?

Right now a lot of my friends get Birchbox....and I LOVED Birchbox when I used it for about a year over a year ago.  My problem with the company at the time is that I started to accumulate samples of things I probably would never use.  I think over time it's gotten better brands, but it wasn't worth the money so I quit.

I like Julep Maven because you get to choose the polishes or products you get every month...and you can skip if nothing catches your fancy.  I have been skipping recently just because I seem to have similar colors.  It seems like one year on a subscription service is it's max shelf life for me.

Below are a few of the colors I like to wear during the winter, along with a variety of brands I use.  I attempt to do my own nails as much as possible since I do pay $8 per bottle and have a pretty steady hand.  I've learned over time that nail prep is the key to having polish that lasts.  I do a 4 stage file once a month to have a smooth surface and I make sure to use a base coat and a no chip top coat.  Tips I've learned in magazines is every few days reapply the top coat...but I've never had to do that.  Polish never really lasts on my nails more than 4-5 days....I get tired of it.

Sephora for OPI - Metro Chic...I was really into the 'grey-iege' thing a few seasons back and this was and has since been my go to color.  I just learned while writing this post this line has been discontinued in leu of the new Formula X line at Sephora.  I do love those polishes as well.

OPI - Russian Navy...it looks navy in the photo, but actually looks more purple on my nails

Julep - Laura (aptly named)...this has become a recent favorite since it's a muted color I make it into a neutral for cold temps.  Plus I feel like it's camo for my nails (I know...I'm weird)

Essie - Mink Muffs...just a good neutral that doesn't blend in too much

Sinful Colors - Black on Black....nothing says winter like black...it's the way most of us feel dealing with the frigid temps

Besides these 5 colors, I will consistently reach for my go to red no matter the season.  Nothing is as classic as a red nail.  The color looks good on long or short nails and unless you're wearing something really out there, it goes with everything.  Mine is the L'Oreal Paris Pro 'Lady Luck' and as you can see from my husband's practice photo below, I'm nearly half way through this bottle.  

And to end this post, I know I haven't had any OOTD photos in a while, so I'll dump a few below....

I'll try to get a post set up for when we're in Mexico....but I'm just going to enjoy weather that's above freezing!!!  See everyone later, back here in my closet!

Pack it up Tight! Conference Edition

I'll be doing some travelling in the next few months, so I figured I'd start a little series on packing.  I'm by no means an expert packer....I'm horribly inefficient and I pack WAY too many outfits, but I've been trying to get better.

This coming weekend I'm going to a sorority conference and it allows me to get really girly....that being said I don't want to be the person with 3 bags for a 3 day conference.  So this packing session is about versatile clothing options.

Day 1 is travel and evening meetings/dinner.  Normally I would travel in comfy clothes, but since we are going straight into events where we need to be in 'pin attire' (business casual in non-sorority terms) I figure it will be more efficient to just travel in those clothes.  I have a great maternity business dress that I have been just putting a non-maternity cardigan over since it's so cold.  Pair that with some tights and flats and I think it's still a pretty comfy travel outfit.

Day 2 is a full day of sessions, plus there is a awards dinner at night that requests cocktail attire.  My key here is to wear a dress that can go from business casual to dressy with just the change of some accessories.  And I happen to pick up the perfect number from Pink Blush Maternity (except mine is blue not aqua) over the holiday.  This blue dress paired with a cardigan, flats and pearls during the day can instantly go cocktail with the removal of some layers and addition of some heels.

Day 3 is tricky because we will have some time to shop after the conference is over.  Morning needs to be business casual again, so I'm thinking a nice pair of slacks/top/blazer combo.  Then when we are released and we want to hit the Mile for some retail therapy I can just change into a pair of jeans and I'm more comfortable....something like this....

Where I really get bad at packing is beauty products and accessories.  Since it's only a 3 day conference and my new shorter hair allows for less upkeep I think I can make a fresh wash on Friday last all weekend, eliminating any need for styling products.  I'll need a flat iron and dry shampoo to freshen the look day to day, but that's not bad.  Makeup I'm going to stick with my 'everyday face' look.

Packing commencing!

Outfit selection process, I like to put out everything I'll need for an outfit (including jewelry) if I can.  My furry children were no help in making any kind of decision......

I love this Mary Kay jewelry travel pouch I got while I was a consultant.  It keeps everything organized and rolls up nice a flat (as long as you don't stuff it ;)  )

BARE MINIMUM toiletry essentials.....again, hair washing on Friday in hopes to keep my style until Sunday.

Pretty much what I use every morning to get ready, including brushes....

Which packs up pretty nicely into this pouch!

I put everything into my smaller rolling duffel I got at Ulta during a sale.  If anything this blog post has helped me understand what is truly essential when space is a concern.  Some vacations that's not an issue (Mexico coming up!) and that's a whole other ballgame.

So I might put up some photos from the convention this weekend, otherwise I'll see you next week....back here in my closet!

How do you dress when it's -14 degrees outside?

WARM! That's how....last week we got the #polarvortex here in Peoria and the temp was that low, not even adding the windchill in!  I actually worked from home because I wasn't about to venture outside with a growing baby when it feels like -42.

But getting back into the work flow after 2 full weeks off has been fine.  I've been in major nesting mode, mainly with my own closet and clothing and other (non nursery) areas of the house...should see a post about that soon.  I'm still waiting for the magic 'mother-fairy' to purchase baby J's furniture so I can get a better feel for how much extra room I have to work with.

Here's what I've been putting together for work!

Hopefully I'll actually start posting more regularly!

Bump fashion!

Over the holidays my bump has gotten much more visible and I've been having fun dressing it!  I've been loving leggings, tunics and long sweaters for this mild winter we're having in St. Louis.

More pics to come!

Exciting happenings!!

I've been a total fail at blogging lately.  However, I have been taking photos related to this blog....just never getting to put them up.

Biggest news is that my husband and I are expecting our first baby in May!  We've (and I mean he has) been busy painting the nursery and getting those things ready!  I've also forged my way into maternity fashion and will try to use this blog as a sounding board for brands that I like and what I don't like.

Below are a few pics of my belly progress!!

I've been doing a mix of maternity and non-maternity clothes still.  I can't wait to get a little bigger so that some of the cute dresses I've bought will fill out nicely!

Look forward to my summer - winter closet transition post and more maternity fashion.  And I'll see you later, back here in my closet!!