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!!

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!