Another trip is right around the corner (Houston for
PlannerCon Parties) and my brain is already telling me to pack. You’d think after travelling at least once a month for two years straight that nagging voice in my head would go away by now. But we are who we are.
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I’ve become a bit of a packing pro over the years and have fine tuned the essentials I take with me every trip. There are a couple new additions to the mix since we started doing personal item only travel (we’re midwest cheap at its best).
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Since we’re rocking personal items only, I usually pack a small purse I can pull out later and use while exploring. Just big enough for a wallet and my phone. This brown one gets a lot of questions whenever I post it on Instagram. It’s from a secondhand store and is the perfect little travel companion.
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I was gifted these
Sudio headphones* earlier this year from the company and they’re a complete game changer. They’re bluetooth, but also still have a headphone cord to plug into the screens on planes. Plus they’re noise cancelling and hella cute. I definitely lucked out with this one.
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There’s always a water bottle (this one
Oh, Hello Promo made for a client) and my vlogging camera in the mix. I recently added the new
Erin Condren Accordion Pouch to the lineup as well to separate out toiletries. My pouch loving ways can’t get over the genius idea to attach separate pouches together. GENIUS.
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As far as planning tools go, I’ll sometimes bring my to-do list planner, but more often than not I just bring a
pocket traveler’s notebook to write down ideas I have or things I don’t want to forget to do when I get home. I store all my writing tools in my
Erin Condren Planny Pack and attach it to the TN or a
memory notebook if I’ve brought one.
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I started bringing a couple of thank you notes when I travel to leave for housekeeping or people we visit. It’s a nice little gesture that doesn’t take up any packing space but leaves a seriously great impression. How else am I going to get invited back?!
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I keep cotton pads in a little jar and makeup wipes for super lazy days in a soap holder. That way they’ll stay damp and I’m not bringing a huge package along with me or unnecessary plastic from a travel pack.
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With personal item only travel I had to get super creative with how I pack EVERYTHING. I found these little craft storage jars at the dollar store and use them to decant products into them. I’m super picky about my toothpaste and it doesn’t come in a travel size so this is perfect! Evil genius status achieved.
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The next time we travel with actual carry-ons or (heaven forbid) a CHECKED bag I won’t know what to do with myself. You mean I can pack clothing OPTIONS!??! Now that’s just crazy talk…
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The makeup fairies dropped off a package on my doorstep a few weeks ago and I’ve been playing around with the
Urban Decay the Ultimate Brush Off Set & Go Powder* ever since. This summer I’ve been a bigger sweaty mess than normal, so setting powders have become quite common in my routine. And presto, a new powder just finds its way to my doorstep. The odds seem to be in my favor *buys a lottery ticket*
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Let’s talk packaging first because damn Urban Decay, you know how to design some crazy packaging. It’s plastic, but sturdy and glossy and wonderful. At first I was on the fence about the brush built into the packaging, but it’s an incredibly high quality, dense brush that definitely works. Personally if I’m feeling super high maintenance (and when am I not) I’ll use a fluffier brush with the powder, but the built in one is great if you want to bake your powder or apply with a slightly heavier hand.
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The brush locks in with a twist and the powder is separated by some plastic with holes. A lot of powder does seem to come through the holes rather than a regulated amount, but I just tap it off the brush and call it good. See, I’m not completely high-maintenance…
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It comes in a few different shades, but I find myself gravitating towards the universal shade out of habit. It’s not cakey, lasts all day, and doesn’t leave a weird shine in photos. I tend to use it a lot under my eyes to set my concealer, and it thankfully does not accentuate any of my wrinkles or lines. It’s everything you want in a setting powder.
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Boom. Review done.
It could just be my algorithm on Instagram and Facebook, but I’ve seen ads for
ThirdLove bras for months. They’re marketing team is seriously impressive and a few weeks ago I finally caved to the advertisements and decided to give them a go.
A bit of boob backstory. I’m very well endowed. I’ve always had a hard time finding bras that had a small enough number (in the 32-34 range) yet had a large enough cup size (I thought I wore a DD or DDD). They just didn’t seem to exist in the “regular” bra world of Victoria’s Secret. So I settled and wore camisoles over all of my bras to keep my boobs from tumbling out. Shoulder marks were commonplace.
ThirdLove’s return policy really sold it for me. You can wear the bras (and wash them!) for two months and still send them back. I took their sizing test and it suggested a 34 DDD (what they call an F), but they also offer you another size in the same style to try for free and send back the one that doesn’t fit.
So I opted to try their 34E, 34F, and 34G just to really see what size I actually am. They arrived super quickly in a cute box and well packaged. Turns out I’m a 34G and haven’t been wearing the right bra for nearly a decade.
I returned the other two sizes quick and easy and started shopping my actual bra size.
The bras are super soft, the straps are larger to prevent slipping and marks, and I finally feel like I don’t have to wear a camisole every day to make sure nothing’s falling out. Plus I don’t immediately feel like ripping my bra off after I come home from a long day. And the styles. As a big chested girl I’m lucky to find a bra in my size let alone a cute one. There are so many gorgeous options for a crazy range of sizes. This girl finally can wear cute bras!!!
So I’m a convert. I’m always so skeptical when it comes to those overly advertised products on Facebook, but caving to the ads definitely paid off in spades with this one.
If you’re down to give them a try,
click here for my referral code to save $15. I’ll get credit towards future purchases and we can be bra buddies!
Guys. I sincerely thought I would never write a post like this. What feels like two years in the making has finally become a reality. Oh, Hello Stationery has officially launched its first line of retail products!!! Our collection is now available through
Notions Marketing. If you’re a shop, you can order the products from their wholesale site. If you’re a customer, go to your favorite retailer and ask for them to carry our products.
I wanted to take what’s so great about the brand and expand it into a functional and decorative collection anyone can use. From new planner girls to seasoned addicts, I can’t wait for you to check out all of the new sheets and styles.
There are eleven sticker sets as well as a bunch of traveler’s notebook starter packs. We even have some enamel pin bundles. It’s been a crazy process trying to figure out how to prepare our products for retail and I swear I know more about UPCs than I ever would care to admit. But they’re here. They’re real. And it couldn’t have happened without your support. A thousand thanks.
I’ll keep you posted on where you can find the collection near you, but here are all of the sticker sets that are now available.
And there may or may not be an even BIGGER announcement coming your way in a week or two…
Although I would love to go back to college and be a lifelong learner, there just isn’t enough time (or money) in the day. So I’ve turned to business books to keep the learning going. They’re easy to read on planes, during a spare tech free hour in the evenings, or in a waiting room. I’ve read my fair share over the past year, but there are a few that have really changed my perspective on how I approach my business.
This is the book that really changed things for me. It talks about building an operating system for small businesses and how to hold yourself accountable. It gives you actionable steps on how to develop goals and long term plans. Without this book, I doubt we’d have a team of seven employees or be looking for our first retail location. It put everything into perspective and really made me think about what I want for my business. It’s meaty and filled with information, but it’s one I’ve gone back to every few months since reading it nearly a year ago.
I just recently finished this book and love how it turns logical thinking on its head. It talks a lot about how logical ideas are not always the solution to business problems. It’s important to think outside the box, try something new, and be open to failure in the pursuit of magical outcomes. I’m really not doing it justice. It’s brilliant. Definitely read it.
This book popped onto my radar at the perfect time in my life. Owning your own business comes with a lot of obstacles, challenges, and letdowns. This book teaches you how to embrace those obstacles and see them as opportunities to improve, challenge yourself, and grow. These teachings have gotten me through situations I would have otherwise froze in. I’m much more open to risk and diving head first into challenges thanks to this book.
There are SO many great business books out there that have helped me in one way or another. These three have left the biggest impact on me and continue to shape my thinking and approach to my business. What are some of your favorite business/self help books?
