Hello, Friends!

Sorry for no post last Friday or this Monday. I’ve been updating my site and traveling and wanted to wait until I could unveil the new design. I have a couple of kinks I still need to work out but as you’ll see there’s a new header, sidebar, and excitingly, a new title bar with a drop-down menu for shopping! This will make things much easier for you do navigate because I can highlight sales and isolated certain categories. The rest of the changes should be done by the end of the week! 

For today’s post, I thought I’d share a fun summer outfit and some tips on packing for a long trip. I won’t be sharing and linking everything because that would take forever but I am including some key pieces and items from packing cubes to the best travel wrap you’ll ever find! Feel free to leave me any questions or requests for links if they aren’t included. 

If you haven’t been watching my Instastories, you probably don’t know Justin and I are on a ten-day trip. Last Friday we headed to northern Virginia to surprise his brother for high school graduation. He was so surprised to see us standing in the kitchen – it was so cute! The next day we attended his grad party where I got to meet lots new faces and enjoy tons of yummy food. On Sunday, we headed up to DC to spend the day with my parents who conveniently live less than an hour away. My sweet momma took me shopping for some dresses to wear on the back end of our trip while my dad took Justin golfing. On Monday they dropped us off at the airport and we traveled south to Tampa for Justin’s three-day work trip which is where we are now. At the end of the week, we’re headed to Orlando to Harry Potter World and Universal Studios where we’ll play all day – we can’t wait! Luckily, my bestie lives there so we get to see her for dinner and she’s been kind enough to let us crash with her for the night. Then Friday, we’re flying back to the west coast where we are attending a three-day wedding in Newport Beach. It’s going to be quite the extravaganza and I cannot wait to see my beautiful friend tie the knot. Then finally, we will head back home to little Miss Heidi!

So…needless to say, we’ve had a lot to pack for lots of special occasions that require different types of attire. For the wedding alone, I needed to pack a welcome dinner dress, brunch attire, cocktail dinner dress, my bridesmaid sari, and a black tie gown -phew! And that’s just for the last three days. I’m really particular about packing and don’t like to take too much so I started putting my things together a week early. That way I could pack and repack more than once, dwindling it down to only the necessary items. I even left some additional things at my parent’s house for them to send home that I felt were still excessive. Between Justin and I, we only took one large suitcase and a medium suitcase which I’m quite proud of! And luckily, flying Southwest, both of our bags fly free.

So how did I pack for eleven days without taking fourteen bags?! Keep reading to find out!

Think staples! Things you will wear more than once. Like your favorite pair of jeans, a versatile pair of shorts, and dark colored clothing that’s less likely to show dirt. In the case of our special events, I only packed one item per occasion in case something got dirty, but luckily it’s summer so things are small and easy to fold into a small space. See the shop widget below for the fun dresses I’ll be wearing. 

When it comes to accessorizing and travel I prefer to take only what I need. I always take go-to’s like my David Yurman bracelet and ring, a watch, a couple Alex & Ani bangles, and my new favorite gold link bracelet. Other than that I take only what is crucial for rounding out certain outfits. For example, for one of the cocktail nights, it’s Indian-inspired so I’m taking some statement beaded earrings to give my dress a little pizzazz. And for one of my dresses, I brought a statement bib necklace to jazz it up. 

Shoes take up a lot of room so this is where I tried to pack footwear that go with many different outfits. The sandals I chose to take are absolutely amazing and so comfy which is crucial when you plan on standing and dancing during your vacation! It’s also always nice to have a good pair of walking shoes and something you can wear all day to travel.

This is where it’s really tough for me to pack light. Especially on a trip where I have to dress up and do my hair. I try and take as many travel size items as I can and luckily, they make almost everything in travel size these days. Because we are traveling a week on the front end of my friend’s wedding I also had to pack self-tanner, a mitt, nail polish remover, and of course, nail polish so I’m not looking messy when we arrive in SoCal.

I’m not going to list all of my makeup because that would take all day (they will be listed under SHOP super soon) lol but I do, however, want to share my travel makeup case. I’ve been looking for a cosmetic case for so long that zips around the top so it’s easier to find things. All of my previous makeup bags have had a top zipper and everything falls into a deep abyss where I can never find it. The one I found is amazing and had three compartments. A zipper section on top for smaller items, a section for brushes with a clear cover, and a bottom section for everything else. It’s lightweight and big enough to fit everything a girl needs to doll up her face. Plus, it has a cute palm print!

SHOP TRAVEL MAKEUP

Know that I can work on the go I always bring my laptop computer. I just ordered a new cover and case for it today because mine broke right before we left. Thank goodness for Amazon Prime and hotel delivery! I love the hot pink & leopard combo and both were very reasonably priced.

A large lightweight tote works best for travel! I use my Louis Vuitton Neverfull and let me tell you, the Neverfull title never fails. I try to keep it relatively light but that never seems to happen. Oh, well! Inside I pack all the essentials that I can’t bear to lose, items to keep me preoccupied, and sustenance to keep me full. I’ve also linked my packing cubes (these will change your life) and similar colorful hard sided suitcases below.