What's in my Bag? Beauty Travel Essentials

This weeks blog is a guest post from one of my favorite beauty bloggers Beauty School Scarlet (@abeautyscarlet). Enjoy! 

5 Beauty Travel Tips to Keep You TSA Approved

Do you ever have trouble packing the right beauty products for your vacation??? Do you get confused on what to take and what to leave??? Do you have to check your bag EVERY single trip because you just have too many products??? If you answered yes to any of these questions…then you need to continue, read on and join the club…LOL. These are Beauty Blogger problems that I face on constant basis and I am tired of the TSA making me check my bags all the darn time L. I have decided to take matters into my own hands and share my top 5 beauty tips to help us all overcome this problem :) 

Tip #1: This tip is easy but it took me forever to see what was right in front of my face (don’t judge me, I have seen the light and opened my eyes). If you are taking a trip, when you shop for your beauty products, always shop the travel section. Every store has one these days from Target to Sephora and everything in between. The travel section offers sizes that are TSA approved. My go to travel section for skin and hair products is the Beauty To Go area in Sephora. They offer the brands that I love and the products that I use.

Three Common Travel Mistakes

*This post was originally posted on Love, Label and Joneses

It’s summertime so that means one thing for most people, VACATION! You finally get a break from work or school and the first thing you want to do is get out of the comforts (and bores) of home and explore a new destination. Maybe chill on a sunny beach, go for an adventurous hike in the mountains or a spa vacation is on your travel bucket list. Ahh, the excitement! However while you are busy buying a new vacation wardrobe, booking a babysitter or requesting that time off, it’s important not to sidestep some important steps in the planning process.

Here are three common travel mistakes that we often make:

Featured Interview - Evita Robinson of Nomadness TV

While I was in New York City last month  at the Blogging While Brown Conference I had the pleasure of meeting Evita (Evie) Robinson, founder of Nomadness TV Travel Tribe. Nomadness TV is an urban travel online social community of almost 5,000 members.  They are the new age travel movement!
Nomadness Tribe is 75% female and 89% Black/Latino memebers who currently reside in over 20 countries, with highest concentration in New York, Washington D.C., Houston, Atlanta, and Bahia, Brazil.

I had the chance to catch up with Evita (@EvieRobbie) before she heads off to Spain on her latest adventure. Read on as she shares more on her passion for travel and what inspires her. 

I want to hear more about Nomadness Tribe and how it got started! What inspired you to start “The Tribe”? 
I had just gotten back to New York City after living in Japan and Thailand over the course of a year and a half. I came back with a real case of travel withdrawl that no one in my family or friends could really relate to it. At that point I started looking for online communities and couldn't find any that I felt a tie too. They were boring, lacked diversity and were impersonal. I didn't find it, so I created it in the Tribe. 

A Bucket List : Travel Edition

I was browsing around in one of my Travel Facebook groups when I ran across this cool photo. A travel bucket list! I got excited when I realized that I'd visited 9 out of 14 of these locations! **pats self on back**

This got me to thinking about what else was on my personal travel bucket list. 

(Recap) 7 Days, 3 Cities, Lessons Learned

Late Thursday night I returned from an amazing but exhausting week long trip to New York City, Philadelphia and Dallas. (see post here). Everything actually went perfectly! I landed in NYC on the first day of summer and the weather was outstanding! I enjoyed a bike ride through Central Park and long strolls through Harlem and Brooklyn throughout the weekend. 

 The accommodations at the AloftHarlem were sleek and swanky! I love the complimentary water bottles that all Starwood properties provide. Major perk!

7 days, 3 cities, 1 tired Chick: Summer Travels

Happy Friday!

Today begins Day 1 of a 7 day trip that will take me to three great U. S. cities!

First up, New York City! It's the first day of summer and I can't think of a more perfect place to be. I'm here this weekend attending the 6th Annual Blogging While Brown conference in Harlem. This is my first blogging conference and I'm looking forward to connecting with over 200 African American bloggers, media professionals, brands, learning how to make my blog better and of course some parties!

Check out my feature in their attendee spotlight: 

Sunday evening I'm riding the rails over to the 'City of Brotherly Love' -- Philadelphia. Amtrak gets me there in an hour and the ticket was only $30. Much cheaper than renting a car and dealing with gas. I've never been to Philly and since its so close to NYC I wanted to maximize my travel, smart girl right?:-) I will be staying in City Center East area and taking in some historical sites, museums and finding my way to the Liberty bell and the LOVE statue!

Spouse Travel: Honeymoon Edition

Guest Post by Veronica Weatherspoon-

March 23, 2013, I was fortunate to marry the most intriguing man I’ve ever met.  The next morning, we set off for our honeymoon to beautiful Puerto Rico!  The sandy beaches, blue skies and crystal clear water were something to be rivaled, and my husband and I vowed to enjoy every moment!  Remembering a few things helped us and may help you, too:

What's in my bag? My Business Travel Essentials

I’m on the road or in the air quite often for business trips. In my 9 to 5 gig as a Midwest territory sales manager, 60% – 70% of my time is spent in rental cars, airports and Hilton brand hotels. I want to share with you five of my business travel essentials that are a “MUST" when packing for a trip on my checklist: 

Tote Bag
I try to have as few items of luggage as possible when traveling for business. Moving quickly in and out of vehicles, planes and offices leaves plenty of opportunities to leave items behind.

My Top 5 Go To Travel Sites

Courtesy of The Reefs via TravelandLeisure.com

Planning a trip or for some just THINKING about planning a trip can be overwhelming. There is tons of information available via agencies, travel books and of course the Internet.

I try to avoid all the confusion and just keep it simple.   

Here are my top 5 go to sites:

1. Trip Advisor – this one is my favorite!
I first discovered this site when planning my 26th birthday to Miami Beach. At the time they were the only site that allowed travelers to upload personal photos! 

Guest Post: Too Tight Jeans

This month's guest contributor is Shivawn of "Love, Label and Joneses" Check out her great post!

Have you ever had a pair of jeans that you had to jump into just to put them on? And you knew they were too tight before you put them on but you HAD to wear them? So all throughout the day you had to suffer through being uncomfortable. Uncomfortable when you sat down because they squeezed your legs. Uncomfortable when you ate and had to walk around all day holding your stomach in. But as soon as you got home behind closed doors you immediately struggled to get those jeans off. 

After the struggle you vowed to never wear them again...but you did 3 weeks later!

Vacation Please!

Hi there!

Hope everyone had a Happy Easter!

Today's post is a guest post I wrote for Shivawn of Love + Labels & Joneses. I'm excited to be a monthly contributor to her blog and will be sharing my posts written for LL&J on this blog as well. Enjoy:)

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
~ Mark Twain

5 Tips to stick to your diet while traveling

This week I am traveling to my hometown...TEXAS BABY! I have some work training in Dallas/Ft Worth and then heading down to Houston to be a bridesmaid in my college roommates wedding. 

While I'm always excited to visit with friends and family I get anxiety thinking about the food temptation that awaits me. Staying in a hotel for 3+ days and being away from my kitchen, cookbook and fridge full of fruit and veggies presents a major problem. 

Tex Mex, Whataburger, 44 oz. Sonic drinks and sausage cheese rolls from the donut shop are usually my downfall. Everything really is bigger in Texas, food portions included!

Over the past 7 weeks I've worked really hard to transform my health and fitness routine. I've adopted a vegetarian lifestyle, workout 3-5 times/wk and with the help of Weight Watchers I am down 7lbs a few inches and one dress size:)

Creating travel memories in the most cost effective way

This week's post is a guest post by my friend and client Kine! Enjoy:)

We often think of vacation as an extravagant, luxury trip; maybe something we saw in a movie. Those types of vacations are great but for most people they are a once in a lifetime thing. Keep those kind of vacations in mind when you have saved enough to do it big.

In the meantime, you should small vacation ideas you can take and not really have to break the bank. 

Check out these 3 easy to find great ideas: 

The Perfect Girlfriend Getaway

Last weekend I went to Miami Beach to celebrate my good friend and college roommate's bachelorette party! Miami Beach is one of my FAVORITE cities for nightlife, luxury and fun in the sun! 

I celebrated my 26th birthday in South Beach and had the best time:) Are you planning a trip with the girls soon?  

Here are the Top 3 ways to make sure it’s the perfect vacation for you and your girlfriends!

Flying Solo

Today's post is a guest post I wrote Jan.31 for Presidential Lifestyle Blog. Check out her blog for wisdom, inspiration and practical tips on how to create your perfect lifestyle! She also recently wrote a book, "The Art of Starting Over: A 30 day guide to creating more Power, Peace and Pleasure in your life". Awesome read! Read her other blogs and find more info about her book at kinecorder.com. Here's the post:

This past October I went on an AMAZING 7 day Italian vacation to Venice, Florence and Rome. I traveled with a group of 4 close friends and once there we met up with our travel group of over 20 people. It was great to sightsee, shop and indulge in food and wine with a group of great people!

Travel Chic Thursday: Weekly Deals

It's Travel Chic Thursday! Here are this week's best deals! 

Wisconsin

Rates as low as $83/night for a cozy long weekend in Lake Delevan, Wisconsin. Spa, shopping and relaxation awaits. Book this deal here!
 
Ms Travel Chic Tip: Make dinner reservations at the Baker House and enjoy a beautiful view of the lake, outdoor seating and a stylish hat to wear when you walk in this 1920's themed mansion turned restaurant. 

Verses & Flow Recap and Carl Thomas Interview

This past Thursday (Jan 24^th) I attended the swanky Verses & Flow event in Chicago. Verses & Flow are a series of events (sponsored by Lexus) that showcases musical and spoken word talent.  Past performers have included Luke James, Elle Varner and Musiq.

On this night at the modern and spacious Chicago Illuminating Company venue we snacked on heavy appetizers, enjoyed cocktails from an open bar and checked out the new Lexus GS parked inside.  Spoken word artists Sonya Renee and Rudy Francisco entertained the crowd with their moving and soulful poetry. 

57th Presidential Inauguration Recap: Why I love DC!

Official White House Photo. Jan 20, 2013 Swearing In.

This past weekend I was in our nation’s capitol for the 57^th Presidential Inauguration of Barack H. Obama.  I attended his first historic inauguration in 2009 and didn’t want to miss his last one! I must say that as an African American I was even more excited and emotional as this particular day had significant meaning.  

Jan 21^st marked 1) The 50^th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr’s “I have a Dream Speech” 2) The U.S. holiday and celebration of MLK day . 3) The re-election of the first African American President. (You did it twice America!) I couldn’t help but get emotional that day standing in the midst of history! AMAZING!

Ways to save on food while traveling

When planning a trip it’s very easy to budget for hotel, transportation and tours since you have the figures up front. However it can be a bit more complicated to anticipate what you will end up spending on food once you arrive.

Here are some tips to help you save money when dining out on your travel journey:

Chic Travel Outfits: Inaugural Edition

Every month I will be featuring a guest blogger! If you are interested in guest blogging, just let me know:)

Today's guest post comes from the stylish Ms. Ebby K from Elevated Inspirations! Connect with Ebby K on Twitter @itsebbyk and Facebook http://www.facebook.com/itsebbyk Fan Page.  

It is time to CELEBRATE!!!