Weekend Travel Gear

I've been traveling a lot lately -- Durham for Halloween, Philly this last weekend (post / video blog to come soon!) and Durham again this weekend. That means this upcoming weekend will be my 3rd weekend out of town in a row!

Being away from home so much means lots of travel accessories, so I wanted to do a little post on some of my new and some of my favorite most frequently used travel items! These are in addition to my red eye necessities, but I haven't had to take one of those in a while =)

<-- To the left are all the items I brought on my short Philly trip. I was proud to have been able to pack light! Rebecca Minkoff Mini Morning After Bag and LeSportSac Duffle in Pearl Lightning. Wearing my brown suede Juicy Couture boots (over the knee or cuffed!)





1.  LeSportSac Duffle Bag 
(Similar one here from eBags.com)

I generally don't like duffles because I tend to overpack, resulting in my small frame collapsing under its weight (hopefully not for long after more days of P90X -- kind of behind on that program though =X). Anyway, I love this one because it's SUPER lightweight, durable and I love the way it looks (a little shimmery but in a conservative color -- just my style!). I can pack a pair of heels + sneakers, enough clothes for the whole weekend + add'l options, 2 bags of toiletries/makeup and even my 13" Macbook Pro along with my WaterField Gear Pouch (see the next one on the list)! This particular color/style has fabric that's a little bit heavier than the normal LeSportSac ones and almost feels leathery and has a separate lining inside.

Sidenote: I usually put my laptop in this or a Longchamp bag because I HATE using laptop bags -- I am paranoid of being a target of theft since people can tell you are carrying a computer.



2.  WaterField Gear Pouch
($22 from SFBags.com)

I posted about this before when I just got it, but now that I've used it a few times, I wanted to share how I LOVE how this pouch keeps me so much more organized (and less stressed out =) when packing and traveling. Being the super connected person I am, I can keep my Blackberry, iPhone and laptop chargers in here along with my camera and camera charger and much more! I have the medium sized gear pouch and I think it's plenty of space -- I might have been fine going with the small one too.

And now for strictly girly part of this post...

3.  *NEW* Sigma Travel Brush Kit
($49 from Sigma Makeup)

Since I started following beauty / makeup related blogs and YouTubers recently (Coastalpolitan, OhBeauty, Holly Ann-AeRee, Michelle Phan), I've been trying to have more fun with my makeup and learn a thing or two. Halloween was the PERFECT opportunity to do that, but I realized when traveling to Durham that it was such a hassle to take ALL the necessary brushes with me! Almost half my suitcase was filled with beauty products / toiletries! After that, I decided to invest in some travel sized makeup brushes to take on the go.

At first, I bought a Sephora brush set (mostly because of the Friends and Family sale -- it's over now sorry!), but Sharon of OhBeauty suggested I look into Sigma brushes. So happy I listened to her advice because these brushes are awesome and seem like great quality brushes (they feel MAC like!) and it was also such a great value! I got these 9 brushes for just $49 (2 came as gifts). I haven't used them yet, but they feel super soft and I can't wait to this weekend =)

Another sidenote: I also bought the Sephora ones and they are NOT as great as these. 

Anyway, those are some of my favorites right now! Do you guys have any must travel with items?


Also, I'm looking for a new carry-on suitcase (~20" upright with wheels) -- any suggestions?