What's in my Travel Beauty Bag?

My husband and I needed to head out of town for a wedding this weekend, and at the last we decided to make a long weekend of it and stay an extra day at my parents' house, so I thought I would take a few quick snaps of the beauty essentials I brought with me for our little road trip.

I got this toiletry bag at Target a few months ago; it's by Sonia Kashuk and it's just chock-full of compartments and pockets.  It holds a good amount of products without being too bulky, and the geometric design is super cute.

This side has one big open pocket and two clear vinyl bags that zip closed at the top and are secured into the main compartment with velcro.  I actually keep the one on the left in my bathroom to keep hair ties and bobby pins in one place; it's also currently holding my Travalo that's filled with Viva la Juicy and a perfume sample that came in my most recent Glossy Box.

The bag on the right just has some essentials: toothpaste, deodorant, saline solution and my contact case.  This side is also carrying my Sonicare travel case and my makeup wipes.

The other compartment has a big vinyl pocket that I use to hold my liquid products; we have to drive through the mountains to get to my hometown, and the elevation change has been known to explode products every now and then.  This side is holding both my day and night moisturizers (both by Aveeno), eye cream, conditioner, body wash and body lotion, and some Neutrogena face wash.  When I travel, I rely a lot on the samples I get from my subscription services; samples are meant to be used, right?

(Quick side note: because we were traveling by car to stay with family, I didn't put a lot of effort into finding travel-sized versions of products.  Had we been flying or going somewhere without easy access to a drugstore, I'd have invested in some little pots or something to save space.)

The last section of this bag has a handy space for makeup brushes and a convenient flap to keep them protected.  Above that flap, there's an additional zippered compartment that I don't use very often, and a final zippered compartment that runs the length of the back "wall" of the bag.  I don't always carry my makeup in this toiletry bag; I'll occasionally overpack and use a separate makeup case, but for this trip I really made an effort to scale back and only bring some essentials and a few double-duty products.

What's your travel beauty essential?

Glossy Box: Bergdorf Goodman Edition

Well, this was a pleasant surprise...

For some crazy reason, I was convinced that I wouldn't be getting this particular box.  It seemed way too soon to be getting another one, and I wrote the whole thing off as one of those special purchases that you have to opt into and promptly forgot about it.

Smash cut to last weekend: guess what showed up in my mailbox!

1. Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Pre-Foundation Skin Primer (full size: $45)

I'm not really a huge primer girl, but I'm coming around to the Maybelline Baby Skin.  As excited as I am to try this one, I'm not sure anything will get me to spend more than the $8 (or whatever the Baby Skin costs) on a primer.

2. Revive Eye Renewal Serum Firming Booster (full size: $140)
Serums are fun!  I'll give it a shot!  Won't spend that much on the full size!

3. Philip B Lightweight Deep Conditioning Creme Rinse (full size: $26)
Fun fact: this sample has the least expensive full-sized counterpart.  This box is fancy, y'all.  Anyway, I love me a good deep conditioner, and this size will be great for travel.

4. Atelier Cologne Rose Anonyme Cologne Absolute (full size: $140)
I love this scent.  It reminds me a bit of the Jimmy Choo perfume that I wore on my wedding day, which may certainly contribute to that.  My husband also approved of this scent, so: bonus!

5. Lancer Eye Contour Lifting Cream (full size: $95)
I'm not completely loving the eye cream that I'm currently using anymore, so I'm excited to switch it up and give this one a shot.

6. Lancome Absolute L'Extrait Regenerating Ultimate Elixir (full size: $360)
Near as I can tell, this is a moisturizer (and quite the luxurious one, at that).  It smells just lovely, and I think it will be an exciting little departure from my trusty Aveeno.

The Bergdorf Goodman box also included a $25 gift card to the store, which means that the Hourglass blush in Dim Infusion is on its way to my hot little hands.  Score!

If you received the Bergdorf Glossy Box, what did you think?  Any products that differed from mine?

May 2014 Favorites

Monthly favorites posts and videos are some of my, well, favorites to look forward to each month.  I find it almost a little bit fascinating to really think about what my most reached-for products were for and to notice little trends here and there.

1. L'oreal Miss Manga Mascara

No surprise here.  I'm completely infatuated with what this mascara does for my lashes.  While it's not labeled as a waterproof formula, this particular product performs just as well, if not better, than some waterproof mascaras I've tried.

2. Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer
An easy go-to for a sun-kissed look.  Plus, the smell is just delicious.

3. Tarte Exposed Blush

Still going strong in May, just as it was in April.  We're having some major remodeling done on our house right now, so a lot of my makeup isn't really easily accessible.  This blush has made my mornings really easy; it's tough to mess this one up.

4. Cover Girl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation

This is one of my new favorite formulas.  It really does last on my skin all day, and it applies beautifully with my beauty blender.

5. Jordana Fabuliner

An easy to use, felt tip black liner that's worth every penny (all 299 of them).

6. Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy Perfume

This was a Christmas gift from my mom last year, and I'm so thrilled to finally have it in my collection!  This is my go-to fragrance for every day; I love that it's light and not too sweet.

7. Alex and Ani Bangles

This little swan guy appeared in a Glossy Box a few months back, and I was instantly hooked.  My Amazon wish-list is now crawling with more of these bracelets, but I just couldn't help myself and ordered the St Christopher charm bangle in mid-May.  I've been wearing them almost every day; I love that they chime just a bit without being obnoxiously loud.

8. AG Hair Cosmetics Keratin Repair Serum

My stylist talked me into this a few months ago, and I've been using every time I've washed my hair since.  My ends tend to be dry and prone to breakage, but since I've been using this serum my split ends have been almost non-existent.

What products have you been loving this month?