Packing

Packing for any trip, be it a short one or a long one, can be arduous. I’ve had a bit of experience in the last 12 months with our 5 week US and Canada trip and a few weekends away.

Me dressed and ready for dinner (last weekend's trip to Melbourne)

Packing Checklist

I’ve created a packing checklist which I rely on to jog my memory whenever I’m packing. I don’t necessarily pack every item on the list every time we travel but at least it’s a good prompter. The family ask for the list whenever they’re travelling because it works for them too.

Suitcases

We recently invested in hard-shell lightweight suitcases for our overseas trip. They have TSA fixed combination locks and are ideal because you don’t require separate locks (i.e. the locks are part of the case). They have four wheels on the bottom, an extension handle and roll like a dream. For shorter trips I love to take a canvas suitcase which moulds to the shape and size of the packed items. That case is best for fitting into the boot/trunk of a car or when luggage space is limited. 

A battery operated digital hand scale purchased from Kathmandu was also invaluable and we never worried about having our bags over-weight.

Packing Cells

I was inspired by Ingrid Nilsen, a US YouTuber, who did a video on packing for a trip which included packing cells and how to put together coordinated outfits. Here’s a link to that video. Skip through to 8 minutes 30 in that video and you'll see the part on packing cubes. I picked up a number of packing cells from Kathmandu and Howard’s Storage World. They are superb. They were on special for 3 for $30. Full price can be about $25 each.

I got them in a variety of colours and sizes and pack different items of my wardrobe and gear into the cells. They keep my bag organised, making it very easy to lay my hands on whatever I need.

All my gear laid out read to be packed

The other bonus was not opening up my suitcase to find all of my items down one end, completely jumbled up.

I’m converted to having an organised suitcase and would highly recommend these packing cells.

I won’t travel, even on a short trip, without them. I have to say that the suitcase even looks appealing with those packing cells and toiletry bags.

Travel wardrobe

Travelling which includes extreme climatic changes is always challenging. Our recent trip to the US was a good example of that with 39°C/102°F in Washington DC to 9°C/48°F in Banff. But the packing cells meant I was able to keep my packed summer clothes and heavier/warmer clothes separate. Before I travelled I worked out what I wanted to wear i.e. shorts and tops, a couple of dresses, jeans, cardigan and a jacket. I then chose items that would mix and match. Here are some lay outs I did for last weekend's trip to Melbourne.

Day 1 - chilly in Melbourne 19 degrees

Day 2 - warm in Melbourne 24 degrees

Day 2 - Date night dinner out in Melbourne

Day 3 - hot in Melbourne 31 degrees

For the US/Canada trip I picked mostly black, white, denim and yellow and found that I could mix and match those items and get a variety of looks for the smallest number of packed items possible. It’s a must to ensure there is room in the suitcase for shopping and souvenirs!!!

Stylebook app

Within the Stylebook app (mentioned previously in my Work Wardrobe post) you can plan and save multiple travel wardrobes from the looks and clothing you have already recorded. From the app you can tell exactly which items need to be packed and how many items you will be taking with you.

All of this has made the job of packing a whole lot easier and there’s less chance of getting to your destination and realising you forgot your toothbrush. There's also little chance of taking something unnecessary, because that item’s taking up potential shopping space!

Packing skincare and makeup

I’m always worried about travelling and missing a key skincare and makeup item. That would be a disaster for me! To get around that problem I pack those items a couple of days before and do a run through with what I’ve packed to ensure nothing has been forgotten. It's easy and it works.

Same goes for makeup and brushes. I'll do an application of makeup with what I’ve packed to see if I've missed anything.

Until next time xx

Work Wardrobe

The back story

I work full-time in the State Government as an Executive Officer looking after a senior executive’s diary, meetings, travel and anything else she might require. My office is located in the CBD.

My style

I try to dress well. To me that means heels, earrings and a colour-coordinated professional look. Where possible I avoid wearing black and grey however there are exceptions to every rule – a nice tailored pair of black trousers, black fitted skirt or black structured dress are okay. However I believe that all black must be accompanied with a pop of colour.

A few years ago I was watching Gok Wan and he talked about how most city office workers wear predominantly black or grey and I started to notice that he was right. I was doing it too. Okay black and grey are slimming and easy to coordinate but enough is enough!!

My favourite brands

I don’t spend a lot on clothes but I do like to buy well-made, structured, classic pieces. I am rather fond of the sale rack in any store! The brands I am drawn to are Zara (yay they now have a store in Brisbane City), H&M (ditto that), Portmans, Events (they no longer have any stores in Queensland boo hoo), Target, Charlie Brown, Review, Forever New, Bardot, Witchery and Jacqui-E.

Shoes

I love shoes, who doesn't, but I don’t like to pay much for them so Novo is the place I mostly shop with a sprinkling from Sandler, Guess and Diana Ferrari (almost always on sale).  And in recent years I stopped buying black shoes and now I have the start of a fairly colourful shoe wardrobe.

I don’t wear super high heels but I do like to wear a medium heel. I prefer medium pumps especially ankle strap heels but I often wear chunky heels or wedges. I don’t however wear flats to work!! I have quite skinny lower legs and flats worn with a dress or skirt make my legs appear as though they absolutely have no shape. I do have a pair of flats at work for fire evacuation purposes (a necessity as I’m located on the top floor of our building).

My Signature Look

I am drawn to fitted clothes be that fitted tops, fitted skirts, fitted dresses, fitted jackets - get the idea. Oversized or loose clothes swim all over me and look drab. I lack natural curves so I need my wardrobe to help me in that regard. I try to mix up my work wardrobe with a dress one day, a skirt and shirt the next and occasionally trousers (but not too much in summer).

I have a very colourful wardrobe of cardigans and jackets. It's always super cold (year round) in our office so I always have a jacket or cardigan to slip on when I start to feel cool (which is most of the day).

My signature look is colour. In particular, bright warm colours. They are the most flattering on my skin tone. I wear so much colour that I don’t recognise myself if I don’t wear it.

Accessories

Whilst I don’t wear much jewellery on a daily basis, I would never leave home without earrings – no way!! (My daughter knows very well that I'll comment on a lack of earrings if I catch her leaving the house without them.) I try to coordinate my jewellery with my outfit by considering my shoes and belt.

My current bag was picked up from a boutique in Union Station in Washington DC. It's not branded but I like that it’s a structured bag that holds its shape.

The outside covering has silver glitter through it with a black gloss finish – lush. It also has a spotted silk scarf tied nicely on one side.  It’s just the right size and I’ll be super upset when it starts to fall apart on me.

Makeup

I make sure my lipstick and blush match my outfit colour. For instance, if I’m wearing a bright orange jacket I will wear a blush and lipstick with orange undertones, same goes for pink and for red. Wearing an orange jacket with a pink lip just seems to look all wrong on me.

Stylebook App

And because there’s an app for every obsession, I have used Stylebook on and off for the past few years.  

Stylebook is an app used to organise and track your wardrobe. You enter your individual items by including photos and other details such as colour, fabric, brand and cost.  The items are then categorised (see why I love it) by type i.e. skirts, trousers, jeans, jackets.  Then you create outfits by putting together looks.

Those looks can then be categorised as work looks or casual looks or evening looks etc. It also has some cool stats about how many times you wear a particular item and any items that have been neglected or not worn. I used the app to help me get as many looks as possible from the wardrobe.

So there it is.

Until next time xx

Favourites for 2015

My favs

iPad - I don't dare think about how many hours of YouTube I've watched on this

iPhone 6s Plus - upgrading to this big bad boy because I can't see anything on my smaller phone

My blog - I've had so much fun writing this each week

Gym - This year I've had a love affair with the gym and my instructor Leisa. The whole family is in love as well. We have a great bunch of gym buddies who provide enormous support and great company.

My BMW 328i - despite the fact that I don't drive much i.e. we live super close to the City and have great access to public transport

Travelling - our trip to the US and Canada was a highlight this year

Planning our trip - I had weeks of absolute joy obsessively planning our holiday

Sushi - I've fallen in love with this food especially seared scallops

My Fitness Pal - an app that tracks everything I eat and everything I do and provides me with some kick-ass stats that I love

Instagram - by far the social media environment I enjoy the most and spend the most time on

My work BFFs Anita and Susannah - you girls rock and I love you both to pieces

My FamBam - they keep me entertained, love me unconditionally and provide enormous support

YouTube - watching Rachael Annear, Sharon Farrell, Mel (Tango2+), Jodi (Goo Roo Beauty) and Caroline Hirons has been an absolute treat

Rachael Jade Annear

Sharon Farrell aka Sharon the Makeup Artist

Mel aka Tango2+

Jodi aka Goo Roo Beauty

Caroline Hirons

My parents moving away - because they made their dreams come true

Beauty products - Zoeva brushes, MAC brushes, IT Cosmetics CC Cream, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Palette, MAC Paint Pot in Painterly, Rimmel Provocalips, LORAC Pro Palette, L'Oreal Super Liner Ultra Precision Black, Benefit They're Real Mascara, Benefit Hoola Powder, Naked 3 Palette

Skincare products - Clinique Take the Day Off Balm, Biologique Recherche P50 Lotion, Vichy Aqualia Thermal Dynamic Serum, Kate Somerville Daily Moisturiser Oil-Free, Alpha-H Liquid Gold

Perfume - YSL Black Opium

My Canon 60D camera - for capturing the US and Canada and allowing me to obsessively upload great photos to Facebook and create two amazing Photobooks

My new suitcase and packing capsules - for making travelling look so stylish and organised

My gorgeous hairdresser Hayden - she's a stunning, pocket-rocket with talent galore. I love her bubbly personality, how she knows just what my hair needs and we can talk about all things fashion, celebrities, hair, beauty and makeup for literally hours!

Favourite shops - Myer, David Jones, Zara, Mecca Maxima, Novo, Forever New, H&M and Sheike

The Not-so Favourites ✖

The loss of my beloved grandmother - I will miss her stories, love for us and infectious laugh

My parents moving away - even though we didn't live in each other's pocket, I do wish we lived a bit closer

Facebook - there's too much spam and rubbish on my feed now, I don't enjoy it half as much as I used to

Winter (cold weather) - get me to the Northern Hemisphere stat

Epilepsy - having both kids diagnosed with it (although I could have a lot worse than this to deal with)

Skin cancer - my horrid past catching up with me

Thank you so much for your support.  Writing this blog has been a dream realised and I can't believe how much enjoyment I get from writing and expressing myself.  I'm looking forward to the adventures ahead.

Until next time xx