A Few Lil' Travel Recs Under $100

What's in my bag? I'll tell ya!

Hi you fashion friends! I’M BACK, did you miss me? Hope everyone got a little downtime over the July 4th holiday :).

I am writing to you from beautiful sunny California, where I am for a family wedding and some R&R before I start my next gig. Bliss! But, this time last week, I was furiously scrambling to get all my work done and unpack-repack after the holiday weekend. Very long days! Very little sleep! I packed in a fury.

The nuptials will be in Tahoe area, a place I’ve never been to and to which I’ve always wanted to go, and I have no clue what activities await! I have been told there is a lot of hiking, a very cold but beautiful lake, and a few causal dinner reservations on the calendar. A temperature swing of 90-to-40 degrees?! And I am packing blind!

This packing assignment is kind of giving “capsule wardrobe,” a thing I have never aspired to possess, but which does come into play when you are packing for an unknown range of activities, at dramatically different temperatures, with varying dress codes (a black tie wedding! a hike! a country western shindig!)—but still dream of looking gouda. So, I thought this could be a little two-parter issue, on what I brought and how it went! This week, I’ll share with you some of my less-obvious packing ESSENTIALS—things I throw in my carry on no matter what (even when I’m packing in a chaos state).

1.) A very large hair clip AND a baseball cap (or two).

XXL hair clip, H&M cap.

I’m a proud member of the curly girls club, but sometimes having curly hair can be an…unpredictable experience. Cue the JUMBO hair clip (vital that it can hold all of my hair when I put it up *dry*) and a simple baseball cap. Either can swing a crazy hair moment back into chic/cool territory. (I bought my XXL clip at an independent shop in Austin, but this one on Etsy seems similar. Here’s this hat.)

2.) This travel jewelry case.

Cuyana jewelry case.

My sister got this travel case for me for Christmas last year, monogrammed with my name on it, and I LOVE it. Amazing gift. Prior to this I was using a little drawstring dust bag, and I lost three pairs of my favorite earrings in one swoop when it opened on accident at a shoot without me noticing. Tragic!

3.) My sunglasses in a hard (travel safe) case.

Spitfire Orbital Sunglasses.

I have to shout out these sunglasses again! I am loving them! Why do they make every outfit better?! I bought them at Awoke Vintage in my neighbs and they came with the hard case and a duster, and I bet you it’s the same if you order online. (In this photo I’m wearing this lip balm that I’ve rec’d before, which I also pat on my cheeks with two fingers if I am trying to fake a little healthy glow after emerging from the germ chamber that is an airplane.)

4.) Megababe travel size deodorant.

Megababe, The Geo Deo Mini.

I don’t think I have to explain this one. Lol.

5.) This skinny little portable phone charger.

Auskang Portable Charger.

This is a hack for travel OR an event. This guy is so slim it could even fit in a Tiny Ass Bag! [He was present at the Tony Awards, I’ll have you know!]

And das it! See you Monday xx.

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Costume Change is a styling newsletter (vs. a shopping newsletter). There’s no spon-con above—any references to clothing/shoes/shops, etc. are purely honest-to-goodness recommendations. As always, I hope that Costume Change first and foremost provides you with inspiration to re-style inside of your own closet. Thanks for reading, and reminder to keep those comments kind!