Getting Organized | Travel Bag Hack

Spontaneity certainly adds some spice to life. If I get a last minute invitation to go away for the weekend, I am almost always up for the adventure. On the other hand,  I am also a planner. My personality type is INFJ...with a strong emphasis on the J. So for me there's always a sweet spot to be found between having everything in my life mapped out to the hour, and being open and flexible to whatever opportunities arise. Which is exactly why this travel hack has been one of the best ideas I've ever had. Stress from packing (or not having enough time to pack) should never be the reason to turn down a fun night. For me, running around trying to find all my toiletries was always the part of the process that took the longest, and always the step where I was most likely to forget something.

My solution? Always keep a pre-packed bag with everything I need for an overnight stay. That way, whenever I need to pack I can focus on picking out some cute outfits to bring and what makeup I might want to wear, and the rest is a complete no-brainer. It's saved me so much time, and also forever solved the problem of getting ready away from home and realizing I don't have deodorant. So let's chat a little bit about what I pack in my bag and how you can recreate this hack for yourself!

Getting Organized - Displaying Your Everyday Beauty Essentials

Writing a beauty blog is an incredible amount of fun. It also means I acquire more beauty products than I know what to do with. Over time they can easily become a source of clutter and chaos. And sure, I can keep my space looking clean by stashing everything away in cabinets and drawers, but that whole "out of sight out of mind" thing usually results in amazing products being totally forgotten and neglected.

This year one of my blogging resolutions is to focus less on trying and reviewing the next new thing, and more on using the products I already have and telling you why I love them and different ways to incorporate them into your beauty routine. While I've got lots of ideas to keep me on track (aside from locking up my credit card), the first thing I decided needed to happen was putting things out in plain sight to encourage me to rediscover products on a daily basis. There are a ton of pretty ways to proudly display your everyday essentials, and I'll show you a few of my favorites with this tour of my newly revamped dresser.

Getting Organized - The Look-Ahead Pink Poppin Planner

Last week was a stressful one, and toward the end of it I felt like I needed a little pick-me-up. Naturally this translated to walking to Staples on my lunch break and browsing through the back-to-school displays. I don't know what it is about brightly colored office supplies, but they make me happy. I then realized that the perfect thing to get me back into a motivated mood would be a new planner. As much as my phone does an awesome job at helping me keep track of my life, I've always been a sucker for the paper kind.

That being said, at the end of 2013 I couldn't find one that I really liked, and I couldn't bring myself to buy an Erin Condren Life Planner (although they are flippin beautiful). It is surprisingly difficult to find a planner that is reasonably priced, utilizes space well, and is also pretty. I've perused the isles of Target, Wal-Mart, Staples and the like many a time without success. This time, I also thought I was going to leave empty handed, but the stars finally aligned. I noticed this guy on one of the island displays. It's The Look-Ahead Pink Poppin Planner and it is everything that I was looking for.