Since I’ve been talking a lot about makeup, travel and bags, I thought it was only fitting to write about a product that combines all three things – the Paul & Joe Makeup Case.

These handy zipper cases (which measure 8 x 5 1/2 x 2″) fit your makeup, brushes and a few accessories perfectly without taking up too much room. With a three-ring binder attachment on the inside, you can easily snap the zippered pockets out. The inside pockets hold your brushes and mascara so conveniently there’ll be no more scrapping around a case looking for your essentials.

I find it’s the perfect size makeup travel bag; fitting easily into my suitcase as it does my everyday bag. And the colour? Finally a makeup bag that’s not your boring black!

BUY AT: Paul and Joe

BUY AT: Ebags

I travel. A lot. 23 flights this year alone so having a great travel bag is very important to me which is why I went with the Victorinox bag after a lot of research.

Features I needed? It had to work as a carry on, it had to roll easily and turn even easier, it had to be light enough for my small frame to be able to lift into the overhead compartment, it had to have some kind of garment bag so clothes wouldn’t get wrinkled, it had to be tough and durable and it had to have some kind of hooking system for other bags. And if it could expand that would be icing. And this bag can do all that!

The handle is one of the best features because it’s easy to use and comfortable. So many handles were the T-bar shape or would stick or didn’t come up high enough. This handle works perfectly for both short and tall people. The 80mm inline wheels make for easy handling and are incredibly smooth – perfect for running between terminals. The self-healing zipper means never having to worry and the “Travel Sentry® Approved combination lock secures belongings while in transit and allows airport security to access your bag without breaking the lock.”

But one feature I really loved was the “Zip-in suitor with foam bolsters to reduce wrinkling” which allows you to put it in the case nicely then hang your clothes at your destination – this makes packing a cinch! And the front pocket is large enough for a laptop so you don’t need a second bag if you don’t want one. And I’ve carried it onto every flight I’ve been on without any problems at all. Ok, I had to check it once when I expanded it – what can I say, Paris is a great place to shop!

Whether you travel as much as I do or just a few times a year, this is a great bag and a sound investment. After all the beating I’ve put mine through it still looks great and is all in one piece. Thank goodness because I have yet another trip coming up…!

BUY AT Anthropologie

I am a hat girl; I love them in the summer and in the winter, fancy or casual. I’m a lazy thing with hair and this is the best way to look a little put together without having to own a brush. Plus, there are the practical benefits (keep sun out of eyes, keep heat on head)

This charming hat sparkles in a very subtle way and flatters any face shape – and I’d know! When I wear it out I’m asked about it so often that people want to try it on. It hugs the head and comes just over the top of the ears – perfect for chilly fall days.

BUY AT: Energymuse

I confess, I do not own this… yet! However, I know several people (both men and women) who have owned Energymuse necklaces and love them. Which is a good thing because when you get it, you’re supposed to wear it nonstop (although you take it off to bathe) for weeks at a time.

Not only are these handcrafted necklaces beautiful, but the actual stones are said to be powerful. Now, I’m not sure how much I buy into the whole “stones will heal you” thing but if it’s pretty to wear and it might do something? Why not!

I’m all about the 4th Chakra one pictured here and had an oppurtunity to try it on once. It’s a bit weighty in that real lovely jewellery kind of way and its long, which I love. There’s different sizes so you can certainly find something that speaks to you. Need help with love? Confidence? Your heart? Energymuse has the stones for you. And if you can’t quite afford a necklace, they make beautiful bracelets, too.

Its said that if the necklace breaks, what you needed to overcome has been done. I haven’t known anyone who has had a necklace break despite the fact they are worn a lot. But, my friends do tell me that they felt something. I think the something comes from so many people complimenting them and not an inner goddess but perhaps if I’ve got one of these around my neck giving me good vibrations I might just change my mind…

Update: I finally got this as it’s as beautiful as I thought it’d be!

BUY AT: J. Crew

I am a boot girl; give me tall riding boots with heels or flat, black or brown – anything. There my choice for wintertime or a night on the town. However, the everyday boot just doesn’t work for gardening or puddles. Step in J. Crew Wellies.

Rubber on the outside and lined on the inside, these boots are stylish, comfy and practical! I adore them for gardening, keeping my legs and feet dry and free of bug bites but they’re also charming with a little skirt and a quick walk to the garden store.

With winter fast approaching they’re the perfect little boot to wear during nasty weather and, at only $58 a peice, you can afford to pick up even more boots!

BUY AT: Anthropologie

A couple of months ago, I bought this dress {I’m a dress girl}. It seemed really simply and nice but I didn’t think too much of it. Oh, I did think how it could go with my brown riding boots or sandles or a strappy heal, however.

And so, with different shoes for different occasions, I began to wear this dress a lot; to the beach, out for an evening dinner at a swank hotel, on errands, in the mountains, around the house. It became my “go to” dress because of comfort and it’s ability to morph into any situation.

Now, as I said, I’m a dress girl and not one dress has ever given me constant attention as this one. When I wear it out I’m stopped several times from people wanting to know where I bought it. I’ve had compliments from men, women, old and young. I’m not sure what it is about this dress but there’s something. So that’s why I’m sharing it because there’s not many dresses that everyone seems to love but this one, well, let’s just say I don’t plan to stop wearing it anytime soon.

{On the website, it’s full price. If you’re lucky enough to be near a store, it’s on sale!}

BUY AT: Posie: Rosy Little Things

What Carrie Bradshaw did for making flowers famous, Alicia Paulson, designer and owner of the charming Portland boutique, Posie, will do for boutonniers.

Charming, sweet, pretty (I can feel myself getting ready to pet already), these little hand-made boutonniere’s are all one of a kind with one thousands ways to wear them. Think on a bag, on a plain shirt, on a belt, on a scarf and on and on and on. I secretly want to wear them in my hair or keep seven of them in a pretty teap cup just to look at.

So forget big overdone flowers; try something different.

Buy at: J.Crew

I was never a bag girl, really. Always too much of a hassle, too big, too small, too girly. But when being friends with a wonderful girl who writes about bags has converted me into a bag girl, too (thank goodness, however, it’s not bag lady).

Wanting a great summer tote to carry all my goodies fashionably to the beach, the shopping promenade or a weekend brunch date had caused me for the past couple of months to search without luck. The charming provencal type bags where nowhere to be found stateside and most weave totes looked (and felt) as though they were to crumble. But then, today, I found this charming J.Crew tote. It was so love at first sight that I dumped my current favourite bag inside just so I could use the tote right away.

What I love is the size; it’s big without being big. It has beautiful lining inside which allows you to use the bag in three ways; one by using the tie to tie it closed, two by pulling the material up and cinching it or three, leaving it open all the way. Inside, there’s pockets for your cell phone, pencils, books and whatnot but it fits a huge beach bags, lots of mags, a camera, crayons and I’m sure a whole bunch of other things.

Walking down the street back home, I was asked by two ladies where I got such a bag. So perfect, they said, for a summer’s day. Oh yes it is.