Way to Start the New Year

Happy New Year!


Well...kind of. 

I had hoped to start off my blogging career on a better note, but life rarely goes the way I want it to. Right now, I'm sitting at a wobbly table by the Tim Hortons in Pearson Airport (that would be the Toronto Airport for those who don't know, I didn't when I first heard the name). I had hoped to do a review on some of the products I've been using lately, maybe some travel beauty essentials, tips and tricks on how to get through security smoothly, that sort of stuff. However, due to a current unfortunately weather situation (it's been going on for 48hrs now) I am stranded at said airport overnight. 

Now, I am a well traveled lady. I've even dubbed myself The Girl with the Pink Suitcase. Sort of like a homage to one of my favourite books by Sophie Kinsella, the Shophalic series. Her heroine is dubbed The Girl in the Green Scarf. But I digress, instead of beauty product reviews, I will be giving tips and tricks on not only how to go through security smoothly, but also how to safely and comfortably bum around in an airport.

The first step to any form of travel is to have a comfy yet stylish travel outfit. I'm currently wearing an oversized burgundy sweater I purchased from H&M on Boxing Day with a pair of fleece lined leggings and my UGG boots. Before anyone starts bashing UGG for their less than humane treatment of the sheep (I read it in an article which I will have posted at the end) can I just say that they are incredibly warm and comfy? I don't recommend wearing them on the east coast because of how wet is during the wintertime. Trust me, I found out the hard way that no matter how much water proofing spray you coat on your UGG boots, ain't nothing stopping the suede from getting stained with water and/or muck. Any kind of boots would work, but I find UGG boots or similar knock-off looking UGG boots work best. Especially when it comes to security. 

I wore a pair of combat boots to the airport once because it was the best waterproof alternative I had at the time - my Bogs had not yet come into my life. Needless to say, it was a nightmare to go through security in them. Fashionable and badass looking they are, convenient they are not. I had to unzip them, unlace them, and place them in the container while a lineup of people behind me were rolling their eyes at my bright polkadot fuzzy socks. After going through security, I had to pull on my boots, kneel down so I could zip them up , re-lace the whole boot, and double knot it. Maybe it's just my combat boots, but seriously, stay away from wearing them to the airport. This time, I left them in my suitcase and pulled on my UGGs. They don't make you take those off at the security check because there's nothing metal about suede, or fur, or whatever the soles of UGG boots are made of.

Footwear aside, let's talk accessories. I don't recommend wearing fake jewelry of any kind because you'll have to take it off at security, risk losing an earring or a ring or a pendant, and it'll all be a disaster because security could care less about your F21 accessories. So if you do wear jewelry, make sure it's real or stowed in your checked baggage or carry on. Scarves are iffy. Flying home, the security guards made this old lady take off her scarf, but coming back, I kept my Griffyndor scarf on and no one said any thing so...just to be safe and efficient, take it off. It only takes a few seconds to loop it back around your neck anyway.

Next, I'm a two carry-on kind of girl. I always bring more clothes than my suitcase can hold, so I have a duffel bag full of the clothes that didn't fit and a large purse that I put my laptop, ebook, cellphone, corresponding chargers, wallet, and makeup in. Sometimes there will be food. Like this time. My aunt baked me some salted caramel chocolate chip cookies. Mmmm. 

Going through security with more than one bag - especially during the wintertime when boots, coats, and sometimes even scarves, need to come off - might seem a little much, but trust me, no one asks you to pour out the contents of a duffel bag when it's just clothes in there, so already all you need to do is grab a tray, put the duffel bag and your coat in and off it goes! Subsequently, the only things that would need to come out of the larger purse are your liquids and laptop. I didn't know this when I first brought my laptop on the plane, but if your laptop happens to be in a case like mine, it needs to come out and be placed bottom up in the tray. I'm not sure if it needs to be bottoms up, but that's how the security guy did it the first time and that's how I'll do it unless it happens to come out top up. 

For those who travel with all their makeup like I do, you'll be pleased to know that, in Canada anyway, your liquids don't need to all fit in a sandwich bag. You can put them all in a larger freezer bag, and that's perfectly fine. Since most makeup is under 100 ml, you're clear to bring it with you! It comes in handy for those crazy early flights and you have places to be as soon as you land. No one wants to walk around town looking like a zombie, so pack your essential products!

I travel with all of mine, but if I had to narrow it all down for my essential products, here's what I would bring:

• Foundation - I use the Revlon Photoready foundation in the shade Eggshell. It is by far the best drugstore foundation I've ever tried and I prefer it to my Makeup Forever foundation. It's also the most expensive drugstore foundation I've ever seen (about $16.99 CDN at Target)
  
• Concealer - I have the Maybelline Dream Lumi concealer ($8.99 CDN at Shoppers Drug Mart) in the shade Buff. If I had nice skin, I'd skip the foundation and bring a tinted moisturizer and concealer. As far as drugstore concealers go, I really like this one, I've been using it for about a year now, and I find it doesn't crease or wear off. The only thing is, because the formula is quite thick, I don't recommend touching your under eye area or where it is you applied the concealer because it will come off. I want to try the Revlon Wake Me Up Concealer, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.
  
• Eyeliner (the pencil kind) - I use the Maybelline Eyestudio Unstoppable Eyeliner (not sure of prices, but I'm assuming $8.99 CDN) in the shade Black (I think that's what it would be called. It's a black pencil so...). I say pencil because a liquid liner, at least the one I own, isn't water proof and tends to go all freaky looking if it's not periodically checked on. Pencil eyeliner is just a lot less maintenance for me. It also serves a dual purpose in case I need to touch up my brows since they are fairly dark.
  
  
  
• Basic Eye Shadow Palette - I recently purchased my first Urban Decay Naked palette. It's only the basics palette since I'm cheap like that, but it's the greatest thing ever for basic eye looks and it's tiny which is perfect for travel. All the shades are matte with one shimmery highlighter shade. To apply this, I have a set of travel essential brushes I bought from Sephora for $36 CDN. This palette has a dark brown shade which is perfect for a subtle eye liner if you don't have a pencil. I also use the darkest colour in the palette for my brows on a regular basis. Apply with an angle brush (dark haired girls will benefit more from this tip than blondes and redheads, sorry...unless you fair haired ladies like the dark brow look on yourselves) and it looks wonderful.
  
  
• Mascara - I'm currently using the L'Oreal Volume Million Lashes Express (originally $13.99-$15.99 CDN, I got it on sale for $6.99CDN). I am seriously in love with this mascara. A lot of beauty gurus on YouTube rave about the Maybelline The Rocket mascara, but I haven't tried that one yet. I have tried the Mega Plush and the Falsies 360 mascara by Maybelline, and I have to say, when it comes to mascara, Maybelline knows their stuff. That being said, I wanted to try something that was less talked about and struck gold with this product. I love it. It really does make it look like you have a million lashes! If you can get it on sale I highly recommend it. I normally wouldn't pay more than $10.99 CDN for a mascara, but since this one was on a special sale, I figured why not. Totally worth it. I don't know if I'd buy it full price, but guys, try it.
  
• Lip Balm - moisturizing is so important when on a plane. It gets so dry and nasty, plus it smells awful! Ladies, smelling like an airplane ain't cute and I doubt the pilot or cute flight attendant will like the stale smell of BO that permeates every single aircraft. Anyway, smelling things are for my next point. My current point is, aside from smelling good, the best way to make it into the Mile High Club is to have nice, soft, moisturized lips. Even if that club isn't for you, it's always good to have non chapped looking lips. When was the last time you saw cracked lips in Vogue Italia? Right. Never. I use the EOS lip balm (not sure on prices, I'll check and list it below) in the flavour mint, but any good lip ought to do the trick.
  
• Perfume - Not the full $100+ bottle of Gucci you got for Christmas, but just a nice, tiny sized perfume. I have the Vera Wang Rock Princess rollerball perfume (it was a gift set, so I'm not sure about prices. I'll have a price listed for it at the end though). Any small spritzer or rollerball perfume will do, just make sure you have some! Seriously, airplane smell? N-A-S-T-Y.
  
• Deodorant - Again with the smells. It's important! You can buy small travel sized sticks of deodorant at the drug store for about $5 CDN, I think. Invest in the smells ladies that's all I'm saying.
  
  
  

  That's about everything for my essential beauty things. Obviously the deodorant and liquid things need to be put in a plastic bag, but these products shouldn't take up too much room if you are limited in space for your carry on. Like I said before, I bring all my makeup things with me. This includes my sponge foundation applicator ($16 CDN at Sephora, the blue "Sculptor" sponge), Too Faced Primer ($38 CDN at Sephora - side note: totally worth it! It doubles up as a light coverage foundation for those of you blessed with lovely skin), two different mascaras (although I only use my L'Oreal one, the other is my Maybelline Mega Plush gel formula mascara), Maybelline Eyestudio liquid eyeliner, contacts, two three lipsticks, a tinted lip balm, and a red lipstick/gloss thing (the Hourglass Lipstick/gloss thing in the shade Icon - I love it!). I also have my two bronzers (one by Physicians Formula - not my fave - and another by Tarte in the shade Park Avenue Princess - love! To go along with those, I also have my contour brush. My makeup bag has my Sephora Baked Eye Shadow Palette called In the Nude. It's a shimmery palette that is perfect for every day looks, and also a foundation powder I seldom use.

  Just because I bring all these things, does not mean I use them! I'm just paranoid about a case of lost luggage. As we speak, my new moccasins are in my checked suitcase, and it's driving me crazy worrying about what's going to happen to my bag! I intend on confirming it's location with guest services tomorrow morning two hours before boarding time. I have candles, clothes, my beloved moccasins, underwear, shoes, and my wand. It's really Hermoine's wand, but I got it at the Harry Potter Exhibit in Edmonton. It was $50CDN, not nearly as much as my beloved real legitimate moccasins, but still!!! Oh my wand and my moccasins... I'm bleeding inside at the thought of just abandoning my baggage in the hopes that it'll follow me. The hope! The WestJet lady said I shouldn't worry about it, they'll figure out that my baggage is supposed to fly with my to Ottawa tomorrow. I also have DVDs in there. At least a dozen of them. What if some hobo decides my pretty pink suitcase is the jackpot for all his pervy needs?! Haven't any of these airplane people seen those crime shows and the news headlines where people just take a suitcase for the hell of it?!Oh my god, I need to calm down before I have an anxiety attack. If anything happens to it, I swear I will do a full review on exactly how incompetent WestJet is. (Dear CEOs of WestJet, get your shit together. Sincerely, A. B.)
  

  Miscellaneous things in my carry on liquids also include hand sanitizer because airports are germ central(!) and my contacts because I'm blind and wear glasses.

  
  I hope some of this stuff proved to be useful!
  Just to give you guys an idea of what I'm working with here, I took a few photos of my set up. Quite shamelessly I might add. I've given up trying to behave socially appropriate. There's way too many rules that I don't know so I figure it's easier to follow my own rule: Fuck It. Want to take a selfie at the bus stop? Do it! Want to talk to that cute guy on the train? Go ahead! Point is, do what you want. Chances are, you'll never see the people around you again, so do whatever you like, no matter how ridiculous you may look.
  
  
  
  
  
  I have no idea how I'm going to pull an all nighter. I think the little quickie mart type of shops they have in airports might have redbull. I've only stayed up until 5 AM straight through once. The reason why aside, I slept for 6 hours when I finally got home. I was dead when I finally dragged myself out of bed. Who knew a night of elicit fun would lead to future training? Damn all nighters. Oh, and the quickie mart thing I was talking about just closed. Awesome.
  
  *Crawls in a corner to die*
  
  PS- I'll post a review and more random stuff later because duh, I'm stranded in an airport with nothing to do (aaaaaaargh).
  
  PPS- Shameless self promotion!
  
  

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  XOXO,
  A. Bean