Traveling with a Three Year Old

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We just got back from our nine day trip to Boston and New Hampshire. It was wonderful to spend some time in the city, on a lake and by the ocean. Ryan and I were pretty nervous though because the last time we traveled across the country Elle was nine months, old and it wasn't very relaxing. This time I decided to make sure to pack EVERYTHING I would need to entertain her on a 5 and half hour flight.

I am happy to report my preparation paid off and she was completely content on both flights to and from the east coast. Here's what I packed (not everything is shown in the photo):

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PACKING LIST:

- Coloring book - Washable crayons - Re-stickable sticker book - Headphones for kids - iPad loaded with all of the Toca Boca apps (They're the best) and a couple of movies - Circus animal crackers - Pretzel - Gold fish - Granola bars - M&M's (it's our potty reward too) - Dollar store prizes for being good on the plane. (Every time the captain talked on the speaker she would get a prize. This put the control in a person she couldn't see and she patiently waited for him to talk again). - Water bottle

I was a walking convenience store, but it sure worked. I put all of this stuff in my new Casey Sibley canvas travel bag. It has all of the pockets I need. Plus, I highly recommend using a bag with a cross body strap for those hands free moments.

As long as you can keep your three year old busy with games and activities you should be set for your trek across America!

Photos by Gina Meola

What's In My Bag

As you may have read in my last post, I'm traveling this week with my family. We spent this past weekend celebrating the wedding of one of my cousins, and the remainder of our vacation is going to be lakeside soaking in some sun and rest. Woohoo! With the wedding came a rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, bridesmaid duties the day of the wedding, and, of course the ceremony and reception. There even was a brunch Sunday morning, so our weekend was definitely busy. It helps to be able to pack all of your go-to makeup with you in a very chic bag like this one by XO Monica Lee. It's high quality leather with a detachable strap so you can use it as a clutch or a purse.

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I put it in my oversized tote bag for the day, and just used this clutch for the rest of the night. So, what's inside my bag that I would use for bridesmaids makeup? Here you go:

1. Benefit's boi-ing concealer. It easily blends and I have been using it for about three years. 2. Benefit's Erase Paste. It's an under eye brightener that I swear by. It always helps me look more awake than plain concealer. 3. Lorac's natural eye shadow palette. It has every color you could want for a natural glowing look. 4. NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer. It actually has enough pigment to be full coverage without the weight of a foundation formula. 5. MAC Pro Longwear Paint Pot. I have gone back and forth with eye shadow primers and I still find MAC's paint pots to be the best. 6. Bare Minerals Touch Up Veil. It's great setting powder to keep everything in place for a long day. 7. Revlon Colorstay Eyeliner. I've spent money on expensive eyeliners and they aren't half as good as this one.

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All of these products I use on an everyday basis, for photo shoots and for weddings. I swear by them. Go try!

Outfit: dress from Motherhood Maternity; Clutch by XO Monica Lee. Photos by Gina Meola.

Travel Style

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Call me crazy, but I just flew across country 32 weeks pregnant and I made it safely to the east coast to celebrate my cousin's wedding and to enjoy some r & r with my family. This is our last trip as a family of three (tear).

I mentioned on Instagram last week that I've lived in maxi dresses throughout most of my second and third trimester. I can't imagine wearing anything else in this summer heat. I'm loving this white lace one I found at Target. It's lightweight and airy - perfect for the summer.

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My new favorite travel accessory is this weekender bag from ModCloth. It was my birthday gift my from  hubby, and it embodies my love for east coast preppy style completely. I love that it comes with a cross-body strap for carrying convenience.

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I'll still post some updates while I'm on vacation, so stay tuned! For now, enjoy your weekend!

Get the look: Maxi dress from Target; Weekender from ModCloth

Photos by Gina Meola.

Bold Color Inspired by HP

This post is sponsored by HSN & HP.

As a fashion stylist I, of course, enjoy and celebrate bold color and style. When I think about what I am drawn to on Pinterest, what I share on Instagram and what I wear on a daily basis it always is colorful and bright. Well, HP has teamed up with HSN to release an exclusive collection of HP Pavilion laptops in the prettiest colors, and to celebrate the launch of this new collection they challenged me to create a fashionable outfit inspired by their deep purple laptop.

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I gladly accepted because this royal purple hue is not only great for summer, but an excellent transitional color for fall. This color is really easy to spot in stores right now. Even when it comes to maternity fashion, I was able to find two maternity dresses with this hue at Macy's.

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Any color with blue undertones has a great chance of being compatible on the majority of skin tones. Why? Well, because every human's blood carries tones of blue in it, and thus every human can usually wear deep blues (navy, cobalt blue and royal blue) and have it be complementary. Cool, right?!

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Okay, can we talk about the laptop for a second?! I just got a new desktop computer because my old laptop is from 2010, but because I still travel a lot I still need the convenience of a laptop. The Pavilion is a fashionable and functional choice for me. It has 1 terabyte of space, and I need a lot of space for all of my photos. It also has a touchscreen so I can easily use it on a plane and not really need a mouse. Here are some other cool factors:

• HP 17.3” Touchscreen Intel Quad-Core 8GB Ram, 1TB Hard drive

• Bang & Olufsen audio built-in

• Windows 10 Operating system

• Available in 5 Colors – Silver, White, Blue, Red, Purple

• $699.95 with Free Shipping and Handling

You also get lifetime tech support provided by HSN, but you can only get this amazing laptop by tuning into HSN on July 18th! You'll also see some familiar faces on HSN because Brooke and Summer from The Girls with Glasses will be hosting the event along with some other amazing bloggers. It should be a really entertaining time regardless of whether you're in the market for a new computer or not. Find out all about it, click here.

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Photos by Gina Meola.

Summer Blues

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This post is sponsored by Lindt Chocolate.

Chocolate and fashion - two of my favorite things. I've teamed up with Lindt Chocolate to share with you style inspired by the delicious and beautiful coconut LINDOR truffle. Other than black and white, blue is the color that is most universally flattering for all skin tones, and the aqua packaging of the coconut truffle is a perfect pairing with summer fashion. Blue tones of an ocean, pool and sky are all part of the summer experience, and now eating truffles by my pool is too. I may only get a couple hours of peace and quite throughout the day, but those hours are definitely filled with tasty treats and relaxation when I can manage it.

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I chose a trapeze maxi dress from Alixandra Collections to wear for my Lindt fashion challenge because it's a dress that I would wear pregnant or not-pregnant. It has a luxurious and easy quality to it along with a flattering solid strip down the center. The color palette of the dress is mostly navy and white, but the flecks of lighter blues and even pastel pink create more interest. The fact that this dress has a strong pattern helps disguise any extra curves you might want to hide (although I can't really hide my bump anymore).

To see more Lindt inspired summer fashion, check out this post here and here. If you have a sweet tooth, check out Lindt's Unwrapped Blog.

Photography by Gina Meola.