I’ve been a little M.I.A on the blog lately and for that I apologize! I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! We ( my man and my four legged child) drove to the coast for some ocean air and relaxation. I have to say, Pacific Northwest beaches are so different from the Coastal Carolina beaches I grew up on but they’re equally as beautiful. One thing I’ve learned about Pacific Northwest beaches, are they’re rarely warm enough for a bikini. As summer approaches in this part of the country, I’ve been thinking a lot about summertime essentials ( yes, Summertime Essentials is a blog post in the making) . 

This Lands’ End long sleeve swim tee, given to me by my fashionable mother, turned out to perfect for a cool day at the coast! It’s seriously the most comfortable top ever and it’s versatile so you can pair it with bikini bottoms or denim shorts like I did. Shop this post : shoreline slip-on shoes, long sleeve swim tee ( also loving this one and this one. I’m wearing an XS and it’s not skin tight), I couldn’t find my striped beach towel online so I linked another cute one that I also purchased, hat Nordstrom old ( similar here and here). 

Two years ago my fiancée and I took a trip to London and decided to take the train to Paris for a day. Yes, one day. We visited as many tourist attractions as possible before catching the last train back to London. One day in Paris is certainly better than never going at all, but it’s definitely not enough time to see everything there is to see.

This visit was much more relaxing, we actually had enough time to sit at cafes and enjoy coffee and croissants each morning before heading to the museums. 

Along with photos from our trip, I’m sharing some travel tips to hopefully make your Parisian vacation a little easier. 

1.Try to learn the language. A little goes a long way and you’ll discover most Parisians speak English. I used Rosetta Stone to prepare for our previous trip (and our most recent one) and it definitely helped .

2. Purchase tickets to all attractions in advance. Not only will this save you time, it will also ensure you’re able to see the attractions you came so far to see. We purchased attraction tickets through this site and they arrived about a month before our trip. 3. When we weren’t exploring on foot, we used The Metro. Transit passes can be purchased ahead of time or upon your arrival. FYI, don’t let your ticket make contact with anything metal (keys, your iPhone etc) you’ll demagnetize it and it won’t work. I learned this the hard way. 

4. Experience the city the way you want to. Whenever we travel internationally (and even domestically) we always stay at a hotel in a neighborhood as opposed to a busy tourist or commercial area. Not only is it quiet, but it allows us to feel more at home. We also usually pick a hotel near a transit stop which seems to make our stay easier.

5. Lastly, don’t be afraid to explore and get lost. You’ll always find your way back and you might just find yourself in the process (or a least more cute cafes). 

I’m the type of person that starts preparing for a trip days and sometimes weeks in advance. Outfit planning tends to take me a bit longer because I like to coordinate my outfits with my surroundings. When it comes to products I never travel without, that’s easy. Just because you’re not at home doesn’t mean you should sacrifice your hair and beauty routine. It’s taken me a long time to find the perfect skin regimen.  I use the products below  daily. My boyfriend hates the way the drying mask smells but I swear by it. I love Mario Badescu’s product line, Ulta carries the essentials. Also, this dry shampoo paired with travel sizes of my favorite salon brand shampoo & conditioner extends time between washes.

I truly believe skin care and makeup go hand in hand. I have naturally oily skin so finding a foundation that won’t cause breakouts has been years of trial and error. It Cosmetics has ended my trips to the dermatologist. Needless to say, you’ll always find this CC cream in my makeup bag. Color correction, full coverage and anti aging serum in one product? Yes please! Another beauty line I also love is Laura Geller, I bought this kit and I totally recommend it if your new to the brand.