Ok, I’ve finally gotten a handle on things and found a smidgen of free time to catch up on all my emails and blogging. I’ve got some new product reviews, a super fun make-up workshop and decor ideas to share with you next week, but since it’s a Friday and we’re finally through all those short weeks and long weekends, I thought I’d share something I figured out recently.
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending one of my varsity friend’s weddings. It was a stunning event at the gorgeous Alpine Heath Hotel in the Drakensberg. We made a little road trip weekend of it, along with two of my other varsity friends who flew in for the occasion.
We had an absolute blast: the venue was serene, the bride looked like a Disney princess, the groom epitomised suave (arriving in a helicopter), the food was delicious and the DJ had me on the dance floor until I practically had to be carried back to our chalet afterwards. All in all, it was one of the best weddings I’ve ever attended. Really romantic and super personal. Even though I haven’t seen the bride and our friends in years, it really felt like not a single day had passed since our last escapade together.
When I got back and went through my emails, I came across something that had been bugging me all weekend. When I go away, it’s usually for a holiday, so I take along the bare minimal in terms of make-up and accessories. My plans are usually to relax and let my hair down (and give my skin a break from the multitude of products I use). I do always take along something smartish, just in case – but it’s often a little black dress that I can dress up with a pair of earrings and heels if needed. This time, I wasn’t only going to spend the majority of my time away dressed up, but because I was so swamped in the weeks before, the first time I even thought about what to wear was the night before we left.
So there I was at 4am trying to pack everything and the kitchen sink into the teeniest little suitcase because the others had brought along normal, more-than-one-night luggage with them from CT and Aus. My car isn’t that big and since I was only staying for one night, I really only needed one outfit, my pjs, and something to travel home in the next day. But when you don’t plan things, you get Panicked Nix. We were trying hard to get out the door (and I’m already not the friendliest person first thing in the morning, let alone at some ungodly hour on a Saturday) and I kept remembering things I needed to pack.
“Hair straightener?”
“Got it!”
“Hair dryer?”
“Packed!”
“What about a plug for them?”
“Oh. Good point. Please grab one from the kitchen.”
“Make-up?”
“Check.”
“Heels?”
“Double check!”
“Jewellery?”
“Jewellery? JEWELLERY! I can’t believe I almost forgot the jewellery!”
I don’t wear jewellery that often. I tend to play with it and fidget so I keep it down to a few select pieces that I love. But this wasn’t any ordinary day – this was a wedding! I needed a little more fancy than usual and because I’d ended up packing a few dresses, I needed a number of items to try out and see what worked best. And you know what I realised? Although I have make-up bags for any occasion, the one thing I don’t have is a jewellery traveller. I’ve always wanted one and remember when my mom used to unroll hers when we were kids so we could “ohhh” and “ahhh” and ask thousands of questions about the story behind each item. (I only ever wear jewellery that has a story so most of my favourites are gifts from special occasions.)
Excuse the quality – it’s a photo of a photo. We’re still waiting for the camera owner to upload these!
Being the ingenious person that I am, I made do with a large vitamin bottle and hoped that my favourite necklaces wouldn’t get too tangled. Luckily, everything was fine and we managed to get dressed and ready without any major wardrobe drama.
But when I got back, I started thinking. It’s something I really want and need to put on a wish list somewhere, but where on earth can you find a beautiful, good quality jewellery traveller these days? I don’t think it’s something everyone wants and considering my hassle to track down a travel wallet I actually like, I wasn’t too optimistic.
Luckily, my inbox held the solution. There’s a nifty little gifting company that creates the most gorgeous ranges called CaraMia. They’ve just launched the cutest range of jewellery cases and I now have my eye on at least three. The new Zoe collection has a duck egg exterior with polka dots on the inside giving it a lovely ladylike feel. The oval traveller is just R343 while the oval jewel case is R459. My personal favourite, however, is the cosmetic jewel case which has a nifty little zip up pouch at the bottom to store your jewellery and a full size cosmetic pouch to keep your favourite must-have beauty items with you. I’m super excited about this and can’t wait for the next destination wedding to come up so I can make tons of excuses and grab one of the purchases online.
Products are available from selected retailers and online at www.caramia-sa.co.za
Beauty Bloggess 