Pack less and you will be more creative with your shopping and dressing…
Lately I have been de-cluttering cos I no longer want to be bogged down with ‘stuff’ and I wanted this theme to continue on hols. Why pack so much that you can’t lift your suitcase and you end up wearing the same clothes all the time anyway?.
My top tips to pack lightly + live simply:
Ask a friend to help you but when she tosses something onto the NO pile – it stays there!
Colour du jour? I bought a scarfe in blue hues with a pop of orange from Seed which became the basis for my entire wardrobe. Choose something you love + go from there.
Wear your ‘holiday look’ when shopping to mix + match everything
Fine dining or cafe chic? Heels take up space so get clear about your holiday…
Jewellery keep it simple with 2 pairs of earrings, 1 short + 1 long necklace, bracelets, watch + rings. Don’t wear jewellery that will set the buzzers off when you go thru customs.
Don’t buy all new ... mix it up with well worn that can be binned at the end of the trip. Buy what you can wear. My jeans and cosi shrunk in the wash (nope wasn’t the amount of croissants that I devoured) and were binned along with footwear to create space for a purchase or three. Here is what I packed…
- 2 tank tops + 2 tshirts (white + navy) under shirts/jacket or with a scarf
- 1 black sleeveless tshirt dress that could be dressed up for dinner
- 2 cotton dresses for warm weather
- 1 Chambray shirt
- 2 long sleeve tops that could also be thrown around the shoulders or waist
- 1 denim jacket (my most valued piece) + 1 navy cardigan
- 1 pair of skinny jeans that were ditched
- 1 denim skirt
- 1 pair of navy pants for dinner or when I hated my jeans
- 1 scarf + 1 cashmere throw
- 1 ballet flats, 1 Seed sandshoes, 1 pair of sandels
- 1 swimming costume that also shrun
I only got sick of my denim jacket + scarf because I wore them 11 days straight in Paris cos it was sooo cold.
Collect samples … in mags or when purchasing a new product ask for a sample of another of their product these are perfect to keep your skin hydrated during the flight.
Book accommodation….that supplies shampoo/conditioner, hairdryers + soaps It won’t be to your usual standard but your hair + bits will survive. Check they have irons too!
Holiday reading… buy books you are happy to leave behind.
How many lippy’s do you really need? Your colours must compliment your wardrobe so de-clutter your make-up bag of anything you will not use or need. I packed:
A tinted moisturizer and bronzer, eyeliner + eye-brow pencil, 1 eye-shadow palette with 4 colours, 2 lipsticks -a base + tinted gloss (nude + peach) and 1 lip balm.
Nude nails so no polish or remover required just a nail file and buffer. A hair brush that doubled as a comb and 1 small hairspray.
Buy when you see something you love…my only fatal error was to not purchase the dream ballet flats + boots I saw in France thinking I would find them in Italy. Never saw them again and nothing was as good! I bought only items that I really wanted such as a new wallet from Paris, scarves from Provence and rings from Italy. I could have gone crazy but I would have just been buying ‘stuff’ and I don’t want more STUFF.
Don’t create holiday stress by overpacking….keep things light, spacious and free cos that is how you want to feel and be on your holiday.
xSusanne