Dallas Travel Diary + What I Packed

Happy Friday lovely readers! I’ve been a bit MIA and have neglected to post on the blog while traveling over the past two weeks. I’m currently trying to get back into the swing of things after taking two quick trips to Dallas and NYC. I’ve been active on Instagram and Instastories and many of you have been sending me some really good recommendations for what to see and where to eat so thank you! I was only in each city for a few days for conferences so I wasn’t able to explore as much as I wanted but had such a great time in each area. I received an overwhelming amount of requests for packing posts so here is the one for Dallas combined with snippets of what I did during the conference. A NYC post to follow soon as well.

I flew to Dallas from Tampa to attend my third rewardStyle conference. It was for two full days with day time meetings and classroom sessions combined with three nights of happy hours and parties. While in Dallas I stayed at the Hotel Crescent Court (where the conference was held this year). I had a pleasant stay but don’t know that I would go back. It had everything one could ask for in terms of basics – friendly service, nice concierge, clean rooms, nice facility. The rooms had a bit of a dated feel, but I have no complaints. If you have any favorite Dallas hotels let me know so I can check them out if I go back.

I got to hang out with my beauty friend Beauty Professor. We live on opposite coasts now and it’s been a while since I’ve seen her so it was great to catch up!

Shake Shack obsessed:

Crescent Court Happy Hour:

I’m still a carry-on traveler as I’m a minimalist when it comes to what I fly with and am a huge fan of the Away Carry-On. I’ve traveled with mine quite a bit over the past year. You can see what I’ve been able to fit inside here and here. They’ve since added more sizes so for this trip I tried out the Bigger Carry-On. For those worried about sizing and fit, it will fit just fine in the overhead compartments for American Airlines and Delta. The larger size made it easier for me to fit more inside. If you’re flying within the US it should work with almost all the airlines. European Airlines do have smaller restrictions so in that case the regular Carry-On will be better. (You can use this referral code to save $20 off your first suitcase order.) What I packed for my trip:

I packed three day time outfits and three dresses (not shown). What I packed from left to right:

• Outfit 1: Navy silk top by Ted Baker, white ankle jeans by Paige (I like the Skyline Ankle, and for white jeans in the line I go up one size because they run small on me)
• Outfit 2: Button down linen top by Joie, white lace mini skirt by J.Crew (old style)
• Outfit 3: Off the shoulder top by Paige, ankle raw hem jeans by Paige
• Black sandal pumps by Stuart Weitzman (I size a 1/2 size down from what I usually wear in other brands, I typically wear a size 6.5 but with Stuart Weitzman I wear a 6)
• Outfit 4 and 5: I packed two shift dresses that are older styles, both are from Rag and Bone from previous seasons, I love classic pieces that are timeless!
• Outfit 6: An off the shoulder navy dress (shown in the collage below) by Felicity and Coco (I went with a Petite XS, I’m 5’3″ and 120 pounds for sizing reference)

 

Thank you Beauty Professor for the snaps 🙂

The beauty products, makeup, skincare and tools that I packed. I fit all my liquids in a ziploc bag. I’m still trying to get my life together after moving so a lot of my bags and travel accessories are still in boxes.

The makeup packing list:

• Foundations packed included the Dior Dreamskin Cushion in 30, Tom Ford Waterproof Foundation and Concealer in Natural and Sable, Hourglass Vanish Seamless Foundation Stick in Nude
• Concealers in NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Ginger, Tarte Tape Shape Concealer in Medium
• Powders in MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Plus and Armani Luminous Silk Powder Foundation #4
• Eye shadow in Anastasia Beverly Hills Quads I made with Sateen, Gem, Birkin and Chocolate (left quad) and Amber, Glisten, Comfort and Dark Chocolate Shimmer (right quad swatches here and here), Tom Ford Cream Powder Eye Duo in Paradiso, Laura Mercier Caviar Eye Stick in Rosegold, Bobbi Brown Cream Shadow Stick in Golden Pink
• Brows and Lashes, Tom Ford Waterproof Extreme Mascara, Charlotte Tilbury Brow Gel in Supermodel, Diorshow Browstyler
• Lipsticks in YSL Volupte Tint-in-Balm #2 and #7, Charlotte Tilbury Lipstick in Pillow Talk, Tom Ford Ultra Rich Lip Color in Revolve Around Me
• Lipglosses in Marc Jacobs Enamored Hi-Shine Lipgloss in Rah-Rah (mini gwp) and Skin Deep, Chanel Rouge Coco Gloss in 722 and 736
• Highlighters/cheeks in MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Global Glow, Charlotte Tilbury Cheek to Chic in First Love, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Strobe Blush in Incandescent Electra, NARS Highlighting Palette in Banc de Sable, Tom Ford Skin Illuminator in Fire Lust

The skincare packing list:

• Charlotte Tilbury Skincare Miniatures in Wonder Glow, Magic Cream and Supermodel Body
• Tatcha Starter Ritual Set (for Normal/Oily Skin)
• Lavanilla Deoderant Mini in Pure Vanilla
• Estee Lauder DayWear SPF50
• Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Oil (mini from a holiday duo)
• Clinique Pep-Start Cleanser and Push Wipes (minis from this set)
• Bioderma Sensibio Tonic Lotion (toner)
• Tatcha Indigo Hand Cream Travel Size

Beauty Tools packed:

• Brushes from left to right Chanel Blush Brush, MAC #187, Charlotte Tilbury Sculpt, Wayne Goss #10, MAC #140 Fan Brush, Chikuhodo Eye Brush, MAC #239 SH, Hakuhodo J5523, MAC #217, Wayne Goss Brow Set, Hakuhodo G5515, Shu Uemura Tweezers (old), Wayne Goss Brow, Sephora Travel Hair Brush
• Eyelash curler from Chanel
• Moroccanoil travel size
• HAI Ceramic Flat Iron
• T3 PROi Hair Dryer

Louis Vuitton Neverfull MM Tote with:

• Mophie Powerstation Charger
• Belkin Short Power Cord
• One Truffle Mini Clarity Clutch (Pink)
• Tatcha Blotting Papers
• Canon G16 (discontinued, current version is G7)
• YSL Wallet on Chain in Nude
• Away Travel Case (not currently sold, hoping they’ll sell it for holiday!)

And last but not least for the fun stuff. I only had a limited amount of time for exploring. I stopped by Forty Five Ten with Beauty Professor and fell head over heels in love with the store! They have Edward Bess, Diptyque, Byredo, Cire Trudon and so much more. Now I want a Serge Lutens eyeshadow palette – I could not bring myself to splurge though! As a die hard Diptyque fan I was overjoyed to find an exclusive called 4510. It has a woodsy scent (I will have to investigate about the notes). They also have an Edward Bess exclusive lipstick called Dallas Pink.

 

For those who wanted a haul post, I did a tiny haul. I bought two candles and a chocolate bar from Forty Five Ten. I was able to pick up a few other gifted goodies from the rewardStyle conference from Supergoop, L’Occitane, Collen Rothschild, Topshop and The Daily Edited. I was saving my $$$ for the New York trip (haul details for that one in my New York post to follow next week).

I hope you enjoyed this Dallas post! I’ve been going through a whirlwind of emotions over the past few months. We made a huge move across the country at the end of February and while we both love Florida it’s been a process for me to adjust. As I introduced myself to new people during the conferences I hesitated when people asked me where I was from. Tampa is our home for now but my heart is still in San Diego – I have two homes now! I had a very emotional moment when flying back to Florida from Dallas. It’s such a beautiful place and seeing it from the air is just so amazing. As I flew into the bay, I had a few teary minutes on the airplane because part of me just couldn’t believe how lucky I am to call this beautiful city home. A lot of you have asked whether or not this move is permanent and I don’t have an answer. We moved to try something new and to be closer to places we want to travel. We’re in the process of testing it out and will be figuring things out as the months progress. Both my husband and I had been in San Diego for a long time (long before we met each other) so we were ready for a change. There’s so much to explore and so far we love it here. We have a yearning to explore and this was our first step towards active exploration. He’s promised to take some time off work soon so we can go somewhere tropical and I can’t wait.

Have you been to Dallas before? What were your favorite places to see, shop or eat?