Oh when I pack, I pack! Here is it that I will be away for about a week where I will be on a press trip in Miami for Schick, on to Mickey's House in Disney and then continuing on to Ft Lauderdale for some R&R! But before that, it takes me about a day to think about everything that I will be bringing with me. Today is a peek into my carry on bag! The bag is obviously familiar as it was used in my photoshoot for the Coach MYNY Fall campaign that is currently on their site for Fall! I'm loving that this bag will head to the airport with me! Now I had to show you some of the items that will be in my bag as they are my essentials!

In addition to my guilty pleasure of Life & Style, I will have Alphabet City by one of my new friends John Paul Buchmeyer which I am so excited to begin reading and is perfect when you're hanging out in the cabanas poolside! Because this trip is all about R&R I know that I will enjoy some bevvies so just in case I get a bit of a headache, I have some Migralex which is an organic headache medicine! When it get's too hot out there I love having my Dickinson's which keeps me cool and refreshed whether I'm getting out of a plane or turning over in my chair at the Delano! I get super thirsty on the way to the airport so I'm happy to have Drink Neuro with me which I will have Sleep with me as I have definitely been missing that over the past few weeks. I plan to be refreshed when I wake up from my slumber to hit the ground running when I head to Miami as there is much to do! With all the sun that I'll be soaking in, I need to have it in a safe way so Jane Iredale is coming strong with the SPF Translucent puff as well as the Lip Drink that has SPF in it as well! What else is in my bag? Well I'll let you know when I finish packing but I can't wait to finish. It'll have to wait as I'm on my way to Suffren, NY to Avon's R&D plant to learn about #LotusShine which is a new haircare product that will be available soon!

Earlier this week I found myself heading to the Upper East Side to Serafina, almost feeling like one of the fab 4 from Sex and the City, I was on the way to a private dining room to hear from the creator of Jane Iredale, who just so happens to be the lady herself (love when the name of the brand is actually the person) and Dr Katz, a respected dermatologist. This line was the first one that was mineral based and had components that were good for your skin! As many of us celebrated the Summer Solstice (the official kick off to the summer), diners downstairs received full samples of her Jane Iredale Powder Me Up SPF. I love that it comes in a tan tone and a translucent so for those that you're not only protected from the sun but you can apply the tan version as a means to have a little bronze effect. In addition, we were walked through the entire collection such as the Lip Drink which is a lip balm with SPF that as mentioned by Jeannine Morris of Beauty Sweet Spot, it smelled like lemonade! With all the different eyeshadow hues that I finally saw up close, I was very impressed with the varying hues of the foundation! Being someone who is a medium shade, I find that there is a scarcity of hues but Jane Iredale has you covered and there is SPF in this as well!

What I really took away from Jane who is standing up talking with about 20 or so bloggers (loved chatting with Aly Walansky and Kristin Booker who I saw throughout the week and will be included in another post for today), is when I was able to have some one on one time with her! She used to work in entertainment as a casting director in theater and lived here in the city for a number of years. In the day she worked to put this fabulous line together as she came here from England not knowing anyone, having 40 pounds in her pocket and two watches that she wanted to sell when she got here! At night she did her job in the theaters. Here in NYC or anywhere really, we're all multitasking doing what we have to do to make things work while squeezing as much time as possible for our passion. She's definitely someone who finally got to focus on her passion and do that full time! With a passion for the line, as well as updating her blog (she has own blog that she updates as well as one that is about makeup in general), she was very down to earth and it's an amazing way to spend the day!

I also have to say that I have eaten at Serafina on the west side but love the one on the East just as much! Any lunch that is Prosecco filled, has a gorgeous walnut salad and is then followed by a chicken and mashed potato combo that was scrumptious and ends with a berry tart that was the best one I have ever had is definitely a meal worth repeating! I also have to say that I was super pleased to see a Eugenia Kim straw hat in my goodie bag! Beyond thrilled especially since I had planned on going to the sample sale they were running but have been unable due to the hectic schedule this week!