Must Have: Convertible Bag

One bag to hold all your junk by day that becomes a tiny clutch by night? It's true! The Ibiza bag from Hayden Harnett has been on my wishlist for several years. It's a great work bag or travel bag because it's huge, has a separate compartment for a laptop (or other stuff) and can be configured and carried in no fewer than six ways! This bag is perfect to help you limit yourself to carry-on bags and would count as your "personal item" to accompany your carry-on suitcase. The large size is what you need to carry the flight essentials like water bottle, sweater, books, headphones, etc but when you arrive at your destination and no longer need such a huge bag, it can shrink to a more manageable size. Perhaps this bag remained on my wish list because of the price. A $200 price tag can definitely make me think two or three or four times about a purchase. But, can you imagine my excitement the day I discovered that Hayden Harnett created a line of bags for Target and made an almost exact replica of the Ibiza tote for less than $50?!? That bag, the flight tote, is now on clearance for $25! Snatch one up while you still can and let me know what you think!

Travel Gear: Cute Cosmetics Bag

My friend Rachel is off to Disneyland for her honeymoon and she writes, I am looking for a cute, small and functional cosmetic bag to hold basic toiletries for a one week trip. What should I get?
I LOVE this question! I am always on the hunt for the perfect cosmetics bag because having the right products on a trip can help you to feel more comfortable and confident, helping you achieve the goal of this blog: to travel with style, poise, and grace. On the other hand, they can also take up a lot of space and weight, detracting from your stress free trip. It can be difficult to find one bag that meets all of Rachel's criteria but I am up for the challenge. Most "functional" bags are basic black or just plain ugly and the really cute ones are either teeny tiny or enormous (would you want to put your entire shower in a bag?). Rachel is looking for a bag to hold her shower items (shampoo, face wash, etc) but some of these bags could hold some beauty products as well.

Here are a few with varying price points and features to choose from. I really like my cosmetics bags to have a clear panel to view all of my items so it is easy to find what I am looking for, and all of these bags have mostly clear pockets. Each pocket is no more than 1.5-2 in thick to allow for bottles and products to be viewed easily without having to pack bottles in layers.

Jane Marvel Hanging Cosmetics Bag
I love this bag because it is one of the few hanging cosmetics bags that is actually cute! It comes in so many fun colors and patterns! I wish all of my cosmetics bags were hanging bags. When counter space is tight, a hanging bag is a savior. This one also has several smaller pockets for accessories, jewelry, etc. Everything is easily viewed while hanging on the back or your hotel bathroom door. The largest pocket is also removable which would most likely be suitable for carrying your liquid toiletries through airport security. You would have to measure to be sure. At only $42 for this beautiful bag, it is really quite reasonable! This bag is so cute that I think I might buy one and let you know!

Update: I just found this bag on clearance for $8 so I will definitely be ordering it and you should to! They even have matching totes and duffels for 50% off!

Jimeale 704 (shown)
These bags are classy and gorgeous. This one comes with a quart-size clear bag for your liquids and two other removable bags for incidentals. It's lined so it easily wipes clean and prevents leaks from spreading outside the bag into your suitcase.

Sonia Kashuk Foldover Cosmetic Bag
This bag is the smallest and the cheapest of the bunch. It holds bottles about 3 inches tall, when standing up in the bag, and larger ones when turned sideways. I have this bag and with a lot of planning I can get all of my toiletries and beauty items in it for a one week trip. This is quite a feat and will probably be covered in another post. This bag can sometimes be found in Target stores, but ordering online is your best bet to a clean one in the pattern you want.

If you have a question for the Traveling Diva, email thetravelingdiva[at]gmail.com