Miami/South Beach

So two weeks ago I went on my very first cruise. It was also my first time in the Caribbean. I used to think I didn't like typical hot vacation destinations but there is something magical about just laying in the sand by the beach all day and not having to think about anything. Your mind is kind of just occupied with thinking about how unbelievably hot it is.

The first part of getting on this cruise was flying down to Miami. We stayed in downtown Miami, thinking it would be the busy and fun part of the city, like how downtown Toronto is the fun part. But we were wrong and it turns out downtown Miami is very quiet and boring. So we Ubered down to South Beach. South Beach is amazing. It's exactly like the Miami you see on CSI: Miami (minus the crime scene investigation of course).

At the hotel pool

Me, chilling at the beach

Happy hour by the beach. Drinks the size of my face!

Dinner at The Pelican Hotel. The best thing about warm weather is the patios.

After chilling on South Beach, I decided I liked Miami after all. The next day we went to the port and got on the cruise. The cruise went to Nassau, Coco Cay, and Key West. This cruise gave me the opportunity to finally wear all the cute summer dresses I've been stockpiling.

In Nassau.

Nature trail in Coco Cay.

Fancy dinner night on the ship.

Remember from my last post how I packed all that makeup? Yeah, I only wore makeup this one night lol. I thought this window looked cool but it actually just looks like I'm about to climb into a giant washing machine.

Sitting in a hammock, a classic vacation activity.

A stranger saw me struggling to get on the hammock and helped me out lol.

Coco Cay beach. This is the day I got very sunburnt. But it was worth it.

One of the coolest things I did on this cruise was go parasailing in Key West. Now, I don't do a lot of cool things so this was definitely up there on the list of coolest things I've ever done. I once saw a video of a guy flying through the air during a storm after his parasailing rope got cut. I wanted to go parasailing ever since.

Me and my brother being cool.

This is the closest I will ever get to straight up flying.

And that pretty much wraps up the trip. Turns out I like tropical vacations and cruises are pretty fun.

Now here's a picture of me drinking a pina colada out of an actual pineapple to end off the post.

If you've ever wondered what's in my makeup bag, I'm going to tell you! I hate packing and the most stressful part of packing is always packing my makeup/skincare bag. Because I hate checking in luggage, I never do it. So that means anything liquid I carry must be 100ml or less. And of course, most of my regular skin care is 118ml. Of course. 

When I pack, my goal is always to pack as little as possible. I would like to think that I am a light packer but there are some things I just need, you feel me?


After much deliberation, these are the products I have deemed essential. Since I'm going somewhere tropical (AKA hot as all hell), I don't plan on wearing much makeup. But I still have to be prepared in case I need to look attractive.

The Makeup Lineup:

• Maybelline The Nudes Eyeshadow Palette
• Makeup Forever Mat Velvet Foundation 
• Essence I <3 Stage Eyeshadow Primer 
• Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara
• Estee Lauder Pure Color Gloss Mini
• Marcelle Translucent Loose Powder (in the Shiseido jar) 
• Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade 
• Kat Von D Tattoo Liner Mini
• Smashbox Lipstick Mini
• Makeup Forever Lipstick Mini
• Essence Silky Touch Blush 

I've traveled with most of these items before and they are my most trusted so they made the cut. The Maybelline palette is nice because it's neutral and has both mattes and shimmers. The foundation is very long-wearing and works well for my skin and dipbrow is my lifeblood.


The Skincare Lineup:

• Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion 
• Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser  
• Coppertone Clearly Sheer Face Sunscreen SPF 50 
• Bioderma Sensibio Micellar Water 

I was initially going to put my regular skincare in little travel containers but then I went to Walmart and they had these Cetaphil minis so I decided to try them out. I've tested them and they are very similar to the Cerave cleanser and moisturizer that I normally use so this saves me the trouble.

Sunscreen is absolutely essential, especially when traveling somewhere hot and sunny. Some face makeup does have SPF but it's not enough because you don't apply nearly enough makeup for the SPF to be effective. So make sure to pack a dedicated face sunscreen. I've been using this one for a few weeks and I like it. It's matte, smells nice, and doesn't make my face too oily throughout the day.

Micellar water is one of the best things to have ever happened to my skincare routine. I use it to cleanse, tone, remove makeup, do my taxes, etc. It's such a good multi-tasker. Some products that claim to do more than 1 thing actually suck at doing all the things but this is a true do-it-all product. I highly recommend. I don't think the Bioderma one is better than the cheaper options but Shopper's Drug Mart sells these mini Biodermas so it's great for travel.

Tips for packing your travel makeup bag:

• Pack only what you will actually use every day/night; skip the weekly treatments or extra unnecessary stuff.
• Pack products that you trust. This is not the time to test out new products that may not work for you.
• Go to Sephora or the drug store and see if you can find mini versions of products you use. Sephora, Shopper's Drug Mart, and Walmart have a ton of makeup and skincare minis that will make your life so much easier. 
• Only pack products with secure packaging. The last thing you need is your lotion or loose powder exploding all over your bag. 
• For makeup applicators, try to bring small compact travel brushes or one-time use sponges. This way you don't have to worry about washing brushes. 

Happy traveling!