Blog — Trip Styler
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Travel Beauty :: Something to "Screen" About

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travel + sunscreen[trip style = sun & everyday] Vacay in the Sun There’s nothing more relaxing than vacationing in the sun. Just the thought of it makes me want to take a nap. I agree that everyone looks better with a tan and don’t you always hear about how essential Vitamin D is? So just a little sun can’t hurt…WRONG! With skin cancer rates on the rise, a little sun can hurt. A lot. If that doesn’t make you nervous, I’ll appeal to your vanity: wrinkles! And don’t even get me started on sun spots.

So What To Do? Use sunscreen. Every. Single. Day. Especially while on vacation when you’re more likely to spend longer periods of time outside, but also on cloudy, rainy days and every day in between.

Not the Answer I haven’t been impressed with the sunscreens on the market. Many of them leave a thick white sheen and an extra shiny finish---definitely not the way you want to look while on vacation.

Enter Neutrogena’s Ultra Sheer Liquid Sunblock SPF 55. Wow. I applied this product on clean skin before moisturizer. The lightweight liquid formula absorbed instantly and left no residue, white sheen, or greasiness. You would never know that I had applied sunscreen that day. I didn’t even wear much makeup and my skin looked great. I was impressed! This sunscreen contains both UVA (aging rays) and UVB (burning rays) protection under the name Helioplex, which is Neutrogena’s proprietary complex (i.e. a marketing term) featuring Avobenzone and Oxybenzone.

Some Guidelines When buying a sunscreen, the American Academy of Dermatology recommends that you look for the following ingredients, which ensure broad spectrum (UVA and UVB) protection: Avobenzone, Cinoxate, Ecamsule, Menthyl anthranilate, Octyl methoxycinnamate, Octyl salicylate, Oxybenzone, Sulisobenzone, Titanium dioxide, and Zinc oxide. In addition look for something with an SPF of 30 or higher. This Neutrogena product has it all.

Did You Know? UVA rays can penetrate car windows! Just one more reason to wear sunscreen every single day.

{Want more travel beauty? Get your fill the third Wednesday of every month. Lauren, our travel beauty expert is already whipping up her next concoction post!}

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Fashion Friday :: Fall Weekend

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fashion friday, weekend getaway

[trip style = weekend getaway]

There's a popular collection of short stories called The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing. It's a New York Times Bestseller, but I've never read it. I do, however, remember the cover. It has an image of a girl in wellies, tights, a red jacket and a trapper hat - and it's the inspiration for the first Fashion Friday post.

When summer fades away and the leaves begin to fall, I instantly want to surround myself with wool sweaters, pumpkin lattes and weekend escapes. Living on Canada's West Coast, I have plenty of options - Tofino, Whistler, the Gulf Islands, Washington State - but no matter where you live, I'm sure there's a cabin calling your name.

Now what to pack?

Men (clockwise from top left)
Filippa K peter herringbone check shirt, Cheap Monday original jeans, H by Hudson angus tan washed lace up boot, Paul Smith Jeans shawl collar waffle cardigan

Women (clockwise from top centre)
Free People military platoon jacket, Madewell belmont boyshirt, Bop Basics faux fur trapper hat, Loeffler Randall rain boot with back zip, American Apparel winter legging

{Fashion Friday posts are published on the last Friday of every month and written by our resident fashion consultant Heather.}

Travel Trends :: Suite Arrival

suite arrival{Don't miss our Giveaway announcement below!} Nobody likes it when they open their travel bag to discover a mouthwash-soaked shirt. Oh toiletry casualties, I *strongly* dislike you! Because of leaking issues, scrambling to buy last-minute toiletries and wanting more space in my bag for clothes, I'm excited---actually overjoyed---to learn there's a company that's created a solution to these packing problems.

This week's travel trend is devoted to a personal care concierge service. With a few clicks of the mouse, Suite Arrival delivers your favourite personal care products right to your hotel room.

A Little Box With Your Name On It suite arrival productsImagine this: you check into your hotel room and there's a little box waiting for you with toiletries you pre-ordered. Whether you want to go with lux or value brands, Suite Arrival has created an ingenious system where you can pre-order kits or hand-pick toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, toothbrush, toothpaste,  advil, moisturizer, sunscreen, gum, nuts, etc...) and have all of it shipped to your hotel room. Not only do they offer good prices, but if you spend $50, the shipping is free. Done and done.

Giveaway Suite Arrival is kindly giving one lucky winner a lux travel kit! Plus, all Trip Styler readers get 10% off their next order! Use promo code: TRIPSTYLER10.

For One Entry Comment on this post and tell us if you would use a service like this to get personal care products delivered to your hotel room.

For Two Entries Write on Trip Styler’s Facebook wall.

For Three Entries Follow @TripStyler on Twitter and RT this: I've just entered to win a @SuiteArrival lux travel kit on @TripStyler ~ details: http://bit.ly/bXof6w

This giveaway is open to residents of Canada and the USA. The lucky winner will be chosen via random.org on Thursday, Nov 4th. If the winner is a gal, she'll receive: Ren Shampoo, Conditioner, Grapefruit Body Wash & Body Cream, Pore Minimizing Detox Mask and Active 7 Radiant Eye Maintenance Gel. If the winner is a man, he'll receive: Anthony Sport For Men Good To Go Kit. For the greatest chance of winning, use all three methods above.

PS - If you feel like taking your toiletries home when you check out of your hotel, each order comes with a clear plastic bag! Using Suite Arrival is most cost efficient when you're traveling in the US, although they do ship internationally too.

{Winner: After tallying all the entries via your comments, Facebook and Twitter through random.org, our winner is MaggieLang via Twitter! Thanks to everyone who participated!}

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Vancouver to Seattle Must-Stops

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must stops from vancouver to seattle[trip style = weekend getaway]

I can't even count the amount of times I've travelled (by car) between Vancouver and Seattle and back again. Along with my husband, we now have the trip down to an art! Too bad there isn't a car version of frequent flier miles. Whether you're crossing the 49th parallel for a flight, shopping, to visit friends or a weekend getaway, here are my tried and tested must-stops.

YVR --> SEA Must-Stops 1) The Border (Nexus) The Nexus lane is fast and efficient, 95% of the time. Spending $50 and investing two hours to apply and interview for Nexus makes border crossing, dare I say, somewhat dreamy. Otherwise, check out the border line-ups with one of these border wait apps, or indulge in orange tic-tacs at the Pacific Truck Crossing's duty-free store to legitimately jump the line and save yourself a lot of time.

2) Gas Filling up once you cross the border is a no-brainer. Gas is about 20-25% cheaper in the US, regardless of the exchange rate because the price differential is almost entirely related to gasoline taxes. So why not fill up?

3) Avenue Bread What this simple take-away or eat-in cafe lacks in decor, it makes up for in food quality. Their freshly baked bread is what they're known for, but in my humble opinion, their two most delectable dishes are Avenue Eggenues (a fresh-baked english muffin and egg breakfast sandwich, with add-ons like cheese, spinach, bacon, avocado and tomato) and the BLT&T with rosemary bread, add avocado. Where to find it: The location with the most atmosphere (pictured above) is 3 mins off the I-5 highway in historic Fairhaven (the last exit before you exit Bellingham.)

4) I Wanna Moka I have never been served coffee by friendlier, more bubbly baristas. Either they LOVE their jobs, or they're on a constant caffeine high. But seriously, this drivethru coffee bar is where it's at. And yes, their 'mokas' are good. Where to find it: Also, just off the Fairhaven exit, you won't be able to miss I Wanna Moka.

5) Optional but highly suggested: Trader Joes and/or Target. Trader Joe's, a more fun, boutique alternative to Whole Foods has everything from Two Buck Chuck ($3 bottle of bin-end wine) to fun treats, fresh flowers, great to-go salads, the best tasting sugar and salt-free peanut butter on the planet and a host of other groceries. Whether you're driving to Seattle for a flight or shopping, it's a great place to grab healthy snacks. Where to find it: The Bellingham store is just off the I-5 highway and conveniently across the street from an Avenue Bread (not the location I mentioned above).

What don't we need at Tar-jay? This weekend my husband found a great fall essential for $6, the grey waffle shirt. Need I say more? Well, I will: shopping at Target makes me wish I had a hobby/storage room to keep all the sometimes silly, but sometimes awesome seasonal stuff I find. There is no store like it in Canada. I always stock up on their allergy medication, toiletries, white platters, designer-collab clothing lines and wine (costs 50% less than in Canada). Where to find it: In Bellingham at Bellis Fair Mall, or in Marysville just off the I-5 highway.

Related Content Springtime in the Emerald City Seattle Starbucks :: Grande Beer with a Shot of Chardonnay Vancouverites, Get your Tourist on

PS - Introducing our Travel Beauty, Travel Fashion and Travel Health Contributors!

Travel Apps :: Take a Panorama

panorama iPhone appsIf a picture's worth a thousand words, then a panorama must be worth a sermon. With the iPhone's decent camera, and fewer people taking their cameras on vacation, a slew of panorama apps can help you take that extra special shot. Here are four prominent and talked-about panorama apps from $0 to $2.99. Panorama iPhone Apps

  • Panolab (free)
    • Is the free version the best version? Industry insiders vote no, but for a basic panorama stitch-up without many bells and whistles, free is always a great price.
  • AutoStitch Panorama ($2.99)
    • Based on the photo and tech blogs I read to research this post, people seem to be most partial to AutoStitch in comparison to the other payed apps because it's intuitive and doesn't require precision alignment.
  • 360Panorama ($2.99)
    • This recently updated app creates panoramas in real time versus needing to stitch them up later. The app's developer notes it works best for outdoor panoramas, so unless you're creating a virtual tour for your home, you're good to go!
  • Pano ($2.99)
    • Selected by Apple as one of the "best apps of 2009," Pano can take a panorama with a final resolution of up to 6800x800. Not too shabby for an iPhone.

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Other Travel Apps we’ve Reviewed