Do you remember that utterly perfect bridesmaid gift you received last summer? Yes, from the wedding that had you driving many miles overnight, wearing a dress that only your thirteen year old niece would choose and styling your hair like all the other bridesmaids even though it made you look like Marge Simpson?

You threw that little trinket away didn’t you?

It’s OK, we can all agree that finding a bridesmaid gift that will elicit squeals of delight and even a genuine hug or two is a challenge. Lucky for you, Corinna Cooke, a fabulous beyond our dreams make-up artist, passed on this solution that is going to make your head spin with possibilities!

Stephanie Johnson has created a line of travel accessories that are the real deal. This is a woman who traveled the world and yearned for accessories that would both complement her obsession with order and efficiency and satisfy her inner fashionista. Kind of like you!

What makes a Stephanie Johnson bag special?

Yes, they are designed with a meticulous eye; removable pouches, beautifully detailed liners and pull-out mirrors are the norm but I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge your inner Hollywood starlet begging to be pacified. Teri Hatcher, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Heidi Klum and Brittney Spears are among the long list of celebs who adore Stephanie’s genius travel accessories. Prices range from $24- $82 so that means the newly gifted bags your girls pack their cosmetics in could be the same as Cameron Diaz’s! How great is that?

Choose from 27 styles and 34 fabrics and with names like “Cancun”, “Mumbai Yellow”, “Vegas Pink” and “Chicago Gold”, you can choose gifts that are perfect for each of your girls. Your MOH will no longer have to use a cosmetic bag that has a peachy hue inside thanks to a broken blush. Bridesmaid #2 will be able to ditch the scary gold tapestry jewelry roll her mother-in-law gave her for her birthday. And no doubt, the hanging toiletry bag bridesmaid #3 received 5 years ago as a gift with purchase can meet the trash can!

Your girls are going to adore you for getting them the perfect gift (they might even forgive you for making them wear the planet’s most uncomfortable shoes) and you can move on to more important things, like choosing your own Stephanie Johnson travel accessories for yourself- Hello Honeymoon!

Are you one of the lucky ones? If you are going on any sort of vacation this summer, your answer is “YES!” Are talking Honeymoon? Feel free to add a squeal, jump or fist pump to your “YES!”. If said get-away includes soaking up the sun, sipping fruity beverages near water and donning a sassy little bikini, you should also be considering your “face”.

A girl by the pool with mounds of make-up is not a pretty sight. My guess is that she is wearing all that make-up to cover up her skin that has rebelled against her vacation. So what do you do? You want the beachy glow. You want to wear minimal make-up. And most important, you want to feel gorgeous!

Lucky for us, Corinna Cooke, our friend and make-up artist extraordinaire, has shared some ingenious skin care essentials for your summer getaway.

The #1 product you must use, without fail, is sunscreen. Rhonda Allison, skin care guru and “Queen of Peels”, offers a fantastic product called Zinc Protection Cream. It is a zinc- based sun protection that is gentler on your face than most sunscreens that contain harsh chemicals. There are sunscreens that can actually harm your skin when exposed to the sun’s rays so watch out for those that contain synthetic chemicals. For more information on what to stay away from and why, visit Rhonda’s blog.

You need clean skin, vacation or not, so check out the crazy efficient multi-tasker Melt from Face Atelier. This one product removes make-up, rids your face of grime and rejuvenates your skin. This is the ultimate all- in- one product that Corinna Cooke recommends to her clients. Use Melt and you can get back to relaxing in no time!

And for today’s final vacation skin tip, and this one is going to knock your floppy sun  hat right off, Hylunia Skin Care will soothe your sunburned cheeks with it’s Colloidal Silver with Lavender Floral Water. Yes, it sounds a bit space-aged but when you’re on vacation, the last thing you want is that scratchy “don’t touch me” sunburn pain. Hylunia will save the day.

Finally, travelers, brides, honeymooners, make sure you are using high-quality skin care products even though you are leaving town. Your skin deserves to be pampered on vacation too!  Pick up these face-saving products in travel sizes and you are good to go!

Chatting soon, Kelly

Thanks to Corinna Cooke for the fabulous tips and endless beauty information!

All images courtesy of LightRain Images, a Phoenix wedding photographer.

Photos taken on location at the gorgeous Scottsdale Resort.