Beauty and the Long Commute

I don't drive and taking the bus across town twice a day in the Texas heat can wreak havoc on any girl's look. Though I have learned to apply liquid eyeliner while riding at the back of a bouncing city bus, I've found I need extra help from some outstanding products. Through the years I've put together a kit that's guaranteed to keep your fresh-from-the-house style, no matter what you go through on your way to work.

The criteria:
My products must excel at each of these 3 things:

1. Portable - if I can't fit it in my bag, it stays home (and never gets used.)
2. Multitasking - I multitask, so my products have to multitask as well!
3. Effective - My products have to be reliable. Period. There's nothing worse than being let down by a product that's supposed to make your life easier - not harder.

Before we dive into the list, I just had to let you know that I don't actually carry all of this with me all the time. Plus, I make use of travel bottles whenever I can, to further decrease the amount of bulk. Most of these products are available at www.beauty.com, www.sephora.com and www.drugstore.com.

Wipe the Slate Clean

The top of the list (there has never been a better invention than this) - wipes. Much like Adrian Monk (on USA's Monk TV show), I can't survive without wipes. I ride the bus for heaven's sakes - not exactly a sanitary environment to spend an hour a day. The beauty of wipes is that you can get them for almost anything now!

- Get that pesky mustard stain out with Shout Wipes, Portable Stain Treater Towelettes.
- Kill the cooties with Purell Sanitizing Wipes or Wipe-eeze Anti-Bacterial Wipes.
- Freshen up with SweetSpot Labs On-The-Go Wipettes (indulgent wipes for personal care).
- Wash your face on the go with Olay Total Effects Daily Cleansing Treatments
- Have a shower in a towlette (perfect in the summer!) No Rinse Cleansing & Deodorizing Bathing Wipes.
- Smart thinking from Always pads - put a refreshing wipe with the pad for travel - Always Clean Ultra Thin Pad with Flexi-Wings + Wipe.

Must-have Tools and Hair Care to Go

Cordless Compact Curler By Thermacell
The ThermaCell Cordless Curling Iron fits neatly in the included carrying case and assembles to a full size iron. Model features a 5/8" barrel with a one to two minute heat up time. One replaceable thermal cartridge is included.

Sephora Pop-Up Travel Brush - Signature Black & Red - It's a compact brush and a mirror - what else do you need to know?

Oscar Blandi Proteine di Jasmine Protein Mist for Restyling Hair To Go
Make your hair feel soft and smell gorgeous! Created for restyling hair, Proteine di Jasmine is a protein mist for refreshing your look the next day. Infused with soy and wheat proteins, this styling aid seals the cuticle. It allows hair to withstand the heat and abuse we subject our hair to when using a flat/curling iron or blow dryer. Now you can achieve the same look as your initial style.

Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo
Woke up late - and now have no time to shower? No problem! Just sprinkle a little on your hairbrush and brush through. Refresh, revive, and recharge hair and scalp without water. Pronto is perfect for use between washings, in a rush, as a midday hair pick-me-up, or when you overdose on styling product.

Natural rice, oat, and tapioca starches cleanse hair by absorbing excess oil, product, and grease and increase hair volume at the roots without weighing hair down. Triclosan and tea tree oil help treat the scalp and reduce the occurrence of dandruff, while the invigorating lemon verbena fragrance leaves hair smelling and feeling fresh.

Do you remember Psssssst? Dry Shampoo? Give your hair a quick pick-me-up when you can't shower! Psssssst® Instant Spray Shampoo will give you that clean, bouncy look without time-consuming shampooing and blow-drying. Just spray it on and fluff. Great for bad hair days and dry hair! You can still find this in many drugstores and grocery stores, as well as at www.amerimark.com. Although this, and the other full-sized hair products listed, aren't necessarily great to pack in a purse - they are perfect for stashing in a desk drawer at work.

Jonathan Product Redo Freshen-Up Mist for Hair & Skin To Go
There's nothing worse than coming back from lunch, or dinner smelling like smoke! Revitalizing and conditioning Cucumber/Rose Essential Water refreshes slightly dirty, oily hair and vegetable enzyme neutralizes odors and leaves hair smelling clean. Natural extracts like white tea, almond, aloe, and pomegranate condition and add shine. Also can be used to refresh, hydrate, and condition skin. Product is 100 percent vegan and alcohol-free.

Jonathan on Redo: "A trick I learned from working on fashion shoots and runways - sometimes I just did not have time to wash and style models' dirty hair. So I mixed up my own botanical water infusion spray. It allowed me to rework and restyle sections of hair without shampooing and took away any stale odors. Soon the models were asking me for bottles of the "redo" and using it everywhere - on their skin - and anywhere including behind the scenes at fashion shows and even on airplane flights."

The Perfect Portable Manicure

Essential Care Advanced Nail Polish Remover Pads by Cutex - perfect when you just need to start over with a fresh manicure or pedicure.

Real Life French Nail Kit, Real Short Square - (BSF05)
by Broadway Nails. Kit Contains: 24 French Nails with Self Tabs, Twist-off Pink Gel Glue (0.07 oz/2 g) Glue Stand; Manicure Stick, Mini File. I can literally pop on these "glue-on" nails in about 5 minutes - instant manicure and a completely polished, professional look in no time flat!

L'Occitane Mini Pure Shea Butter Take-along Tin of 100% Shea Butter
Hydrates and protects lips, face, cuticles and hands. This powerful moisturizer is retrieved from the fruit of African Shea trees, and celebrated world-wide for encouraging cellular renewal and repairing the hydrolipidic film, thereby softening, soothing and comforting skin. This little life saver is non-irritating; suitable for men, women and children.

(Remember to keep clear nail polish for pantyhose runs and to top off a slightly dinged up manicure or pedicure. Plus, Sephora and Sally Beauty Supply both sell little bottles of nail polish perfectly sized for stowing away in your purse.

Complexion and Makeup

Peter Thomas Roth Mini Ultra Lite Oil-Free Sunblock SPF 30
Start the day right and protect your skin! This ultra light, absorbable, greaseless lotion contains Parsol 1789, which provides extra sheer protection against UVA radiation as well as UVB protection, formerly available only with the thicker titanium dioxide and zinc oxide-based sunblocks. Ultra Lite Oil-Free Sunblock SPF30 is a dry formula with no fragrances, and also contains antioxidant micellized vitamins A and E.

Benefit Realness Of Concealness
It doesn't take a makeover, just the Realness of Concealness, when a little perking up is all you need. This crafty little kit is a mini collection of Benefits' most coveted concealers and enhancers. Why dig around your bag when you've got everything you need all boxed up. Set includes: Boi-ing, Lemon-Aid, Ooh la Lift, Lip Plump, and High Beam in minis.

Trish McEvoy Little Black Card Glamorously Sexy
Add a little black mascara to your bag, and you're all set! Palette includes: Skin: Even Skin Concealer is a beauty must, and Glamorously Sexy includes two shades, making it easy to custom blend where coverage is needed. Cheeks: Dust Trish's newest Matte Bronzer to the highpoints of the face to instantly warm up your skin. Brighten up with a sweep of Tangerine Glow Blush. Eyes: Begin by applying Natural Base Eye Shadow over the lid and top with Golden Apricot. Line the upper and lower lash line with Definer Deep Ivy in the season's newest shade of green. Lips: Glamorously Sexy provides the ultimate lip wardrobe: two ultra-sexy lip colors and four irresistible lip glosses that can be worn alone or mixed to create the perfect shade for you.

Luxury Fragrance to Brighten Your Day

Bvlgari Eau Parfumee White Tea Charm (Available in Green Tea and Omnia Cristalline) Both men and women can wear this delicate, soothing white tea scent with white pepper accents, day or evening. White Tea, the principal ingredient, has been used in China as an elixir of youth because of its antioxidant and revitalizing properties. Cultivated only a few times per year, this rare essence imparts an overall sense of well being. Notes: Artemisia Leaves, Ambrette, White Pepper, White Tea, Musk, Woody Amber.

Or, indulge in refreshing fragrance with Bvlgari's Green Tea Refreshing Towels - even easier to pack away!

All Smiles!

GoSMILE Touch Up Mini On-The-Go Smile Refresher
Five multipurpose smile solution ampoules that let you touch up and refresh your smile, on the go.
-Keeps your smile white.
-Instantly erases food and drink stains before they set.
-Polishes teeth, leaving them shiny and white.
-Promotes good oral hygiene.
(Author's note: I have InvisAlign braces, and GoSmile products are a life saver! Or at least a smile saver - since you're constantly needing to clean your teeth to put your trays back in after meals.)

GoSMILE 'Touch Up' Refillable Compact - Mint-licious
A delicious, multipurpose smile solution ampoule to let you touch up and refresh your smile, truly on-the-go. Keeps your smile white. Instantly erases food and drink stains before they set. Polishes teeth, leaving them shiny and white. Promotes good oral hygiene. Provides the benefits of a refreshing brush. Enlivens your senses with delicious essential oils. Use it at a bar, in a restaurant, at your desk, in the car, at the gym, anywhere, on-the-go. For anyone and everyone, especially if you drink coffee, tea, red wine, dark sodas or if you smoke.