Ever hear of a site called Listia?

We all know I am a self-proclaimed serial traveler and compulsive shopper! I say that like it's a bad thing! If you find yourself in strange new lands, you just have to explore! I guess living in Alaska can make us feel a bit disconnected from the rest of the world so it's nice to get away when I can. It's good to see what we might be missing out in the big world out there!

Of course when you're traveling and shopping, one of your primary considerations will be, I have to get this stuff home! Sometimes I pack a flat rate USPS box in my luggage ~ they are flat so they don't take up any room! It's not so hard to find a post office on the road, but you can't count on them always having the packing materials you want. Mailing a few things home can be a big help if you do it right!

Another thing that I've been known to do is pack a smaller duffel bag inside my luggage on the off chance that I find stuff I just can't live without! This strategy can save you money because its cheaper to check a 2nd bag than it is to pay the extra charge for an overweight bag. And no matter what your bag weighs, You've got to get it to the airport somehow!

Of course by now, you all know that I list up some of my great finds - I get so excited when I'm able to share these treasures with you! Most of my best goodies are listed @ eCrater and I still have a few items @ Blujay - until I finish moving them over! I try not to list anything @ ebay but sometimes items do better at auction.. what's a girl to do? Check out Listia!


Hate paying listing fees? Forget about it! They give you Credits when you join. You can earn credits by completing your profile and watching videos on the site. And you get credits when you list something! Listing is why you're there anyways! List items and when they sell, you get credits to spend on Listia items you see & want. How cool is that? True Trading Online, right?!

I'm giving it a whirl and I hope you'll check it out, too!

Let us know if you've tried Listia in the comments below. Let us know what you think!

Be Pretty!

Cindy @ NameBrandDealz

Some beauty tips tricks and faves!

I tend to travel a lot which means packing and unpacking and packing again! If you're like me, You have too much in your beauty stash and you might have extras of several beauty essentials.. so one thing I do is, I leave some basics 'packed' so they are always ready to grab 'n go! I bet if you really looked thru your goodies, You would find things that you like, but don't use every day in your beauty routine. So pack'em! It will make your life much easier - Trust me!

.. Yes, this really is my suitcase! Love her! By Lucas Luggage.

If you did not have any shampoo or body wash mini's and had to book it outta town quick, check the area you traveled to and see if there are any Dollar Tree or Big Lots stores nearby. Trust me on this! Best deals you'll find on things like shampoo, body wash (MANY choices for a dollar!) deodorant, even tweezers and bandaids! I swear you can get outta there for less than $10 and have about any beauty basic you'd need on the road. And the best part is, if you are tight on luggage space and don't wanna bring those big bottles home, you're only out a dollar if you leave them behind. BETTER YET - buy ONE shampoo that can double as a body wash - just splurge on a better Conditioner - surely you have room to bring that home!

If you like to use baby powder - buy the kind with Cornstarch. It can double as a dry shampoo in a pinch! Absorbs oil and makes your hair smell baby fresh until you have time to shampoo.

Speaking of how ya smell! Have you ever smelled a fragrance and liked it, bought it and took it home, but then WOOF! It smells awful on you?! Never again. If you like a fragrance, buy it! Spray it in your hair or just spray it UP into the air, and let it fall on you after you are dressed.. it will have less opportunity to react to your skin & chemistry.. Even inside something like a hoodie or sweater.. you CAN wear the fragrance you love! Some of our favorites ~ Fancy, Pink Sugar, Midnight Fantasy...

Olay daily moisturizer is a great all-around moisturizer and doubles as an effective eye makeup remover! Remember some QTips! They are great for detail work, removing traces of eyeliner and mascara that did not come off in the shower!

Be sure to share any tips n tricks you have - Beauty Secrets are better shared with a friend!

Til next time, Be Pretty!

Cindy @ NameBrandDealz

..Beauty Tips, Tricks & Secrets!

According to the calendar, it's barely a week into Summer but around here, the first whole month is already in the can! I can't tell you how bummed I am about that! I should be grateful that I've already been to Seattle and Denver, but now it's just 'Back to Business!' - What a drag!

Since it's back to the grind and I can't stray too far, I'm finding little things to do, close to home. Busy little things, going thru closets, organizing my office - we even got new furniture. One thing I still need to do is finish unpacking from my world tour.. I got the laundry out right away, but I still have to sort out what I bought for me, what I bought for gifts, and what I found to stock in my beauty store!

When I'm traveling, I try to keep it simple and take multi-taskers with me; I stick with a simple, natural color palette so those minimalist pieces will work together. When I'm home, my beauty routine is a full arsenal of serums, moisturizer, and those special pieces that may not travel so well, like single pan eyeshadows & bronzing or illuminating beads.

When I travel, there are just some things I don't want to be without. Those wet facial cleansing towelettes are a must. Olay and Ponds are great! Perfect for taking makeup off your hands when you're touching up in an airport restroom! Some visits don't require the medicinal anti-bac soap that airport restrooms provide - so use that Olay cloth to remove the makeup on your hands, then rinse well and you're off! These wipes are also nice for wiping any loose blush or eyeshadow off other product cases if they happened to crack in the bottom of your makeup bag!

Don't forget a tweezer! Trust me on this. You WILL be searching for the nearest drugstore to purchase one. Then, while you're there, you start to see other things you think you might need.. its a trap! If you have to do it, look for the store's brand.. a tweezer is pretty much a tweezer and they are often half the price of one made by the big national brand.

Bring a few quart size Zippy-Lock type plastic bags. Basically, any liquid item (fragrance, hair spray, toothpaste) that fits in that quart size bag will zip right through Security.

Speaking of moisturizers - did you know that regular old Oil of Olay makes a great eye makeup remover? Even after washing my face in the sink (or even in the shower with my Estee Lauder Perfectly Clean!) - Sometimes I just end up with raccoon eyes from the mascara & eye liner I'm trying to remove.. Just grab some Q-Tips and squeeze out a bit of Olay's daily moisturizer - dab it under your eyes and watch the yuk come off on the swab! Be sure to buy the fragrance-free!

Feel free to post any tips & suggestions you have and share them with your BFF's below!