Travel Beauty :: Pink Ribbon Beauty

[trip style = any]

{Editor’s Note: Announcing our BIGGEST giveaway yet! Enter to win two nights at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler and two Scandinave Spa Whistler bath passes. Takes less than one minute to enter. Contest closes Oct. 26, 2011.}

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We've already touched on hotels supporting pink, and now we turn our attention to all the amazing limited-edition promotional products beauty companies launch just for this cause! It's the perfect time to look good while doing good! Here are some of my favorites:

Alterna Limited Edition Caviar Overnight Hair Rescue for Breast Cancer Awareness, $15 skinstore.com This 1oz. travel size version of their award-winning overnight hair treatment keeps hair looking and feeling incredibly soft and healthy with pure indulgent Caviar Extract. The company is giving 5% of proceeds to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Estee Lauder's Limited-Edition Elizabeth Hurley Pink Ribbon Collection, $24 esteelauder.com This totally chic pink clutch and gorgeous pink lipstick is just what I'd take on a weekend getaway. The clutch is perfect for a night out---fits my lipstick, keys and credit card---and best of all, 20% of sales goes to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Jane Iredale Roses & Lollipops Lip Duo Locket for Breast Cancer Awareness, $30 nordstrom.com I'm a sucker for beauty product/accessory combos and this keychain locket is so adorable. The 2 chemical-free glosses are sheer and beautiful. Jane Iredale is giving an impressive 100% of proceeds to Living Beyond Breast Cancer.

Michael Kors Breast Cancer Awareness Perfume Gloss Rollerball, $18 beauty.com This fabulous 2-in-1 product combines Michael Kors' Very Hollywood fragrance (a blend of mandarin and gardenia) and a natural glossy lip tint. Perfect for saving space in your travel beauty bag! A percentage of proceeds go to breast cancer research.

{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!}

More Travel Beauty On-The-Go Teeth Cleaning St. Tropez’ Celebrity Tanning Expert’s Self-Tanning Secrets  Pre-Trip Primping NYC’s Best Beauty Dr. Murad Interview The Best Fragrance For Each Trip Style Q&A With tarte Cosmetics Founder Quickie Teeth Whitening

[photos of products sourced online]

TS's Experience Whistler :: Giveaway

[trip style = weekending + spa]

{Editor's Note: This month we're doing a three-part series on extraordinary, year-round experiences in Whistler, BC. To give you a literal taste of what we're talking about, we're excited to announce a trip style = weekend + spa giveaway!}

The Giveaway {a $575 value}

• 2 Scandinave Spa Whistler Scandinavian bath access passes {valid Sunday - Thursday, until Aug 2, 2012}
• 2 nights at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler {valid until Dec. 15, 2011, subject to availability, non-transferable, double occupancy}

How To Win

1. If you haven't already "liked" the Trip Styler FAN PAGE on Facebook, you must do so {note, liking this post doesn't count for entry}
2. Share the following italicized message with your friends by clicking the SHARE link under any Trip Styler post on FACEBOOK: I have entered to win a two-night Whistler getaway at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler & two Scandinave bath passes via Trip Styler. Join the fun, details here: http://goo.gl/RfPwF
3. Complete your entry by leaving a comment on any TripStyler.com WEBSITE post telling us you've entered! {ie - see 'leave a comment' link below}

Bonus Entry 1 - Join our daily {m-f} email list and activate your email {top right}. New sign-ups only please. Bonus Entry 2 - Retweet the following on twitter: I entered to win 2 nights @FairmontWhistlr & 2 @ScandinaveWhis bath passes in #Whistler {Via @tripstyler} Enter: http://goo.gl/RfPwF

Details Open to residents of Canada and the USA 21 years or older. Entries will be accepted Oct. 18 – 26 {until noon}, 2011. Winner will be chosen via random.org and announced after noon PST on Oct. 26. After prizing notification, winner has two days to make contact.

[photos by @tripstyler & @FairmontWhistlr]

Tech Tuesday :: Unravel Group Travel

[trip style = any]

################## {Editor's Note: Announcing our biggest giveaway yet! Enter to win two nights at the Fairmont Chateau Whistler and two Scandinave Spa Whistler bath passes. Takes less than one minute to enter. Contest closes Oct. 26.} ##################

Traveling with friends is a blast, but organizing-smorganizing a 10 - 20-person bachelorette, mancation or family trip can turn into a full-time job!

Fear not, like most travel conundrums, the internet has an answer. Tech Tuesday for the win!

Travelstormer Travelstormer likens amateur group travel planning to herding cats, so it helps group travelers get their ducks in a row from idea to itinerary!" I WISH this existed when my girlfriends went on a 14-person triple-bachelorette to Vegas. Sure, we made 'do' with email and phone planning {via hours of conference calls and gazillions of emails}, but this website would have made the process so much more organized and streamlined! Next time...

How It Works Sign up for an account and add friends. Every detail is coordinated from a central and simple dashboard {pictured above}. Brainstorm and discuss with the group or via private message, then enter your dates and destination, build an itinerary and track expenses. Genius.

I'm going to use Travelstormer for another girls trip in the works for 2012. I've already set up an account. For now, we don't know our dates or destination, but we'll input those details as the process takes shape. Time to brainstorm and discuss!

Happy planning.

More Tech Tuesday Virtual Shopping Get A Callback Google Flight Search Hotel Tonight Getting There Direct

[images via travelstormer]

From The Archives :: Going The Distance With Air Miles

[trip style = budget conscious]

{Editor's Note: this how-to air miles guide was originally published in April, 2010. It's been given a total refresh reroute for the present day.}

Air Miles = Happiness Using air miles is a wonderful thing. Most savvy travelers try to accumulate miles with one or two major airline alliances and redeem them to fly for free {other than taxes}. If you're a frequent flier, growing your miles is a breeze; if you're a casual traveler it can take 2-5 years, but when you book that free flight, it's worth the wait! Once you have a 747-worth of air miles, the best way to use them is: a} go as far as you can within your points allowance, and b} opt for a {free} stopover.

Go The Distance If you could fly from Vancouver to Calgary, or Vancouver to Montreal redeeming the same amount of air miles, what destination would you choose? When cashing in on your air miles for a vacation, why not go as far as you can? Air mile reward charts are all about the big picture. They don't present different mileage amounts for flights from Vancouver to Calgary versus Vancouver to Montreal, it's just 25,000 points {approximately} for domestic travel. Full stop. Therefore, when booking a flight with your air miles, go the distance!

Stop For Free Last summer I booked a cross-Canada trip to Ottawa, Montreal, New Brunswick {NB}, Nova Scotia and PEI with my Air Canada Aeroplan miles. Instead of using my air miles to take short trip, I opted to maximize them and fly to NB with a week stopover in Ottawa. Making the stop in Ottawa did not require additional miles. This air miles redemption trick also works for many US carriers, so if you're redeeming your air miles, why not kill two birds with one stone and stop somewhere you've always wanted to go for free! {Note, airlines only allow stopovers if they are generally between your arrival and departure point.}

Booking Travel With Air Miles & Maximizing The Distance

• Travel the farthest you can within your available points.
• Do your homework. Once you know how far you can go, check to see if there are blackout dates, etc…
• Find out your airline’s air miles stopover policy.
• Book in advance for your preferred dates and destinations. Airlines only reserve a small amount of seats for air mile passengers.
• Embrace the web. Most airlines now charge an extra fee for air miles bookings made over the phone vs on the web.
• Even if you book your entire flight via air miles, taxes still apply.

[graphic by @tripstyler]

Roam+Board :: The Met Vancouver

[trip style = luxury + urban]

{Editor's Note: Hovering somewhere between a boutique property and urban resort, the Metropolitan Hotel Vancouver's got it, but doesn't need to flaunt it. Recently I was invited to reacquaint myself with the property---an invitation I gladly accepted given I used to do a lot of business with the hotel in my former life. As in years passed, the facilities, food and guest services approach receive an A on my report card. Here's why:}

What When a hotel has amenities like a Jaguar car service, Frette bathrobes and Molton Brown bath products, you know it's going to be discerning. And it is. Locals call it The Met, visitors call it their contemporary, asian-inspired home away from home. Two black stone lions quarried in China usher you from street to lobby. Inside, something grabs you. A calm sets in. No wonder; the hotel was originally built with the help of a Feng Shui master and constructed in the shape of a fan {though sadly, this is not totally distinguishable from the street}.

Where In the nerve centre of Vancouver's downtown, across from Pacific Centre mall, one hundred steps from The Vancouver Art Gallery, two blocks from Robson Street and near public transit.

When Summer is Vancouver's peak season, but it's during the festive season the hotel gets all dolled up. Perfect as a place to rest your head and feet after a Christmas power shopping session, or refuel over bubbles and molecular cuisine at Diva, the hotel's signature restaurant.

Who/Why You are polished and well-rounded, and you expect the same standard from your hotel. You appreciate discreet service, excellent cuisine and a well-tended facility to sculpt your body.

Cost From $175/night; includes a Jaguar car service in the downtown area, wifi in both public areas and guest rooms, a squash court, pool {excellent for laps}, whirlpool and gym. Note that the following packages sweeten the deal: Long Weekends At The Met - Turn any weekend into a long weekend. Pay for a Fri/Sat night or a Sat/Sun night and get third night free! Rates start at $195/night for the two weekend nights. Out On The Town - In town for a holiday performance, concert, Canucks game or...? Just show your tickets when you check in to get a rate as low as $155/night with complimentary valet parking and late check-out.

More Roam+Board Custom Hotel – LAX Bitter End Yacht Club – BVI Sleep On The Water – London A Woodsy Hideaway – Big Sur, CA

[photos assembled by @tripstyler via The Metropolitan Hotel + Diva]