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Why Travel Duffels Are Perfect For Weekend Trips?

Packing may not be one of your favorite activities, but if you like travelling, then this is the price you will have to pay! There is no way one could enjoy a trip or a vacation without packing.

Thus, whether you want it or not you will have to get your bags out of your storage place or even buy some new ones and start planning how are going to fit in all the things you need to take with you. If this is going to be only a short trip, the why not go for travel duffels?

Travel duffels are great for short trips as they can accommodate a large variety of items in just one bag. No matter if you have a leather, fabric or polyester duffel, you will see it has plenty of pockets.

Having lots of pockets means you can safely place your belongings, so that they do not mix. This way you will find it easier to sort your luggage and find a place for each and every item.

They are not too large, so that you will have extra space when packing for the weekend trip, but they are quite spacious to accommodate the things you will need for a two or three days trip so they clearly make the best choice when it comes to storing your luggage for short trips.

The next advantage travel duffels have over suitcases or other types of bags is that they are very easy to carry. Choose a rolling duffel and you will have plenty of ways to carry it. You can roll it after you, you can grab it by the medium handles or you can simply put it on your shoulder if it is easier for you this way.

You can not ignore the fact that travel duffels have become more and more attractive lately. They are available in different materials, colors and even shapes.

With colorful appearances, stylish patterns, lots of funny pockets and rounded edges, there is no way you will not attract attention with your travel duffel, so prepare to make sensation even when you are travelling.

What it is even more interesting is the fact that you can adapt it to your style and preferences, so you can say “Good Bye” to the old black or brown duffels and choose whatever color or pattern crosses your mind!

Travel Duffels are by far the best solution when it comes to choosing a bag that can accommodate your luggage for two or three days. If you do not have one in your home make sure you purchase one on the next occasion! With such an easy way to pack you will want to leave on a trip each and every day!

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Destination Wedding Makeup – For the Bride Who Would Rather Spend Her Money on Cake!

Destination wedding makeup: do it yourself to save money and stress! Or for the budget savvy bride who would rather spend the money on cake.

Do it yourself bridal makeup for a destination wedding can be simple, easy, fun and stress free. I encourage you to learn how to do your own wedding makeup because it’s a skill a bride can use on the honeymoon, on the first wedding anniversary and through every wedding anniversary after that. Finally if you know someone getting married you can help that bride get ready for her wedding day beauty with your new found skill of makeup application.

For brides who are getting their beauty kits together for their destination weddings I am going to guess that you have most of the makeup and beauty items you need already in your makeup bag. A short wedding makeup shopping list for Sephora or Ulta to get the few specialty items you need can even include some drugstore brands from Walmart and Target that can get your bridal beauty bag ready with inexpensive brands such as Maybelline and L’Oreal.

You will need the basics such as foundation, powder, blush, eyeshadows, eyeliners, mascara and lipstick-though what you need from the makeup store and may not have is a stain and the new HD translucent powder by Makeup Forever. It’s the best powder in my professional makeup artist opinion for photos taking in digital photograph that is high definition and resolution.

The Makeup Forever HD translucent powder only comes in one shade so picking one out is easy. As for selecting a stain; I recommend the brands Lorac sheer wash which has four colors to choose from, as well as Tarte and Benefit.

Please watch the YouTube videos on how to create a smokey bridal eye for evening weddings and also the classic bridal makeup look in a photo tutorial on the blog.

Thanks for reading and congratulations on your wedding. I’m Cherelynn and this is Makeup University!

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Training Mojo – Developing a Culture of Training

When the training department is up and running and your courses are being delivered regularly, does that translate into your firm having a training culture? Without buy-in from stakeholders and training staff, you don’t. Here are some ways to create the culture by involving stakeholders and your staff.

Your department’s stakeholders are often subject-matter-experts in the field – they could be the company’s executives, department managers, and even high performers. Far too often, training programs are developed and delivered without any input from this important group. To avoid that mistake, involve your stakeholders from the beginning, with the development of your training. Ask them what material should be covered in your courses. Obtain step-by-step procedures from the subject-matter-experts and stakeholders. Gain approval from the executives with a simple but clear explanation of what is going to be covered in a training course and program. Your benefit is twofold: first, you’re getting stakeholder buy-in. Second, you’re getting the most accurate, field-worthy information to include in your training.

Now that you have stakeholders involved in development, don’t leave them at the door of the classroom. Involve them in the evaluation of your training programs. Let’s say you conduct an application survey of training participants at 30 or 45 days after class. Invite your stakeholders to analyze the results with you – that group may be able to provide a perspective that the training department simply doesn’t have. Invite your stakeholder group to make suggestions about the content or the suitability of the instructors. When stakeholders are constantly involved in training development and evaluation, you can maintain buy-in and create an effective working relationship.

Identified stakeholders are an important group, but what about field managers and supervisors? Many people in these roles have great ideas for training programs and development, but do not want to make a career move because they like being in the field. Just as you involve stakeholders in development and evaluation, it’s a great idea to involve middle managers and supervisors, as well. Invite them to help you determine content for new courses and suggestions that might be made to existing program and materials.

Have them explain how they came to answer your application surveys – what criteria did they use to judge an employee’s success or lack of success? Again, you’ve created, identified and communicated with a group of managers and supervisors that have a stake in training and development.

What about the training staff themselves? Training managers make the mistake of “pigeon-holing” staff, that is, they see a good niche for an instructor or developer, and they leave him or her there. When the staff burns out, you lose their buy-in. Do not assume that they’re happy just because they consistently receive excellent evaluations. To create and maintain buy-in from your staff, be sure to accurately determine what their area of expertise is. An instructor may do a good job delivering certain courses, but is the course his or her true area of expertise? After you determine expertise, find out the staff’s area of aspiration – where does each staff member want to go with his or her training career? Some may be perfectly happy doing what they currently do, but some may want to design courses, manage functions, or move on to other areas. Don’t be afraid to sit down and have this conversation annually with each staff member. By showing your interest, you’ll maintain a training culture – and the all-important buy-in of all of the training staff.

Finally, it is absolutely necessary to obtain buy-in with the key stakeholder, they are the money holders. Financial officers are sometimes the hardest to convince, especially if you can’t show metric analysis -supporting a return-on-investment for every program of training you offer. Obtain buy-in on the front end by showing what you plan to accomplish. Don’t simply say you’re going to develop 10 new courses in 2008. Tell the financial officer, as well as all stakeholders, exactly what courses you are going to develop, who the target audience will be, and how these program are expected to impact the bottom line, increases in production, decrease in turnover, or increase in customer satisfaction.

This tactic may not win every time, but you are still going to create a more functional working relationship with these stakeholders who ultimately control your budget.

By taking addressing these areas early and often, you can create and maintain a training culture with your stakeholders, managers, training staff, and financial staff.