I don’t know about you, but I always seem to be at my clumsiest when I am wearing white….take for instance this morning, wearing a crisp white button down, all of a sudden a hole appears in my lip, and I get tea everywhere…thank god for those tide pens…yes, it doesn’t get EVERYTHING out in a jiff as Kelly Ripa demonstrates on television, but for the most part, I have found it gets most out and if it doesn’t, it at least dulls it down enough where I can wear the shirt for the rest of the day not be embarrassed and not scared that another great white shirt is forever ruined.  The stain gets out completely once thrown in the wash and I attack it with bleach.  I NEVER travel without at least two of these and  one is always in my purse (thankfully for emergencies like this morning). I just think it’s something handy and portable that I always find myself needing at least once a week…yes I am that clumsy!

I happen to find mine in Target in the travel sizes section.  I like the mini ones rather than the ones the size of a pen, since the mini are about the size of a lip balm and can easily go from purse to clutch (I like red wine) and in my opinion are easier to tote around.

The other essential travel item that I have recently become obsessed with is the Joy Mangano “Go Mini” – My Little Steamer 850 Watts. I absolutely love and adore this thing.  First, I hate ironing, hate hate hate it!  Secondly, since moving into the gentlemen suitor’s home I have discovered that I have NO closet space whatsoever, which means everything is crammed in and without fail when peeling out a shirt, even though hung, it’s guaranteed to be wrinkled.  I invested in this little steamer about a year ago, never used and for the 1st time yesterday, I broke it out to test it out.  One, I love the fact that it comes in an assortment of super cute girlie colors (mine’s lilac, the teal was out) and I also love how compact it is (which makes it perfect for stuffing in the suitcase/overnight duffel).  It worked like a dream, it got out all the wrinkles, and I never had to break out the ironing board once.  Although I am not a huge fan of the HSN (home shopping network), I believe this is one of the only places that you can purchase it for such a great deal and let me tell you it is worth it, especially if you hate breaking out the ironing board when on vacation. Its also great when you are in a rush for a dinner date or an improptu gathering with girlfriends.

As far as using it,  I suggest hanging up the garment on the shower rail so that you know its secure, won’t move around a lot, and there is a less of a chance of more wrinkles forming and burning the crap out of yourself (not that this happened to me of course), but I figure I will save you for my own misfortunes and what I found now to be the easiest way to maneuver the article of clothing and the steamer at the same time.  Anyway, it’s a great investment, it comes with a travel bag and a matching de-linter brush, so it’s definitely worth it.  These little beauties are super popular though and go fast, so you definitely want to jump on the ball and snatch one up!

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