The Globetrotting Texan

On The Road: Makeup Packing Tips

theglobetrottingtexan — Thu, 3 Mar 2011 22:38:00 GMT

This is the first edition of my On The Road series, which will cover all my female-oriented travel tips and packing advice, to allow you to still look great on the road, while saving money and traveling light.

When getting ready for a trip, many women -such as myself- face the same challenge: which makeup items should I pack?

It seems that every year we face stricter packing regulations, and -particularly for those of us that prefer taking only one bag (be it a small suitcase, backpack, or duffel bag)- the fear of having our lovely make up products confiscated before we board the plane, can strongly influence the amount or the quality of products we take with us.

This is why I decided to put together a little list of make up products that have proven cheap, useful, as well as un-confiscable, -and dare I say necessary- for any trip I pack for.

-Waterproof Mascara

I only take one tube of mascara, always waterproof. Why? Just in case. You never know when you will chose to hit the beach at dawn after dancing all night. So best be prepared for anything while wearing waterproof mascara. Plus, if you head to any tropical locations, constantly sweating might make your regular mascara run, and in turn, make you look quite unsightly.

-Light foundation with SPF

My favorite is a very small and thin tube of “light” foundation with SPF 40, which also adapts to your skin tone easily. What does this mean? It’s light so you will never look like your makeup is “caked on”, but it still efficiently acts like a foundation should. It has SPF 40, so it protects your face, allowing you to use it everyday if you want: it’s practical, and Mom would definitely approve. Last: it adapts to your skin tone, meaning that when you buy it in “beige”, and after two weeks at the beach your skin tone turns to “medium beige”, you can still use it without looking funny or having to buy a new one to match your newly acquired skin tone. And last, but very important, since it’s light on your skin, it helps you avoid break outs that stress from the road, sweat and grime would easily cause when wearing heavier stuff on your face.

Picture: Caught in Milan without makeup: THE HORROR!
- One Eyeshadow Quad

Yes, you can take one of those small boxes with a zillion colors. But trust me, all that any girl typically uses consists of 4 colors: 2 light/natural ones for day looks, and 2 darker ones for night looks. Chances are that during the day you will be so busy running around and enjoying your new destination that you won’t even bother with eyeshadow anyways, so a good-quality little box with 4 will prove more than enough. And, if it isn’t, eyeshadow is something you can easily borrow from any new friends you make at the hostel. I prefer the Lancome eyeshadow quads (they come with a mirror included). Tip: You don’t have money to purchase good eyeshadow? Me neither. I wait for Mom or my aunts to buy expensive products, and then raid the extra “presents” they get for their purchases. I have a lovely Lancome eyeshadow, lip gloss, and lipstick collection thanks to them.

-Kohl Eyeliner

I personally prefer the old-school stick of kohl, which I purchase for less than a dollar when I go to places like Turkey, Morocco or Palestine. It makes a great eyeliner, giving you that exotic and sexy look. It’s cheap, simple to use and it’s particularly useful in protecting your eyes from harsh sun rays if you’re out in about in particularly hot climates.

-Moisturizer/Cream

I usually take just one small pot or tube of moisturizer, to use for my face, hands and body. I prefer the Nivea 1 oz/30 mL pot for $1.

-Vaseline

I take the smallest pocket-sized version. It works great as lip gloss (works as a good base for lipstick too), it’s useful if your lips are chapped, if you put in on your eyelids after applying eyeshadow it gives it a gorgeous “wet” look, or you can put it on your cheekbones after applying blush to make them “glow”, and finally, it also helps you combat any dry skin problems you may have while on the road. Magic in a pot! And for less than $1.

-Concealer/Highlighter

I have a perfect small and thin tube that I purchased from E.L.F. for $2, which is a concealer matching my skin tone on one side, and a highlighter on the other. Both help me combat unwanted zits, blemishes or the more commonly found while traveling, under eye circles.

-High Definition Powder

Why? Well… I’m not very photogenic otherwise (see pictures). By wearing this powder, I ensure that I have a 80%

Me, with proper make up on.

higher probability of obtaining better pictures, including those random “surprise” ones that friends love to take late at night after a few drinks. Basically, this masks small imperfections and has a “soft focus” effect on the skin, making you look better on-screen or on pictures. It’s also very light. This is the secret behind movie or TV stars looking so great all the time on-screen. I get mine from E.L.F, for $6. There are higher quality ones in the market, but I still prefer to save my money for traveling!

-Makeup Remover

Make sure to get a good one, so you can still be nice to your skin! Usually, when I go purchase things from Lancome or Clinique, I ask for “samples” of makeup remover. So I always have a “sample” sized make up remover to pack, easily avoiding the packing problems that the bigger containers entail.

Now you have all my tips for globetrotting the world, while looking chic, and keeping it cheap!

Do you have any other products or advice that you would add to this list? Tell me in the comments!

You can read more of my posts at The Globetrotting Texan. Don't forget to add me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter!

(Practically) Free Paris

theglobetrottingtexan — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 22:49:00 GMT

Paris is known to be one of the most expensive cities in Europe. If you’re not well-informed, it surely is: my budgeting skills have been beaten by Paris before, and almost once again this last week (which is why I was gone from the blogosphere, briefly)

Me thoroughly enjoying my first time in Paris

back in 2007, by indulging in a free game of

hide and seek.

This time, I decided to fight back. Paris will not win! I am poor, and certainly cannot afford to be any poorer. So this time around, I did my research. And I decided to share what I discovered:

The Louvre: It’s free on Friday evenings. And if you’re under 26 years old. If you’re teacher. And the first Sunday of every month it’s free for anybody. So save yourself some money and plan accordingly: just don’t forget to bring your ID to qualify for under-26 or teacher discounts. If you don’t believe me, you can check out the official website in English, here.

Les Invalides: You can access the famous Musée de l´Armée for free if you are under 18, a EU citizen under 25, in the military (of any country, but you are required to show up in uniform), or a journalist. Don’t forget to bring the appropriate ID. Otherwise, if you are a citizen of non-EU country under 26, you only pay 4 euros to get in. More information, in French, here.

Paris Catacombs: Sadly, the only way you can get in for free is if you are under 13 years old. Assuming that my readers are not, I can tell you that if you are under 26 years old, regardless of nationality, you can get in for only 4 euros if you bring your ID. More information, in English, here.

Oscar Wilde’s Tomb

Père Lachaise Cementery: It’s free and well worth a visit. You can pay your respects to the likes of Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf, Frederic Chopin, Modigliani, Henri Salvador, Molière, Balzac and Oscar Wilde (don´t forget to bring your favorite lipstick and leave a kiss on his tomb!). If you don’t want to waste a lot of time or be forced to purchase a map of the tombs for 3 euros once you get there, you can find a map with all the “famous” graves here and plan your route beforehand.

Eiffel Tower: Sorry, it’s definitely not free. But I can give you a tip: reserve your ticket online beforehand and avoid all the lengthy lines that pick-pocketers love to target on a busy day. If you get the ticket online, all you have to do is show up, pick it up, and go up. Remember, if you plan on going all the way to the top of the tower, you need to reserve it at least 3 to 4 weeks in advance.

Paris Museum Pass: If you only have a few days in Paris, and you’re not under 26, you can always buy a Paris Museum Pass that will let you go to all the museums and monuments you want, as many times as you want, and best of all, without standing in line, for cheap. You can buy a 2, 4 or 6-day pass, and even order it online to get it before you leave home, so once you’ve arrived you can hit the ground running! More info at their official website in English, here.

Stay in Good Graces: French people are likely to be nicer and therefore, more helpful, if you simply attempt to speak French. Even if you’re bad at it, as long as you initially approach them in French, they will be more willing to switch to English for you if you simply just try to speak French. So, polish your basic skills: it’s free too.

Get your Velib´on!

Study Up on Public Transportation: There are many options to navigate the sometimes confusing public transportation system in Paris. First, you must chose: do you prefer the metro (subway, tube) or bicycles? For the metro option, there are a few alternatives that depend on your schedule and budget. Basically you can buy tickets as you use them, buy whole day or weekly passes, or get a Paris Visite pass that allows you unlimited travel throughout the whole Paris transportation system (including buses, trains, etc.) plus discounts on restaurants and shops. Check out your metro options here. And if you plan on partying the night away, but going back to your hotel or home before 5:30 am (when the metro opens), take a look at the Noctilien, the night-bus service. As for the bicycle service, you can access the official Vélib‘ website here and download the English-language brochure at the top-right corner, but basically you can buy 1-day passes (for 1 euro) or 7 day passes (for 5 euro) that will allow you to use all the public bicycles in the city: Not a bad way to move around Paris, and it beats being underground and shoved around in small claustrophobia-inducing compartments. And best of all: this service is available 24-hours!

Eating Out: You can eat at great restaurants for very little with this local tip: book your restaurant beforehand online here (French only, sorry) and receive up to 50% off on your meals in restaurants throughout France. (Thanks to CountrySkipper for the tip!)

See, planning ahead and reading blogs like mine never hurt anybody

Any more questions? Leave a comment below or ask me anything!

Marseille: Pastis Capital of the World

theglobetrottingtexan — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 22:40:00 GMT

If I must be informative and put forward unbiased information, I should simply say that pastis is an anise-flavored liqueur, consumed mainly in France, particularly in the south: this is why one can call Marseille the Pastis Capital of the World. This liqueur is of a green color, and it is usually consumed after mixing it with water and perhaps a couple of ice cubes. Once this liqueur comes in contact with water, it turns into a milky green color, much like absinthe does/did. The latter has been illegal in France for decades, but pastis came out and was marketed since the early 20th century as a replacement for the banned absinthe. Pastis looks like absinthe, but it’s makeup is different: it doesn´t have wormwood, the hallucinogenic ingredient that drove many an absinthe-drinker crazy.

But, since this is my blog and I am biased, I must tell you that pastis is a disgusting smelling and tasting liqueur, that is mostly consumed in this region of France. To my disdain, Minou (nickname for my Marseillaise boyfriend) has a glass of this revolting liqueur regularly, as an aperó (costume I will go into detail about later in another post), and the smell – to me – is so vomit-inducing that I simply cannot even kiss him. It’s a sort of tradition in these parts, and the more you love pastis the more “Marseillaise” – and inherently manly – you are.

Now, for some facts about pastis:

Most Marseillaise men smell like pastis.

If you love pastis, there’s a 99.9% that you also love the football/soccer team Olympique Marseille (OM).

They claim it has no wormwood and that it´s not absinthe. But Marseillaise people are so crazy you would swear pastis is no different from absinthe.

The most famous brand of pastis is Ricard, because Mr. Paul Ricard was who “invented” it and the first one to commercialize it. You can find it at many liqueur stores in the US if you care to try it.

If anything anisette or liquorish-flavored ever revolted you, be sure that pastis is not for you.

Pastis is sometimes mixed with fruit-flavored syrups – such as orgeat, grenadine, banana or strawberry - and made into cocktails that are supposed to make pastis slightly less disgusting. It’s mainly a Provencal and Pied-Noir tradition.

But, if you come for a visit to Provence, I believe that trying a pastis at your local bar -as well as playing some pétanque with the old folks – is a must.

Have you ever tasted it? What do you think about it?