Thank goodness for strong french roast coffee, and Lilly Pulitzer travel mugs. Every time I look at my travel mug with its cheerful print, (pictured above, in Lilly Pulitzer's "Worth Blue Fallin' in Love") I can't help but smile...through my yawns.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Modern Femme loves...Lilly Pulitzer Thermal Mugs
Thank goodness for strong french roast coffee, and Lilly Pulitzer travel mugs. Every time I look at my travel mug with its cheerful print, (pictured above, in Lilly Pulitzer's "Worth Blue Fallin' in Love") I can't help but smile...through my yawns.
The Modern Femme travels, le Part Three
While the first two posts of The Modern Femme travel series might lead you to believe that I'm passionate about travel fashion, my real travel obsession is beauty and skin care. I hate landing at my destination feeling crummy, with limp greasy hair, splotchy skin, and my glasses amplifying my tired, puffy eyes. After ending a couple of flights in this sad state, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I was determined to arrive at my destination looking as fresh faced as possible. To wit, here's the routine I've come up with:
Le Part Three: I feel pretty, and witty, and...dry?
Before the flight:
If time allows, I'll make sure to eat a balanced meal before my flight so that I don't have to eat the crummy airline food. Most often, this will be in the terminal, since I tend to fly a lot at night. Regardless of where I've eaten, one thing that I absolutely always do before boarding is brush my teeth and floss (and yes, I get a lot of weird looks in the terminal bathroom doing this, but I don't care!). Having squeaky clean teeth going into a long flight always makes me feel better.
The other thing I do is buy the largest bottle of water I can find. Cabin air is very dehydrating, so it's important to make sure you have water on hand during the flight. (This is especially important if you decide to indulge in one of those little bottles of wine on board!)
During the flight:
I always carry a my beauty kit with me on the plane. Here's the sequence I go through after take-off (again, I mainly take overnight flights, but you could do this for a long daytime flight as well):
1. Pull my hair back into a ponytail or low bun. I read once that one of the dirtiest places on an airplane is that little cloth cover on the headrest - they don't get cleaned in between flights, so your hair is resting against grease and oils left from prior passengers. Gross! I pull my hair up to have as little as possible rubbing against the headrest, and to keep my naturally oily hair off my face and contributing to any flight breakouts.
2. Remove any make-up and cleanse my face with cleansing cloths. I like Neutrogena cleansing towelletes. I use these cloths all the time on flights - not just for cleaning my face, but also for cleaning my hands when they start feeling grody.
3. Apply a good amount of eye cream - my eyes suffer the most on flights, getting incredibly dry and puffy. I've used a variety of creams, but I like this eye cream from L'Oreal, as it's not too greasy.
4. Slather on the facial moisturizer. My skin drinks in moisturizer on airplanes, even though I have oily/combination skin. That being said, I don't like feeling like I have a lot of heavy product sitting on my skin while traveling, so I prefer to use a gel based moisturizer, like this one from Garnier.
5. Put on lip balm (and reapply often). I like this Nivea lip balm for flights, though plain old Vaseline works pretty well too.
6. Moisturize my hands. The delicate skin on the back of my hands feels tight during a flight, and I always somehow give myself paper cuts on my knuckles (don't ask, I have no idea how). My salvation is this wonderful shea butter hand cream from L'Occitaine , and bonus points for the relaxing lavender scent. I focus the moisturizer on the backs of my hands, because I don't like the feeling of a lot of product on my palms - again, that's my aversion to greasiness while traveling.
7. Finally, I remove my contacts. As I mentioned, my eyes take the brunt of the dry air on flights, and while I'm not a fan of wearing my glasses in public, leaving my contacts in during flight guarantees that I'll have sensitive, bloodshot eyes when we land. Even with the glasses, I bring eye drops to keep my eyes lubricated throughout the flight and Visine to take away any redness before we land (when my contacts go back in).
I reapply the eye, face and hand moisturizers at least once during the flight. I also like to carry with me this travel sized Evian facial spray and use it mid-flight. It's very refreshing especially if you follow it with some moisturizer (I recommend using it in addition to, not in lieu of, moisturizer.) And of course, throughout the flight I'm drinking that big bottle of water I bought!
When we're about to land I clean my face again with a towelette, reapply eye and facial moisturizer, put my contacts back in, and put on a little makeup. My makeup routine is pretty simple - concealer, gel blush, a coat of mascara, and some colored lip gloss. I go to the bathroom to apply some deodorant and brush my teeth a final time.
And there you have it! That's my travel beauty/skin care routine. It helps me feel as fresh as a girl can be after long hours in economy.
Extra recommendations:
For anyone interested in learning more about in-flight skin care and beauty routines, I cannot recommend the following videos enough:
The lovely Lisa Eldridge has a fabulous video about turning your flight into a spa experience, and you can check out the rest of her blog at http://www.lisaeldridge.com/ for delightful make up tutorials and tips.
Michelle Phan is another makeup guru I love, and she has a great video about applying makeup in flight, as well as another general video about tricks and tips she uses while traveling. You can check out her blog at http://www.michellephan.com/. There's no way to not smile while watching Michelle, her joy is infectious!
That's all the beauty queen wrote! Stay tuned for the final post in this series, The Modern Femme travels, le Part Four, coming soon.
Till next time, dear readers, be well.
xoxo,
MF
Le Part Three: I feel pretty, and witty, and...dry?
Before the flight:
If time allows, I'll make sure to eat a balanced meal before my flight so that I don't have to eat the crummy airline food. Most often, this will be in the terminal, since I tend to fly a lot at night. Regardless of where I've eaten, one thing that I absolutely always do before boarding is brush my teeth and floss (and yes, I get a lot of weird looks in the terminal bathroom doing this, but I don't care!). Having squeaky clean teeth going into a long flight always makes me feel better.
The other thing I do is buy the largest bottle of water I can find. Cabin air is very dehydrating, so it's important to make sure you have water on hand during the flight. (This is especially important if you decide to indulge in one of those little bottles of wine on board!)
During the flight:
I always carry a my beauty kit with me on the plane. Here's the sequence I go through after take-off (again, I mainly take overnight flights, but you could do this for a long daytime flight as well):
1. Pull my hair back into a ponytail or low bun. I read once that one of the dirtiest places on an airplane is that little cloth cover on the headrest - they don't get cleaned in between flights, so your hair is resting against grease and oils left from prior passengers. Gross! I pull my hair up to have as little as possible rubbing against the headrest, and to keep my naturally oily hair off my face and contributing to any flight breakouts.
2. Remove any make-up and cleanse my face with cleansing cloths. I like Neutrogena cleansing towelletes. I use these cloths all the time on flights - not just for cleaning my face, but also for cleaning my hands when they start feeling grody.
3. Apply a good amount of eye cream - my eyes suffer the most on flights, getting incredibly dry and puffy. I've used a variety of creams, but I like this eye cream from L'Oreal, as it's not too greasy.
4. Slather on the facial moisturizer. My skin drinks in moisturizer on airplanes, even though I have oily/combination skin. That being said, I don't like feeling like I have a lot of heavy product sitting on my skin while traveling, so I prefer to use a gel based moisturizer, like this one from Garnier.
5. Put on lip balm (and reapply often). I like this Nivea lip balm for flights, though plain old Vaseline works pretty well too.
6. Moisturize my hands. The delicate skin on the back of my hands feels tight during a flight, and I always somehow give myself paper cuts on my knuckles (don't ask, I have no idea how). My salvation is this wonderful shea butter hand cream from L'Occitaine , and bonus points for the relaxing lavender scent. I focus the moisturizer on the backs of my hands, because I don't like the feeling of a lot of product on my palms - again, that's my aversion to greasiness while traveling.
7. Finally, I remove my contacts. As I mentioned, my eyes take the brunt of the dry air on flights, and while I'm not a fan of wearing my glasses in public, leaving my contacts in during flight guarantees that I'll have sensitive, bloodshot eyes when we land. Even with the glasses, I bring eye drops to keep my eyes lubricated throughout the flight and Visine to take away any redness before we land (when my contacts go back in).
I reapply the eye, face and hand moisturizers at least once during the flight. I also like to carry with me this travel sized Evian facial spray and use it mid-flight. It's very refreshing especially if you follow it with some moisturizer (I recommend using it in addition to, not in lieu of, moisturizer.) And of course, throughout the flight I'm drinking that big bottle of water I bought!
When we're about to land I clean my face again with a towelette, reapply eye and facial moisturizer, put my contacts back in, and put on a little makeup. My makeup routine is pretty simple - concealer, gel blush, a coat of mascara, and some colored lip gloss. I go to the bathroom to apply some deodorant and brush my teeth a final time.
And there you have it! That's my travel beauty/skin care routine. It helps me feel as fresh as a girl can be after long hours in economy.
Extra recommendations:
For anyone interested in learning more about in-flight skin care and beauty routines, I cannot recommend the following videos enough:
The lovely Lisa Eldridge has a fabulous video about turning your flight into a spa experience, and you can check out the rest of her blog at http://www.lisaeldridge.com/ for delightful make up tutorials and tips.
Michelle Phan is another makeup guru I love, and she has a great video about applying makeup in flight, as well as another general video about tricks and tips she uses while traveling. You can check out her blog at http://www.michellephan.com/. There's no way to not smile while watching Michelle, her joy is infectious!
That's all the beauty queen wrote! Stay tuned for the final post in this series, The Modern Femme travels, le Part Four, coming soon.
Till next time, dear readers, be well.
xoxo,
MF
Monday, July 30, 2012
Modern Femme loves...animal print.
If you had asked me five years ago whether I would own anything in animal print, I would have told you firmly and unequivocally, "Absolutely not. How tacky."
But as it is a modern femme's prerogative to change her mind (frequently and with flair), I now would say "Yes, yes and yes. This zebra loves her stripes!"
To that end, today I am wearing and loving J. Crew's Italian Summer Scarf (pictured above) in leopard. Grrr, baby, grrrr.
The Modern Femme travels, le Part Two
Now that we've established that you can travel in comfort and style without resorting to wearing your nightclothes (see The Modern Femme travels, le Part One), here are a few more thoughts on traveling with sartorial panache.
Le Part Two: Layer, baby, layer, and be bootie-licious.
Le Part Two: Layer, baby, layer, and be bootie-licious.
To coin Katy Perry, while traveling you're hot, then you're cold. By the time you take your seat on the plane, you've shuffled yourself and your bags through security, roamed the never-ending terminal looking for your gate, navigated the human traffic jam boarding the plane, and hoisted your luggage up into the overhead bin. While you wait for everyone else to board, lukewarm air trickles out of the plane's vents and two hundred other passagers' body heat turns the cabin into a sauna.
Fast forward thirty minutes later, and you're shivering in your seat as the air conditioning takes the cabin temperature sub-zero and frost forms on the windows. You wrap yourself in the thin complementary blanket that was waiting for you on your seat and try in vain to flag down a flight attendant for another one, since the blanket can't cover both your legs and torso, and you've had permafrost goosebumps on your arms for over an hour now.
Or you would be doing all of that, but you're not, because you were clever and layered your outfit. Savvy traveler that you are, you wore a short sleeved tee-shirt under a jacket, and brought your scarf handy to loop round your neck. Voila! When you're hot, the jacket and scarf come off, when you're freezing, you pile them back on.
Layering is key when traveling, not only for maintaining your own climate control during travel, but especially when you're moving from a wintry locale to a warmer location, or vice versa. Next time you fly, try pairing a comfortable short sleeve shirt, like the one below, with a casual blazer or sweater. Add a scarf for a touch of extra color and whimsy, like this cute Pucci print. (And did you notice the fabulous trousers? Side-zipper, baby cakes!!)
Fast forward thirty minutes later, and you're shivering in your seat as the air conditioning takes the cabin temperature sub-zero and frost forms on the windows. You wrap yourself in the thin complementary blanket that was waiting for you on your seat and try in vain to flag down a flight attendant for another one, since the blanket can't cover both your legs and torso, and you've had permafrost goosebumps on your arms for over an hour now.
Or you would be doing all of that, but you're not, because you were clever and layered your outfit. Savvy traveler that you are, you wore a short sleeved tee-shirt under a jacket, and brought your scarf handy to loop round your neck. Voila! When you're hot, the jacket and scarf come off, when you're freezing, you pile them back on.
Layering is key when traveling, not only for maintaining your own climate control during travel, but especially when you're moving from a wintry locale to a warmer location, or vice versa. Next time you fly, try pairing a comfortable short sleeve shirt, like the one below, with a casual blazer or sweater. Add a scarf for a touch of extra color and whimsy, like this cute Pucci print. (And did you notice the fabulous trousers? Side-zipper, baby cakes!!)
Next, confession time: I love me a good ankle bootie. And I'm telling you, ankle booties are the way to go when traveling, for so many reasons:
1. They look good. Okay, this may not be the most practical of reasons, but hey, it's the truth isn't it? Look at these cute things:
 |
| Ankle boots galore! |
3. Ankle booties are easier to get on and off than full boots...which leads me to the next major reason...
4. You wear socks with booties, right? (That was a rhetorical question, please wear socks with booties!) So, when you have to send your boots through the x-ray machine at the security checkpoint, your feet are covered, and protected from any funkiness. Foot germs your fellow passengers might have. Athletes foot. Toe fungus. Or worse, weird foot fetishists.
So there you have it folks - that's my take on sartorial choices for travel. Let me know what you wear when you're flying the friendly skies - anything you couldn't imagine traveling without?
Next: The Modern Femme travels, le Part Three - beauty and skincare routines when you're 35,000 feet above the ground.
xoxo,
MF
Friday, July 27, 2012
The Modern Femme travels, le Part One
I've spent my fair share of time on planes, first as the daughter of two Foreign Service officers, and then as an international aid worker. Because of that, I am obsessed with air travel advice. If there's been an article about what to wear on a plane, explanations of mid-flight skin care and makeup regimes, and general musings on how to pass the time in flight, I've read it. Most likely on a Friday night, with a big old glass of wine.
You say, um that's kind of weird, I say, yep, but love me anyway.
Because I've spent long hours crammed into small seats in aluminum tubes rocketing through the sky (or perched in front of my computer watching random videos on travel), I've had some time to ponder the do's and dont's for traveling femmes.
These thoughts fall into three general categories: sartorial advice (le part one and le part two), skin-care and beauty (le part three) and general tips (le part four). In the spirit of full disclosure, I'm really talking about longer flights here (four or more hours). For shorter flights, y'all are on your own, lovies. Now, if you'll direct your attention below...
Le Part One: Pack those pj's...or, why you don't have to wear your jammies.
I get it. I do. You have a long flight ahead of you. The appeal of slipping on your comfortable plaid pajama bottoms is a siren call you simply can't resist. After all, you want to be comfortable if you're going to be crammed in an economy seat for hours upon end, right?
My dear readers, resist. Stick your fingers in your ears (my doctor once told me to never stick anything smaller than my elbow in my ear, and it took me forever to realize that he meant leave your darn ears alone because of course you can't stick your elbow in your ear, but I digress), and put those Victoria Secret Pink pajama bottoms down. I know of what I speak: I've worn my pajamas on long flights and let me tell you: it's not worth it. Here's why:
1. Yes, you might be comfortable, but you look like a schlub, and if you're honest with yourself, you probably feel like a schlub. And life is too short, dear readers, to feel like a schlub by choice.
2. You're in public. Let me say this again. You have left the confines of your house wearing your pajamas and you're amongst strangers. In your bedclothes. Think about that for a second.
3. Your choice of clothes indicates your level of respect for your surroundings. Before you sniff this one off, hear me out. Would you wear your pajamas to meet the President? Probably not. You'd probably wear nice clothes, as a show of respect for the office and the solemnity of the occasion. Am I right? Okay, so now tell me - following that same train of thought, what does it say when you show up at the boarding gate in your pajamas? Something along the lines of "I don't give a #$%."
4. It's been noted in multiple travel articles that people who dress nicely are more likely to receive better service. Think about that the next time you're stewing over your seat assignment.
Here's the good news: when traveling, you can be comfortable in clothes that were made to be worn out of your bedroom. The following three options are plane-friendly and most importantly, you-friendly.
 |
| Air France, Vintage Art Print |
You say, um that's kind of weird, I say, yep, but love me anyway.
Because I've spent long hours crammed into small seats in aluminum tubes rocketing through the sky (or perched in front of my computer watching random videos on travel), I've had some time to ponder the do's and dont's for traveling femmes.
These thoughts fall into three general categories: sartorial advice (le part one and le part two), skin-care and beauty (le part three) and general tips (le part four). In the spirit of full disclosure, I'm really talking about longer flights here (four or more hours). For shorter flights, y'all are on your own, lovies. Now, if you'll direct your attention below...
Le Part One: Pack those pj's...or, why you don't have to wear your jammies.
I get it. I do. You have a long flight ahead of you. The appeal of slipping on your comfortable plaid pajama bottoms is a siren call you simply can't resist. After all, you want to be comfortable if you're going to be crammed in an economy seat for hours upon end, right?
My dear readers, resist. Stick your fingers in your ears (my doctor once told me to never stick anything smaller than my elbow in my ear, and it took me forever to realize that he meant leave your darn ears alone because of course you can't stick your elbow in your ear, but I digress), and put those Victoria Secret Pink pajama bottoms down. I know of what I speak: I've worn my pajamas on long flights and let me tell you: it's not worth it. Here's why:
1. Yes, you might be comfortable, but you look like a schlub, and if you're honest with yourself, you probably feel like a schlub. And life is too short, dear readers, to feel like a schlub by choice.
2. You're in public. Let me say this again. You have left the confines of your house wearing your pajamas and you're amongst strangers. In your bedclothes. Think about that for a second.
3. Your choice of clothes indicates your level of respect for your surroundings. Before you sniff this one off, hear me out. Would you wear your pajamas to meet the President? Probably not. You'd probably wear nice clothes, as a show of respect for the office and the solemnity of the occasion. Am I right? Okay, so now tell me - following that same train of thought, what does it say when you show up at the boarding gate in your pajamas? Something along the lines of "I don't give a #$%."
4. It's been noted in multiple travel articles that people who dress nicely are more likely to receive better service. Think about that the next time you're stewing over your seat assignment.
Here's the good news: when traveling, you can be comfortable in clothes that were made to be worn out of your bedroom. The following three options are plane-friendly and most importantly, you-friendly.
 |
Eileen Fisher Silk-Georgette Pants |
Option 1: Pants with a side zipper.
There's nothing worse than being halfway through an eight hour flight and feeling your pant zipper and button bite into your belly. Skin indentations, anyone? Pants with a side zipper means that your belly is swathed in fabric instead of toothy zippers and burrowing buttons. Look for pants that have stretch material in them for extra movement and comfort.
I had a pair of pants like this from the Limited that I loved wearing on flights, because not only were they comfortable, but they were multi-purpose. They could go from the airplane to the office to dinner to sight-seeing and back! Try doing all that in your pjs.
Option 2: Leggings.
 |
| Leggings, lovely. |
At the risk of starting a sartorial fist fight here, I'm just going to go ahead and state my position: leggings are not pants. Pants are pants. Leggings are tights on steroids. Just so that we're clear. Also, see #clothingbestwornbythoseunder35.
However, having said that, leggings worn under a tunic top or dress can look really cute. And, leggings, while not pants, have the advantage of not being pajama bottoms either. Ergo, leggings FTW!
 |
| DIY Details at LOVELYish |
Suggestion 3: The long skirt.
For the life of me, I cannot understand why long skirts are so rarely worn. I love me a long skirt - no worries about flashing anyone/thing, it keeps you cool but covered up, and most of all - it's comfortable! And yet, long skirts seem to be relegated to the back of many a closet.
Nonsense, I say. Throw a leather jacket over a maxi skirt for an edgy look, sling a chunky belt round it for some definition, or pair it with some fun stripes like this lovely lady on the right.
See? She looks super cute. And for mobility, comfort and ease of wear, you can't beat traveling in a skirt.
So there you have it, readers. That is my opening salvo on the war against pajamas in flight. These three options, I promise you, will be just as comfortable as your pjs, but will make you look much, much better. So, put the pajamas away, ladies. Or pack 'em.
I'm signing off for now to go tackle "The modern femme travels, le part two." Until then my cheries, hit me up with your thoughts in the comments section, and be well.
xoxo,
MF
So there you have it, readers. That is my opening salvo on the war against pajamas in flight. These three options, I promise you, will be just as comfortable as your pjs, but will make you look much, much better. So, put the pajamas away, ladies. Or pack 'em.
I'm signing off for now to go tackle "The modern femme travels, le part two." Until then my cheries, hit me up with your thoughts in the comments section, and be well.
xoxo,
MF
Olympic Kick Off - Modern Femme style
Today is the first day of the 2012 Summer Olympics, which begins in five hours. Today is also the first day of the Modern Femme blog, which begins in five minutes.
What do Modern Femme and the Olympics have in common?
1. They're both kicking off today.
2. Femmes, who are modern, are integral parts of both of them.
3. We both dig blue, green and hot pink.
That's pretty much where the similarities end between this blog and the Olympics. And thank goodness for that, because seriously, have you seen the London 2012 Olympic Mascots?
Lest you turn away because this blog can't offer you international competition, Kate and Wills sightings, or the chance to ogle Ryan Lochte, allow me to hint at what it can offer:
1. General lighthearted musings on a variety of topics, most likely of the domestic variety.
2. Occasional cheeky commentary, most likely on this silly, sweet life.
3. Umm...other stuff? (Except creepy mascots, promise.)
Enough with the awkward intro, I'm going to get to work on my first real post, and you're going to be late for the opening ceremony!
Check back early and often,
xoxo,
MF
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