come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly away

Kelly had asked me awhile ago to do a survival guide for flying overseas to compliment her "surviving a red eye..." post. Since she's leaving tomorrow for a much too long overseas trip (*crrryyy*), I thought it would be perfect to finally fulfill her request.

In a perfect world, we'd all look this fabulous while traveling:

Unfortunately, in the real world, it's not so easy. Especially when you're lugging around your own luggage, standing in line at ticketing, and walking shoe-less through security.

FM and I are extreme fliers - meaning, we either fly for an hour to San Francisco or Las Vegas or we fly 10+ hours to go to Europe. Not much in between. I'm definitely no expert in overseas flying but after numerous flights out of the country, I've got my routine down pat. Obviously what works for me might not work for you, but if it helps make a long and tiresome journey a little more bearable, then my job is done.

The outfit ~

James Perse dress, Line Kintwear Desiree wrap, Nine West, sandals, Chloe Paraty tote, pashmina

I never travel without a maxi dress on. Not only is it super comfortable, but it also keeps your modesty in tact when you're fidgeting in your seat. It's also loose which helps your circulation in the plane. I also make sure to throw a pashmina and an oversized cardigan in my bag. The cardigan is obviously necessary when it gets cold and I use the pashmina as a pillow or a blanket. And believe it or not, I always wear flat sandals when I travel. Not only for comfort, but I find when I do wear them, I'm not required to remove my shoes during security check and I can also easily slip them on and off in the plane. Oh, and I never wear jewelry on a flight.

Misc items: Couple of other items I have in my bag (why I always carry an oversized tote) - a pair of leggings and a pair of thick socks. I get cold easily so I'm always prepared.

On the plane ~

As soon as the plane takes off and the seat belt light turns off, I head to the restroom w/my on flight toiletries bag.

• Wash off make-up with Dove Gentle Cleansing Pillow (I usually pack 4 - 2 for the flight there and 2 for the flight back)
• Apply a thick layer of Nivea Creme on face. (I pack 3-4 of the little tins)
  
• Spray hair lightly with a leave in conditioner. This not only keeps my hair moisturized but it also prevents it from getting static-y. (I usually make my own - take a travel size spray bottle and add about a tsp of conditioner and fill w/water).
• Put hair in a loose braid.

Back at my seat, I make sure to have my Nivea Creme and lip balm readily available for me. My skin is extremely dry on normal conditions so you can imagine how terrible it is for me on a plane. I'm constantly reapplying the creme and on my face and hands.

During flight ~

• Make sure I change time on my watch and immediately get on the same schedule as my destination
• FM and I take Emergen-C at least 2x throughout the flight
• Drink A LOT of water - I stay away from caffeine, sodas and alcohol. However, I will have a scotch just to help me sleep.
  

1 hour before landing~

• Go to the restroom and wash face again and brush teeth. Pat a little Nivea Creme on face.
  
• Take hair out of braid, flip head upside down, scrunch a little gel, and flip back up.
• Back at seat, apply make-up
• Put on jewelry. Although I don't wear any on the flight, I carry it w/me in my bag to throw on before I land.
  

Misc.~

• FM and I are never w/out Oscillococcinum when we travel. It's a homeopathic vitamin/medicine that you take when you feel like you might be coming down w/something. You have to take it before you actually get sick and it really works. Nothing's worse than being sick during or after a vacation.
• I always request the vegetarian meals when we book our flights. I'm very good about avoiding anything salty (no peanuts for me, either) and I find the vegetarian meals have more fruits and vegetables.
  
• If FM and I have a connecting flight, we have a special way of packing. We'll take a smaller suitcase and pack our necessities and an outfit or 2 each in there. In a larger suitcase, we'll pack our clothes and what not. We take the smaller one on the plane w/us and the larger one gets checked in. That way, if our bag gets lost, at least we'll have our necessities.
  

I hope you found some of this useful. Again, this is my routine and it won't work for everybody...so please share some of your tried and tested ways of surviving a long flight.

Oh, and if all else fails, throw on a pair of large, dark sunglasses and nobody will think you're anything less than fabulous. ;)


P.S. Kel, I hope you have a wonderful and safe trip...you better stay in touch or I'll come and stalk you. I know where you live. :P

and the PEEK goes to...

Congratulations, La Couturier!! I hope you enjoy your brand new PEEK! Please email me your shipping info so I can get your new toy out to you asap. :)

And thank you to everyone for entering...I have some more stylish & cool giveaways that I'm giddy about so stay tuned!

corner of 4th & 5th

Hope everyone had a *S P A R K L Y* 4th. Our 4th consisted of a duo bday party•bbq•enough food to feed a small nation•h2o balloons•bouncy/water slide hybrid (uh...for the kids, of course)•5 coolers of beer•drying & re-drying of beach towels•street hockey•cake & ice cream•colorful lights dancing off our counterfeit fireworks•and barely being able to climb into bed past midnite after partying it up for over 12 hours.

FM had invited a couple of friends over for lunch today w/out foreseeing how exhausted we'd be after our Independence Day festivities. Fortunately, today's affair was a lot more low key and relaxing...although, there was more bbq-ing involved.

Now FM is passed out on the couch and I'm debating whether to curl up w/a book or curl up w/him and treat myself to a nap, too. If you can't beat 'em...

P.S. Don't forget...tomorrow's the last day.

PEEK: good things come in small packages

Image via engadget.com

When Ms. Kick-Ass Kelly asked me if I wanted to try out the PEEK, I was a bit hesitant. I have a Blackberry and I wasn't too keen on the idea of having 2 messaging devices to lug around. However, this techie geek's curiosity was peaked (no pun intended) when I read all the positive reviews online. And besides, my Blackberry Storm is a serious piece of crap and I've been having so many issues with the touch screen that the thought of having buttons back in my life was too enticing. So I told Kel & Julie from Six Apart to count me in.

We were able to choose the color we wanted - Black Cherry, being mine - and had 2 months to try it out for FREE. Pretty awesome, right?

After a month of using it, abusing it, and getting acquainted with it, here are my thoughts:

PROS:

• Sleek, lightweight but still feels very durable.
  
• Very easy to use - I was all set up and receiving emails within minutes of taking it out of the box.
  
• It has a full qwerty keyboard (which is a MUST). The buttons feel nice to the touch and are raised enough so that they are easy to press individually.
• The face is one sheet of a rubbery material which completely covers the buttons. This might not be a big deal, but I personally like the fact that there aren't any crevices around the buttons where dirt can get trapped or any liquids can seep through. Also, the material gives it a nice grip.
• It has a side push track wheel like the older Blackberries used to have. This was one of Blackberry's best features that they stupidly got rid of. I'm glad the PEEK was smart enough to bring it back.
• Messages come through very quickly with little to no delay.
• Large screen with easy to read type.
• This might sound silly, but it has very pleasant alert tones. Not annoying at all.
• No contracts and you can cancel at any time with no cancellation fees or penalties.
  

CONS:

• Emails are only in html format. I confess, if I receive emails w/pretty pictures, I want to see the pretty pictures.
• Unlike the Blackberry, it doesn't link up with your email account(s). I have 3 very active email accounts and receive more mail than I'd like to. With the Blackberry, I can choose to delete the message only on the handheld or both the handheld and the mailbox. Unfortunately with the PEEK, when you delete a message, it remains in your mailbox which means you have to go back in and do some house cleaning.
  

OVERALL: The PEEK really is a great device. I'd recommend it to people who don't want to spend a lot of money on a smart phone or pay the extra data usage fees that cell companies charge to send/receive emails and texts. The PEEK is also great if you want to be able to hold a conversation on your cell and still be able to text or email. If you want a straightforward email device without unnecessary frills, this is definitely for you.

CONTEST:
Not only did the people at PEEK & Julie from Six Apart hook it up w/a free device and 2 months free subscription, they also gave us another PEEK to giveaway!

One of my lucky readers will win a brand new PEEK in Charcoal Gray with a free one month subscription!

HOW TO ENTER:
You can enter a total of 7 times!

1. Follow me on Blogger (1 entry)
2. Follow me on Bloglovin' (1 entry)
3. Follow me via a feed (ie: Google reader) (1 entry)
   
4. Tweet this contest (1 entry)
5. Follow me on Twitter (1 entry)
6. Post about this contest on your blog (1 entry)
7. Leave me a comment listing all the ways you've entered (1 entry)

RULES:

1. You must leave me a comment listing all the ways you've entered. This is so I can make sure you have the correct number of entries.
2. Only open to US residents 18 and over
   
3. Contest will end July 6 at 10pm PST.
4. Winner will be chosen by a random drawing and announced July 7.
   

Thank you again to Kelly from My So Called Fabulous Life..., Julie from Six Apart, and the people at PEEK!

Visit my other fabulous fellow PEEK reviewers to get their thoughts and enter their giveaway as well!

summertime & the livin' is easy

secondhand romper, Forever 21 belt, Aldo shoes, vintage sunglasses from Nasty Gal Vintage, vintage clutch

Left arm & hand: vintage cuff, Forever 21 cuff, ring from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (index finger), ceylon sapphire engagement ring

Right arm & hand: vintage bracelet, bracelet from mom, bracelet from Cabo, Mexico, random beaded bracelets, vintage diamond eternity ring once belonged to FM's mom (thumb), large stone ring - gift from my mom (index finger)

Once the weather hits a consistent 80 degrees and up, my wardrobe sheds its multiple layers and strips down to a single piece - ie: dresses, rompers, and jumpsuits. I prefer enjoying the sun rather than fidgeting and adjusting my clothes. And more importantly, I don't want to waste a single minute of daylight figuring out what to wear.

I also decided to take some close-up shots of my jewelry since I get a lot of inquiries about them. There's no rhyme or reason to what I throw on and the pieces pictured are ones I wear the most often.

Btw, I can't tell you how much I appreciate your words of encouragement and kindness in regards to my last post. I honestly never considered quitting the blog - I was more dealing w/an overwhelming amount of stress and pressure. But all your comments and emails and tweets really helped pull me out of my funk. Really. I can't thank you enough and if it was possible, I would give each and every one of you a big hug. I really hope to be able to one day soon.

T H A N K Y O U F R O M T H E B O T T O M O F M Y H E A R T

Pssst!...Here's a little preview of the shop: Femme Rationale SHOP
Launch date is right around the corner. :)

P.S. I've been wearing my hair straight the past couple of days and while it's fun to change things up, it makes me realize how much maintenance goes into a straighter style. (Sorry for the crappy pic...taken with Photo Booth)

absence makes my heart grow fonder

I have a confession to make.

I haven't been feeling the whole blogging thing lately. I'm sure it was pretty apparent...my lack of posts, lack of returning comments, lack of anything and everything.

Long story short, life has been coming at me from all directions and I have been overwhelmed, stressed, and feeling pretty beat up. For the past few weeks I've been trying to tread through the muck one step at a time and it's been really, really difficult. Each day came with different sets of emotions and frankly, it's EXHAUSTING.

So you can see why and how blogging took a back seat. The last thing on my mind was taking photos of my outfits and waxing poetic about the latest trends and recent acquisitions.

I just didn't give a damn.

But apparently some of you did. I can't tell you how touching and heart warming it was to receive some of your emails asking if I was ok and if I needed anything. I've received direct messages on Twitter wondering what's up. Your words of kindness and encouragement really motivated me to bring this blog back into priority status.

And I've missed you. I really have.

Odd how I don't know any of you...I've never met you face to face...and our exchanges involve urls and .coms and electronic machines, both handheld and not. But we're friends, aren't we? In this crazy world called the blogoshpere, we've managed to find our similarities, our common ground, mutual respect, and most surprisingly we've come to care about each other. We've shared birthdays and anniversaries, triumphs and failures, happiness and despair...offering each other cyber hugs and shoulders to cry on. God knows only bloggers understand the plight of other fellow bloggers. And it's this support system that has translated into friendships I never expected and friendships I've come to cherish.

I want to thank all of you, each and every one of you - the ones who have been with me since the beginning, the ones who read this blog w/out commenting, and the ones who have newly discovered my blog - for being such amazing people and for sticking with me. As much as I appreciate your comments and your visits and correspondence, I appreciate your friendships even more. And the day I do close the doors on this site, I'll be happy walking away knowing I have met incredible people and developed friendships I know will grow and last.

And one day, if by chance we do actually meet, I hope we can greet each other with warms hugs.

contests and a coupon!

There are some GREAT contests going on in the blogosphere right now so don't miss out!

Chrystina, who not only adores anything Disney but seriously looks like a Disney princess, is giving away this NARS bronzing set. Definite must haves for the summer. Contest ends June 9th!

Kelly, my sister from another mother, is giving away this Sephora Favorites The Little Black Bag. Some great essentials in travel size...perfect for an upcoming vacation. Contest ends June 19th!

And don't forget, the ever so style-ish Tiffany is giving away these Max Factor goodies. Contest ends June 16th so hurry and enter!

And I have a very cool offer for my own readers!

Whooga Boots is giving my lovely readers $30 off your order. What are Whooga boots? Well, Whooga boots are like Uggs but more luxurious. Really. They're made with merino sheepskin, which is rarely used in sheepskin boots. It has substantially greater ability to regulate your foot temperature, is softer in touch, wicks away more odor and is very, very luscious. In other words, merino sheepskin takes the best attributes of the sheepskin boot and makes them better.

I know many of us are ugh about sheepskin boots, but I gotta tell you, I'm a fan. They're perfect for wearing around the house, especially if you have wood and tile floors. I love lounging around in mine.

Check them out yourself and don't forget to enter
FEMMEBLOG at checkout to get $30 off your order!

revive your mascara

[UPDATE] I found the mascara thinner on ebay for $1.99! Go HERE to purchase.


I have a love/hate relationship with my eyelashes. Like hair, some days I have good eyelash days and bad eyelash days. I would LOVE to wear falsies everyday but, really, it's a miracle when I remember to swipe some color on my lips. In other words, despite my lengthy make-up routine (it's actually really quick and simple once you get the routine down pat), I don't have the patience nor the skills.

Which is why I am very particular when it comes to mascaras. I don't like drugstore brands because their formulas tend to be too drying causing my lashes to break (and I've tried them all). I've tested basically all the major dept. store brands as well as brands in Sephora. My absolute favorite is Fresh's Supernova. It's non-drying, very black, lengthens, separates, volumizes, and doesn't leave you with racoon eyes.

My major gripe with mascara is that the first 2 weeks is the honeymoon stage - it performs the way you want it to, the formula is still fresh, and it still has a nice consistency that doesn't leave clumps. After the honeymoon stage, it immediately goes down hill. Now, if I was a woman of considerable means and indulged in frivolity minus the guilt, I would replace my $25 tubes every 2 weeks. But, I'm not, so I'm stuck w/the tube for at least an entire month. Which blows...until now.


I recently threw this item into my cart the last time I placed an order w/EveCare.com (I order my face cleanser and eyebrow razors from here). It intrigued me and at $2 I wouldn't regret it if it turned out to be a mean tease.

I'm happy to report that this thing is a God send. I add a couple of drops into my mascara, replace the top, and place it in a cup w/warm water for a few minutes (careful to keep the water level below cap level so it doesn't seep in). Then I open the cap, move the brush around inside to mix things up, and voila! It's brand new again. It also lengthens the life of the tube by another week or 2 which is an added bonus.

Unfortunately, it' sold out on the site (SUCKS) but hopefully they'll get more in soon. Or if anyone knows of a similar product and where we can find it, that would be great.

Btw, please share some of your favorite make-up products. I'm itching to try some new products and I would love to hear your recommendations. I also need a good bronzer for summer. Can't wait to hear what your faves are!


(P.S. I'm sorry I've been really absent lately...I'm still working on my store, believe it or not. I'm soooo close to being done - I'm in the final stretch here. I'm writing up the product descriptions now and then I'll have to do some tests to try and catch any kinks before the site goes live. Thanks so much for not giving up on me just yet. xx Nina)

heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads

Target dress, Indian tikka and bracelets

make-up details HERE

I purchased this dress last summer and it's still my fave maxi dress. So comfy...like walking around in pj's.

I purchased the tikka on a whim cuz I thought it was just so pretty. It takes some getting used to having something dangling in the middle of your forehead, but it's too pretty to let it sit by it's lonesome self in a box.


.::Tags & Awards::.

To the bloggers who have tagged me and given me awards...I'm so sorry it took me forever to post them. Thank you sincerely for thinking of me and thinking I'm worthy. I truly appreciate it.

To my readers...Please visit these amazing woman and be inspired by their style, their wit, and their lovely personalities. They are some of my favorite bloggers and I'm sure will easily become yours, as well.

Carlotta from MY WAY
Elsa-Bille
Kandace from FASHION IS MY GIRLFRIEND
Linda Famularcano
hanako66 from THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
Patricia from FREE EMOTIONS
Anna from A TALE OF TWO SHOES
Sara from SARA LOVES SHOES
Lisa from SOLO LISA

.::Contests::.

Here are a couple of contests being held by my girls Tiffany from I Am Style-Ish and hanako66 from Through The Looking Glass. These are some very cool prizes and I have my fingers crossed that I'll win one of them. :)

(click images to enter contest)

Both images by
Kelly from My So Called Fabulous Life...

Good luck! And don't be mad if I pout in jealousy if one of you guys win. ;)

knight divine

I'm wearing the exact same products from my make-up post except I substituted MAC's Mulch eyeshadow for MAC's Knight Divine eyeshadow. I love this color - it can be a light wash across your eyelids for a day look or it can be intensified for an evening out. This is my typical evening out look, so I thought I'd share since Alexa had asked me about it before. I basically just use a heavier hand applying my eye make-up and add an extra coat of mascara. I prefer bold eyes and a neutral lip - once in awhile I'll mix things up and do the opposite.

As for my hair, I scrunched MOP C-Curl Cream after I towel dried, flipped my head, dried it w/a diffuser attached to the dryer, and then scrunched a bit more of the cream.

Hope everyone is having a fabulous Memorial Weekend. FM and I haven't been this relaxed in a long time...and it's nice to just veg and throw all schedules out the window. Our weekend's consisted of waking up late, shopping for the house, watching the Monaco Grand Prix, watching concert DVD's on our new TV/sound system (Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Led Zeppelin, and just to add a dose of estrogen, some Sarah McLachlan), and stuffing our faces like we're testing out restaurants for Zagat. But if you follow me on Twitter, you already know all this. haha

We're on our way out to grab some dinner and see where the night takes us. It's so nice having Monday off.

Happy Memorial Day!