Couch Surfing

I want to travel the world more than anything. Ever since I was a little girl, I've been drawn in by exotic fabrics at markets. I would drape myself in them (if the market person allowed it) and would imagine I was visiting America from a far away land. It stopped being cute when I was about fourteen, but by that time I had already started to make plans. My closet is filled with notebooks full of collages and lists of the places I will travel. I want to start my traveling after I finish high school, and plan on attending college after a good amount of traveling (that is, unless I find a job as a travel writer :D).

Now here is the thing: I am not a rich girl. I don't have a job at the moment (nor have I any preceding moments). I plan on getting a job and earning some money for plane tickets and food in the meantime (read: summer time), but it seems that accommodation might be cheaper than expected.  I found out about this website called www.couchsurfing.org a couple of years ago on the Tyra Show. It is essentially a non-profit website that connects people from all over the globe so they can arrange to host "couch surfers" or be couch surfers. I'm a hippie at heart and this kind of thing has always appealed to me. I love the idea of meeting new people from around the world and hopefully making some lifelong friendships. And to be honest, I am relieved to know that youth hostels and expensive hotels aren't my only options.

But like many, (especially being a young female single-traveler) I am quite petrified at the thought of staying in a stranger's house. Couch Surfers has a feedback system for every user, sure. But oh how I want to travel! I travel like I jog: I smile at strangers, but carry a phone in one hand and a large rock in the other. That is why I am going to try to find an equally travel-hungry (I just invented a new ugly sounding word haha) person to couch surf with me. I think that would make for a safer and more enjoyable trip.

So, couch surfers and non-couch surfers, I have a question: Where are your dream travel destinations?


Here are some of mine:


1. Kruger National Park, Zimbabwe

I will have to really save up for this one. I first read about it in Madison Magazine Australia when I was 13. It sounds wonderful, but it is very expensive.

 2. Palawan, Philippines

Isn't that water so beautiful?

I will try to go dugong diving if I can! :)

There is a safari park in Palawan called "A Taste Of Africa". The animals are imported from Africa and the grass is imported from Australia. I heard that the animals are treated and fed very well.

 3. Ubud, Bali

Bali is a very popular tourist destination for Australians, because is beautiful and so close in proximity.

These are traditional Balinese dancers. Their costumes and headdresses are mesmerizing. So is the dance, but I wasn't able to embed it from youtube. If you want to see it, click here.

 4.  Newfoundland

5. Santorini, Greece

6. Capri

I want to swim in this grotto :)

7. Gibraltar

Raaarrrww!

I see Spain...

8.  Provence, France

 

 9.  Kalash, Pakistan- I have wanted to visit Kalash for about a year now. I will probably save this destination for last, because the commute involves traveling through the Hindu Kush mountain range. I don't know if it is dangerous territory (Pakistan) for a Western woman to travel alone. Probably. I will find a tour group for this one. I have researched their culture and their language a lot, and would love it if I could organize a group trip with my school.

Hindu Kush mountain range

Kalash village. The Kalasha people are separated into two tribes by the mountain range.

The Kalash people are actually said to be descendants from Alexander the Great's army. They are the last remaining non-Islamic group in Pakistan, although some have converted by the forced conversions in the 1970's and a need for jobs in more populated areas of Pakistan. Male and female Muslim converts still live in the village with their families and friends. I hope that their ancient culture will be preserved for future generations.

Kalash girls dancing at the Joshi spring festival. Photo courtesy of LIFE magazine.

 If you wish to learn more about Kalash, please visit these websites:

http://kalashapeople.org/

http://kalashapeople.org/kalasha_dictionary/lexicon/main.htm




Thanks for reading!

A little bird told me that Marc Jacobs is hiring

Marc Jacobs is looking for a new Tweeter to take over the official Twitter Marc Jacobs twitter account. That was an eye full. Let me try again:

If you have always dreamed of working for Marc Jacobs and are a pro at typing 140 characters or less updates, here is your chance! Marc is interviewing over Twitter. Want a shot at the job?

1. Sign up for a Twitter account if you do not yet have one.
2. Subscribe to the official Marc Jacobs Twitter feed.
3. Submit your application (and really sell yourself) per Tweet

...And you might just have yourself a job with Marc Jacobs. A dream come true. Good luck everybody!

Want to see my application?
http://twitter.com/#!/labellealis
PS. I just watched the live stream of the Marc Jacobs show. It was great. The look was a futuristic 40's, but not one of those overdone "spins" or "twist" on an old look. It gave of the vibe "Hey, it is 2011. I'm going to place myself here in elegance and stay here with my molten futuristic cement." Love it. Oh wait, I just said that. I liked the show a lot.

P.P.S. I kind of stole my quote from above and tweeted that as my application. That isn't cheating is it? :P

Sophia and Me

(Warning: This is sort of a rant. I realize that this blog is about fashion, but I feel like this just needs to be said. I will share some scans of my magazines in the near future.)
Women & Beauty. Today I received some vintage beauty magazines and books that I ordered last week. It goes without saying that they are gorgeous, but what I would like to talk about is Sophia Loren. I bought her book, Women & Beauty, and I can't help thinking about what an inspirational and amazing women she is. What I read next threw me over the brink and finalized, or started, it all. 5 minutes ago. Time doesn't matter. This new beginning is timeless. I read LIFE magazine's Classic Collection, by the way. It inspired me to become an amazing person because, I'm being honest, I am not. Before (or after? I know it was a separate moment) it inspired me, it made me curl up and squirm. Maybe (I am saying "maybe" because it wouldn't be right to explain an emotional thought with "definitely". But now you know what it really was.) I was trying to escape the thought that my life was less than all I had hoped it would be. What an odd and vulnerable position I was in. I was caught wriggling like a fish out of water between a flat wall of instinctual urge to change, and my eyeballs, which I had conditioned to see the world as nothing less than potential garnets adorning Rita Hayworth's decolletage. My wall of instinct must have popped those garnets right out of my eyes and said "Enough with gems. They are blocking your view. Look at your reflection for once. Its time to start seeing yourself as the gem that you are." So there I have it. I need sunlight. I need white dresses. And hairdos. And opportunities. And chances. And photographs, so many photographs. I need something different. This isn't working for me. I'm not going to shape shift into something new for my mountains and quiet suburban house spectators to look at. I am going to get the hell away from here and find a new place that is good enough for me. Paris, Tokyo, London, Milan... I don't know where, but it is going to be in a big city...Somewhere that is a big black dot on a map that I can point to and say "Here it is. Easy to find and definitely here. Do I want to stay or leave?"

Maybe it is just my small town anti-mentality. I had never really thought about it before, but what is there to think about when you are living on a smudge of brown dust on a pale blue road map? Just like the ground and the beige buildings that spur from it, your thoughts start to travel in the same pattern: A short, narrow smudge with no depth or particular direction. You knew there was a way out, but where to? I visualized all possibilities as animated leaps to destinations corresponding with cliched scenarios. Every possibility ended itself, in my mind, as just another piece of paper wedged between a single manila folder titled "Daily Grind". And as paper tends to be, so every dismal option seemed: abundant. On racks at big box stores. In quiet stacks on bottom shelves at office supply stores. It was even available in 24 different shades and textures at art stores. Some was expensive, but most of it was cheap and easy to access. Hell, my desk is piled up with tons of it given to me for free by my school. I have touched none of it. I want to touch rustic and sturdy stone archways and fresh olive oil on a baby's skin. Those things are alive and approachable. They feel sentimental to the touch. Until now, they felt like things that I wasn't allowed to have.

Now none of those fears matter. I am embracing life for what it is: My flesh and soul. And I hate it, hate it, that who or what-ever we rely on for normalcy does not want us to have it. Well, Sir, let me tell you that I'm not going to bother with identifying this person or thing. I'm going to get out there and live my life like nobody's business. And trust me, it will be nobody's business but my own. Sure, there will be photographs and accounts of it, in which I will look oh so darling and enviable, but it will be my life and my memories only. Because in the end, the photographs always tell it like it is: a fleeting moment that you will never be able to fully be a part of and that maybe you should just take it for face value and move on. So I'm moving on and I ain't gonna dwell on it because life has no theme. You can either look at it in a way that makes you happy or you can break the rules and live it how you please.

I'm visualizing my white linen dress and summers in Italy. I'm not really sure how I am going to do this. I'm just going to do what I think is right. The best things always fall into my lap. Mind you, I am a thin girl with a narrow lap. I must be doing something right. Now as a way of thanking you for reading all of this, I will leave you with some pictures.

Swap time and I'm running late

This is a late post. I got this in the mail yesterday, but couldn't access the internet. This lovely vintage-inspired package is for a swap I did with a wonderful blogger, Haylee. My package is complete (finally!) and I am sending it out on Monday. Late, I know. Tsk tsk.  I hope you enjoy looking at it as much as I enjoyed receiving it! Haha.

I think I am in love with this tin <3

Thanks so much Haylee. I love it! :)

I adore overseas candy. Whittaker's kicks Hershey's chocolatey butt.

Some things are just so pretty that they need to be rested on a typewriter carriage.


I decided to keep my package a surprise... :)

100 Percent Pure Cosmetics Review

Hello, gorgeous! Today I will be reviewing some products by 100 Percent Pure Cosmetics. For those of you who don't know about the brand, 100% Pure makes all of their cosmetics with plant, fruit, and vegetable pigments. Most of their products are all natural, with the exception of some zinc oxide and titanium dioxide added for sun protection in the SPF products. I know you don't know me that well yet, but I am all about natural and organic products, because the skin absorbs everything we put on it. I was very excited to find 100% Pure because I couldn't find a good foundation that offered full coverage for red marks, won't break me out, and is pale enough for my very fair skin. So far I am quite pleased. The shipping was fast and the customer service was friendly.

1. Fruit Pigmented Double Ended Lip Gloss: It feels marvelous on the lips and doesn't "dry" into a tight or flaky residue. It smells like strawberries. The light side is perfect for every day, and the dark side looks nice for night time or for a more dramatic look.

 2. Neutral face palette: This palette is my favorite of all of these products. The blush looks amazingly natural and build-able, the darker lip creme in Natural makes a good lip tint.The lip creme in Nude is so close to my natural lip color and adds just the right amount of color for daytime. The eye shadows in Bare (the darker shade) and Naked (the vanilla color) are good neutral powders which work well with my 60's kitten eye look. All of the colors in this palette lean towards warmer shades.

3. Healthy skin foundation in "Creme":

Before I review this, let me tell you that I have some red acne scars and a couple of breakouts. So far I have not found a foundation that covers these alone, but I think this foundation still does a pretty good job. When combined with concealer and translucent mineral powder (I use a drugstore Maybelline powder), it covers well. This foundation feels like I have nothing on my skin and has a very satiny finish. I like it a lot, but I would recommend that you use a heavy duty moisturizer beforehand if you have dry skin like me, because this foundation wont do justice to dry skin alone. I am not sure if I prefer this or Meow Cosmetics, but I really do like this foundation. I would give it a 4/5.

Before (without foundation)

During? :)

After

4. Fruit Pigmented Concealer in "Creme": Sigh.This stuff is nice, but if you are going to order a full coverage foundation, you will need to go a color up in concealers. I made the mistake of buying a creme color foundation and a creme concealer. I had to use my sister's white peach concealer to get a perfect color match. When I first put on the concealer, I thought the brush was dry only to see that I had put tons (well not tons but lots) of concealer on my skin. It feels non existent on the brush compared to the usual cold, liquid, feeling of other concealers, but this concealer tube actually has a lot of product in it. I like all of 100% Pure's application brushes. They are nothing fancy but they are nice quality and deliver the right amount of product.

Before

After

Thanks for reading. If any of you have any questions at all let me know. I'd be glad to help :)