Travel light: Your Relaxed (Glam) Weekend-Away
At first.....
Conversation with myself as I stand in my closet.
Me: Do you really need a lint roller on a weekend trip?
Me: Yup. Even though, I'm taking zero dark colored clothes.
Me: How many bottles of perfume do you need?
Me: Two
Me(gives me the look)
Me: OK, one.
Me: What else do we need?
Me: Lotion, shoes and bags- for every occasion and there may be 4 or 5 occasions, 2 cameras, a towel and 2 changes of clothes per day and also two changes of pajamas.
Me: It’s just two nights.
Me: *blank look* So?
I don't travel light. It's just not something I do. If you travel light, I'd like to praise your skills of prioritizing and decisiveness-please, be very proud! I'm currently trying to join the club. I've been slowly moving over to the minimalist camp, ever since I married Ed, who is chronically allergic to people bending over at airports, to rearrange their overweight luggage! Lol!
I've embraced minimalism all around- less furniture, less junk in my bag (Yeah, right), less stuff on my desk and in my drawer, less keys and cards on my key-holder, less carbs on my plate (carbs-control), fewer shoes but MORE bags *grin* Can't go minimalist there, sorry. I'm a bag hoarder.
Minimalism is really refreshing. It reduces clutter, provides more space, better time management because I don't spend ages looking for my keys in a near-stark living area and I don't spend the end of ages looking for the right key on my bunch. It also helps you relax and think clearly. When traveling, it helps to have the exact items needed for the trip, no knick-knacks. It makes you feel more organized and less worked-up. A study actually shows that, having too many options for one event may lead to depression.
I'm definitely learning to travel light with the least minimum number of functional items possible. God help me.
I decided to make a weekend-away travel items list, so that I don't have to have this conversation with myself every time I have to go on a trip, convincing myself to take just one bottle of perfume.
Downsized a little...
Relaxed Weekend Away (with no chance of glam)
✔️Comfy shoes
✔️Liners/socks
✔️1 sling bag (how generous of me *pout*)
Bedtime
✔️A pair of PJs
✔️Head scarf (if needed)
Toiletries
✔️Toothbrush
✔️Toothpaste
✔️Mini mouthwash
✔️Mini Floss
✔️1 bottle of Perfume/body splash
✔️Day face cream/ Night cream
✔️Nail hardener (brightens manicure/doubles as plaster/band-aid)
Clothing
✔️Hand towel**
✔️3 changes of underwear (plus 1, just because)
✔️2 bottoms (including a pair of shorts)
✔️2 tops (including a tank)
✔️1 dress
Electronics
✔️Phone charger
✔️Phone
✔️Earphones
✔️Camera
Entertainment
✔️1 book
✔️1 magazine
Personalize your experience
✔️Your favorite snack
✔️5 individual packets of your favorite beverage (mine is mint or berry infusion tea) 😍
✔️3 capsules of your Multivitamins
Relaxed Weekend-Away (with a chance of GLAM) add-on items
✔️Cocktail ring
✔️Earrings
✔️Heels (this kills the "relax" factor, for sure)
✔️Clutch purse
Are you a light traveler? Please share your secret! Are you are heavy traveler? When last did you have to open you luggage and rearrange at the airport? Lol! What items can't you live and leave without? Are you taking your vitamins? (in mum's voice)
** I like to travel with my own towel but a bath towel is frowned upon by light-travelers, so a smaller hand-towel will have to do. Sniff.
Travel: The Weekend New Yorker
Last weekend, I realized why all Marvel-comics fictional villains try to take over New York City. Asides from the fact that Stan Lee, the creator of many Marvel villains is a New Yorker himself and probably chooses his city as the default setting for villain autocracy, New York is pretty amazing and if I was a villain with the long term goal of taking over the world, let's just say NY would be my 5-year starter project. It's like a mini earth, brimming over with so much activity and diversity!
It seems to run on this self-generating energy that feeds off the charged cloud of dissimilarity caused by diversity. I loved it! My ears perked up as I heard a woman speaking in rapid Italian to her son and a few feet from her, clusters of friends speaking French, German and other languages I couldn't decipher. Of course, I was speaking Yoruba too, adding to the cloud of dissimilarity and coolness-hehe.
What we did in New York
Slept like babies
Our Airbnb was situated in Brooklyn, my new crush. It was a peaceful, newly-renovated home with a minimalist design, where we got a lot of night rest. I didn't pull the dresser across the door this time or stare suspiciously at the sheets, but I did bring jollof rice!
Explored Flea market(s)
The Brookyln Flea market was more fun than I expected. Usually, I go to open markets for the sizzling food served out of the trucks and the tangy fruit drinks but I actually didn't remember to eat during this expedition.
I also bought a frog-brooch, well, my brother-in-law, Kenny bought it for me. I stood there deliberating whether I was eccentric and rich enough to wear it. Then he got tired of waiting and paid for it. I’m still deliberating! We, very well, could have been there at that stall up until this very moment.
Frog in question👀
♥️
Walked the Brooklyn bridge
The 1.1 mile (1.6 km) long bridge was a highlight. We walked from Brooklyn into Manhattan and loved every second of it, even when it began to drizzle. For a minute, I stood on the bridge and watched the cars pass swiftly below.
They always say New Yorkers are on the go, they don't care, they hurry past and ignore you but as I looked down, a woman in her car, of course, bored in the newly formed traffic, blew me a kiss and waved cheerfully at me. I guess they are wrong about the New Yorkers, then?
Bought "impromptu shoes"
After walking on the bridge in block heels. It happened! My feet went to sleep, so I had to find inexpensive flats. We ventured into China town-by now, I'm all but crawling on the floor. Lol. Who sent me? My sister-in-law and I eventually got a pair of inexpensive, impromptu shoes each. We fell in love with our shoes, maybe because they rescued us*shrug* Mine has quickly become my default shoes this season. I guess wearing the wrong pair of shoes out might have its perks. Wish i could buy impromptu handbags, hmm. *Pensive*
Flea market Tea break
I downloaded AirPnp
Guys, Airbnb's bathroom cousin, Airpnp is probably more genius than anything I've ever seen. There I was in our second flea market of the weekend and then *ting* I had to go. It didn't help that I had woken up that morning determined to meet my 3 liter a day target and I'm a bit of an over-achiever at the oddest times! Anyway, I was in the middle of an outdoor market and I couldn't find a public rest room. It was then I downloaded Airpnp with the speed that'll make light give me the side-eye. As I filled in my login details for this app which would direct me to the nearest rented home bathroom, I found a public restroom right in front of me after minutes of loitering and searching frantically! I didn't get to use my app. Anyway, I'm sure I'll get a chance to, on one of my over-achieving days in the near future.
Didn't get to eat out
I know, who doesn't eat out in NYC? Even hot dogs would have sufficed but we didn't get the chance. We walked by all the restaurants and hot dog vendors when we weren't hungry and then we got hungry on Broadway. We also were unanimously hungry for Thai, which made it more complicated. We eventually found a place, which had a waiting time of 2 hours. 2 hours. I blinked once, muttered a "thank you" and spun on my heels. "Back to our Airbnb!" We ordered Thai on the phone (another long story) but we had dinner eventually! Last weekend was an adventure nothing less.
Would i go back there? Umm yuh-uh, of course! Planned another trip already.
Jaw-dropping experience: I met a New Yorker squirrel, who by the way, is a little bit of a terror and chases humans. These city rodents smh
Were the people nice? In my experience, they were. The uber driver was too nice (and didn't play a harmonica), I got my watch strap fixed for free and I got a kiss blown at me- never gotten that anywhere.
Did I feel inspired by being in New York? Yes, I believe I was inspired. "Concrete jungle where dreams are made of**", yeah?
Have you ever been to New York? Do you live in New York? What's your favorite part and activity?
Related Posts: What happens in Vegas; 5 strange things i do in an Airbnb
**Line from Empire State of Mind-JayZ & Alicia Keys
Why You should go dancing this weekend
It's Friday, Monday's desirable cousin! What to do? Umm. Go dancing, of course. Here are 3 reasons why you should:
#1 Dancing promotes physical fitness and is a great from of aerobic exercise. Personally, it's my go-to on those days of full-fledged gym truancy (which are usually during the weekends). I turn on the TV or listen to an upbeat playlist using my headphones and dance, works like a charm.....on a treadmill.....going at 8 miles per hour.
#2 Dancing as a frequent activity is also associated with self-confidence which, you'll need on Monday morning....and really every other day....but those Monday mornings, especially. They need all the help they can get.
#3 Dancing makes you smarter by increasing the number of neural pathways in your brain and who wouldn't want that! A study shows that dancing protects against dementia, improves cognitive acuity and optimizes the use of intelligence during decision-making. After reading that, I would often remind myself to break into a dance randomly. The trick though, is to be creative with it, according to this article by Richard Powers of Stanford University.
If you don't feel like leaving your home, all you need to do is dance along to a music video or your favorite playlist. I have a video of myself dancing to Psquare's Shekini lol. It's not flattering but it sure built up those pathways, made me feel better about skipping the gym that day and probably boosted in me some self-confidence!
Are you a dance-enthusiast? How often do you dance? Are you dancing this weekend?
The Thin Line between Fleek and Alien
Makeup! I've never been a makeup person, I'm more of a get-up-and-go-go with lipstick and penciled-in brows. Truly, you can get away with many things once your brows are filled in and your lips are colored or moisturized. Now, foundation, concealer, pink-chewy sponges, all the 900 types of brushes, luxury powder, contour sets...... those are another ball game entirely. However in 2016, I promised myself to try something new. Something excruciatingly, painfully new! Plus Ike, PGI's November girl kind of kicked me out of my comfort zone.
Hence, I began my makeup journey, watched a bunch of YouTube videos, insta-stalked some Makeup Artists (MUAs) and here I am, still learning, painting and mispainting. I won't stop till my good is better and my better, best! Anyway, here are 13 things I've learnt on this Makeup journey:
1. It's a thin line between being on fleek and transforming yourself into an extra-terrestrial look-alike
2. My teeth = lipstick Magnet (here's how to fix that!)
3. The pink, chewy, squishy thing (Beauty blender) is not edible and costs more than a tube of lipstick
4. Sephora is pretty cool
5. Makeup is an investment and with the exchange rate all crazy, must be strategically used to maximize utilization (she must not waste lol)
6. I am beautiful with/or without makeup
7. MUA's, a couple of salutes and new respect! Let's be friends.
8. Apple cider vinegar is the new water! You can use it as a toner, as a weight loss beverage, as a cleaning agent, for your hair, to treat constipation, to solve the Bermuda Triangle mystery.......
9. Sometimes, "moisturize and go", not every time "foundation and cake"
10. My lips get crazy when I wear mascara, they bend into this unnatural shape for some reason (photo 2 below) Does this happen to anyone else?!
11. Making up is actually a great opportunity for "Me-Time". I just turn on my favorite Spotify playlist and sing with my powder brush (which explains photo 1 below). Then I drop the mic....the brush.....the mic-brush 🎤
12. My eye bags need to go (Here's how to get rid of bags, I'm trying ALL of them!)
13. Along with Apple Cider Vinegar, honey and lemon seem to be the solution to the problems of the world
Stuff I haven't tried : False Lashes, contouring, brow waxing, contouring my collar bone (I did not know that was even a thing!)
Do you wear makeup? How's your journey? What discoveries have you made?
