wanderlust

Morocco: HARE Lipstick

I came across this green, color-changing lipstick in Morocco, on one of those day tours tailored to the American tourist. Because the tour felt as if it was carefully planned to show a caricature of Morocco, I could not be sure how authentic anything was that I bought. Our tour guide brought us to a "rug shop" where I bought a blanket with strips of different hues of blue that creates a beautiful sea-like effect. Note - my friend who is more well versed in bargaining got the same rug for $50 compared to the 100 euros I spent. Be strong and don't let on how much you want the product, because they will lower the price substantially. On this particular tour, we were also taken to an apothecary, where I found this questionable beauty product. After some research, it is indeed a lip stain that creates a unique color based on your chemistry. On me, this lipstick glides on clear and then changes to a rosy magenta color that stays on longer than lipstick, without drying the lips like most drugstore stains. Also at the apothecary, I bought a perfume block that quickly lost its scent, a vile of essence that is supposed to relieve headache pain, and tea (which I honestly never used, but admired the packaging).

United States: Barbie Doll

This girlchild was born as usual

and presented dolls that did pee-pee
and miniature GE stoves and irons
and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy.
Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said:
You have a great big nose and fat legs.

She was healthy, tested intelligent,
possessed strong arms and back,
abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity.
She went to and fro apologizing.
Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs.

She was advised to play coy,
exhorted to come on hearty,
exercise, diet, smile and wheedle.
Her good nature wore out
like a fan belt.
So she cut off her nose and her legs
and offered them up.

In the casket displayed on satin she lay
with the undertaker's cosmetics painted on,
a turned-up putty nose,
dressed in a pink and white nightie.
Doesn't she look pretty? everyone said.
Consummation at last.
To every woman a happy ending.

By, Marge Piercy

Sweden: Lanolin Agg Tval EggWhite Facial Soap

The small town of Stratford Upon Avon, the Canadian Shakespeare Mecca, is where I first came across this traditional face wash. I was attracted by its kitschy, old-fashioned, European packaging and thought I had found IT - the rarely known secret to perfect Scandinavian skin. But alas, after googling the product, found that it can even be purchased on Amazon.com. Nevertheless, I tried this product and was pleased with its purifying results. I wouldn't use this face soap every day, but when you need to make your face feel CLEAN. It is recommended that you keep the soapy film on your face for a few minutes until it dries, and then wash away with warm, tepid water. It effectively removes makeup and has an astringent effect on the skin. The lone secret to perfect Scandinavian skin? I'm not sure, but still, a great cleanse.

France: Cherry Chau Accessories

My first encounter with Cherry Chau was on Oxford Street in London, in the wonderland of Selfridges. I was thirteen years old, and the Parisian designer's whimsical hair pieces looked like what I'd imagined Hermia to wear in her hair in Shakespeare's, A Midsummer Nights Dream. Trite, but Chau's pieces are candy for the eyes. She utilizes sequins, semi-precious stones, leather, feathers, flowers, butterflies, and tulle, but produces something of beauty and lightness through restraint. Cherry herself describes her work to ‘enable a woman to express her personality and transform her moods!’ and her own attitude to be 'happy-go-lucky' :) My Cherry Chau hot pink flower barette certainly made me feel happy-go-lucky from the time I was thirteen, until my twenties when it went missing in my dorm room at college... Fortunately, my love affair with Cherry Chau's pieces will be revived when I visit her boutique in the trendy district of Le Marais in Paris this June!

http://www.cherrychau.com