How Tonight's Project Runway Guest Judge, Nanette Lepore, Stays Stylish While Traveling

Fashion designer Nanette Lepore spends plenty of time jetting about—she’s off to Mustique next month for a family vacation, and to Tokyo to open a new store in the Ginza this spring—so we figured she knows a thing or two about looking put together while on the road. Since she’s guest judging tonight’s episode of Project Runway (and, awesomely, selling the winning number onlineand in her stores after the show), we asked her to spill a few fashion secrets…

What do you always have in your carry-on?
I have the best travel pillow ever, and that is always in my suitcase. It’s such a pain for a four-day trip when I’m trying to carry on all my clothes and stuff the pillow in there. I got it years ago at Brookstone, and they stopped making it, and it’s killing me. I can’t find one as nice. I have a few big cashmere shawls. I always have a pair of cashmere socks, even during warmer weather. You just can’t stand when you get that chill when you’re traveling—always cashmere because that’s so much warmer than anything else.

What are the most versatile clothes to pack? 
Silk is great because it doesn’t wrinkle, and anything jersey is great to have. Something that feels unstructured is nicer, because wrinkles add to the look.

What about accessories? 
I like to wear all the jewelry that I’ll have on the trip. I just take it all on me, which is kind of a bummer when you go through security. I have these new silver cuffs that my husband got me for my birthday, so I’ll be wearing my silver cuffs [on my upcoming trip to Mustique]. I always take flats no matter where I go because I want to be able to walk and see things and not be set back by my shoes.

Have any destinations inspired your designs?
I went to Istanbul about a year ago with my sister and have been wanting to go back with my family. We were at the Four Seasons on the Bosphorus, and I loved every second of it. That was really inspirational, seeing all the colors. We were there Independence Day, and we watched the fireworks over the Bosphorus from the terrace of the Four Seasons. They were wonderful.

ByMOLLY FERGUS

Wine-Tasting tips in Sonoma and Napa

With such a wealth of wineries to choose from, it’s essential to plan your day of wine tasting before setting out. Most winery tasting rooms are open each day between 10 a.m. and 4 or 5 p.m. (tastings usually cost $10), so your best bet will be to pick a specific area to focus on and visit four or five wineries within that time period (making sure to stop for lunch). If you’d rather leave the planning to an expert, consider hiring a personal “wine concierge” from Sips Wine Events or Wine Country Concierge, who can tailor a custom itinerary for you (including perks like private tours and wine-blending seminars).
By Travel + Leisure 

How to Be a Well-Groomed Traveler

The Expert

Lady Gaga tour's makeup artist, Sarah Nicole Tanno, who spends 

about 300 days a year on the road.

Moisturizer 

"Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentrè works like a primer to 

make foundation look smooth and last twice as long 

[embryolisseusa.com; $25]."

Tint

"I like Murad's Hybrids Skin Perfecting Primer Dewy Finish 

over the Embryolisse. It's a foundation alternative that's tinted 

to brighten skin [murad.com; $35]."

Color

"Benefit's Benetint looks rosy for hours on lips and cheeks [benefitcosmetics.com;$29]."

Lipstick 

"The only red lipstick I wear is Illamasqua's matte in "Box," 

which stays put for 12 hours—and doesn't end up on my teeth 

[sephora.com; $22]."

Foundation 

"Becca's Stick Foundation, which is lightweight, with 

buildable coverage [beccacosmetics.com; $44]."

Eye Shadow 

"MAC's Paint Pot in "Painterly" resists smearing 

and bleeding [maccosmetics.com;$18]."

Eye Liner

"Stila's Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner 

doesn't budge [sephora.com; $20]."

Mascara

"I've tried every brand, and YSL's waterproof 

Mascara Singulier is the only one that never flakes 

or rubs off [yslbeautyus.com; $30]."

Spray 

"Skindinavia's Makeup Finishing Spray sets 

makeup for up to 16 hours. It's also a nice in-flight 

refresher [amazon.com; $26]."

By EIMEAR LYNCH

To Read more: http://www.cntraveler.com/shopping-style/2011/12/how-to-be-a-well-groomed-traveler

 

Traveling with Friends

Two friends joined us on our recent trip to Hawaii. We're all under-employed, we've all known each other for some time, and when we started talking Hawaii, one of them had this to say: If I don't get a beach vacation soon, I'm going to have to kill someone. (The someone was very specific, and he did make himself available for the beach vacation, saving everyone from character references and prison time and claims of insanity. A-hem, I digress, as usual.) I've traveled with one of these friends before; we had a great time on a weekend up in Vancouver, Canada, so I was fairly confident that we could all travel together. And apart from some picky eating issues and a minor airport meltdown,things worked out swimmingly.

Traveling with friends is tricky, I've had it go very badly when all signs pointed to it going perfectly, I've had it go perfectly when my sense was that it wasn't going to work. I've traveled with friends in Alaska and Costa Rica and Spain and Washington State and Vietnam. The destination doesn't determine if it's going to work, only the chemistry does. And planning, good planning. Here are a few posts with great advice about how to travel with friends.

Wet Noodle Posse posts on traveling with your gal pals.

Before you head to the airport or get in the car for your girls’ weekend, establish how you’ll handle meals. How many meals will you eat in your rental? How many dinners out? Will you split the grocery bill, or should everyone get their own food? Who’s going to the grocery store when you arrive and what’s on that list? My friends and I usually shop together and split the bill. I bring a few things necessary to my existence that I don’t expect them to chip in for, but I am happy to share—coffee. I like to grind my own dark roast beans. Communication is important—especially if some friends have to watch their pennies more than others.

Travel Muse has a great post on how to "Stay Sane While Traveling With Friends" that includes this piece of advice and more:

Plan alone time. Even though you’re traveling with people you like, everyone needs some time to themselves to decompress from the group. Make sure you plan for alone time on a daily basis.

I also liked this post on Divine Caroline:

Take a trial trip.A short-term practice round such as a weekend road trip might help you recognize whether you’ll be compatible travel partners. Spending time together without your everyday concerns and comforts will give you a chance to see how patient and compatible you are with each other. You may discover whether or not your prospective partner is able to get through trip delays and brief misunderstandings without getting distressed. Though temporarily stressful, those are the situations that can usually make the best stories.

On our trip, we did really well when we had clear goals for the day and a schedule to follow. We also allowed for days when we split up and did things separately -- one day we got an extra car, one day the husband and I stayed in while our friends took off for the better part of the day. A few times we had a late start -- we're early people, our pals get going late -- but we were able to take everything in stride. I'd say the most difficult thing we had to deal with was our vegan pal, but it was very clear that it was about him, not about us, and it would not have been a big deal if we'd abandoned him to go eat on our own -- we agreed upon that early on. We worked out our budget and our accommodation needs before hand, so there was no tension around too expensive or not enough bathrooms.

by Pam in Travel

Read more of Pam's Travel with Friends at http://www.blogher.com/traveling-friends

The Six Things You Need to Know How to Say in Any Language

It’s hard to generalize about such a multifaceted swath of the world, but suffice to say that certain commonplaces apply across the Muslim parts of the region (extreme modesty, politeness, and hospitality) that have no bearing on the rest. Don’t, for example, expect any ceremony from your cab driver or business associate in Israel. Compared with that other global tongue—English—the Arabic language is at the same time more uniform (books and newscasts across the region are in the Standard style) and far more diverse (dialects diverge almost into entirely different languages, each with its own pronunciation, vowels, and sometimes even grammar). Too much Standard Arabic will make you seem ridiculously formal, while speaking Gulf Arabic in Egypt will summon nothing but blank stares. When in doubt, do as the Egyptians do—it’s their pop culture that dominates the rest of the Middle East, so they’re most likely to be understood.

A Note on the Details: Variations in Arabic dialects can get complicated fast, but essential greetings are fairly standard. Still, we’ve done our best to note the differences in how phrases sound in Dubai, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. In Israel, English will do in many situations, and in South Africa you can pretty much use it anywhere. The Afrikaans we’ve provided is most useful outside the big cities, especially in the Afrikaner–dominated west.

DUBAI
Hello Formal: Assalaamu alaykom, sometimes assalaam wa rahma, or simply salaam. Less formal: Marhaba, followed by kaif halak (“how are you?”). When one Arab greets another, the usual gender rules apply—only more so. Gulf Arabs get close: kisses between women and sometimes nose touches for the men. Handshakes may be followed by a right palm pressed to the heart, to express the strength of the bond. But this physicality stays within genders. “Kissing the opposite sex is not even an option,” says travel writer Mohamed El Hebeishy, who grew up in Egypt and now lives in Dubai. “And do not be the first to reach out for a handshake.”

Good–bye Ma’assalama or, if you’re the one staying, allah yesalemek. Salaam is also common.

Thank you Shukran (add jazilan for “very much”)—but hayak Allah (which also means “you’re welcome”) is more commonly heard in Dubai.

Excuse me A’afwaan as a light apology; ismahli to get someone’s attention (ismahili to women). For “I didn’t catch that,” low smaht (to a man) or low smahti (to a woman).

Help me Mumkin tesa’adni (tesa’ade’ani if you’re a woman).

Please Men fadlek (to men) or men fadlik (to women).

EGYPT
Hello Assalaamu alaykum; for extra credit, change the suffix to ka for one man, ki for one woman); salaam in more everyday situations; or marhaba, especially if you don’t know the other person’s religion (Coptic Christians generally prefer it). Within genders, close physical contact is the norm, so don’t be shocked by a kiss on the cheek, a hand tapping the shoulder, or even a hug. Handshakes are standard but tend to be much gentler than the American variety. Across genders they’re inadvisable, and the more veiled the woman, the less likely she’ll want to shake a man’s hand. Just nod and smile. (And never offer your left hand, which is considered unclean.) Keep others from seeing the palm of your hand when hailing someone, or the soles of your feet when seated at a meeting—both could be insults.

Good–bye Ma’assalaamah, or just salaam.

Thank you Shukran (add jazilan for “very much”); less formally, mishakeer if you’re male or mishakeera if you’re female. Or on very special occasions, baraka allahu feek (“God bless you”).

Excuse me Asef as a light apology (with the prefix al–, it means “you’re welcome” as a simple response to shukran). To politely get someone’s attention, low samaht to a man, samahti to a woman, samahtu to a group. Lamuakhza or baad eznak just to pass by someone.

Help me Tesa’idni is simplest, but the full phrase would be: low samaht, mumkin it–sa’idni to a man (idini to a woman); el ha’uni for emergencies.

Please Min fadlek (to men), min fadlik (to women), min fadloku (to a group).

ISRAEL
Hello/Good–bye Shalom. Alternatively, boker tov (“good morning”); achar tzahara’im tovim (“good afternoon”); erev tov (“good evening”). Even though most Israelis know a good deal of English, “an attempt to speak Hebrew is always appreciated,” says Nancy Schwartzman, director of the Israel–set documentary The Line.

Thank you Todah, or todah rabah for “Thank you very much.”

Excuse me To apologize, use ani mitzta’er for men and ani mitzta’eret for women. For everything else—when trying to get the attention of a waiter or shopkeeper, for example, or to signal someone to step out of your way—slicha (with a hard h sound) is common.

Help me Tuchal la’azor li? (“Can you help me?”), or, in an emergency, hatzilu!

Please B’vakasha, which also means “you’re welcome.” Tack it on to the end of a request.

Read more at http://www.cntraveler.com/travel-tips/travel-etiquette/2010/09/Etiquette-101-Listen-Up

By: CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER WORLDWIDE