THEVALENTINELIFE

Let's face it, no one ever came back from vacation saying: "I wish my bags had been heavier." A good traveler's goal is to carry the bare essentials and leave the excess at home. How to put your luggage on a healthy diet? Follow these easy tips...

1. Do your homework. Call the hotel, motel, friend's house where you're staying and ask the following... do they have a hairdryer, iron, ironing board, beach towels, bathrobes, sand toys... basically anything that's bulky and that you'd rather leave at home? If the answer is yes, do not under any circumstances bring your own.

2. Check temperatures and events at your destination. Only pack what corresponds, do not bring "just in case" clothes. You will never use them, making them a waste of space.

3. Choose a central color to pack around. A neutral such as brown, black, or tan is a good place to start, then bring accessories and accent pieces that go with this color palette. If you into fashion, otherwise wear what you like... You want to be comfortable on you vacation right?

4. The numbers game. A good rule of thumb for trips less than one week is one top per day, one layering jacket or jumper, one bottom per every two days (but never less than two pairs of pants), no more than two pairs of shoes (one you wear and one you pack), underwear for every day, and seasonal additions, like a bathing suit etc.

5. Wash it out. If you're traveling for more than a week, follow the same numbers as above and plan on washing clothes instead of bringing more. If you're in a country with a good exchange rate, or aren't on a tight budget, take advantage of the hotel laundry service or dry cleaning. Otherwise, bring individual packets of washing detergent.

6. Write it down. Make detailed lists of everything you plan to bring. That way you can easily see if you've secretly snuck in six pairs of pants for a four-day trip, sound like somebody you know... Be honest, note everything, including socks and underwear... and then stick to your list when packing.

7. Downsize toiletries. Pick up travel-size versions of your favorite products whenever you see them, not just when you're getting ready to travel. If you can't find miniatures, buy small plastic bottles and pour out from larger products. Its worth it, trust me.

8. Wear your heaviest shoes, sweater, and jacket to the airport. That way, you don't have to pack them. It may be boiling is Sydney - but it will be freezing in LA - Unless you are travelling somewhere exotic.

9. Pack outside your bag. Before you actually pack your suitcase, pile everything you plan to bring on your bed or dresser. This is your opportunity to eye your clothes and cull out a few more items. If you pack directly into your suitcase, you'll be tempted to throw in a few extra items (trust me, you will). Once you've made the final edit, pack only what's in front of you.

If you've followed this advice, your suitcase should now be a lean, mean, traveling machine...

Much of my current enthusiasm about cooking eggs stems from a simple fact, if I eat an egg (or two) for breakfast I'm satisfied until lunch. The same can't be said about American bagels. I mention bagels because they are one of the few non-pastry items available at most American cafes in the morning. All the cafes in my neighbourhood serve whole wheat bagels, which being completely honest here, I tolerate more than I enjoy. Some of you might cite the breakfast bagel as a viable and satisfying breakfast choice and you aren't alone, one of the local spots does a brisk business in these egg-and-cheese topped creations. But I'm going to argue that the bread (bagel) to egg ratio is a bit out of balance for my tastes - they should serve these open-faced with no top. No?

So, this got me thinking about a better breakfast. A better egg breakfast to be specific... Below is the new American creation. I really do think it could take off.

Baked Egg Recipe

Ingredients...
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 big pinches ground cumin
2 big pinches chili flakes
2 big pinches smoked paprika
2 big pinches fine sea salt
1 cup spring (or regular) onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
2 pieces of pita bread / rye bread, cut into quarters
6 large organic eggs

Garnish: finely chopped tomatoes, chile flakes, cilantro (optional)

Special equipment: standard 12 muffin tin

Directions...
1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the cumin, chile flakes, paprika, salt, onion, and garlic.
2. Cook until onions soften, just a minute or two. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes soften up a bit, another two or three minutes. Set aside.
3. Take six pieces (quarters) of the pita bread, gently open each of them and tuck them into the muffin tin - every other slot. If the pita splits, no worries, just criss-cross the bread into a nest or tart shell of sorts so there is coverage across the bottom so the egg and filling won't run out.
4. Spoon a bit of the tomato filling into each pita cup, dividing it amongst the six cups. Now crack a single egg into each pita cup. You don't want the cups to overflow, hold back a bit of the egg white if you need to. Also, you don't want the egg yolk to jet up toward the sky, try to ensure it is level with the whites or the yolks can dry out while baking.
6. Carefully place in the oven (racks in the center) and bake for about 15 minutes. Until the whites have set and become opaque. Serve hot garnished with a sprinkling of chopped tomatoes, chile flakes, and/or a bit cilantro.

Makes six egg cups.

What are your favourite beauty products.

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm rules... As do La Mer products and Laura Mercier. Lucas Paw Paw is a great all-rounder too, I use it on my lips, eyes, eyebrows, cheeks and cuticles.

As you travel a lot, what are your must-have travel products.
I love all La Mer beauty products, especially for travelling because they keep my skin super hydrated. I also drink plenty of water and bring a scarf to wrap around my face/head.

What makeup do you wear every day
Mostly nothing. If I have a casting though I will use Dior Hydra Life tinted moisturiser and Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage.

And your routine at night
Wash face, use Bioderma Crealine to cleanse and then Bio-Oil.

How do you keep healthy
I eat well and exercise. Having diabetes I have always had to, so it’s part of my life.

What exercise do you do
I train every day, I switch between yoga, pilates, and a trainer. Then I ride my bike when I’m back in Sydney and swim.

Do you ever do any retreats
Yep, I just spent two weeks in India at an Ayurveda yoga health retreat. It was amazing and I am still feeling the benefits.

BILLIE IVESON via www.russhmagazine.com

Personal insecurity.
When your job is linked to your looks.
How do you detach the two.

So how could it be possible that you are insecure, when you are able to make money and build a career sheerly based on how you look? Ridiculous! Alright, ready for some online honesty? I am very insecure about how my body looks. Why? The true awareness and insecurity came with this job. I can imagine that you would expect this exactly the other way around, because apparently the way I look is nice enough that people pay to make pictures of it! I wish it would be that easy. Really. But think for a second to whom I compare my body on a daily bases. I work with some of the most beautiful looking women in the world, that have bodies and faces that are stunning. And then there’s me. Of course, compared to them I don’t exactly look like a goddess.

Another example is the following circumstance (which has happened on several occasions in the past years): While working on a shoot they are considering having me in the picture topless. ‘Hey, take your top off for a second? Ah, okay, you can put it back on now.’ This always brings me relief (I don’t like being photographed without a top on - even though in fashion its pretty normal to be topless), but on the other hand, it hurts as well. A last little example is the reaction of people that hear you are a model. I was reminded of a very funny incident a couple of years back. I was at a party of a dear friend, and a friend of hers asked me what I do for a living. I responded by telling her I am a model. She looked me up and down, looked me straight in the eyes and told me ‘No you’re not.’ Her theory was that I needed to be better looking, and dress super sharp to fit her idea of what a model should look like. Even though this example is a funny one, there is a hint of truth in it: once someone knows you are a model, you are looked at in a more critical way than others.

I would like to elaborate a bit on the following illogical logic: booking big campaigns = I’m looking good, no work for a while = I’m looking lousy. When the big jobs are rolling in, you’re on top of the world. Besides the challenge to keep yourself grounded, these are amazing days! Doors are opening, bookers are friendlier, many new friends await (although I am quite sure not the permanent ones). But the challenge comes in when the phone stops ringing for a while. A key point to remember is that insecurities are familiar to us all. Model, doctor, mailman or scientist, I think we all have our thoughts and insecurities, and as long as they do not become a problem and hinder you in your daily life and decisions, I think it’s fine to have them. Maybe it’s even good for me to have them, otherwise maybe I would consider myself quite the superstar model by now.

When you hit a dry spell though, as mentioned before almost all of us hit one here and there, it is very tough not to grab a mirror and start analysing what got less nice. The tough character of insecurity lies in its self-fulfilling element: grab a mirror, be convinced something is not looking good, and you will find it. I try not to grab that mirror. As a model, I think it is good to remember that the fashion and catalogue world is a fickle one. Sometimes, it’s just not about you. Maybe regular clients decided to go for a fresh face, maybe a client saw a polaroid that they didn’t like. Maybe they didn’t see you at the casting because they were noticing that there was too much sugar in their coffee. The point is, fashion many times is about small moments, small windows to impress, small chances to be taken or to miss. Sometimes it’s luck, sometimes it’s hard work, and many times it is about factors that you just cannot influence. Don’t get me wrong, if you want the work, you have to put in the effort and time to look the way that is expected of you, but a dry spell does not always mean you are to blame.

What I learned to do is to not take comments made at work in a personal way. Let’s face it, a photo shoot is not about me. Modelling made me so nervous in the beginning, since I had the feeling that everyone was looking at me. But slowly I understood this was not the case. Let’s break that down: the stylist is checking if his clothes are looking good. The make-up artist is checking if his work is in order. The photographer is checking if the picture is coming out how he wants to. The art director is thinking if the picture fits in the story he is trying to tell. The client is checking if his product is coming out right. The assistants of the photographer are checking if the light is good and if there aren’t any funny shadows anywhere. Who there is really looking at me, my mum? When you look at it like this, not that many people at all, even though you are in every picture. This realisation helped me a lot to understand the role of the model, and to not shy away too much from the perceived attention. And when they tell me to stand a certain way or put my top back on? I put it back on and stand that way. It’s really not about me personally.

Till next time.
Anne-marie xo