Author Archives: Wendy

Diary of a Wimpy Hiker

by Wendy
Follow me on twitter @wendylooksleaps

I am not exactly what you would call an outdoor enthusiast, but I’ve improved a lot.

As a kid I played in the yard but generally preferred sitting on the couch reading. Growing up, I favored sports like volleyball in an air conditioned gym, kickball on a freshly mowed neighborhood lawn or tennis on a nice crisp court. In other words, activities where you didn’t get too dirty and could even wear cute skirts. I never really wanted to go camping, fishing, kayaking, rock-climbing or mountain biking. Continue reading →

Coolest Vending Machine: Benefit Cosmetics

by Wendy
Follow me on twitter @wendylooksleaps

Until they invent a vending machine that delivers a plate of freshly made patatas bravas or croquetas de jamon y queso with a cold glass of cava, I’m deeming the Benefit cosmetics vending machine the coolest.

Have you noticed these in airports? I’ve run across 3 or 4, most recently in Reno/Tahoe and Savannah/Hilton Head, and every time I linger to wistfully admire the candy-color display. There’s something about Benefit’s cute packaging and cheeky product names that makes its brand kinda magnetic for gals who think makeup is fun. Not that their products don’t work well – those I’ve tried certainly do. But part of their allure is that they remind me of the thrill of messing about with blue eyeshadow and frosty pink lipstick as a preteen. Or wearing multi-colored fake eyelashes to a 7th grade mixer which your classmates think is weird but you feel as cool as David Bowie or Cyndi Lauper. I think Benefit celebrates that sense of play and individuality – it’s not just utilitarian makeup. Continue reading →

Keep Calm and Check a Bag?

by Wendy
Follow me on twitter @wendylooksleaps

I have to admit: those of you who check a bag have a point.

This revelation evolved during multiple attempts to cram liquid items for a beach trip into a quart-size bag. It was quite the puzzle. Usually this is fairly easy. I don’t know if I’ve ever spent so long on this aspect of packing. The casualties were two split plastic bags, as well as the hour or so I could have spent doing something else. Continue reading →

Advice for Grads (don’t worry, not from me)

by Wendy
Graduation season is wrapping up, with the last of the crowds of students in caps and gowns with proud families blocking downtown sidewalks and slowing traffic. I wish them all well!

While I can understand the importance of marking the occasion, I thought my high school graduation was so boring, I skipped both the college and graduate school ceremonies. After I finished college, my Dad wrote a letter to me that I reread recently. I realize how lucky I am to have such constantly supportive parents, though I have taken it for granted at times. Both he and Mom taught my sisters and me the importance of hard work and education, a commitment to family and faith, and that being a good person matters so much more than being pretty.

I’d like to share some of Dad’s words of wisdom here – they still inspire me today and no commencement speech could ever have meant as much. I think both recent and not so recent grads can appreciate this – especially devoted travelers and aspiring writers. Continue reading →

Nostalgia Across an Ocean

by Wendy
Follow me on twitter @wendylooksleaps

One of the rewards of visiting another country is the opportunity to observe and appreciate what is different – as well as noticing what is the same. These flashes of familiarity can make you feel very connected to a place in ways you did not expect. Dad talks about this a little in his Travel Epistle post, how senses are often heightened during travel, and how the basic human need of eating and drinking can help visitors get to know a new place.

The other week my eye doctor told me about a recent trip to Portugal with his sister. I’m a longtime patient of his, sometimes obliged to visit twice a year because I’m blind as a bat with unusually high pressure readings for glaucoma. Luckily this bat can see well with contact lenses and doesn’t get quite as nervous about these appointments as she did as a bat teen. It’s pretty routine, we shoot the breeze and I ask what cool trips he’s taken lately. Continue reading →

Drugstore Beauty Buys

by April, Sunny and Wendy
Every gal has a few beauty tricks up her sleeve – including go-to budget products that can be found at the local drugstore. Here are some of our personal faves. Please share yours in the comments below! Continue reading →

Notes on Fragrance

by Wendy
What’s your favorite fragrance? This question was posed during an afternoon spent visiting friends and family in New Jersey. The answers were as varied as you would expect – as was the general interest in the topic. After everyone else drifted back to other subjects, I enthusiastically chatted about perfume and cologne with the questioner, who works in the luxury beauty industry and is a wealth of knowledge. To hear him discuss various designer scents is like listening to a sommelier describe wine.

We talked about the fun of taking a new sample fragrance on a trip, and then forever being reminded of that time and place by the perfume or cologne. This is not a new idea – other writers have mentioned this connection. But I think we often forget how powerful our sense of smell can be, how immediate our reaction to scent can be. A fragrance can be so evocative, almost conjuring memories to the surface as if by magic. It can influence an atmosphere or give a hint of someone’s personality. Continue reading →

A Heel of a Good Shoe

by Wendy
Follow me on twitter @wendylooksleaps

Jack and I met up after errands on a mild Spring evening and decided to walk to a popular French restaurant in a trendy neighborhood. We were seated at one of the cafe tables lining the sidewalk in a row. The weather was perfect for outdoor dining, and we ordered wine and steak frites. As I strolled back to our table after a quick trip to the powder room, I spotted it. A beautiful shoe. Kind of a platform, ankle strap, with a high, colorfully-striped blocked heel. Like a shoe out of those mesmerizing Dolce&Gabbana magazine ads where everyone’s wearing elegant black lace or vibrant sundresses and giant sparkly accessories while chowing down on pasta in Sicily – and it all looks impractical and totally believable at the same time. I didn’t notice the shoe owner’s outfit. She had her leg crossed and the cool shoe was dangling out there daring all of us to be jealous. I nearly stopped to compliment the shoe and in a different mood, I might have. Instead I returned to Jack and our lovely evening, a bit more conscious of my choice of ballet flats. Continue reading →

New York City Tips

by April, JA, Wendy and Jack

Earlier this month, we spent part of Spring Break in New York City. Despite the rain and the chilly weather, we had Big fun in the Big Apple. Here are a few tips from each of us based on our recent trip.  Continue reading →