The Travel Beauty Thread

[sister13]

(January 2023) Thought I’d resurrect this thread, now that there’s a bit more possibility of travel these days! I would love to live vicariously and learn from fellow BICers, so please post any tips, pics, and/or your fave travel minis or routine!  I’m still not doing a lot of travel these days, but may post some pics and notes from past trips.  💗💗💗

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Since the old travel thread sadly got lost in the switchover (😢😢😢) it was suggested a while back, and I’ve been meaning to get a new one started. If there is one already for this, let me know. I travel a bit for work and for fun, and I love checking out beauty stores and seeking out exclusive or hard-to-find items in different places around the world. Some of my favorite makeup destinations have been the Face Powder and Perfume Museum in Torino, Italy (a surprise find) and the Les Merveilleuses Laduree in Tokyo. I have relied on great tips from other BT/BICers on many of my trips, especially Toronto and Tokyo, so I would love to keep this updated as a resource for BIC.

Please share your discoveries, store reviews, pictures, purchases, and travel tips, and I’ll try to keep and update summaries here in the main post for future reference. If you don’t have a chance for much travel, feel free to share your favorite beauty destinations in your home city. I plan to update with photos below from various trips as I have the chance to organize my archives and update. What do you guys think? Feel free to make suggestions on how to organize this thread, too, it might be a bit of a work in progress. Thanks and happy travels BT/BIC!

[sister13]

I was back East in April for a couple conferences, so here’s a few pics from my trip to DC, Baltimore, Philly and New York. It was a whirlwind, so not the greatest pics but I figured I’d share anyway!

DC - I missed the peak cherry season, but a few were still blooming.

These are paperwhites from my mom’s.

I think this is a crabapple, I love it! 

Made it to two Sephoras, Pentagon City and then Christiana mall in Delaware on the way up to Philly.

Driving to Baltimore, I could see the after math of the Key Bridge collapse! 

Had dinner with my cousin at this cute creekside restaurant in Maryland, and had some amazing Maryland crab dip. 

Philly skyline. I went to college here.

NYC skyline! I had such a packed schedule and I was in and out of here so fast, I had 0 sightseeing pics. But I was thinking of the SEPHORiA trip the whole time! 

[Sunnysmom]

Thanks for these wonderful pics @sister13 ! I bet that was a great trip. A bit of work, visiting family and of course Sephora worked in! The bridge, sigh. 

[sister13]

Thanks, it’s nostalgic (and a bit emotional) to be home in the spring since I lost my mom and our elderly cousin in the last few years, so we realized this was the first trip home where we didn’t have to be in hospitals or clean out houses. 😥😥 It was busy but nice to catch up with some people I don’t see as often as I’d like! As for Sephora visits, I love getting to other stores and it  was during the Sephora sale week, so I couldn’t have all those packages arrive while I was gone, lol. Also, advantage of no tax in Delaware! @Sunnysmom 

[Sunnysmom]

I’m glad you found some happy times in there @sister13 I’m so so sorry for you. I get it. I’m sorry you’re in this club too. 😢 A bit of shopping can always be comforting! 🥰

[sister13]

Thank you for your kind words!! I’m so sorry for you too! It’s a part of life but never easy. ((Hugs)) @Sunnysmom 

[blackkitty2014]

Oh thx for sharing @sister13. I love the flower pictures 🌹❤️🥰

[sister13]

Thanks @blackkitty2014 it really is so pretty on the east coast in spring! 

[Titian06]

Thanks for the great flower pics, @sister13 !  The bridge collapse is so tragic!  I'm glad you were able to get out and about even if it was quick and meet your cousin for dinner as well. 🙂

[sister13]

Thanks, I know, the bridge! It was so weird to see in person. Though from a distance after seeing all the footage. It was nice to be hi,e this time of year. I also got to meet my cousin”s two Maine Coons, they were great! @Titian06 

[Titian06]

Ooooo, kitties, @sister13 !  That had to be the highlight of your trip! 🤣

[sister13]

I also forgot to mention: these new Les Extraits had just arrived that day. They are single note, highly concentrated fragrances using Maison Guerlain’s top signature materials, Iris, Vanilla, Tonka, Jasmine, Bergamot and Rose. They are meant to be worn alone or layered. Pricy at $630 for 50 ml! You can customize the cap, cord and seal for these too. My favorites were the Tonka, Jasmine and Vanilla. 

 

From the Guerlain website:

 

 

[CorgiMommy]

@sister13 enjoy, wish we could smell them through the app.

[sister13]

I’m late replying but yes, smell-o-nternet should really be a thing, these were so good! @CorgiMommy 

[sister13]

(I always forget how badly Sephora degrades the pictures. If you click on then, you can see more clearly.)  

I had a conference in Vegas and my husband got his tattoo finished. I made it to the Guerlain boutique which is inside the Bellagio, so I got to see the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanic Gardens display, which was so incredible. It was Fall themed with real flowers and gorgeous fairies and glittery pumpkins and oh it’s with smoke coming out. Just super adorable and magical and smelled so amazing! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyway, on to the Guerlain boutique! Also Heavenly! I ended up getting a bottle of Angelique Noire, which I have been wanting for a couple years since that is only the 2nd  perfume i have ever finished an entire bottle of! I was really wanting to try the new Tobacco Honey and it was tempting but Angelique Noire remained irresistible!

 

 

 

 

 

 

They don’t do engraving there but you do get to customize your bottle with a cap, cord and seal. I chose the new cap with a gold and silver flecked too, pink cord with gold seal. It’s so good, I’ve been wearing it every day. They also gave me a bunch of samples and shipped the bottle home  for free so I didn’t have to worry about packing it. The salespeople were both really lovely and so knowledgeable with the best descriptions of all the fragrances which I wish I could remember! 

We also went to Din Tai Fung for soup dumplings. I had DTF for the first time several years ago in Hong Kong with a friend from college, so I must go to Din Tai Fung if I I’m in a city with a location. So far, I’ve been to DTF in HK, Singapore and Las Vegas. We had the xiao long nap (soup dumplings), spicy wontons, and fried rice and the bok choy are delectable. I also had a perfect boba tea! 

 

I almost forgot to mention that I was so sad to see that my very favorite Sephora in the world closed, which was the one outside of Venetian. It was such a lovely store with so many brands and the best natural light for testing and searching. Actually, someone I talked to said their rent was astronomical and they never usually made enough to cover how expensive it was. But, that was really sad to see! 

[curlychiquita]

Beautiful pictures, @sister13! I haven't been to Vegas, I should go just for the shopping! The Guerlain boutique looks amazing. I'm glad you found a scent you love!

[sister13]

Definitely amazing shopping! And tax tree, so it can be worth it for higher ticket items. They have all the designer boutiques! @curlychiquita 

[Luvstravel]

Gorgeous pics @sister13 That would have been truly amazing to see in person. I hate to hear your favorite Sephora store closed. I have to drive an hour just to browse one that is in a Kohls store when it used to be a stand alone Sephora. I guess times are changing. 

[sister13]

Yes, there are still plenty of Sephoras in Vegas but not as convenient. We have stayed at Venetian a few times and it was so easy to pop over and play with all the makeup! And it was in such a pretty building designed to look old Italian/European!

I am extremely fortunate where I live, there are lots of Sephoras around between 5-30 minutes away.  @Luvstravel 

[CorgiMommy]

@sister13 pretty cool, enjoy your goodies

[sister13]

Thanks! @CorgiMommy