I’ve always been cursed with a terrible memory relating to sensory experiences.  Although I regret not having documented my travel experiences over the past decade, it’s never too late to begin, right??  And I love advising people about anything and everything, regardless of my expertise, so I am going to have to begin sharing the details of my travels.  This is my first trip to South America, so pretty excited! 

To begin, I know we all know www.kayak.com.  But let me remind you why they are awesome. They have a calendar with price predictions, if your travel dates are flexible.  They email alert you with info throughout the trip; details like time for check-in, gate info on the day of flight, and baggage claim number as soon as you land. 

Maccu Piccu is the destination, but I’m flying into Lima first.  I’ll be arriving at 10pm and fly out to Cusco early the next morning.  I am a internet research freak when it comes to finding high quality for the best price.  The hotel I chose to go with is SM Hotel.  Super close to the airport, it looks clean and modern, with great reviews on Trip Advisor.  An individual room goes for $48 (including tax, as of April 2013), and you can arrange a pick up for $14, and a man will be waiting for you as soon as you exit.  The interweb advises to be careful with taxis in Lima, as there are no set rates; it’s all negotiated prior, and I’m sure we are all offered the ‘special’ whitey-tourist rate.  Do not want to be messing with this kind of BS as a lone woman arriving at night, especially since no habla espanol over here.

Will update after the journey, but some details:

Maccu Piccu Trek- Wayki Trek  www.waykitrek.net

Pariwana Hostel, Lima & Peru www.pariwana-hostel.com

Don’t drink tap water in Peru.

They use two pronged electrical stuff just like us, but at a higher voltage, so just make sure your things can handle up to 240v. 

Machu Picchu is actually at a higher elevation than Cusco (2430m vs 3400fm).  So ideally, it’s best to start your trek right away and hang in Cusco after the trek.  Just do lots of coca leaves and go at a slow pace.  I’m also hydrating (2 liters water per day) and taking Gingko Balbo supplements to prep for the altitude.

Without a shadow of a doubt, the look is “no-makeup”.  We’re talking slather on some BB Cream (Vichy ProEven Mineral BB is my fave), one coat of mascara, and walk out the door.  You don’t even have to brush your hair!  Just throw it back in low pony tail or wear it loose; smooth it down with your hands.  Throw a menswear inspired hat on top, as you’ll see in Nicole Miller’s collection.

And if that sounds way too boring, or you’d rather wear more, than wear red lips.  Do it the good ol fashioned way, or try something new.  At Kenneth Cole’s show, the red lips were maroon at the corners of the mouth, with red in the center, via ombre. 

Still not enough for you full-faced bevies?  If you crave some eye attention, then go for neutrals and browns to smoke out your eyes.  And if you can’t keep your hands off liner, then keep it to a fine, sharp point, and rim your eyes.  Line it all around, as they did at Costello Taglia Pietra.  Or keep with the no makeup look, by lining only the top outer corner of eye and with just a hint of a smudge below, as they did in Edun’s show.  Add some sheen with iridescent cream highlights at the corners of your eyes and centers of your lids.

AND….this is certainly not a runway trend, but I have seen people on the streets, of all ages, wear ‘punk’ colored hair.  It is extremely hard to pull this off without looking trashy (trust me, colored hair veteran here), and I loved seeing one of the few examples of that on the runway: Chloe Norgaard, at Nicole Miller.  After doing a little googling, turns out she began turning heads last fall during Fashion Week Spring 2013.  Way to rock a signature ‘do.

Five is my favorite number, so here are my top five favorite gowns in the sexy, sheer, and regal category, from last night’s Golden Globes.  Cremes, nudes, sheer, golds, delicate laces, and beaded embellishments were a huge trend on the red carpet.

1. Julianne Hough in Monique Lhuillier

2. Emily Blunt in Michael Kors

3. Jennifer Lopez in Zuhair Murad

4. Nicole Richie in Naeem Khan

5. Isla Fisher in Reem Acra

(Source: )

Normally, I wouldn’t get too excited over a Calvin Klein dress, but I love his modern take on the LBD, inspired by Rooney Mara.  Klein is known for simple, clean, modern, and sophisticated.  Mara, most specifically her ‘Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ character, was the muse for Klein’s Fall 2012 collection.  And it shows in this custom gown he created for her to wear at an event this past December.  I call it ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’s Little Black Dress’.  What a fun, edgy way to look sleek and sophisticated!  Definitely to be most flattering on a lean, small chested woman (like Mara), the sculptural bust creates the illusion of ‘the bosom that’s not there’.  And the loose, pencil shaped, modest length skirt balances out the risque sheer paneling around the waist and neckline.