One Year in Review

The LaBelleValise blog is now one year old.  This blog started as a travel log on all the places work, life, and wanderlust takes me and over the past year the adventure has been better than I hoped. Here are a few of the highlights Istanbul, Turkey Chester, UK Chicago, Illinois New York, New York

My Gear List

Prepping for my next big voyage: Toronto, Amsterdam, and London. Is it in bad taste if I thank the tragic Ebola outbreak for saving my Labor Day weekend and cancelling my leg in Pretoria? Figured I’d share my packing lists: After a luggage-check mishap in the UK earlier this year I am now firmly committed to

Home Organization: Make-up Brush Holders

I am an addict. I am addicted to make-up tutorials and home organization videos. I know, there are more important ways for me to spend my time, but they just don’t offer the same mind-numbing thrill as turning on a good “Get Ready with Me” make-up montage while prepping, primping, and priming for a day at

Show Season

I am struggling with some real First World Fashion Girl Problems. How does one properly prepare for a whirlwind five weeks of apparel markets, black tie parties, runway shows, and endless meetings with buyers? In my line of work, in addition to all of the professional prep, appearance matters, so I’m needing a head to

Never Eat Where You Can Sit to Pee

A few general rules to follow when traveling abroad … 1. Never carry what you can roll. 2. Eat before you’re hungry. 3. Never miss a chance to pee.

The Buffer Day

One o’clock on a Friday afternoon is a perfectly reasonable time to depart from Salt Lake City International Airport en route to the lush green countryside of England. The airport is busy and fully staffed but not yet crowded with weekend warriors and the commuting execs have already cleared out of the Priority security lanes,

Packing … the great flirtation of a voyage

Packing is the most optimistic part of a journey. Building your tool box – Chapstick, leather belt, and iPhone charger – you feel optimistic and in control, The Captain of the Journey. Oh Captain, do tell, what happens when the taxi driver can’t find your hotel and his meter and your Lira are dangerously close