Why You Should Renew Your Passport Now

I just sent my passport off to be renewed.
I don't believe in not having a valid passport, because I believe you have to be ready to jump on a plane whenever an opportunity shows up. Over the years I have known many people who have missed a work trip to Paris, a shoot in the Maldives, a chance to go to the Greek Islands, all because they didn't have a passport.

If you have 6 months left on your current passport you need to renew it now. If you have less then 6 months you needed to renew it yesterday. If you don't have a passport, go get one now.
You never know when you will need it.

Here is an article I found on Smarter Travel.com, written by Shannon McMahon

U.S. Passport Changes Are Coming: Here’s What You Need to Know

Passport changes are coming, and if you plan on traveling in the future—especially if you’re among the 49 million Americans whose passports will expire in the next few years—you need to know what passport changes are in store.

While it may seem easy enough to acquire or renew a passport if and when you plan a trip, the State Department says there’s about to be a massive backlog of passport applications. (More on that in a minute.) Plus, passports themselves are going to change. Here’s what you should know about both the expected passport application delays and the passport changes coming in the years ahead.

U.S. Passport Changes

You Should Renew Your Passport Now

A decade ago, an important piece of travel legislation made American passports much more in-demand. The State Department saw an "unprecedented surge" in applications when a 2007 law enacted by the 9/11 Commission established passports as necessary for all travel to and from Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Millions of travelers acquired 10-year passports that year as a result, and now they're all about to expire. It's safe to assume many of those passport holders will need to renew, which means that passport applications will jump significantly once again.

Related: Worry less about the unexpected. Get a Free 10-Day Look with Allianz Travel Insurance, the world leader in travel insurance. Make sure you're covered!

Concerned about wait times yet? Passport renewal already takes about six weeks, and many destinations require foreign passports to be valid for months after your trip. Factor in unknown delays, and you might have a lot less time to renew than you thought.

REAL ID Changes Aren’t Helping

A newer federal law, the REAL ID Act, will soon enforce updates to all state-level identification in the form of security features like machine-readable data. Now people in some states that are lagging behind in the technology are realizing that their licenses might soon be invalid for air travel—even on domestic trips. That could mean a rise in passport applications as well.

Travelers using IDs issued by certain states—for example, Maine and Missouri—could be turned away at the gate starting in 2018 if their state doesn't adjust to the new standards in time. Some states are under review and have been given a deadline extension, but all licenses must comply with the standards by 2020. Frequent travelers worried that their state won't comply in time may go ahead and renew or acquire a passport instead. Find out if your state has complied or been given an extension here.

Expect New Security Features

Like state IDs, passports will now include added technology to ensure security and decrease fraud. Catching up with many other countries, U.S. passports changes mean that new passports will include a data chip that can provide all your personal info upon scanning it onto a computer. You can also expect your new passport to be lighter—rather than the 52-page passports of the past, only 28 pages will be included unless you opt to get more.

Double Check Children’s Passports

If you've lost track of when your own passport needs renewing and you travel with children, double-check your child's passport as well. Child passports are only valid for five years, and they're subject to more paperwork, like parental consent forms and proof of a parent-child relationship.

Related: Courtesy of Allianz Travel Insurance, read some great tips for traveling with children.

How to Renew Your Passport

You can apply for or renew a passport online through the State Department, or in person at an eligible local agency like the post office. Make sure you follow instructions carefully and meet all the requirements, like the new rule against wearing glasses in your passport photo. Doing so could further delay the process.

Correction: An earlier version of this story stated wearing glasses in a passport photo could mean re-applying and again paying the application fee. According to the Department of State, photos can be re-submitted without again paying the fee.

Simplify.

Simplify Your Life

One of my major goals for 2017 is to streamline my life a little more. To simplify.

Last year I read Maria Kondo's life changing book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

and prompted by a subsequent flood in my house started massively clearing the clutter, cleaning out closets, donating boxes of stuff that we no longer needed, consigning car loads of clothes.

It's amazing how peaceful home feels when you have pared everything down!

Part of simplifying my life has been going back to using a regular day planner. I still keep an electronic calendar on my phone, but there is something soothing about opening a calendar book and seeing my week and my month clearly. Sometimes going old school is cool.

I got this day planner at Barnes and Noble. 

My favorite minimalists on Instagram have been sporting these Daniel Wellington watches. I normally wear heavier, chunkier sports watches, but was so drawn to the chic simplicity of this watch. I pair it with silver bracelets, and it really looks quite sleek.

My makeup obsession at the moment is super gleaming cheeks, feathered eyebrows, a good coat of mascara, and a power lip. My favorite lipstick is Tarte's new Lip Paint in Fly. It is the perfect red-crimson a la Miss Sloane. I think it is far more interesting than a plain red, and the undertones fire up the skin and make it look gorgeous.

I still am an avid coffee drinker, but have scaled back to one cup per day. The rest of the day I drink tea from Teavana. 

When I first moved to America from London I got terribly homesick. I adored living in sunny LA and had no interest in moving back to dreary, rainy old London, but still I ached for a few things British. 

I bought this tea cup in between shoots one day in an antique store on Magnolia in Burbank. It sat idle for a while, but now it serves me Teavana tea all day long. I found some of my Teavana canisters that I had completely forgotten about, and they still had tea in them, which although only a year or so old, I would have thought would have gone stale.

My favorites are Opus Rouge, Citrus lavender sage, and Maharajah Chai Oolong.

I've been making the teas in a French press coffee maker, but I think I'm going to invest in the Breville tea maker or maybe  the Blomus Modern Hot Tea Maker  

Sometimes the simple things in life bring you the most joy.  

  

The Trump Inaugural Ball Fashion And A Little Intrigue

Well now.
Did you watch any of the Inaugural Ball coverage on TV?
Did you check out the fashion?

I've kept my politics off of this blog. I figure 50% of you will see things somewhere along the lines that I see them, and 50% of you will be diametrically opposed to my way of thinking. And you come here for beauty and travel, not politics. But we just had the Inaugural, and there was fashion, and I found something interesting.

With the Trump squad being expensive New Yorkers who live in the fashion realm, we already knew that the fashion would be good.
That was a given.
 The hair and makeup will always be good, the clothes, shoes and jewels will always be good - that's part of the trump brand.

So let's talk Melania.
She was perfection throughout. I thought her Inaugural Ball dress was very chic and stylish for a First Lady. She looked elegant.
I didn't feel any warmth between Melania and her husband, but I don't really think warm is her brand, and I don't think that I have ever picked up any warm vibes from her, although I can't really say that I have paid her that much attention over the years.

Check out the body language - she is pulling away. But doesn't she look exquisite?

My next thought was when the family came out for the first dance. 
Why?
Why were they there? It felt as though I blinked and our beloved constitutional republic had morphed into a monarchy and this was it's official debut. It made me think of Imelda Marcos and her televised parties.
The weirdness of the first daughter taking the office of the first lady lingers, but the optics on the first family dance were intriguing.

Who comes out first? The important one. The princess.

You always have to look to the subtext. You always find the most interesting things tucked away in the subtext. With this regime if they are causing a flap up high with their right hand, look down to the left hand and see what's really going on.

The dance started out with Trump and Melania, Melania looking impeccable in the First Lady role. 
But then out comes Princess Ivanka. In the image above where does your eye automatically go?
It pulls away from the First Lady, who should be taking priority on this stage, instead traveling over to the first daughter. Her princess dress establishes her as the leader of the Trump women. She takes the spotlight from Melania, and makes sure that the other females on that stage are her backup dancers. It's all her.
God it must be hell being Tiffany.

Where does your eye go? And who's dress stands out stylistically as being different from all the others??

There are no coincidences here. This was deliberate. And here is our subtext. Princess Ivanka asserting herself, her power, her will.
She is one to be watched. For as long as this administration lasts, keep your eye on her. All other Trumps are secondary to her and I find it fascinating. 

Oddly enough I feel temporary compassion for Melania. 
Do you think she chose to stay in NYC with Barron? Or is she being kept there? You know there is a fascinating story here. There is nothing going on at school for a 10 year old that should keep them from moving to Washington, to the White House. I wonder if she is jumping at the chance to get away from the Donald or if she is being banished so that princess Ivanka can be First Lady.

While we are on the subject of Melania, what is your take on the pussy bow? Was she flipping off the media or was she flipping the Donald the bird?

In a different set of circumstances I would find Melania interesting to follow. I loved Carla Bruni as First Lady of France. Another model, always well dressed and coiffed. But I don't care for the company Melania chooses to keep, and the fact that they are shilling her products on the White House website cheapens the institution. So I won't be watching.

But Princess Ivanka. She is another story altogether.
She is terrifying.

10 Things To Do In San Gimignano

  

San Gimignano, the magical hilltop Tuscan town famous for its towers is my second home. With all my travels in Italy San Gimi is always home base. Arriving back there heals me, leaving there makes me a bit tearful, every time. Perched on a hill between Florence and Siena, watching over the fields  and vineyards, it is the perfect medieval town.

Piazza-Cisterna-San-Gimignano

If you find your way to beautiful San Gimignano, here are 10 things you need to do:

1. Visit the Duomo. 

the view from my apartment window, looking over the Duomo

The fresco cycles are spectacular and date back to the 13th century.

The Duomo is in the heart of town, so you can't miss it.

2. Eat an artisanal gelato. 

Late night gelato in Piazza Cisterna, San Gimignano

The gelato store in the neighboring Piazza Cisterna makes fresh gelato each day in a variety of sensational flavors. Try raspberry with rosemary, or any flavor with lavender. Actually, it's probably impossible to find a flavor that isn't fantastic. Sometimes there are lines across the piazza with locals waiting to get a scoop or two of this delicious homemade gelato.

Wander back through to Piazza Duomo and sit on the steps while you eat your gelato. Look up and you will see my apartment looking right back at you!

3. Walk down to the medieval font.

one of my travelers in June 2016 exploring the font on a rainy day

The history of this idyllic mountain town is just wonderful, and there is just so much to see. Most people don't make it down to the font. Every time I've been we are the only people down there having a look.

4. Take a stroll.

You can walk around San Gimi forever and not get bored. The light hits the walls and the towers differently every minute of the day, so it always looks new. Wander through the medieval arches and alleyways, explore the little piazze, window shop and walk from one end of town to the other. Wander off the main shopping street and explore all the little neighborhoods. This little town is magical!

wander around in the evening for a different view of the town.

5. Walk the wall.

walking along the wall in San Gimignano, summer 2016

The views from the walls of San Gimi are absolutely breathtaking. A glass of local Sangiovese in the late afternoon at one of the little restaurants along the wall, with a view of endless vineyards, olive groves and fields that have been farmed for centuries. The view is so lovely it will haunt you forever...

late afternoon glass of wine along the wall, taking in the view in San Gimignano

6. Visit iSculpture San Gimignano

This one is a fantastic find in a region full of historical sculpture my friends Francesca and Patrick have built a tremendous business and a wonderful gallery featuring only contemporary art created by Italian artists.

The works are fresh and exciting and new, and make for an all encompassing experience housed in an ancient, historical building. The gallery is deceptively huge, and is the perfect showcase for both small and gigantic pieces. It's one of those places that keeps drawing you back in.

7. Climb the rock at sunset.

The highest point of town at the San Matteo end affords you the craziest, most sensational views as the sun goes down.

8. Eat Pizza at Il Trovatore

Summer evenings spent on the patio at Il Trovatore with pizzas cooked in their giant wood burning oven and jugs of local wine just cannot be beaten.

Tuscan pizza is nothing like pizza stateside. It's fresh and light and explodes win flavor. Don't expect it to be drenched in tomato sauce and wallowing in melted cheese like it is here - this is pizza the way it was meant to be eaten.

9. Enjoy Prosecco in the Piazza

late afternoon spritz and prosecco in the Piazza Cisterna, San Gimignano

My favorite time of day is Prosecco o'clock in the piazza. That late afternoon /early evening glass of prosecco siting at one of the outdoor restaurants that line the piazza Cisterna watching the early evening light hit the walls of the palazzi, people watching as the tourists leave for the day and the locals come out.

It's absolute magic.

10. Be there for market day

buying fresh local cheeses and prosciutto at the San Gimignano market

Every Thursday San Gimi wakes up to market day. The market takes up all of the Piazza Duomo and most of Piazza Cisterna. 

the local ladies buying their fruit and vegetables at the weekly market

From local cheeses and meats to fruits and vegetables, from Italian leather handbags and belts to clothes and shoes, from housewares to fabulous Italian tablecloths and napkins, there is so much to look at and buy!

Plan on buying lunch from one of the food trucks and eating it sitting on the Duomo steps.

(The leather handbags are the same as the ones you will find in San Lorenzo market in Florence. I have always found them to be cheaper at the San Gimi market. Expect to pay between 40 and 50 euros for an incredible handbag that will last a lifetime.)

I hope you take time to visit San Gimignano - it is so lovely!

The Absolute Perfect Red-crimson Lip

Ever since I saw Jessica Chastain’s amazing lip color in Miss Sloane I have been obsessed with finding the ultimate red-crimson lipstick.

I have searched high and low for a color even close to the Miss Sloane lip, but everything I found was too something. Too red (and not all of us can pull off red lips every day) or not blue enough, or too dull, too dark, too pinky, or too lifeless.

On shoots I will just mix up the color I want or need, but in my daily life I need to have a lipstick I can grab and go.

I got super lucky a couple of weeks back when Tarte

sent me a box of makeup to use on my Luca Magazine Spring 2017shoots. The box contained the entire collection of lip paints, and in there was the absolute perfect red-crimson. For me this is the color of the season, and let me tell you why.

Red is great, but it can be overwhelming. For those of us who aren’t supermodels red isn’t always a win, and isn’t always the perfect shade. Sometimes it just feels too much. Sometimes a red lip feels like too much work.

Red can cross the line between projecting confidence and projecting sex-bomberage. One of the reasons I loved Jessica Chastain’s lip in Miss Sloane was that it at all times made you feel that she was in charge, she was powerful, she was strong, but at the same time it eluded the overtly sexy connotations of a traditional red.

Red-crimson is still a sexy color. It’s just a little more manageable. And it’s also a little unpredictable. It goes with so much more in your closet than a regular red does.

 

It looks quite pinky here, but Fly is actually deeper and less pink.
(see Jessica Chastain picture above)

It makes your teeth and the whites of your eyes look sparkling white. It compliments cool skin tones exquisitely, and it leaves your lips looking a little bitten, which is quite alluring!

For spring/summer 2017 bold lips are a major makeup trend. Red-crimson gives you a power lip, but it is a power lip that fires up the gorgeous tones in your skin, looks stunning with a tan, and once again – it goes with verything!

The Tarte red-crimson is in their new Lip Paint collection so it has a matte finish and lasts all day. The color is Fly.

Tarte cosmetics are available at Ulta, Sephora, and on the Tarte website.

There's A Right Way To Burn A Candle...

Did you know that there is a "right" way to burn a candle???
I burn them in my home all the time, but I never thought about there being a right or wrong way to do so.

Tonight, shortly after lighting the candles in my living room, (and not pouring myself a glass of wine because it's dry January) I read this article on Vogue.com and figured maybe some of you would find it interesting too.
That is, if you don't already know the right way to burn a candle...

There’s a Right Way to Burn a Candle: Here’s Everything You Need to Know

by Mackenzie Wagoner for Vogue.com

Malin Goetz Vetivier candle is crisp and clean with notes of fruit and citrus,cloves, cedarwood and vetivier. Available at Space NK

’Tis the season for hibernation. No matter what’s driving you indoors—the recent snow flurries, dipping temperatures, early night falls, or merely disheartening headlines, few things will help you dodge the winter blues like the warm glow of a candle. But whether you crave the inviting fragrance of a fireplace, or the soft, sleep-inducing notes of fresh violets, there’s more to burning a candle than lighting a match. Expert candle burning requires etiquette—a precise art of what, when, and how. According to Alia Raza, cofounder of the conceptual fragrance house Régime des Fleurs (which recently debuted its first collection of candles), sloppy candle maintenance can lead to a lopsided wick that burns more glass than wax, while bad scent judgment could ruin a dinner party. From the importance of lids to picking the best fragrance for every room in your house, here, Raza shares the four simple precepts on how to burn a candle like a grown-up.

Diptique Genevrier smells like Juniper berries. Available at Space NK

Before You Burn, Always Trim
Wick length is a kind of goldilocks variable that can swiftly cut the life of your candle short. Especially with larger candles, which provide more surface area for drifting, a curt wick length will ensure a straighter burn. Trim it right before you burn it every time you burn it, says Raza. As far as length is concerned, “I’ve heard that wicks should be a quarter of an inch, but in my experience, that’s too short,” she says, describing how a diminutive wick can drown and extinguish in molten wax. “Eyeball it for a third of an inch. You can use a special wick trimmer, but I just use small scissors that I keep in a drawer.”

House of Harlow candle set .
Each candle is different: Midnight Moon, Flower Child and Saint James.
Available online at Revolve.com

Consider the Setting
The urge to light a beautiful candle is hard to ignore, but restraint is occasionally necessary. For example, scented candles should never be lit at the table. “Unless you’ve designed your entire meal to be enjoyed around that scent, it’s not appropriate during a meal,” says Raza. A candlelit dinner should only occur with the help of fragrance-free pillars or tea lights. Dens become more welcoming with masculine notes like wood, leather, and cashmere. “It’s more of a cozy, old-world smell,” says Raza, who developed her first collection of candles, Artefacts, with specific rooms in mind. Bathrooms and offices share olfactory requirements for cool, bright scents that smell clean and keep you alert. “A mint candle is not going to put you to sleep,” recommends Raza. Meanwhile, bedrooms call for softer notes like iris and iris root, while, “Violet is nice for a more feminine side.” And white florals will send an inviting message in entranceways, “but really, they’re beautiful anywhere.”

Jo Malone Basil and Neroli candle, available online at Nordstrom

Keep It Lit
“In general, when you burn a candle, and especially the first time you burn it, you want to burn it for about two hours or more, depending on the size of the candle,” says Raza. The idea here is that the entire top layer becomes molten before you extinguish it. “That means the whole surface will burn evenly so it won’t create those dips,” which can deepen, creating a cavernous hole for the wick that can, with run off from the surrounding walls of wax, become permanently lost.

Voluspa Japonica Goji Tarocco Orange candle, available online at Nordstrom.com

Extinguish Gently
Splashes of wax and tilts of wicks are often the result of blowing out a candle with too much force. Sniffers will cut this possibility out of the equation entirely, but Raza recommends gently blowing on the wick and immediately covering the extinguished candle with a lid. “All candles should come with a lid,” says Raza, explaining, “There’s nothing worse than blowing out your candle before you go to sleep to find that your entire room suddenly smells like smoke.” A lid will also keep dust and dirt from settling on your candle wax—just further insurance that you and your candle enjoy a long, beautiful life together.

 Find more articles like this on Vogue.com