Lightweight Essential Cosmetics And Perfumes To Pack In Purses For Travelling

Perfume Sets In Duty Free

If you look in duty free at airports you often see sets of small perfumes. The biggest bottles are usually the best value, but if you forget to pack perfume, or want something small enough to be under the size limit, this could be your solution. 

I found the sets very convenient when I went to stay overnight with my former au pair girls' family in France, south of Paris. I had thought we needed something to give the father and mother. I had not realised that their huge extended family would all be there so it would be embarrassing to give to one person and not another. So I offered the mother the first choice of the perfumes. Then the other items were offered to other relatives.

Perfume Sticks

My smallest perfume is a perfume stick (White musk from Avon). It looks like a lipstick or lipstick refill. It is is tiny enough to go in a handbag, purse, or pocket. it has lasted me years.

Toothpaste miniatures

I look for toothpaste miniatures in supermarkets, and cut price stores. My dentist in the UK has lots of these freebies in the dentist's room. They don't offer them to you. You need the chutzpah to ask and they always give me one. That's what the samples are there for, to give to customers.  

You might get told, 'We have them for sale at the desk on your way out'. But it's worth asking. If I have checked on the way in whether they sell small sizes, and they don't, I could try saying, "But I would like a small size". Maybe a call to action with the word your would be more effective, "You could give me a small one". Maybe they would reply, "We are running short,' or, "They are for people who don't use that brand, or don't use toothpaste at all." 

In that case, on your next visit, when dealing with another dentist or anaesthetist, you might admit, "I brush my teeth with toothpaste at home, but I forget to take it on holiday, and don't know what to ask for in a foreign chemist (US drug store)." 

Useful Websites

Amazon
Ebay

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Remember to pack extra Christmas cards, presents and food

I remember my embarrassment at school when I was sent Xmas cards in the classroom card box from girls when I had not sent to them. The same thing happened the first time I went to a Writers Circle party. They had a Christmas card box. The first year I did not know and had no cards to send. The second year I sent a few cards but received cards from different people and could not reciprocate. The third year I had a box of spare cards in my bag. I sneaked into the bathroom (Americans would say rest room) and hurriedly added cards, getting the correct spelling of names from cards I had been sent.

Send To All
In a group, if you are the organizer, one useful trick is to send cards to everybody so you never miss out on anybody.  Also have some spares to the auntie or cook, or granny who turns up unexpectedly does not feel left out but is remembered and included. A group of fifteen or twenty and you are the leader? Simple. Just buy a huge box. Alternatively. Send a greeting on email or what's app. If possible add a personal name.

Animated Greetings
If subscribing to an animated greeting card system costs you 5 to 20 dollars, that is expensive just to return a greeting to one person. However, if you want to send to every member of a group, you get economies of scale.

Spare Christmas Presents
The same goes for Xmas presents. And when invited to somebody's house for lunch or dinner or to stay.

Buying At Duty Free Shops
One year we were invited to stay with a family in France. I was looking at the duty free shop for perfumes to buy for the hostess. Should I buy for our former au pair, or for her mother, or for both?.

 I looked along the perfumes and saw one of those sets of five small perfumes. I bought one.

Then I bought another for myself. So I was carrying extras. that was lucky.

When we arrived, we found the whole family there to greet us and join in the first night dinner. Fortunately I had enough small perfumes to give one to everybody.

Plan Ahead
If you are likely to be travelling over the Xmas and New Year period, several days or weeks in advance you can get all your cards or animated greetings with designs chosen and the email addressed checked. I have just remembered I need to send to a former gardener in London, England.  he sends to us every year.

Xmas Lists
If you make a list of who has sent you cards in the beginning or end of your diary, and you keep last year's diary, you can quickly check your old friends and business associates. Add on the new ones from this year by going through your contacts list. This could take you an hour or two. You might do it whilst travelling, sitting waiting for a train, travelling by train or bus or coach or plane.

Animated Cards
Some systems such as animated card websites allow you to creat a card and pick which day it should be sent. In theory you could have all your birthday and anniversary and Xmas cards organized a year in advance.

Do remember to remove everybody who has died. Or find a greeting which would still be appropriate if opened by their descendants. For example: To Harry and family. Fond memories. I always think of the good times spent with you and your dear family back in the (era) at Christmas time and I always will. Our friendship endures forever. Greetings to (names of children).

About the Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Free Fragonard Perfume Museum Visit In Paris and Make Your Own Perfume Events

First, what's free? In Paris, France, you can visit the Fragonard perfume museum. You get a free guided tour in English lasting about 30-45 minutes. See a collection of old perfume bottles, a video. End up in the shop where you get a discount if you buy five items (or find four other potential buyers, or one other who wants two or three items, sometimes a member of staff might help you pair up.

The family business started in 1926 and was named after the painter Fragonard whose paintings you can see in the Louvre in Paris, France, or the Wallace collection in London, England, or several galleries in the USA - the Frick, the Metropolitan and others in New York and Washington DC. (See the article on Fragonard the painter in Wikipedia).

Musée de Parfum
3-5 Square de L'Opéra Louis Jouvet
75009 Paris
France.

Musée Fragonard - Collection Jean-Honeré Fragonard
14 Rue Jean Ossola
Grasse
France
tel: +33 4 93 36 02 07.

Useful Websites
https://musee-parfum-paris.fragonard.com
www.fragonard.com (Perfumes, candles, plus and other items to buy on line, and a page on the history of the company.) Advantages; of visiting the museum: discounts on bulk purchases (5 items) in the shop, plus tour. Advantages of buying online - no need to go there. If you've already been, a chance to sstop and think and compare prices; also re-stock your favourite perfumes later.)

The Paris branch seemed to say no children under 18, but in Grasse in the south of France (Fragonard; Molinard; International Perfume Museum; children welcome and a child scent - check first if you have children.)

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please bookmark and share links to your favourite posts.

Why and where to see Klimt Painting and learn to paint

Painting by Klimt currently in a gallery in New York city, new York state, USA. From Wikipedia.

APPRECIATING KLIMT
On Facebook I saw a pretty painting by Klimpt.

When I draw or paint as an amateur my struggle is to observe and create a likeness. Klimt is at the next stage, to create something beautiful in a new and unique style which reminds the onlooker of something pleasing. 

His method is to brighten a dull scene from the grey hut, grey tree trunks, dark green leaves, blue jeans. He creates a confetti effect, contrasting circles of bright colour. His bright contrasts are white, yellow and red. 

LEARNING PAINTINGAt a painting course this summer (2017, Susan Allison at Writer's Holiday, their next holiday being at Fishguard in Wales, February 2018) one of our first lessons was watching her demonstrate making a dark background and leaving a contrast of white or yellow in the middle for a sunny day, a sunset, a tunnel, whatever.

Klimt also makes a person the centre of attention, bright spring or summer flowers scattered up the body.  Colour creates a halo effect around the head, and brightness of the clothes.

Only on second glance did I realise that it's not one picture but a video, a sequence of pictures.

In many of the Klimt pictures one person is cradling or protecting themselves or another. They smile or faintly smile. But flowers surround them.

Only on second glance did I see in the first picture the crucifix dwarfed by the happiness. We give flowers to a bride. We take flowers to a funeral to add colour and scent, traditionally to conceal smells, create perfume to soothe and brighten the room.

CREATING MOOD AND HAPPINESSI find that if I write too much about sad subjects, or create or see have too much sad music or painting, it depresses me. Colours lifts my mood. If you want to keep yourself and others happy, acknowledge their sadness but add as much colour as you can and spread happiness.

SEEING PAINTINGS
If you want to see more Klimt paintings and read about the artist, go to Wiki. You might also be interested in films about the paintings:

On August 7, 2006, Christie's auction house announced it was handling the sale of the remaining four works by Klimt that were recovered by Maria Altmann and her co-heirs after their long legal battle against Austria (see Republic of Austria v. Altmann). Maria Altmann's fight to regain her family's paintings has been the subject of a number of documentary films, including Adele's Wish.^[27] Her struggle also became the subject of the dramatic film the Woman in Gold, a movie inspired by Stealing Klimt, the documentary featuring Maria Altmann herself.^[28] The portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II was sold at auction in November 2006 for $88 million, the third-highest priced piece of art at auction at the time.^[29][30] 

WHERE TO SEE PAINTINGS
USA
The New York picture of Adele, woman in gold, 

AUSTRIA
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/austria/articles/the-6-best-places-to-see-gustav-klimt-s-art/ (The New York picture of Adele, woman in gold, plus lots of paintings in Vienna, all pictures, which pictures of the places to visit.)

The Kiss in Belvedere Palais, Vienna, Austria, which has the world's largest collection of Klimt paintings.
http://www.klimt-foundation.com/en/klimt-info/works/austria


UK
National Gallery of Art, Trafalgar Square, London, England.
https://www.nationalgallery.co.uk

PAINTING COURSES
http://www.writersholiday.net 

BUYING COPIES OF KLIMT PAINTINGS

https://www.nationalgallery.co.uk/products/portrait-of-hermine-gallia-print/

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Travel Information
https://www.visittheusa.co.uk/USA

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, caricaturist, author and speaker. I have several more posts on murals and art and destinations around the world and learning German and other languages. Please share links to your favourite posts.