Category Archive for How-Tos
Morocco art & culture tours with Plan-It Fez: Drum-making workshop in the Medina! Palais Faraj hotel.
Those majestic doors can be found nowhere else… We made it to Morocco!
I have to admit: I felt a bit of trepidation before arriving in Fez. I’d heard quite a few stories from travelers who felt uncomfortable in the markets, especially if they were women traveling solo.
It turned out that my experience was the exact opposite. I felt relaxed walking through the souks: nobody bothered my filmmakers and me, or called out comments harsher than “Nice hair!”
I now realize how lucky we were to have Plan-It Fez Tours with us. Thanks to our Arabic-speaking guide, we were able to meet artisans and discover the rich culture of the medina — without ever feeling lost, or at the mercy of touts.
In this photo diary, I’ll expand more on what we did and saw in the Fes medina. And I’ll take you inside Palais Faraj, the most palatial hotel in the city.
This view of the Old City gives you a sense of what it’s like to be in this labyrinthine market: it’s an Aladdin or 1001 Nights fantasy come to life.
Fez (or Fes) was the medieval capital of Morocco, and feels preserved in time. Spice markets, twisting narrow alleys surrounded by high walls, hidden prayer halls, and ornamental doorways add to the mysterious atmosphere.
It’s easy to get lost in the sprawling pathways, so use the Blue Gate (Bab Boujloud) as a landmark. The blue color on one side symbolizes Fez, and the green represents Islam. This area is surrounded by street food stalls and restaurants.
From the Blue Gate, you can explore the many winding side streets — and maybe take a magic carpet for a ride.
Let’s go back to the safety question for a moment. I’ve spoken to travellers who had unpleasant experiences in Morocco: scammers would aggressively approach them, try to lead them to dead ends, and even yell or spit at them. My friends Cohica Travel wrote about the difficulties they encountered on their trip (which took place one month after ours).
I was surprised to hear this, since we felt entirely at ease in Fez’s medina. We were able to browse shops at leisure, and not a single tout came up to us or pressured us into following him.
(If someone comes up to you and offers something, or wants to take you somewhere, just say no immediately and be firm.)
Upon reflection, I realize what a difference it made to travel with Plan-It Fez Tours. The business is run by two women, and they specialize in private, custom trips that immerse you into Moroccan food, art and culture.
Since we had our local guide with us, we never drifted into sketchy areas and the “unsavory characters” left us alone.
Plan-It Fez took away the stress of watching our backs at all times, meaning we could relax and learn about the rich heritage of the Medina. Their tours are customized for every client, so we got to explore at our own pace, and focus on the topics that interested us the most.
Having a driver and car also meant we didn’t need to worry about Moroccan public transportation, which travelers can find challenging (I’ve heard unpleasant tales of bus and train rides).
A note on dress code: Morocco is a Muslim country, and the local women generally wear headscarves and cover their arms and legs. Out of respect, I’d suggest wearing something that at least covers your limbs (I brought a light scarf for my shoulders). At the same time, don’t stress too much about wardrobe, since tourists in revealing outfits are a common sight here.
The weather is almost alway hot, so I recommend wearing a long maxi dress made of lightweight cotton fabric. My outfit is from Pretty Attitude, who also sent me the pentagram swimsuit that I wore in Iceland’s Blue Lagoon!
● Shop my favorite”Rock the Casbah” dresses below:
Some people assume that a tour takes away from a local experience. That’s not at all the case, with Plan-It Fez. Through their private workshops, we got to meet Moroccan artists, bakers, beauty experts and more — and communicate with them, through our bilingual guide.
If we had explored the Medina on our own, we would have never wandered into this workshop — let alone sit down, speak to the artisans, and join in their work!
Our guide took us to try a unique activity: a drum-making workshop. We learned how to make traditional Moroccan drums from start to finish, beginning with painting the ceramic jugs in the Berber style…
… then scraping the hides and adding the leather “skin” on top, which is bound in place with needle and thread.
Filmmaker Melissa and I are not the most “handy” people when it comes to tasks like these…. We had a lot of laughs while we attempted to paint the drum!
What an incredible feeling, to be crafting a musical instrument in the traditional method, right in this UNESCO heritage site.
We learned how to draw blue decorative lines around the jar, using a manual pottery wheel and brush.
Then, I used a brush to draw X shapes, circles, and other Berber designs. Don’t laugh! It’s harder than it looks to create an even thickness.
(My gold temporary tattoo is from Tattoo You. More designs found below, including a pack of 15 tattoos.)
A child peeked around the corner and watched me work. (Photos by Borderless Media.)
I looked up, and saw more children waving at me. They live in apartments that overlook the Medina.
My drum is a little shaky, but finished! Our guide suggested that we paint half of it in the traditional way, and half in our own style — so I added a certain Scottish Fold cat.
Filmmaker Melissa completed the other drum, and the two were bound together with camel skin and leather ties. You also have the option of putting goat or fish skin over the drum, which creates different sounds. And of course, you get to take the instrument home with you.
We ended this happy day by playing drums with the musicians. One of them was a percussion marvel — we’ll soon release a video that shows off his skills!
So happy that we were able to experience music and life in the Medina, thanks to our guides Plan-It Fez. I now realize how easy they made it for us to meet artisans and explore the marketplace.
Time to take a break from the hot weather, and relax back at our glorious Palais Faraj hotel.
I adore Moroccan art and architecture, and staying here felt like being in an enchanted Arabian palace. The front entrance alone is a work of art, with royal horseshoe arches and thousands of colored tiles.
My Egyptian eye and pyramid dress, from Pretty Attitude Clothing, adds to the magic and mystery.
You can shop for more spooky long dresses by clicking below:
Palais Faraj is designed by Jean-Baptiste Barian, a famous architect and interior designer known for his Andalusian Arabic style.
The orange henna on my hands matches the giant double doors. I got henna for the first time in a beauty workshop organized by Plan-It Fez (I’ll show you the entire process, in an upcoming story).
Every room at Palais Faraj is decadent, but nothing beats the Suite Royale, where the Rockefellers stayed. High ceilings, stucco lace, heavy drapes, and even a private terrace that overlooks the Medina.
The floors and walls are brilliant examples of Moroccan zellige, or terra cotta tiles that are painstakingly set in plaster to form mosaic patterns.
Everything in the hotel reflects the culture and history of Fez. At the same time, the amenities are ultra-modern and WiFi is free.
Every evening, we looked forward to dinner at L’Amandier Restaurant. As the sun set over the hilltops, we watched the old city light up while we dined on Fassi cuisine (the local flavors of Fez).
My new favorite appetizer: Moroccan salads. The waiter brought out this rainbow spread of vegetarian dishes, including eggplant and carrots in the highest quality honey. We loved this assortment so much that we immediately ordered it the next day.
L’Amandier is one of the top-rated restaurants in the city, and for good reason. The menu included Moroccan favorites such as couscous, tagines and pigeon pastillas, paired with local wines. Even if you aren’t staying at the hotel, it’s well worth coming here for dinner with a view.
Palais Faraj treated us to traditional massages and hammans (a steam and scrub, similar to a Turkish bath), which left me smiling.
One of my favorite moments: reflecting on life’s possibilities while relaxing at the Sky Bar. There are no words to describe drinking a cocktail made from fresh peaches, while taking in this 360 view of old Fez, and listening to Berber music… Perhaps the St Augustine quote puts it best. “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.”
Thank you to Palais Faraj Hotel and Plan-It Fez tours for opening up a new chapter in our lives!
Have you been to Morocco, or heard stories from travellers? How did your experiences compare with ours?
PS: I couldn’t resist letting you know about Shopbop’s crazy annual sale. From now to Friday, you get 25% off everything with the code INTHEFAM25! Mosey over to Shopbop’s site to start shopping.
I picked out some of my favorite Gothic fall fashion for you. I’m all about dark lace dresses for holiday parties, and chunky black shoes. Remember, it’s all on sale!
1) Off the shoulder lace dress with scalloped edges
2) Cameo Gothic dress with embroidered lace and transparent panels
3) For Love and Lemons dress with zig zag mesh panel
4) Rock star buckle boots
5) Black buckle creeper shoes
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My 10-Step Makeup Routine & favorite products! Japanese Goth doll eyes tutorial.
Let’s talk about makeup! I recently got some emails, asking about my cosmetics routine. It’s changed over the years, but I currently have about 10 steps to get photoshoot-ready, using a minimum of products and brushes (since I’m often traveling, and can’t over-pack). I’ll also share some bonus, behind-the-scenes modeling photos from Portland.
My overall makeup tips: invest in quality products, especially your “base” (foundation, powder). Start with a light SPF moisturizer, and let it dry before applying layers gradually. Obviously, for day-to-day wear, I don’t do all these stages, but for special occasions these are my 10 steps of prep…
1) Apply Make Up For Ever HD foundation with a stipple brush. This foundation is a little pricy, but by far the best I’ve used. With a stipple brush, you’ll get a natural-looking effect. It stays on all day without feeling heavy, and looks great on camera. I use shade “Marble” #117.
(If you need concealer, try Make Up For Ever’s full coverage one. I skip this, and simply dab foundation onto uneven areas.)
2) Make Up For Ever’s HD powder is also a winner. I brush it on lightly after I finish my full face, but it’s worth mentioning here.
3) Next, I define my eyebrows with a brown pencil. I trace the line below and above the brow, and slightly extend the ends.
4) For a more natural fill, I use an angled brush to apply eyebrow powder, working from a dark to light shade. I also highlight right below the eyebrow.
5) Don’t forget to define your face, or else you’ll wind up looking a bit flat. I adore YSL Touche Eclat, a highlighter pen. It brightens up the area below your eyes, and whisks away shadows.
6) Then, apply contour and blush to bring out angles (around the cheeks, nose, jaw) and add a bit of rosiness. I like having both in a single compact, saving time and space in my luggage.
(I should mention that a travel brush set is a wise investment. They last forever, and fit snugly in a single case.)
7) I like to experiment with different lip colors, sometimes using a lip brush or pencil to create an ombre fade-out. However, my default is a caramel rose lipstick, such as NARS Pago Pago. They have a superb matte application, and there are many shades to fit your skin tone. Wearing a subdued color keeps the focus on your eyes.
8) I recommend carrying an eyeshadow palette like NARS Narcissist, so that you have a variety of light-to-dark tones to play with. If you want to minimize even further, pick something like this set of 4 blue eyeshadows, which you can use to define and highlight your eyes. I tend to extend the colors out, with dark shades at the outer edges, and white for the inner corners.
9) Then, use a black eyeliner pen for a cat-eye effect. I prefer pens to pots and brushes because they are quick and precise.
10) Finish with false eyelashes. These Japanese Dolly Wink lashes are popular among gyaru. I use an eyelash glue with a brush for better application.
I hope you find this 10-step guide with recommended products helpful! Let me know if you have questions or tips about makeup. It’s fun to discuss in the comments.
The above images are by Melissa Rundle and Eric Bergemann. They photographed me for the cover and spread of Rebelicious Magazine. During the shoot, First Mate Naomi Rubin took behind-the-scenes photos of the action.
Here are some of Naomi’s shots. My handmade silk flower clips are works of art by Angelica Brigade — check out her site for gorgeous accessories.
My blue-to-green ombre hair is by Stephanie Hoy at Avant Garde Hair in Vancouver.
And these are my Alphonse Mucha x Innocent World stockings! I bought these special edition tights at the Tokyo Mucha exhibit.
The cut-out knee boots are Yosuke, from Marui One Shinjuku
We were in Portland to shoot a travel episode (watch it here), and decided to do the magazine photos at Steel Bridge. I like to incorporate my destinations into my shoots.
It takes a village… Eric holds up a reflector, to get the lighting just right.
The autumn leaves created a beautiful backdrop. I like shooting outdoors, for the light and atmosphere. Fortunately, it didn’t start raining until we were wrapping up the job!
Sometimes an idea doesn’t work out. We had some Goth balloons, but they didn’t look right in the images.
The blues, whites and greys of the bridge and water match my outfit’s color scheme.
This white disco-era coat is from Hattie’s Vintage (see more of Portland’s secondhand shops in this post).
Both of my velvet dresses were lent by Vaute Couture — the collection is inspired by Sailor Moon. My faux fur scarf is from Holt Renfrew.
What are your favorite makeup products and techniques? I’d love to hear your tips in the comments, or on my Facebook!
I also did a blog post about how to pack stylishly — take a look, for tips on how to create cute outfits on the road.
LA CARMINA
