Make Up Maintenance: Polite Pinkness

Having no money living in Argentina is no new experience.

After living here for about a year -depending on whether your income is in pesos or a foreign currency, of course- most expats experience the joy of  the 'perma-poor' life.

Yes.

Limited income and high inflation means most of us normal people have to work doubly as hard for half the money, making ourselves really tired just to maintain a semblance of economic balance. Failing that we work normally and do without. Do without many things.

It comes to a point though in which you cannot deny the basics in life.

Make-up is a must. Yes.

When I lived in England, I was by no means rich, but make up was still an accessible item on my list of purchases.

MAC, L'Oreal, Bourgeois, Mabelline, Rimmel, Body Shop, Number 7 and many other brands were at my fingertips with an occasional chance to splurge on Lancome, Dior and YSL goodies.

Here in Argy Bargy though, brand label goodies come with an extra high price tag because of high import tax and well, the fact that places that manufacture some of the best make up goodies are thousands of miles away. Shipping's expensive.

Hence, not much possibility in buying any of the brands listed above. Not a hope in hell.

After four years living here, I'm now barely travelling abroad (hence, not having the opportunity to take advantage of duty- I decided to start looking for make-up solutions to be able to still paint my face, but on a budget.

MAC comes first.

A Politely Pink replacement.


A keen customer of MAC cosmetics for the past eight years, by far the best product I've ever purchased is the Politely Pink lipstick. (UK Price £14.00 (AR$100.80) ) / (Arg Price ????)

A staple for nude-pink coloured lips with a kick of shimmer, this is a staple item in my life and for many, I should expect.

Unfortunately, it is now far out of reach, as most MAC products are... at nearly double the UK price, on half the wages you would normally earn in England... my Argy MAC reality is yet to come true.

The Shimmery On-A-Budget Alternative: Nivea Lipshine.

Technically this little star (priced at AR$12/£1.60 and available in Farmacity) is a lip balm, but contrary to other balms out there - it actually shows up and stays on your lips for some time!!!

Cheap, cheerful and easy to get hold of, this is a great lipstick alternative.

Use with a touch of gloss over the top for extra kick on a night out on the town.

Gorgeous.Easy.

More of these kinds of posts coming soon.

Besos!

M

A guide for young women in Buenos Aires

Dear blog readers!

Apologies to the majority of blokes reading this blog, although after reading this it may well still appeal, you never know.

However, it's likely that mainly women are going to be wanting to read this from now on. :)

I have made a decision to post stuff that actually has some semblance of use for readers, rather than just random outbursts when funny things happen to me here -that is not to say that the random outbursts will completely stop, jeje- in order for young women in Buenos Aires, foreigners and locals, to have a bit more info on different things that affect us here.

I guess you could call it some kind of women's magazine/blog or whatever - but I'm not really trying to label it, so just read it and call it what you will.

I am indeed a full-blown expat, although, hopefully my half Argentine side (Argy mum) will draw Argentine and other foreign readers to this space too (probably only my mates... you know who you are). 

I don't pretend to be an expert on anything in particular (aside from music and dance), but I do like fashion, clothes in general, shoes, bags, make up, perfume, food, going out, cider, wine, blokes, the theatre, discovering new places, travelling around, etc.

This isn't Sex and the City (although I am a fan) so don't get your hopes up there. I might write some stuff about blokes, just to illustrate the hilarity of dating Argentine men. In fact, that's where I might bring my girlfriends' experiences in, just for the sake of more giggles.

To end, well I hope you enjoy. I am currently without camera, so as and when I have pictures to post, they'll likely be taken by talented mates of mine who have cool cams with lots of buttons on them.

Cheers for reading, and I'll be back with you very shortly.

Hasta pronto!

M

The Penis Press

Riding the colectivo can sure be an experience. Drivers swearing at you, people pushing, incessant times when you are suffocated by over-stuffed and stuffy buses....

However, there is something more annoying, and more surprising than the poor braking technique of your colectivero, and the continuous "shall you sit down or shall I" dance that takes place.

It is: The Penis Press.

Yes, I have named it that, because I couldn't quite find the right way to label it without being inappropriate.

One thing is being on the bus or any public transport, with wandering male hands magically finding their way onto women's bums in the midst of the daily rush hour.

However, the 'Penis Press', is a slightly different and more horrific experience, we are subjected to when the penis of a stranger is pressed onto us while sitting in an aisle seat on an overpacked bus.

The other day, one experience struck me (quite literally) as worth writing about, as I had some random bloke's crotch area pressed onto my shoulder and then eventually onto my ear in a seemingly never-ending bus ride experience. If I include the fact that the driver (yet again) had no idea how to work his brakes, and that everytime he used his emergency brake and the bus jolted, you can imagine the thoughts running through my head as some high-voltaged danger zone near face-raped me.

The reason I mention this, is just so that ladies be warned.

Think twice over whether you choose to sit or not when offered an aisle seat.

Perhaps it's better to stand, no?

Upchuck creek

Hello dear readers,

Time has passed since my last post, however not to worry. I shall be updating you all on what it is like to move through daily life in Argentina through a young British/Argentine woman's eyes.

Freshly back from a quick trip to Britain, I decided to test out my brand new shoes and what do you know. Upchuck creek returns.

What is upchuck creek you ask?

Well, upchuck creek is how I have candidly labelled those ever fun experiences when crooked paving stones on Buenos Aires City pavements cause your shoes, trouser legs and mood to be soiled every once in a while by dirty water rested underneath them.

Upchuck Creek particularly owns up to its name when it rains in Buenos Aires, as mini-creeks and brooks stream through the city, with a consistently annoying flow of upchuck ruining your shoes.

My advice to all is, rain or no rain... watch where you step. If you don't you could lose your shoes.

"Taco Chino" delight ... (wedged shoes, or wedges)

Tricky walks, dodgy pavements and broken shoes...... bring forth: the "Taco chino".

Walking in this city can be pretty tough. Metaphorically speaking, spiritually speaking or quite literally speaking. When you blast down the path, slip, trip, click and get the delish upchuck from loose paving stones saturating your shoes, sometimes things can get a little difficult.

In England I used to use heels a lot, but here I've had to hang up a fair few pairs, just for the sake of saving the poor buggers from absolute ruin.

One of the first pairs of shoes I actually bought here as a back up was indeed a pair of shoes with the fun-named 'Taco chino'... (i.e. a wedged heel, or just for fun a literal translation, "Chinese heel").

For me it doesn't have a lot to do with China, but I have seen a lot of Argentine girls turn to tacos chinos instead of wearing real heels, as it can be pretty unbearable walking 12 blocks in the dark to the bondi (bus) stop after disco dancing away to cumbia villera (Argentine cumbia music) in your fave boliche (nightclub).

The taco chino for me is, I don't know, just alright I guess... a bit ugly but the comfort factor is sort of undeniable. Obviously not a new invention in the slightest, but doesn't work too badly when you're an English teacher running round BA everyday with sore feet.

The problem with acquiring new wedges here though, is the probability of them breaking not long after you purchase them, which I'm afraid I am to rant about in another post.

A random picture of some er, lovely wedged shoes.

Tricky walks, rocky paths for heel wearers.

Most cities have at least an area which can be difficult to walk in, or walk through. I don't know, some more than others obviously, but I tend to think of my city walk and double it's difficulty, as I like to walk in heels.

When I got to BA, one of the first things I said was, "woah, what is wrong with the pavements here?" I said this as I stand up after having fell, due to inproper preparation for uneasy trails.

Some difficult cities I have treaded through are the likes of Xalapa, Veracruz, (Mexico) which was a topsy turvy uphill/downhill struggle of steps and pavement changes. However in Mexico I was a student abroad, so the need for heels was much less, hence, trainers... sandals, flipflops and the like would be my predominant choice of footwear, feeling the pain much much less.

There are indeed many areas of London which can be a pickle to walk through with your 5-inch stiletto heels, and of course there's always the big ice risk during winter... can be particularly skiddy. However, overall and very much in general..... London's not too bad at all to walk through on stilts.

I actually lived for quite a few years in the south of the UK, Portsmouth, which was just dreamy for heel-wearing as it is the flattest city I know. . .

However, it's not all just about hills when it comes to walking straight. It's about quality of pavement, human traffic, and being able to cross the road, which in Buenos Aires, unfortunately can be a bit of a nightmare.

One of the reason's I decided to start up this blog was to share some of the difficulties which you can be braced with as an ex-pat/national living in BA, and the struggles to walk (literally down the street), and to walk through life in general.
They don't make it easy for you, let's leave it at that. One of the things that suck too, while your feet are burning and you've broken your heel in a cracked pavement along Santa Fé after a night out, is.... this is the city to look good in! Heels are welcomed here in this fashion city!

Now I just have to figure out how to walk, without breaking my shoes, or ankles on the tricky pavements, and still rock it.....

Wish me luck.

Blatent disregard for the rules

Now, before I start ranting about shoes, I thought it more interesting to write a little about what just happened to me when I dared to brave the streets of downtown BA...

(A little overdramatic, but all purposefully placed for dramatic effect)

So, I’m walking out of the shop, about to cross the road and randonimity (yes I made up that word) happens all of a sudden. While I wait patiently to cross the zebra crossing (a crossing along Paseo Colón, a busy downtown main street), a colectivo flies past me, jeering is heard and a still-lit cigarette butt flies to my feet.

“What the heck???”, I thought to myself. The thought hurt.

Firstly, what a bastard-the inconsiderate bastard who carelessly threw their fag at me (I guess it could have been anybody), however, not only the throwing, but what in sods name were they doing smoking on a bus anyway?

Now, this is not the first time I have come across this, neither here, nor in England. However, I consider it to be a blatant disrespect for the rules –in this case a double whammy. Littering, smoking on public transport… wait, perhaps a triple whammy due to pissing me off in the process.

I guess throwing lit cigarettes onto the street is pretty common everywhere (well maybe not everywhere… in Singapore you can get jailed for that shizz), however the one that aggravates me more is the smoking on the bus thing. Even though I was not on the bus, it reminded me of the school bus when the “cool” kids (term used loosely, as they were anything but cool) used to smoke on the way home on the old double decker on route to (S)Hatfield town. 

Not only that but it brings back to light experiences with English chavs smoking on trains, and here “los negros” also smoking on trains, buses…and wherever they fancy, as they just don't care.

So, why is this happening? I question away... alone. Simple answer is that not many people care really. The control over actions made by trouble-making youths (usual culprits for such crimes), is getting looser and lighter all the time, in both countries. I guess, at the very least in England you might get fined if caught (most public transport has security cameras these days), however here in Argentina, where cameras are unheard of, funding for public transport scarce, it seems I will have to shut up and do as everyone else does.... sweet nothing.

Hmm, funny thing is, where does that get me? Burnt by cigarrette and lungs outta whack due to being too scared to say anything?..... hmm.

Shortly after, the pedestrian lights went white (the sign for go). I went to cross the road and almost jumped out of my skin, as an approaching motorcyclist nearly ran me over as he sharply broke halfway across the crossing.........

"Aiiiiii sori mamita", he exclaimed in the most ridiculous way possible....

Really not helping the case darlin'. 

Really not.