Beauty and the Jet Lag

Jet lag can make you as tense as the wires on the Brooklyn Bridge!I really try to respect the natrual phenomenon known as jet lag. Some people don't believe in it, claiming that it's a traveler's superstition like St. Elmo's Fire or something. They contend that it's all a matter of playing the odds in the space-time continuum to your best-advantage in order to overcome the ill-effects of losing hours. Still others recommend avoiding certain food and beverage, and even medicines in order to provide your body with the easiest time transition.

I do believe in jet lag. I believe in it, and I respect it - if I didn't I would be a lot worse off than I am right at this moment.  

They say that the best thing to do to get over jet lag is to stay awake as long as you need to to get on the local clock right away. Even if you're falling asleep on your feet, keep going until you can't go anymore, and then you wake up like a normal human on your new clock. 

Last night I went to bed at a normal time - normal for New York, that is, and I thought I'd be safe on getting over the ol'jet lag rather quickly following the prescribed regimen of being disciplined about getting on the local clock. Sadly, there seems to be a lot of loud people staying in my hotel, and they all seem to be staying on my floor, necessitating loud and drunken chatter in the hallway until all hours. Suffice it to say, I woke at 3:30 this morning, and couldn't fall asleep again. I dozed in that weird area between REM and awake for the next three hours, practically counting the minutes. Eventually, I even preempted my own wake-up call.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is jet lag in it's fully glory.

Thankfully, I had anticipated this possibility, so I had a pot of coffee on order from the night before but things weren't looking so good upon first glance in the mirror. I could barely even focus the eyes were so cloudy and stingy. Shower, shower quickly, shower now.

Clean, revived (slightly,) and smelling like Malin & Goetz's Bergamot Body Wash courtesy of my hotel, I again faced the mirror, only to recoil at the sight of the puffy dark bags under my eyes. Bags? Try Louis Vuitton Keepalls. Wouldn't you know it, I've forgotten my eye cream. I remember all the essentials, but omitted the one thing I'd really need, good old-fashioned Creme de la Mer. Wait! Wait wait wait...oh my gosh, could it be? Yes!!! There's a little Creme de la Mer sample pack of eye cream buried in the bottom of my cosmetic bag! Oh, thank you Jesus. I never think those samples will be handy when being handed to me by the pushy Bloomingdale's associate, but leave them in my makeup bag...just in case. Well, today is my just in case day and I commend my own forethought at predicating the "just in case." The day is beginning to get better.

The weather has been really cold and windy here, so my skin is pretty dry, on top of just tired and unhappy. So, I mix my makeup with my face cream to add a bit more moisture, and this is always a good thing. Instead of being matte, you look dewey and luminous - two descriptors I'm in need of today. To help with this, I also went after the water in full force. It's amazing how revitalizing a simple glass of water can be - it instantly wakes you up and takes moisture to all of the areas that are depleted. The water is great for the skin, but it also does immediate things like take away the omnipresent eye-sting. Well, it helps, but eye drops are always a good bet for that too.

Of course, my water intake was somewhat denigrated by my quick intake of coffee, which arrived about twenty minutes before seven. For every cup of coffee you take in, you're supposed to drink another glass of water to compensate. At least that's the theory. But it's not like I'm going to do without coffee on a morning like this. A good breakfast is also in order - eggs, preferably, or some other form of protein but it's definitely best to stay away from the carbs. On a morning when you're already slow carbs will do nothing but make you slower. When I met my boss for breakfast at 7:30, I went with the egg-white frittata with vegetables and herbs - just the kind of fuel to get the day going efficiently.

The day was so busy and exciting I could barely feel tired, but by early afternoon the energy began to wane again. Time for a little non-fat hot chocolate. Yes, it's caffeine and not something I like relying on in the afternoon, but let's get practical. The other thing is, hot chocolate also feels a little naughty and indulgent - just what one needs for a little oomph.

Hey, when it's jet lag day, you simply can't do too much to take care of yourself!