Melissa's Flight Attendant Blog





Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
Archives

February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
February 2007
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
December 2008
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009
August 2009
September 2009
October 2009
November 2009
December 2009
January 2010
March 2010
April 2010
May 2010
June 2010
July 2010
August 2010
September 2010
October 2010
November 2010
December 2010
January 2011
February 2011
March 2011
April 2011
May 2011
June 2011
July 2011
August 2011
September 2011
October 2011
November 2011
December 2011
January 2012
March 2012
June 2012
July 2012
August 2012
September 2012
October 2012
December 2012
February 2013
March 2013
May 2013
July 2013
January 2014
February 2014



Name: Melissa

About Me

Countries Visited (not including Turnarounds): Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Great Britain, Greece, Iceland, India, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Latvia, Libya, Lithuania, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Moldova, Monaco, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, North Korea, Philippines, Romania, Russia, Singapore, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United States, Vatican City

My Perfect Day in -
London | Perth | Sydney | Melbourne

Site Feed -
http://tampaxtowers.blogspot.com/atom.xml

My Email -
tampaxtowers[at]gmail[dot]com

My Facebook -
Tampax Towers

My Twitter -
@melissaecholima

Links -
Airline Crew.net
Airline Uniforms
Airline Meals
Seatguru - Most Comfy Seats On Any Airline
Trip Advisor
Airtoons
pprune.org - Pilot's rumour network

Friends -
Kangaroo with a Sweet Tooth
Kronicles of Kris
The Adventures of Alle Malice
Joel's trek across Asia/Europe in a Hilux
Phil's Wine Site

Blogs I read -
Tray Table
Airboy
Lifehacker
I Can Has Cheezburger
The Flying Pinto
Girl on Raw
Things Bogans Like
Bobby at Up, Up and a Gay
Straight Guy in the Queer Skies

Credits -
Skin by Falter
BlogSkins


Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting


Latest Updates
Sunday, October 24, 2010
So now we move onto part two of "What's on my Dresser Table" and this is where you'll find my body products -

Aesop Geranium Leaf Shower Gel and Body Balm - This combo smells AMAZING! It was the first of the Aesop products I bought before I got totally hooked. I use the Body Balm as a hand cream and whenever I put it on I always get plenty of compliments from the other crew.

Baby Oil - So those that know me will know that I don’t really wear short skirts or shorts in Dubai, or Perth, or anywhere really. To combat dry skin on my legs, which I’ve had since my teenage years and have been unable to get rid of, I slather baby oil on them. I’ve only been doing this for the past month, but the problem was fixed in about a week and my legs are looking somewhat sexy again. Now if I can just avoid the armrest bruises I get from walking down the aisle at work...

Banta Gel Sunscreen - So if I’ve got a day at Aquaventure, or exposing my legs or arms, or need to top up my tan in Mauritius, I wear this very trusty Australian product. I hate the greasiness other sunscreens provide, and this soaks into the skin and lasts for ages. Wish they sold it in Dubai..

La Prairie Body Emulsion - Another product that’s in the OMG I CAN’T BELIEVE THE PRICE category. I use it exclusively if I have a night out clubbing or a hot date. This bottle I bought at Duty Free when I went to New York in 2007, so I’ve had it for 3 years and not run out. Smells amazing and I just feel good about myself when I wear it.

True Blue Spa Moisturising mittens - I take this with me when I have a layover at a destination where there’s not a lot to do, or where we’re not allowed to leave the hotel for safety reasons. Just fill with water, pop onto your moisturised hands and feet, and chill out for 20 min watching TV. When the mits are cold again your hands and feet are super soft and feel amazing. I bought it from Bath & Body Works in the US but the last time I went there they didn't have it so I'm really hopnig they haven't discontinued these.

Lucas Paw Paw Ointment - A lot of crew use this for their lips, but believe it or not it actually leaves mine feeling sore and irritated. (Hence why I was spruiking the Blistex in my previous post.) However if I have a mosquito bite, or a skin rash, it’s great for removing the itchiness. Also if you have a cut but no bandaid it’s great for temporarily waterproofing the blemish.

MUJI travel bottles - I thought I should mention these, even though they’re not a skin product per se – I simply cannot function without them. I buy them like crazy whenever I hit up MUJI, even though at the time I might not know what I’m filling them with. Perfect for getting the most products through in this day of heavy LAGS restrictions.

Labels: , , ,

3 comments
Saturday, October 16, 2010
After many requests from readers, I thought it was about time to put up here what beauty products I use. I apologise in advance for those male readers who may find the following post boring, but in our industry the men have to take care of their skin just like the women do, so you never know - you may learn a few things on here that may pique your interest.
All the products here I genuinely use, no one is paying me to endorse them (I wish!) and I’m not going to recommend a product here that I think you guys might like that I don’t use. This is what works for me, and may not work for you, so if you can I suggest you try to get samples from a department store before parting with your hard earned cash. I’m also going to split this post into face and body, just because I think it’s far too big to combine into one post.


As you can see, I own a lot of Aesop products. They’re a Melbourne company, and have branches in the US, Europe, South East Asia and Australia, but frustratingly they don’t have a place to purchase in Dubai. If I can, I buy it all in Singapore as it’s the best price, plus they’re the most generous with samples and have the best product knowledge out of all the branches.

Fabulous Face Cleanser - Very versatile, I use this with pleasure every day. Low foaming, and it doesn’t totally strip your skin, it doesn’t leave it with that tight feeling after use which I hate.
Bitter Orange Astringent Toner - I didn’t buy this – my mate Oz was using it for about a week and didn’t find it worked for him so gave me the rest of the bottle. I'm generally satisfied with this product, but nothing to overly rave about...

I use the B Triple C Facial Moisturising Gel when I’m out during the day in Dubai in the summer, or at night before going to bed. It’s good for combination skin, and it doesn’t feel heavy at all. It’s very fast-absorbing and has a honey consistency. I wouldn’t use this under make up though.
Primrose Facial Hydrating Cream - I use this as a general moisturiser, this is what I put on before my make up when I have work. I also use this occasionally as a daily moisturiser during the Dubai winter.


Clinique Gentle Exfoliator - Have been using this once a week since my Abinitio training, and I’m very happy with it. Simple and effective and does what it says on the tube.

La Prairie Cellular Revitalising Eye Gel - I have to admit I went through a bit of a La Prairie stage, but this is one of the few products that remained in my face care routine after my switch to Aesop. It's cooling, and gives a nice base for applying your eye make up under.

Creme de la Mer - I know this is super expensive, and I always wait until I’m in Duty Free before I buy one. After toning I check to see which areas are especially dry and flaky and use a small amount of this to target those areas. It’s also great if you have broken skin, from sunburn peel or acne, and you need it to heal quickly. I use this in addition to the Primrose moisturiser as a base for my work make up. Because I stretch it out and only use it for this a 30ml pot will last me 2.5 years.


I love both of these – they’re great to use mid flight over makeup, and to generally wake myself up during a Red Eye flight. I love the results of the MD Formulations Moisture Defence Anti Oxidant Spray but love the smell of the Aesop Immediate Moisture Facial Hydrosol.

Blistex Intensive Moisturiser - Probably the cheapest thing on the list, this works so well. Use it liberally during the day outside of work, and use whatever lip balm I can find if I’m about to put on my work lipstick as a base.

Labels: , , , ,

3 comments
Saturday, October 09, 2010
So the past week and a half for me has been very hectic – first I had one of my best friends from Perth visit for two nights, and we managed to pack in a ton of stuff within the short stay that he had. Less than 24 hours after Paul left, my Dad arrived, and whilst it wasn’t a complete disaster like last time it still had its fair share of mishaps, including but not limited to...

  • Mistaking the flight number he was arriving on, and not being at the airport to pick him up when he arrived. Worst thing was I was the one who booked his ticket :-( It took the generosity of a local lady to lend him her phone so he could call me, only to hear the whole “OMG Dad I’m so sorry I’m so f**king stupid I’ll be there right away OMG! OMG!” spiel.
  • After insisting on sleeping on the couch cushions (last time I made him sleep in my bed, then he broke his nose and stained my 1000-thread count bed sheets with blood, so he felt kinda bad) he somehow managed to kick the coffee table in the middle of the night whilst asleep, so when I woke up I found blood stained tissues all over my living room. He didn’t want to wake me to ask where the bandaids and dettol were!
  • I was originally rostered a Zurich and a Munich during his stay, and loads for both sectors were packed so I couldn’t take him with me. I had no trouble getting rid of the Zurich, swapping onto a Doha and Mumbai instead. The Munich flight was a pain to get rid of, I even offered up 300dh for someone to give me their turns instead. The best I could do was a Muscat and Beirut, but the girl said that she would only do the swap if I gave her my JFK at the end of the month. So what should happen? I approved the swap for the JFK, but then she swapped her Beirut with someone else, thus invalidating my request. I’m still very much seething about that one, so angry I was my hands were shaking. After a craze of texts and upping the money to 500dh some angel eventually took the Munich for their turns.
  • The Doha I swapped onto was all going according to plan – passengers had boarded, we closed the doors on time. Then the dispatcher did something whilst in a fatigue haze that I won’t mention here, but will surely mean he’s looking for another job. As a result we had to switch aircrafts and I had to cancel Friday Brunch with my Dad, scrambling to finalise a booking for dinner without any access to restaurant numbers from the aircraft. 5 hr duty blew out to about 8 hours, and for a 45 min flight on both sectors this was not amusing.
  • Arriving back home after the most enjoyable Mumbai I’ve ever done to find out that Etisalat had somehow come into my apartment and changed my landline phone number without my approval. Who the hell does that?
  • On the flight back from Dubai we had Bollywood star Salman Khan seated in first class, who was pretty nice but he caused himself some problems by being the first to board the aircraft. Apparently the airbridge at the airport there can only reach the aircraft door in first class, so everyone had to board from there. Aside from being slow enough from boarding through one door only, it didn't help that every passenger was there to stop, stare, sat down next to him to chat and ask for autographs from Mr Khan. I suggested to him that maybe he should raise the privacy screens to avoid too much attention, and he was all "It's okay, I don't mind." Then someone from Economy stormed up to the front and with his mobile phone papped him, so he raised the screen and was buried in a blanket up until our decent into Dubai. He was very nice, and was happy to pose for photos with the first class crew. He asked me what time I left Dubai that day, and after I told him we had a 3.50am departure he said I had the most amazing energy he'd ever seen. I nearly swooned!
  • The worst part of it all was trying to get my Dad back to Perth again. Twice we went to the airport, and despite the fact I was the most senior crew member listed for both Perth flights, he was denied boarding. Eventually we had to resort to purchasing a full fare Business Class ticket just to get him home.

As if things couldn’t get any worse – I operated a Hyderabad flight on Wednesday and on decent into Dubai I had trouble equalising my ears. It was strange because I hadn’t had a cold for at least 2-3 months, so I didn’t know why they’d be acting the way they did. At about 5000 feet they eventually pressurised, but afterwards I was VERY dizzy and had the most excruciating pain in my right ear. Went to the doctor who said I had Barotrauma and a bit of bleeding in the middle ear, and said I couldn’t fly for at least 3 days, but to expect the problem to clear in a few weeks. A FEW WEEKS!!! Nooooooo!

So crappiness aside, I did have a great time with both Dad and Paul, and one of the things I did with both of them was take them to the world famous Burj Al Arab. I hadn't been there before, despite living in Dubai for almost 5 years, so I was extremely excited to see what it was like and whether it lived up to the hype. The afternoon tea is the cheapest way you can gain access to this iconic building, and it's definately piqued my interest as to what the rooms are like. Will have to wait until next summer though to afford it.


The beautiful atrium, said to be the world's tallest (but isn't everything in this city?)


Only the best afternoon tea will do for my Dad.


Paul and I at the Sahn Eddar lounge.


Sandwiches and Scones. The passionfruit jam is absolutely amazing, it may even inspire me to make my own sometime!


The cappucino comes with a choice of Vahlrona chocolate or Gold dust on top, so I decided to go with the gold just to see what it was like. The cappucino didn't taste any different (Though dad was quick to quip that it tasted a lot like money...) and I kinda wished I had the chocolate dusting instead.

Now if only I can find a way to stay there on the cheap...

Labels: , ,

7 comments