Travel Beauty :: Kahina Giving Beauty

[trip style = sightseeing]

Editor's Note: This is the fifth post in a multi-part series on Morocco with a focus on beauty---something Moroccan women have been perfecting since the dawn of time. Lauren, our travel beauty expert, is always on the lookout for the best in beauty. This line of Morocco-based products is her newest obsession, to the point where she's seen a noticeable difference in her skin. For a look back at the rest of our Morocco series, see Savoring the Sahara, Casablanca, La Gazelle d'Or and Dar al Hossoun hotels in Taroudant.

A family trip to Morocco is what first inspired Kahina Giving Beauty's founder, Katharine L'Heureux, to create her gorgeous line of holistic, organic skin care. Named after a Berber queen and prophetess, Kahina is also a symbol of empowerment and a heroine for the Berber women. The line is infused with nourishing organic argan oil, used by the Berber women in their daily beauty rituals. In addition to Kahina's beautiful collection, the brand gives back: A percentage of profits are donated to support programs that improve the lives of the Berber women. Read on to discover more about organic argan oil---Morocco is the world's largest producer of the elixer---and Katharine's love for Morocco.

Lauren: Tell me more about your first trip to Morocco and how this inspired you to create Kahina Giving Beauty.
Katharine: My first trip to Morocco was in September of 2007 with my parents. We went with a tour company, Heritage Tours, on a ten-day excursion that took us from Casablanca to Meknes, Volubulis, Fez, the Sahara, Ourzazate and Marrakesh, where I first discovered argan oil in the souk. The Berbers are the indigenous people of North Africa, living throughout Morocco and practicing many traditional crafts, each specific to their region or village. While I came across many Berber women on the trip, it wasn’t until I decided to go back to Morocco to source ingredients for Kahina the following January that I encountered the Berber women extracting argan oil.

L: How were the Berber women using argan oil? How is it created and processed?
K: Most women in Morocco use argan as a massage oil in the hammam, and use the culinary version as a cooking oil, particularly in the argan region of Morocco. The nuts of the argan tree are cracked by hand by the Berber women by hammering them between two rocks, a practice that has been used for centuries. Inside the nut is a tiny little kernel, called the almond. At Kahina, we cold-press the kernel by machine to extract the oil and ensure the purest end-product. It takes one woman eight hours to crack the nuts for a single liter of oil and it requires approximately 26 kilos of fruit to get enough raw material for one liter of oil.

L: What's so amazing about this ingredient?
K: Argan oil is a multi-purpose wonder. It balances oily and dry skin, promotes healing, minimizes and prevents fine lines, restores elasticity, and visibly improves skin texture. Argan oil is extremely rich in Vitamin E---it contains four times the amount as olive oil---and the hard-to-get omega 9 and omega 6 essential fatty acids. The beauty of argan oil is that it's so easily absorbed into the skin, you never feel greasy. This is due to the high concentrations of squalene in the oil, which is present in our own skin. What I love most about it is the multitude of ways to use one single ingredient. I use it on my face, my body, my hair and my nails.

L: How did this ingredient inspire you to create a line of skin care?
K: I was looking for an organic skin care product that really worked and loved the results I experienced with argan oil. From there, I started slowly by importing argan oil first and sharing it with my friends. After hearing their rave reviews, I decided to take the next step to create the line I was looking for---simple, natural, organic, effective and beautifully designed. When I got to know the Berber women who extract the oil, I decided to highlight them throughout the core of the brand.

L: How often do go to Morocco?
K: I try to return two to three times a year, but it is getting more difficult as the demands of running the business become greater.

L: What's your go-to Moroccan dish?
K: My top meals are the simplest ones cooked in someone’s home---Moroccans are incredibly hospitable. I love a traditional chicken tagine prepared with olives and preserved lemons, yet my favorite meal is fresh grilled fish from the market with lots of Moroccan spices, followed by sweet mint tea.

Kahina Giving Beauty products can be found online at ecodivabeauty.com and other retailers. Check out their website for more information.

[photos via Kahina]

Roam+Board :: La Gazelle d'Or

la gazelle d'or taroudant

[trip style = luxury + sun]

Editor's Note: This is the fourth post in a multipart series on Morocco. For a look back, seeSavoring the Sahara,CasablancaandDar al Hossounhotel, also in Taroudant.

What Drooling over the photos of La Gazelle d'Or prior to my December, 2013 trip to Morocco, I had fairy tale expectations. When I spotted a white Arabian horse grazing in the palm tree-lined field outside my bungalow one morning, my fairy tale swiftly took shape.

Part hotel, part orchard, part farm, all Garden of Eden, La Gazelle d’Or dazzled my senses the second my vehicle entered through the bamboo canopy entrance. It was 9pm when I checked in, and the front desk informed me they had been waiting for my arrival. The fairy tale continues: A seat was waiting for me at dinner {in front of a crackling fire}.

Firmly planted as one of Morocco's leading hotels, this sanctuary of calm is draped in North African decadence, Arab cues, Art Deco, and vases of fresh roses cut from the sprawling estate. Strolling between the dining room, the pool and my clay-built abode, I could hardly believe the scale of the 250-acre property without walking to every corner. Though occasionally, the far reaches of the relaxing resort would come to me: the bowl of just-picked oranges sitting in my suite's living room, the farm eggs served on my patio at breakfast or the poinsettia tree meeting me on my way to the spa.

While the scale and stature of the property have a treasure map quality, it's the timeless touches that made it difficult to leave. I miss the army of attentive and earnest staff---many of whom have been there 30 years under the property's uncompromising owner---and the meticulous upkeep and manicuring throughout the estate's 30 private bungalows.

If you're longing for a fairy tale trip, consider taking your magic carpet here. Trip Styler approved.

Where Located just outside of Taroudant's fortified walls, La Gazelle d'Or is one hour from the Agadir Airport, or a 3.5-hour drive from Marrakech.

When Winter is for palm-shaded picnics, summer is for frequent dips in the Olympic-sized pool.

Who/Why Your travel dreams are birthed on the glossy pages of Conde Nast Traveler, and your jetset pals include former French first families or US business tycoons.

Cost Rates start at $800/night {taxes in} and include breakfast, dinner and WiFi.

la gazelle d'or entrance

Photos The bamboo entrance

la gazelle d'or oranges

Bowl of fresh-picked oranges plucked from La Gazelle's grove

siting area draped in white la gazelle d'or

Sitting area

la gazelle d'or pool

Olympic-sized pool

Fresh roses by the pool

I came across a worker bringing in a bunch of roses from the garden, and he gave me a single stem---I wasn't kidding about the fairy tale...

la gazelle d'or bungalow

My bungalow

embroidery detail linens la gazelle d'or

Embroidery details on the towels

bongalow bathroom la gazelle d'or

Bungalow's soaking tub

breakfast la gazelle d'or

Breakfast from La Gazelle's 100% organic farm on my patio

white horse la gazelle d'or

White Arabian horse roaming in front of my private breakfast perch

la gazelle d'or indoor gazebo

Sitting room

decor details la gazelle d'or

Decor details

outdoor seating la gazelle d'or

Outdoor seating

Spa la gazelle d'or

Spa

dusk la gazelle d'or

Dusk

More Roam+Board
Mandarin Oriental – Las VegasHotel
Lone – Croatia
Templar Hotel – Toronto
Encuentro Guadalupe – Mexico
The Ampersand Hotel – London
The Wickaninnish Inn – Tofino
Four Seasons Resort at Manele Bay – Lanai

[photos by @tripstyler taken as a guest of Tourism Morocco]

Morocco :: Savoring the Sahara

[trip style = adventure]

Editor's Note :: Aside from a few travel lifestyle bits, Morocco’s taking center stage on Trip Styler this month.

Preparing and packing for my trip to Morocco, I knew December 10th, 2013 would be "desert day." No big deal, we were just going three hours off the grid into the Western Sahara. At 10am, I jumped into our 4x4 in Dakhla, a fishing and surf Mecca where the Atlantic meets the desert. When dreaming of dunes, one thing I hadn't considered was the bathroom situation until my guide Mohamed said "I've got toilet paper." Right. Of course there are no toilets in the desert. When nature called, well, nature was right there, and I was surrounded by solitude instead of souls. This only added to the remote allure of the day.

A series of paved highways run through the Sahara. Oftentimes the roads are only about 10 to 20 centimeters above the sand, so if you want to go off-roading, just turn right or left. Throughout the day, we off-roaded to lunch, to an oasis, to a beach and to dinner in a local family's Sahraoui tent. Beyond the pavement, a billion other routes exist, known only to locals. How our driver navigated without a map, a GPS or markers other than the sun and stars remains a mystery.

What desert day lacked in luxuries, it made up for in wonder. And isn't that why we travel?

Where the Sahara meets the Atlantic

Deep tire treads. Careful---certain water-soaked areas have a quicksand effect.

Cruisin'

Lunch ahoy. As you can see, there's no sign; you just have to know where to go {a big benefit to traveling with locals from Heritage Tours}.

Oyster and fish are caught and prepared on the spot, then you eat

Shucking station

Ready to serve

Exploring before lunch in my layered "desert day" outfit: sandals, lightweight pants, tank, cashmere sweater and jean jacket. While this might seem like a lot of clothes, desert temperatures fluctuate significantly from dawn till dusk and I needed every layer I had.

Private beach

Private beach

Oasis

Fish who fancy feet live in these rain-fed pools. Their mini nibbles cause you to break out in high-pitched shrieks. Here's a video of my friend Chadner's reaction to the fish pedi.

A vehicle sitting outside a family's Sahraoui tent we visited for dinner

Before stepping inside the tapestry-covered tent used to sleep, cook and lounge, we removed our shoes. Our hosts, who spent their days tending to their caravan of camels, were generous and gracious. While none of us spoke the same language, we communicated non-verbally with nods and smiles. As a frothy tea was served—a daily tradition in Morocco—we were welcomed with a heavy spritz of  cologne-scented sanitizer. A communal bowl of warm camel milk arrived next. I took a sip, and was encouraged to drink more of what tasted like tart Pinkberry without the sugar. The bowl continued to circulate as our host stepped out to cook lamb over hot rocks in a hole he dug into the sand. A grill kept the lamb from getting sandy. I don’t eat lamb, but that night I did, as well as rice cooked in lamb fat. Dessert was a palate-cleansing spread of fruit. If you ever have the chance to dine in the desert, take it, and save room for a local feast.

More Morocco
Casablanca
Stay: Dar al Hossoun in Taroudant

[photos by @tripstyler taken as a guest of Tourism Morocco]

Morocco :: Casablanca

[trip style = urban + sun]

Editor’s Note: Don’t forget to enter our contest for a one-night stay at the OPUS Hotel in Vancouver, it closes TODAY at noon PST.

In mid-December I found myself in the exotic embrace of Morocco's eye-catching escapes. My eight-day jaunt satisfied almost every trip style from spa to surf, starting in Casablanca and veering from the Western Sahara to the Atlas Mountains to the Atlantic shore. The journey was fortuitous given my obsession with North African design, and my September brush with the Morocco pavilion at Epcot, where I wished upon a star I'd get to visit soon. {Careful what you wish for!}

Spoiler alert: Aside from a few travel lifestyle bits, Morocco's going to take center stage on Trip Styler during February.

On December 9th, 2013 my flight landed in Casablanca---the country's hub for most international flights---just as the sun was peeking over the horizon. Given the rise-and-shine hour, I dove into the local time zone with abandon. No dither-dather; my meeting with Morocco's major metro was only a day.

When I stepped out of the airport, the air was crisp. The light chill---similar to a late-September a.m. on the West Coast---woke me up. Coming to, I spotted my name on a signboard in front of a Mercedes van. From this moment on, the trip was guided by in-the-know locals from Heritage Tours who schooled me in Morocco 101.

During the 30-minute commute into the city of five million, the landscape turned from rural to urban. Early on we shared the palm-lined highway with a boy guiding a horse-drawn carriage filled with farming supplies. This was my first clear picture of Morocco's culture: a country where cosmopolitan and classic meet in the middle.

Once inside the concrete-clad port city bordered by a sweeping beach, we hit Monday morning rush hour and inched into the inner plazas where modern Euro-style trains buzzed about, and the time-crunched workforce played human Frogger over eight-lane expanses. I wanted to bottle the enigmatic energy and take it home.

Trip Styler Tip: Casablanca hosts major hotel brands, as well as beautiful boutique properties like Le Doge, a 16-room Relais & Chateaux property, and the smallest hotel in Casablanca {every room is different---I love the Josephine Baker and Earnest Hemingway rooms}.

Casablanca Disembarking the plane at sunrise

Mosque Hassan II, the most important living and breathing monument in Morocco capable of holding 25,000 worshipers inside and another 80,000 outside. The French-design structure rides the wave of traditional and fantasmic topped by a retractable roof and lit by almost 60 Murano-made chandeliers. Cool-to-the-touch white Carrara marble serves as a foundation throughout, while humidity-absorbing pillars made with limestone, black soap and egg yolk form the interior structure.

Mosque Hassan II

Mosque Hassan II

Mosque Hassan II

Exploring Place Mohammed V

A Casablanca rooftop vista

Regal staircase at Le Doge

Josephine Baker room at Le Doge

[photos via @tripstyler---except hotel room via hotels.com---taken as a guest of Tourism Morocco]

Dine Out Vancouver + OPUS Hotel + Giveaway

[trip style = foodie + urban]

Vancouver's food scene sizzles in every season. Living on Canada's West Coast has made my flavor benchmark soar as high as the mountains towering over the city---a bar that has become abundantly clear as I trip style and taste my way around the globe. The local catch and crops, infused with flavors from the Pacific Rim, inspire a city of uber-foodies who have a mere 1/4 teaspoon of tolerance for bad bites.

Dine Out Vancouver Once a year for 17 days over January and February, Vancouver chefs slice and simmer up a storm for Canada's largest restaurant festival: Dine Out Vancouver. Now in its 12th year, the festival has grown from a handful of prix-fixe menus at the city's hottest eateries to a celebration of gastro-wow at hundreds of the city's top tables from L'Abattoir to La Pentola to Wildebeest to YEW to PiDGiN to Bella Gelateria {multicourse gelato tasting anyone?}.

Beyond the 263 participating restaurants offering tasting menus at $18, $28 or $38, the festival has grown to include 31 quintessentially Vancouver events, think: snowshoe-and-fondue evenings {see my photos of this event on Instagram}, food truck gatherings, brunch crawls and a 'palate promenade' through Granville Island---the city's undisputed source for fresh ingredients.

A Dine Out Night Out Since we're food- and hotel-obsessed here at Trip Styler, for us, the most appetizing Dine Out story is the 25 savor and stay pairings! Excited to show off two palate- AND palette-pleasing spaces under one roof, we hightailed it to the OPUS Hotel---one of Canada's top-rated boutique hotels---for a sweet staycation.

Our evening started with craft cocktails mixed by bartender Martin Corriveau in the velvet-imbued and Tulip table-topped OPUS lobby, continued into La Pentola della Quercia for the $38 four-course tasting menu, and concluded with a tech-savvy and trip-styled stay. Bonus, the stroll 'home' was 20 steps.

Trip Styler Tip: Keep reading for delicious details how you can enter a OPUS Hotel Vancouver GIVEAWAY!

Here's a Taste Chic check-in offering a water or sparkling French wine {tough choice!}.

A suite. At turndown, every room and suite receives retro candy like Popeye Cigarettes or Pop Rocks on the pillow.

La Pentola just before the pre-dinner rush.

The lobby---for cocktailing and chilling out.

La Pentola Northern Italy-inspired Dine Out menu with two choices for each course.

Dine Out antipasti: House-cured organic Coho salmon.

Dine Out primi: Parmesan souffle with a zucchini crudo {my fav course!}

Dine Out surprise dish: rabbit and artichoke ravioli in a brown butter sauce.

Dine Out main course: Mushroom risotto with a Qualicum Bay scallop.

Dine Out dessert: Chocolate mousse paired with beet ice cream and foam crumble, and poppy seed puree.

My deluxe king room at the OPUS. All rooms include ah-ha extras like iPads for stay use, heated bathrooms floors, WiFi, original art by local artists and a Jaguar XJ downtown car service. PS - Fido is welcome without charge!

Dine Out Details - It's on NOW, the 2014 dates are Jan 17 - Feb 2. - Some events, and restaurants---like La Pentola---still have availability. - Make a night of it, check out the hotel pairings---we dig the OPUS {from $138}. - Peruse restaurants, events, hotels and availability on the Dine Out Vancouver website.

OPUS Hotel Giveaway - One lucky reader will win one unforgettable night in a superior room at the OPUS Hotel Vancouver. - Hotel certificate expires December 30, 2014. - Enter by liking this post on Facebook---see like button below---AND by leaving a comment below notifying us of your entry. - Bonus entry: go to Instagram.com/tripstyler for details {must complete above step to confirm your entry}. - Contest closes Tuesday, February 4th, 2014 at noon PST. Winner will be selected via Random.org. Upon notification, winner has two days to claim prize. *Winner announced and contacted. Congrats Casey.

[photos by @tripstyler and OPUS Hotel, taken as a guest of Dine Out Vancouver]