How could there possibly be a beauty drama at the airport?
Well, I had one.
So it was definitely not life altering or life threatening and a very tiny drama in the scheme of life but it could have ended badly; I might have been a very unhappy traveller.
Let’s back up a bit.
This summer we are spending time away from Provence; we have other adventures planned. For these happy holiday plans and time spent away I stocked up on my very favourite French pharmacy items; I can’t go without my serums and creams for any length of time.
I really stocked up.
I packed enough potions and lotions for the whole family. I had sunscreens, shampoos and my can’t-live-without Filorga. My bag was full of delectable items and I left our farm for the airport with the great feeling of being well organised for once.
There was only one problem.
Our flight was delayed by 4 hours so we didn’t arrive at the check-in at the scheduled time. We calculated we could leave from home later and have less time to wait at Marseille airport. After 17 years of commuting between London and Marseille, the airport has somewhat less charm for me than it once had.
Big mistake.
The checkout was closed and the airline representative would not accept my bag. Apparently if a flight is late you still are required to check in with baggage at the original time, even if it means waiting for hours on the other side. I don’t know whether this is airline policy worldwide or not but I hadn’t figured it out. I don’t check luggage as a habit so it has never been an issue before.
Normally I wouldn’t care except my “carry on” was stuffed full of liquids and well over the limit. I didn’t feel in the mood to donate all my worldly beauty goods to fellow passengers in the terminal. Call me greedy, but a woman and her vices are hard to part.
We had no choice; we had to keep moving.
We decided I should try and talk my way through and hope the French sensibility for beauty would be alive and working in security.
As my turn came I found my forlorn-slightly-upset face and explained my predicament to the bag checker, luckily a female. She explained there was not much she could do because the liquids were over the limit and there was so many. I pleaded my case, blamed my love of everything French and especially the pharmacy. Little by little, the authoritarian nature of her position was infused with her nationalistic pride and she said she would see what she could do.
She removed the packaging, placed the products in the zip lock plastic bags and put them through the scanner, telling me she would do her best but promise me nothing. A few whispers to the woman screening the bags and mine sailed through without a hitch.
I looked at her, she looked at me and winked. She told me to enjoy my flight. I silently mouthed a huge merci beaucoup and couldn’t believe my luck.
My new serums arrived in London unscathed, along with my cleansers and Huile de Magnolia. Phew.
Someone who understood my little “predicament” was looking out for me. I suppose we broke the rules but all in a very good cause ;) xv
They Made It
skin structure firmness serum // foam cleanser // wrinkle correction cream // huile de magnolia
images paul ka 2012 autumn winter campaign, photographer venetia scott
