Postcard from Morocco: Shiona Turini, Fashion Market Director, Cosmopolitan

The New York-based fashion editor recently traveled to the exotic and glamorous locale of Morocco and gave us a sneak peek at her trip–including cooking classes, sightseeing, and of course, the best places to shop.

Destination you traveled to:

Morocco. I visited Skhirat outside of Rabat, Essaouira and of course Marrakech

Who did you go with:

A hilarious and amazing group including models, editors, photographers, bloggers and one of my very best friends, Chaundre, from Bermuda.

Where you stayed:

L’Amphitrite Palace Resort & Spa, Atlas Essaouira, and Kenzi Menara Palace

Places you ate:

In Essaouira my friend Chaundre and I took a Moroccan cooking class in a chic little kitchen with a local chef in the Medina. We made traditional Moroccan soup, couscous with lamb, and chicken tagine – and enjoyed every bite at the end. In Marrakesh I ate at Café des Épices, which had an amazing rooftop and the most delicious iced teas. We also ate at Le Salama located in the Medina near the famous Jemaa el Fna Square. But for dinner my favorite place was at the Four Seasons. It was the perfect ending to my week in Morocco.

Local delicacy you feasted on:

Tagine, tagine and more tagine.

Cocktail you sipped:

Primarily rosé which I never really drink at home, but for some reason it was the perfect drink in Morocco. Everyone raves about the orange juice in Marrakech, but I’m not a huge fan of juice so I stuck with the rosé and Moroccan tea.

Books you read:

I took The Invention of Wings with me, but was too busy experiencing Morocco to open it even once. I started (and finished it) on the plane ride home.

Music you listened to:

On the long drives from city to city (and one night that involved a very rowdy party bus and maybe a stripper pole), we listened to a mix of 90’s hip hop & R/B, lots of rap, and anything that involved DJ Mustard.

My uniform there was:

After such a brutally long NYC winter I was excited to finally break out my summer brights and whites.

Brand of luggage you traveled with:

A Tumi suitcase, and an Alexander Wang backpack that I’ve decided I will never travel without.

Clothing & accessories you packed:

I’m an over-packer who loves getting dressed up and is always into an outfit change. For this trip my favorite items were a long blue & yellow Valentino skirt, my lace trench from Alessandra Rich, white jeans from Frame denim, a pastel-pink shorts suit from DKNY, a million Eres bathing suits, Equipment button-ups and shorts, a pair of black flowy high waist Theyskens Pants and a backless black Theyskens top. I packed heels from Gianvito Rossi but wore a pair of Valentino studded flats religiously every single day – which was a first for me. I only packed the jewelry that I wear on a daily basis (gold bangles, a gold cuff, and two gold necklaces) and a few pairs of sunglasses.

Beauty-essentials you packed:

I did not exactly travel light when it came to the beauty products. Mario Badescu Seaweed Cleansing Soap, SK-II Facial Lift Emulsion, La Prairie Crème Caviar Luxe Eye Lift Cream, 3 different sunblocks (I’m obsessed with sunblock, especially the smell) – one from Chanel, one from Neutrogena and another from Mario Badescu. For my hair I immediately purchased some Moroccan Oil and used it daily along with Paul Labrecque’s Straight Finish. I also packed Hair Rules curly hair products just in case I went into the ocean or pool and decided to wear my hair curly. My travel makeup bag is usually packed pretty light – I only need my Giorgio Armani Maestro foundation & Eyes To Kill Mascara, Nars concealer and Orgasm blush, Sania’s Brow Bar eyebrow pencil and Tom Ford Black Orchid perfume. I also never go anywhere without packing my Nivea Smooth Sensation Body Lotion.

Secret only a local would know:

How to get around the souk in Marrakesh without getting lost!

Favorite place to find local treasures:

We found the best selection of carpets and rugs at a shop called Bazar Chez Les Nomades. It was enormous, with carpets and rugs rolled higher than I ever imagined, hung on walls and all over the roof. They also gave us an amazing deal.

A typical day there included:

Every day was different, depending on where we were. But they all involved sightseeing, eating, and drinking! We rode ATV’s in the desert, took cooking classes, visited the castles where Game of Thrones is filmed, and also got in a bit of pool & cocktail time.

And at night we:

In Rabat we went to the Mawazine Music Festival. In Essouira and Marrakech we roamed the streets, had family style dinners, and always ended with cocktails.