u/Proper_Star_4566

Hi all,

What would be the best direct route from Paris to get to Meribel via a bus transfer? I want to go direct as we are travelling with our toddler, but no train routes are yet available for my dates, which will be 30 December 2026.

Don’t want it to be complex - direct routes would be great.

Really keen to hear some thoughts. Thanks.

Hi all,

We bought a potty today (yay!) to try and start potty training our almost 20 month old daughter. She hates having her nappy changed so we are hoping this is a sign that maybe she is ready.

We bought the potty and now we’re wondering how we start. There seems to be so many methods on the internet as to how to do it! I would love to hear your tips and tricks or feedback if we are trying too early.

Thanks so much

Hi all;

Pretty sure I’m late to the train here but just thought id share my new HG as of today.

I am 31 with dry skin and a few lines. I also still breakout hormonal even with Tretinoin use so I do need a bit of coverage for a few spots on my jawline and chin occasionally. I also hate with a burning passion anything matt because it makes me look dry - I like to be looking juicy and alive!

Anyway, I needed a new foundation so I went into Mecca yesterday and tried the skin veil and holy hell is this stuff magic. It blends amazingly, it smooths out any texture I have, doesn’t settle into any lines whatsoever, covers SO well, but doesn’t look like makeup at ALL. It makes me look juicy and shiny and like my skin is 18 years old again! 😂 I also wore it all today and it looks so GOOD at the end of the day!!

It’s expensive but in my opinion it’s just worth it. I tried charlotte tibury beautiful skin first as it had similar claims and it’s just awful stuff - thick, doesn’t sit well and disappears throughout the day. I am a firm believer that you get what you pay for and this Ellis faas stuff is brilliant.

If someone here does work at Mecca too, can someone put my mind at ease that it’s not being discontinued for a while and Mecca is still going to keep stocking it! This always happens when I fall in love with a new foundation - discontinued or worse….reformulated 😩

Anyway, hope I was able to help some people x

Hi all,

We are travelling to Torino in early January, coming via train for 2 nights after a bit of skiing in the French alps. We will be travelling with our then 2 year old daughter.

We will likely not get into Torino until about 3-4pm and have therefore booked a hotel pretty much over the road from Porta Nuova Station - Starhotel Majestic.

Can I please get some insight to if this area is safe for a young family of three? Is the hotel itself good? Is it a good area to base yourself for two nights? Do you recommend booking somewhere else?

Thank you for your insight.

Hi all,

We will be travelling by train in early January from the French alps to Florence. As a result; we have a choice of either doing two nights In Milan or two nights in Turin - between 6th of January to 9th January.

I’ve heard Milan can be quite boring so this had me thinking Turin could be more interesting, but wondering why it’s not so heavily talked about as a tourist location?

Husband and I are travelling with our 2 year old daughter. First time in Italy and we love food and culture.

Keen to hear thoughts. Thanks!

Urgh. I hate returning things to Mecca but I ordered highlight milk and the new bronzer at 6am on launch day as I was super keen for some pretty glowy makeup (I may or may not have fallen for the hype too…..).

Anyway; it arrived yesterday and I am returning it all. I hate it. I bought Pebble bronzer and it just blends to nothing. It’s not nice, it doesn’t even leave a nice finish. Looks like I am going back to my Westman Bronzing Crème (absolutely amazing too, just FYI. They’re not even in the same league).

And the highlight milk….i just don’t get it? And I’m an avid user of glazing milk. It just isn’t that glowy at all? And I think I’d rather just glazing milk too under my makeup for a cheaper price! And you can’t even use it as a highlighter, as it doesn’t really do anything or sit well over anything!

Anyway, this is just a PSA. Don’t fall for the hype. The products are crap. I’m just going to return it all for by Terry Tea to Tan I think, and fall into that hype train instead 😂

Hi all,

So I received my Pebble bronzer today and I was a bit hesitant to try it as I had seen a few people talk about it being patchy or blending away to nothing. I am fairly skinned too, so i struggle having bronzer not look too heavy on me or too orange.

I tried it today and oh my goodness I love it. And I love it because it ISNT super pigmented and stark! For my skin and for my preferences, this is what a good bronzer is - perfect pinky undertone, NOT orange at all and actually sheers out beautifully so it looks natural! It’s going to be my new everyday.

I am obsessed!

Hi all,

I have been using Tretinoin for the last year and can use it every night without irritation. I even use Finacea 15% every morning (azelaic acid) and tret at night with no irritation. BUT, I still get the occasional breakouts along my chin and jawline! I have no idea why! It’s the only place I get them - everywhere else is great but my chin and jawline just keep getting them.

Idk, could it be hormonal? I thought tret was supposed to stop any acne?

I am at my wits end. I just want perfect skin and I can’t seem to get it because I keep getting chin breakouts!

Insight would be appreciated. Thank you!

Hi all,

I have been using Tretinoin for the last year and can use it every night without irritation. I even use Finacea 15% every morning (azelaic acid) and tret at night with no irritation. BUT, I still get the occasional breakouts along my chin and jawline! I have no idea why! It’s the only place I get them - everywhere else is great but my chin and jawline just keep getting them.

Idk, could it be hormonal? I thought tret was supposed to stop any acne?

I am at my wits end. I just want perfect skin and I can’t seem to get it because I keep getting chin breakouts!

Insight would be appreciated. Thank you!

Hi all,

Flying to Paris in December from Singapore with our 2 year old and are looking to sit in 36 A, B and C - so the economy comfort offering onboard.

Anyone done this before and flown this comfort option before? It’s a 13.5 hours - about 120 euro each to upgrade. Wondering if the extra leg room and recline they advertise is worth the upgrade.

Appreciate the thoughts. Thanks

Hi all,

As per the title - we are staying in the 2nd near Palais Garnier and are looking for good boulangerie recs! Think easy grab and go breakfast! I am worried about us being drawn to tourist places that aren’t worth it so I would be keen to hear recommendations :) thanks!

Hi all,

So I haven’t spoken to my dad in 3 years for a plethora of reasons, mostly stemming down to refusing to take any sort of accountability for shitty behaviour, only contacting me when he needed something from me, never asking questions, not even saying congratulations when my wife and I found out we were having a baby ect..the list goes on.

I was on kind of talking terms with mum, but that was hanging by a thin thread too as mum is very loyal to dad and I was kind of holding on to the mum I remembered when I was young, but over the last 6 or so years I’ve realised she had gone and she is just becoming more and more like my father, even though he treats her like crap.

That’s all changed now, however, when my mum came down recently for work. She lives a 2 hour flight away and she asked if she could stay with us over the weekend when she wasn’t working - fine. We have an 19 month old daughter and she has only met her twice but never calls or anything or wants to see photos or anything. When she was down here though, my daughter was teething hard and was totally miserable, so my wife was run off her feet trying to manage her. I was working from home and had a mole removed from the middle of my back that morning so I was a little sore and sorry for myself and unfortunately it had coincided with my daughter becoming difficult. I was hoping though, mum would step up. Instead whole time mum was here - she just sat down and asked my wife to get her things. She even expected my wife to cook for dinner while she sat there on her phone speaking to my stupid father the whole afternoon about things. She even asked me to drive her to the shopping centre so she could buy some track suit pants! Not once did she ask if she could help with our daughter or lifted a single finger.

It was all getting a bit much when she asked my wife what was for dinner and my wife almost burst into tears as she was just done for the day. Mum got annoyed my wife hadn’t planned dinner and my wife obviously didn’t want a bar of it anymore. My mum got a sense my wife, and then me, was in a mood, to which I pulled my mum aside and told her that we would really appreciate the help - just anything. I kid you not, mum responded with ‘I didn’t have help raising you kids - you’ll be fine without help too.’ I was totally floored. Unbelievably floored. I could not believe she could be down here and literally refuse to help out her SON and her GRAND DAUGHTER! But it just showed me she didn’t care.

About an hour later she comes to me and tells me she ‘can tell we are all in a bad state’ so she bought her flight home early and is leaving tomorrow morning…….the woman, instead of helping, moved her flight home early and LEFT!

The next morning she was ment to leave, my wife walked into the lounge with my mum there, said hi, and my mother just ignored her. Unfortunately due to some past issues, my wife just lost it and told her to leave our house now. My mother told her that she needed to hear everything from ‘her’ perspective and that we were being selfish to expect things from her. I told her off and then also told her to leave.

I then got a text message from my father, who I haven’t spoken to in 3 years, telling me ‘I have done it now’ and I have been removed from the will and I am no longer part of the ‘dynasty’….wtf. There is no dynasty lol. And who are you to come back into my life? The guy hasn’t even acknowledged my 19 month old daughter’s existence!!! No idea why he would have thought that would have weight.

Well that was 3 months ago, it was my birthday yesterday and it’s my first birthday ever my mum has never called or texted to wish me a happy birthday.

I think I am officially out of the family - all for standing my ground and actually asking for some help and not just being a door mat to them. Absolutely unbelievable.

Hi all,

So I breastfed my daughter for just shy of 19 months and I had to stop about 4 weeks ago as I had a horrible bought of gastro and I just couldn’t physically do it.

Anyway, it’s been 4 weeks and she’s taken it like a total champ. Except now; whenever she’s going to sleep, is upset or wants a cuddle or some comfort, she automatically puts her hand down my shirt and will try any way to get it in there - from the neckline, from the hem at the bottom of my shirt, through my sleeve - the easiest possible way to get her hand down my shirt, she will. And it’s not even to grab my boobs - she just has to have it somewhere on my chest just resting.

Is this normal? Will it ever end?? I don’t necessarily not like it - it’s actually kind of cute. But yeah - is this something she is going to grow out of or do I need to start redirecting her hands?

Thanks!

I know it’s very early but I live in Australia and our ski season is DIRE this year. As in, the season has started and we have no snow and are unlikely to get any for weeks. It’s because of the El Niño weather pattern happening here. It is also making us non-snow producing areas of Australia have a very warm winter.

My concern is, we have a ski trip booked to Meribel in the last week of December/early January 2027. Do these weather patterns repeat up in the northern hemisphere? Is it going to be a similar story to what is occurring in Australia?

Would be keen to hear thoughts. It would be revisiting to get there and have very little/no snow and no white Meribel township!

Thanks

Hi all,

I want to see if anyone has had anything similar and if I have any recourse.

I started a new job 2 months ago as an accountant in a small office. The office had about 6 people in it - 2 of them were the practice principals - so my bosses. There was no HR department per se.

Anyway, all was going good. I never had any bad feedback, I thought my bosses liked me and it was all good. Basically, however, I didn’t like the small office vibe so about 2 months into this new job, I contacted a recruiter to try and find a new job.

About a week later, I was working from home (I had a drs appointment in the morning) and I got a a teams video call randomly from these too practice principals. They told me I was redundant and they thanked me for my time and that someone would be around soon to collect my stuff. They apologised and wished me the best. I was really shocked to be honest; as I had no inclination whatsoever that they were in financial trouble or anything. And I had just been hired. But okay I guess.

Then, a letter arrived in my inbox and it was a termination letter that said I was terminated due to ‘not aligning to the values of the company’ - huh?? I was literally never told about any values that the company had and from the bottom of my heart - I don’t know what on earth I could have done, other than the recruiter I spoke to contacted them to tell them I was looking and they got pissed off.

Anyway - I am ropable. Firstly - what company, whether big or small, tells someone they’re redundant because they don’t want to give them a shitty explanation as to why they are being terminated, and instead does it via letter that was not once discussed with me in our meeting?? Secondly, do I have any recourse here from them?

Thanks. I am fuming. It has to be the recruiter.

My husband and I own a house in Brisbane that has appreciated over 60% since we bought it almost 3 years ago. As a result, we have been looking at investing in property with some of our equity (despite the removal of neg gearing ect).

My husband has family in Townsville that keep telling us that because Townsville is cheaper - that’s the place to invest for the long term. I am not so sure though - it seems to be a bit cyclical and the rates and insurance costs up there make it seem quite undesirable. They also tell us that it is where all the families are moving to so demand will be high for rentals. I am also not convinced that capital growth will continue up there and it will instead drop like it has done in the past. I still think for long term growth, capital cities have the upper hand. I am concerned that Townsville is a cyclone away from seeing a pull back in prices.

Anyway - what do you guys think? Would you invest up there?