Music: I’m still loving Lana Del Rey – her latest album, Ultraviolence, has been on heavy repeat. But my summer love this year has got to be Bebel Gilberto, and her album Tanto Tempo has been my “weekend spent lying in the sun on the dock reading” soundtrack. I’m all about the Bossa Nova sound these days.
TV marathon: Well, Netflix has been a game changer, and allows me to watch a series in the best way – marathon! I still love HBO (riveted to Masters of Sex, disappointed by True Blood series finale) but Mr. Selfridge was so wonderful, I just adored it! I think it has something to do with the creation of my favourite floor of the department store – the ground floor! How the selling of beauty and perfume products in public, in sight of everyone, was a radical thing to those Edwardians. The set of the show was sumptuous, with Selfridge’s perfume department stocking the perfumes our mothers and grandmothers wore: Yardley, Guerlain, Floris, Caron, Penhaligon’s and more. After researching which ones were right for 1914, they approached the companies and were surprised to receive many valuable bottles from the perfume houses’ archives. The French house, Caron, lent large crystal and 24-karat gold urns. Customers used to bring their own perfume bottles and the undiluted perfume was decanted into them at the counter. Drool-worthy stuff for the perfume nerds of the world!
Food: Ah, the simple and delicious beauty of the chopped salad! If there is one thing I ate TONS of this summer, it was the chopped salad. Believe or not, Dole makes an amazing one and it is so easy to customize with more yummy stuff. Cheese, grilled meats, cold cuts, antipasto stuffs….the possibilities are endless. I was discussing the beauty of the chopped salad with friends last night (as they were raving over Dole’s Italian Chop) and we all agree- the finely chopped ingredients mean you get a perfect mouthful every time!
Fashion: The summer of the kimono! I just love them, and the boho touch they add to any outfit. A flowy chiffon kimono makes channeling your inner Stevie Nicks easy!
Skincare: I am a hand lotion junkie, and am NEVER without a tube of something lovely in my purse. I saw Hand Chemistry at the drugstore. A quick Google told me Hand Chemistry sold out when it was launched in the UK, and that women loved it so much they were using it on their faces. WHAT. For around $20, I was in. Hand Chemistry doesn’t advise using it on your face, it does admit its lotion was inspired by face creams. ‘As hands can age more dramatically than the face, we had to include higher concentrations of a selection of the most effective anti-ageing technologies to be able to produce a very visible difference within just a few days”. I love it! It smells soft and fresh, makes my hands feel beautiful, has no greasy residue, and I use it around my eyes if my skin feels dry when I’m out and about. They have a body product, too, but I haven’t seen it yet. As soon as I do, it’s mine!
Makeup: I have two favourites in heavy rotation this summer! First, the silky soft and super pretty DDM Lip Gloss in St Tropez ($12.99). Feels great I love the soft natural look it gives my lips. Second, it’s Hourglass Gel Liner ($45 for a 3 pack) – this is serious HG material! I use it to tight-line my upper lashes and I swear this stuff does not budge until I remove it.
Perfume: This summer I’ve been feeling the florals. I have a bottle of vintage Jean Patou Joy eau de parfum (my favourite concentration of this scent…) and just a little spritz of this gorgeous classic makes me feel dressed up, soapy clean and beautiful.
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