19.4.09

Knackered and Relaxed

I hope you're having a good weekend. This past week, I went to a special event. Villa Principe Leopoldo in Lugano, Switzerland, has been completely restored and I was invited to an opening gala dinner. Sponsored by the Swiss watchmaker Parmigiani, the dinner was held in the ballroom of this 75-room hotel and residence. I just scanned the photo from a pamphlet here for you first.

The property was on top of a hill so you can imagine the view, but when I got there it was dark already. It was a fun and jolly event. The General Manager sat with us, and I sat between the Ambassador to the Republic of Malta and his wife. I asked, "Would you like to sit together?" But apparently they preferred chatting to their own friends at the table :-) We had goose liver with pear confit, a scampi risotto, and ham with veggies. The dessert was a strawberry-themed combination of ice-cream, creme brulee and mousse, very cute.

The wonderful dinner ended at around midnight. By the time I settled down at home it was 2 a.m. already. I should be getting the official photos next week.

So, back to beauty!

I believe I've talked about Cowshed in the past, but its Relaxing Bath Salt is really worth a special mentioning.

The lavendar aroma is almost overwhelming. Run a hot bath and the vapour will fill your bathroom with an amazing perfume.
The texture is not exactly salt, but it's like bits and crumbles that melt immediately in the water. The salt is also a bit soapy so it's a very gentle cleanser. I usually rinse it off in the end just to be sure.

As someone who is obsessed with au naturel stuff, my haircare routine is very simple: Klorane Almond Milk shampoo and Cowshed Softening Conditioner.


Like most natural shampoos, this one doesn't foam a lot, but it leaves my hair squeaky clean. (The Phyto shampoo for oily hair didn't work out after all.) The conditioner is very rich so a little is enough. It completely smoothes out my hair, making it easy to comb.

Reading reviews of Guerlain products from our American bloggers, I realized the markup is incredible! In France/Italy, a four-eyeshadow palette is about 40-43 euro. In the U.S. it gets to almost 60 USD.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

My you do lead quite a charmed life...hmmph I'm a bit jealous lol!

Cris said...

It's worse for us in Europe though - for example, MAC Pigments are 25 Euros per pot here in Greece >:-/.
But I'm very happy that I got my Pucci Guerlain palette for 56 Euros ^_^. Well, it was 20 % off, but still ;).

Your event experience sounds wonderful :D.

Yumeko said...

even though i cant smell it over the internet
everything u show seems to be something tat would smell really good heee

Anna said...

Hi Cheryl! Ah yes, Principe Leopoldo is beautiful, isn't it? Pity I'm never going to be able to stay there (much like Villa D'Este!), a bit too close to home, can't really find a good reason to justify spending a night there!! By the way, I think the statue you saw in Lecco is of San Nicolò, saint patron of seafearers (or rather, in this case, lakefearers!) and of the city (the Cathedral is also dedicated to him). So, when are you coming on this side of the "Y"??
Talking about Klorane, I like their shampoos, just wish the bottles were smaller, I get bored too easily. Also like the leave-in conditioners! Have you tried them?
Ciao ciao!

Jamilla Camel said...

What a fantastic evening!! We've been to Lugano, and it's such a wonderful place!!

Thanks and can't wait for more pics!!

MzUnicaHija19 said...

WOW!!! you get to go those most lovely places, I envy your life so much!

♡ Nic Nic ♡ said...

ohh weekend sounded like fun!!

my coffee table can wobble like mad, then i put my cam in an angle with my mouse pad - this thing that supports my wrist! hhaha it held my cam in a position long enough.. and I dont have a tripod :P i have been thinking about getting a tripod but they just take up rooms :P

Anonymous said...

WOW! all the traveling lately!

fuzkittie said...

Wow you go to such amazing events!!! So glamorous~~~ :D

ChyiX2 said...

What a lovely place and what a view! I started drooling when I read about your menu. ^^

Anonymous said...

tag your it!

Angie said...

Awww your past weekend sounds amazing! =) It looks gorgeous in the daytime!

Klorane's shampoo sounds very interesting! If I ever get my hands on it, I'm def going to give it a try! =)

Hahha wow, I didn't know Guerlain was marked up that much! I just know the prices are comparable to all the other HE brands.

Syn@3sTh3sI@ said...

Wow... I love Creme Brulee.. yummy yummy... Guerlain is also kinda expensive over here and is hard to get nowadays as they closed a few counter nationwide...I'm aiming for their eyeshadow palette for the longest time.. kekekeke