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.

Muuu

Knackered Cow, Lazy Cow, Saucy Cow... Our muuu's come in all shapes and sizes, and that's what you will find at Cowshed. Made with absolutely all natural ingredients, with no petrochemicals nor parabens, this English brand offers delicious collections of bath and body products for those of us who want our cleansing ritual pure and simple.

I love their gentle shampoo that leaves my hair sqeaky clean, and the creamy softening conditioner that keeps it silky even in bad weather conditions. The burst of aroma makes these products a real treat every single time I use them. Visit Cowshed: http://www.cowshedonline.com/

Photo by Marcin Nigot

Edible Haircare

Well, not exactly. I love Klorane's hair products because they're all made from plant extracts. Having long hair, it's important to take good care of it.

I use Klorane's oak milk shampoo. You can get it on sasa.com.

It doesn't foam a lot, which is a good thing, because foaming comes from harsh ingredients like sodium laureth sulfate. This shampoo rinses off easily and you're left with soft, clean hair that doesn't tangle.

Once a week, I use Klorane's mango butter hair mask. I smooth a big spoonful of this delicious cream into my hair, avoiding the scalp. Leave it in for 10 minutes (or 20 minutes in a warm towel for deep conditioning), rinse it off, and vibrant, silky hair is guaranteed for the rest of the week.