May
19
On Holiday
by Sofia - in Random
We are now officially on our summer holiday! Bliss! For myself I packed plenty of loose tunics to slip on my swimsuit, espadrilles, sunglasses and a wide brimmed straw hat. Unfortunately the sun is not my skins best friend. I never end up with a lovely gingerbread tan so instead I opt to lay in the shadows with my book or cover up a little while playing in the sun with the girls. But I do love a bit of a sun kissed look. That healthy glow. To enhance my fair tan and to really make it glow I have a few favourite products I have used for years. These are more of a summer holiday essentials than everyday items for me. The other one is the golden shimmering dry oil from Nuxe ( I actually found a travel sized one at a pharmacy in France) and the other is Bobbi Brown´s shimmer brick in bronze for the face. They give you that lovely golden glow. They are not really bronzing just lightly shimmering in just the right way. The gorgeous straw hat in the photos was a find last summer. It´s from an Australian brand called Helen Kaminsky. Someone asked me for hints on where to find a great summer hat. Unfortunately the place where I got mine does not exist anymore but I recommend looking through the hats at department stores ( I bought a great one at Bloomingdales in NYC and I´ve seen gorgeous ones at the Bon Marche in Paris but I´m sure Finnish department stores must carry good styles too). I know Panama hats are still all the rage but I personally like a wide brim for myself. Think glamorous people in the South of France in the 40´s , 50´s and 60´s ( like Grace Kelly or Gwynnie´s style in The Talented mr. Ripley movie)! That´s what I like to go after for my beach look.
May
15
Happy thoughts and books
by Sofia - in Random
Onnen aihetta löytyy lähes aina kauniista kukista. Kun koti on viime päivinä täyttynyt monista suosikeista kuten tuoksuherneistä, pioneista, ruusuista ja hortensioista ei ihminen voi olla kovin onneton. Sain myös äidiltäni äitienpäivänä kauniin uuden Lollian käsivoiteen joka on pionin ja valkoisen liljan tuoksuinen. Se on tavattoman kaunis ja jää tuohon yöpöydälle. Mielestäni on ihanaa rasvata kädet ja jalat sängyssä juuri ennen nukkumaan menoa jollain suloisen tuoksuisella voiteella. Jossain kuvassa vilahtava sormus sopi sävyiltään kuviin myös kauniisti. Sain sen joulupukilta. Olen jo vuosia haaveillut tuollaisesta jossa on myös vaaleanpunainen kivi. Sitten nuo iloa tuovat kirjat. Kanadaan muuttanut kaverini laittoi minulle viestiä jonkin aikaa sitten, että olen ollut hänen ajatuksissaan. Hän oli alkanut lukea Madame Chic-kirjoja ja ne kuulemma muistuttivat häntä minusta kovasti. Tottakai minun piti tilata kirjat itselleni. Ne ovat kepeää ja kivaa lukemista. Kirjat sisältävät lähinnä vinkkejä siihen kuinka elää elämäänsä nauttien päivittäin yksinkertaisista kauniista asioista ja kuinka löytää itsestään “chic” puoli. Kirjan kirjoittaja on inspiroitunut vaihto-oppilasvuodestaan jolloin hän asui Ranskalaisessa perheessä Pariisin 16. asuinalueella Madame Chicin luona ja oppi tältä aivan uuden elmänasenteen Kaliforniassa vietetyn lapsuutensa jälkeen. Ja toden totta moni asia mikä kirjoissa tulee esille, vastaa omaa elämäntapaani. Hyvän mielen kirjoja. Ja otin tietenkin ystäväni viestin suurena kohteliaisuutena ja ilahduin, ihanaa jos jonkun mielestä olen chic!
May
12
Lattemamma´s coffee
by Sofia - in Random
I think it´s not a secret that I´m a coffee drinker. I´m the person who goes “ha” when reading funny quotes about coffee. Like this or this or this. I like a cup of coffee in the morning ( insert a husband with a face that say “Liar! You have at least 2!”). And I like to order coffee when I go out with a friend to talk about nothing or something very important. I like to drink a cup of coffee in the afternoon before picking the girls up from nursery. It´s like a special little moment all to myself before concentrating on little people for the rest of the day. After four o´clock I usually don´t have any more coffee. But I can easily drink 3, sometimes even 4 cups of coffee a day. I´m very picky with my coffee though. If it´s not ” good coffee” I´d rather not have it. ( The same goes with wine. Why drink it if it´s bad?)
A few years back my dad bought me a Nespresso machine for Valentine´s day. I think it was partly a selfish gift as they had had a Nespresso machine for a few years ( they hauled the machine and suitcases of the pods from abroad before there even was Nespresso in Finland) and he was just so used to getting great coffee so easily done. So he wanted the same convenience when they came over to babysit. I was pretty instantly converted. Every single cup you make is great. There is no going wrong. But at first I thought it was a bit ” fake”. That making coffee should be about grounding the coffee beans and steaming hot water and what not. But I must say I gave up on that thought long ago. We have a small metal recycling bin in our building where we recycle the empty pods/ capsules and that is the only “trouble” this coffee causes me. No mess ever, no coffee grounds on the table. But my old machine only made espresso, ristretto and lungo ( that´s a bit like americano) so I had to heat the milk and froth it separately for my cappuccinos ( that is my choice of coffee). Not anymore. Nespresso was super kind and made my day ( or shall we say days as I thank them every morning) and gave me a new Latissima Touch machine. It´s just PERFECT. It makes my cappuccino just so with a touch of a button. It also makes all the coffees the old machine made, lattes and just frothed milk ( our girls like to drink babyccinos sometimes) with one slight touch of a button. And it´s the easiest thing to clean too. I know you may think I should be saying this because the machine was a gift but honestly I was so thrilled about this collaboration that I probably called half of my friends when I heard about it. Nespresso and I are a match made in heaven.
