The color of love, passion and power. One cannot go unnoticed when wearing it. Depending on how you style it, your look can be romantic or downright dramatic. Red is a 2020 trend that will add a little extra to any outfit. Especially during the month of love.
What I do especially in the winter when your wardrobe skews towards darker tones is to switch it up with a pop of color. Simply slipping on a vintage YSL jacket or a cute red cap from Zara as I did here will amp up any look. Another way to upgrade any look is to dress all in one color like white, blue or black and add a red handbag or shoes. Bold, red accents instantly inject a little life into any outfit.
Even if you simply add a touch to your lips or nails it looks chic and feminine especially with Valentine’s Day on it’s way. Personally, I love the classic Chanel Le Vernis in 08 – Pirate for my nails and Dior’s Rouge Ultra Care Liquid in 707 Bliss. It’s a flawless, flower oil liquid lipstick – ultra weightless wear and petal velvet finish. The ideal companion for a romantic V-Day date night.
Time for some TLC. January is the perfect time to crackdown on those New Years resolutions. For my part it’s my health and self care that I want to focus on. Having been extremely ill recently, I cannot express how much I value balance, wellness and health. Which is why I want to refocus and hone in on something that will be around for as long as I live: myself…!
First things first, the cold chilly air here in Geneva really affects my skin so I make sure to take extra care of it. My skincare routine is like a mini pampering session that I enjoy indulging in when it gets icy cold outside in Switzerland like today. I have been using this routine for over a year now and really love the results so I thought I’d share them with you today.
Since I travel a lot, I look for multifunctional products and Elline skincare range fit the bill just perfectly. What is more, it’s a Swiss premium cosmetics brand that is free of sulphates, parabens and harmful preservatives. Making them my go to option. Each of their products smells luscious and divine. What is more their packaging is gorgeous and ultra luxe. Did I mention the boxes lights up when you open them?!
Aside from this, the actual quality of the products speak for themselves. I opted for the ‘Treasures of Youth’ collection. I went ahead and started with the 24H Intensive Cream. Rich in texture, it really soothes the skin and nourishes it deeply.
On a daily basis, I’ll start with the Elline cleanser. Then I’ll pop on some Clinique eye cream and The Ordinary serum which I discovered last year in New York and absolutely love. If I’m motivated, I’ll use my jade roller to gently work in the serum and then spritz on some Valjean Labs Facial Mist. Letting that sink in. Then, I mix two drops of Clarins Radiance Plus Golden Booster into my Elline moisturizer before tucking in bed for the night.
On days when I feel very tired and that my skin really needs an extra boost, I’ll apply the Elline Miracle Mask and leave it on the whole night. It’s perfect ally against these cold winter days because it contains Hydrolite which helps prevent your skin from drying out. It also has powerful ingredients that revitalize the skin including vitamin E-rich sunflower oil and Capuaçu butter, which is rich in vitamins B1, B2 and B3.
Are you looking for more beauty and skincare ideas? Click here!
I love this period of the year just between Christmas and New Years when all I want to do is hibernate under the covers. It’s the perfect time to stay cozy with a cup of hot chocolate and good company. This was just the case a couple days ago. I grabbed a cappuccino with my friend and fellow blogger Diana Mengyan at the W Verbier, a luxurious hotel in the Swiss Alps with the perfect pic ops.
Comfort is key during the winter season. So I opted for a huge snuggly, soft sweater and leather leggings. I paired them with simple pearls on my ears and a touch of gold on my wrists. The sneakers were the main focus of my outfit with their adorable fluffy trim details.
I’m off to Italy to celebrate the new year and need to start packing now…! Wishing you a lovely start to 2020 and stay tuned for more adventures!
Situated in the heart of Zürich, a stones throw away from the central train station, the 25Hours Hotel Langstrasse is ideal if you plan a short trip in Zurich. We stayed in the 25Hours Langstrasse Hotel in Zurich in mid-December for a weekend getaway. It was a great experience, especially as I love Zurich city so much. It is the perfect combination of urban cool kids and sleek city glamour. Zurich is in fact the largest city in Switzerland. It is a melting pot of art, culture, finance, filled with upscale bankers and quirky bohemians.
The neighborhood of the hotel is where the infamous Langstrasse intersects with the hyper-modern Europaalle. Built in 2017, the hotel had a cool and contemporary edge to it. Indeed, the 25Hours Hotel Langstrasse is part of the The 25Hours Hotels group, a group of 13 hotels in 9 cities. Each one is tailored to the specific location. In Zurich there are actually two 25Hours hotels: Langstrasse and Zürich West.
The hotel itself had a hip interior design that reflected the creative district. The room had the most beautiful full length windows. I was particularly in love with the bathroom lighting which was perfect for selfies. Even the bathrobes where edgy. Instead of the usual white bathrobes that hotels provide, these where black with yellow embroidery. The pillows had playful phrases printed on them and the room had its own Polaroid camera which echoed that artsy aspect of the hotel. Indeed the 25hours Langstrasse hotel actually offers an artist in residence programs through “The Atelier”.
With Christmas around the corner, we got to enjoy the Zurich Christmas market and strolled around the beautifully decorated city center all lit up in the evening. Later on in the evening, we headed to the hotel bar, the Cinchona, which is very popular with the local Zurich crowd. The bar decor was quirky and cool with plants that twirled around the golden furniture and bikes hanging from the ceiling.
Then, in the morning we took advantage of the SPA area and sauna – which was very relaxing. There was an endless selection of healthy teas to enjoy and even a tea tap! So that you could instantly brew up a nice cup as you sat back and enjoyed yourself. The different tea names were in line with the hotel’s playful nature, featuring flavors such as “Master Mint”, “Low Rider” “Maybe Baby” and “Lazy Daze”.
Then we heading down to enjoy a delicious brunch. The menu included a wide selection of Mediterranean dishes. There was also some delicious homemade chocolate, in line with the Swiss nature of the location.
Urban, cool and artsy, the beautiful 25Hours Hotel Langstrasse is the ideal for a short stay in Zurich.
Thank you so very much for the most wonderful stay!
When it comes to sustainable fashion in luxury it has become more than a buzzword; it has become a conscious necessity. In particular for millennial and Generation Z consumers.
In fashion, there has been a paradigm shift linked directly to the fact that these generations are exposed to the internet and social networks. Making them aware of social and economic issues linked to the way we consume and wanting to take action. Millennials are mindful consumers. It’s no longer sufficient to use the best quality leather for your designer handbag. Millennial consumers want the product to be made of ethically sourced raw materials that respect fair trade and use sustainable production practices.
So how are millennials are transforming the luxury market? And more importantly: how can we stay chic and sustainable at the same time?
Digital natives with a conscious, millennials like myself care about what and how we consume. 14% of consumers from the ages 18 to 24 complete their first luxury purchase online. What is more, today although millennials only represent 32% of spending in the luxury market, come 2025, millennials are expected to make up 50% of the luxury market (FORBES, 2019). Meaning that we have a direct impact on the luxury market as future consumers with a substantial purchasing power. Luxury brands aware of this are upping their green game. Conscious that luxury sustainability will become synonymous with our way of consuming fashion.
“Sustainability will continue to advance in importance,” Sarah Willersdorf, partner and managing director at BCG and Global Head of Luxury explains. “It will feed both the secondary-luxury market as well as give a lift to limited-run collaborations which show a brand’s respect for not flooding the market with too much merchandise.”
Some luxury fashion brands such as Stella McCartney are already way ahead of the game. In 2018, Gucci also eradicated fur from their collections in an effort towards ethical manufacturing their creations.
Purchase decisions are shifting and the luxury landscape with it. For example 56% of true-luxury consumers are attuned to luxury brands’ stance on social responsibility. 62% choose to do business with a brand that supports sustainability over a brand that does not, compared with 50% in 2013. Interestingly, sustainable luxury consumers are primarily concerned with the environment (37%), animal care (27%) and ethical manufacturing (21%). Whilst millennials top priorities are on the environment (42%) and animal treatment (26%), versus Boomers whose primary concern is ethical manufacturing (32%). (FORBES, 2019)
The characteristics of millennial behavior are seeping into older generations— which accounted for 73% of luxury purchases in 2016. (Bain & Company)
The stigma of second-hand luxury fashion goods is rapidly becoming a thing of the past.
“Second-hand luxury is rapidly becoming mainstream,” Willersdorf says. “And it is not just the lower price that attracts these true-luxury consumers. It is often the only way they can buy scarce, limited-edition, special sold-out collaborations missed the first time or vintage items.”
Breathing a second life into your wardrobe – traditionally considered less impressive than getting a new shiny item – is now the cool thing to do. Lending, renting and buying clothes second hand luxury goods is an eco-friendly trend in 2020 that is here to stay.
Unsurprisingly handbags make up 40% of all pre-owned purchases. The most popular and purchased pre-owned brands are the big players such as Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Dior. With Vestiaire Collective at the forefront (BCG, 2019). I can honestly say that my first purchase was indeed a pre-loved Balenciaga City Bag bought with my first paycheck. The reasons for this? Firstly, it was a classic in Balenciaga’s permanent collection and bound to stay in style for years to come. Second, I happened to have spotted the exact same petrol blue bag on the arm of my favorite fashion blogger Chiara Ferrangi. And lastly, it was a little treat from me to me without breaking the bank but still investing in a quality, luxury item that I still have, wear and love. Timeless style, the product’s qualify and prestige are all key factors Millennials take into account when purchasing a luxury good such as a handbag.
Moreover, Millennials (myself included) are known to spend time, endlessly exploring and comparing their retail options, both online and in-store. My favorite luxury resale websites include The RealReal, Ruelala and of course Vestiare Collective. Also if you are looking for a hard go find piece Lyst is amazing. Whilst Swiss equivalents include LuxuryLove and Reawake in Zurich and Vintage Garderobe and Downtown Uptown in Geneva.
Geneva, Switzerland.
