freshness for the summer

When the sun starts peering through the rain and summer is around the corner, I commence my search for the holy grail: an original, fresh and not cloying cologne!
 I grew up in Spain where children get plastered with eau de cologne as they go out . You can buy eau de cologne for children and adults in litre size plastic bottles(at no great cost), so you can imagine the daily consumption. Nowadays thanks to to internet, you can buy them online and I no longer have to ask Spanish friends to carry several litre bottles in their small holdalls!

Nenuco, is for small children and medically approved, but many adult women wear it for its lovely fresh, innocent and clean smell, I transpose the cologne in purse size sprays and keep the plastic bottle in my bathroom, where I use it every morning splashing it on, my small daughter has taken over the ritual and splashes it over her hair.

If you want a drier mediteranean scorching countryside smell, try Puig "agua de lavanda"( with very dry lavender and aromatic herbs such as thyme ), it has great lasting power too.Another wondeful old fashioned citrussy fresh but very feminine cologne is that of Myrurgia's original "colonia1916", this too I have seen available online, the bottle is classy and it has a lovely old fashioned label, which will look great on any dressingtable. All of these are not heavy on your purses, so enjoy splashing them on! 

If you want to splash out on eau de toilette editions of the cologne variety here are several I really enjoy; "Roma" by Laura Biagotti, grapefruit with thyme and other aromatic herbs; the original Bulgari "cologne du thé vert"( I don't like the more concentrated version it seems more cloying and the tea element too overpowering to give freshness). To those that love the fresh smell of clean cotton freshly washed, try  Thierry Mugler's cologne,it really gives off a dry laundry fresh smell, great for really hot days. My final choice is Loewe's take on the orignal Spanish cologne but in a concentrated version, that will last all morning; "Agua de Loewe". Be sybaritic!

A holiday by the sea in springtime

Dear fellow bloggers, went away for a spell by the seaside in Zeeland (or land by the sea in Dutch), a province on the west coast of The Netherlands. Unspoilt even though there is alot of tourism. Cycling on the seadykes; on one side the sea and the other the dutch polder landscape, you feel the fight of Man against nature. My fellow compatriots have been clawing at the sea for some extra land for centuries.
 Zeeland is a case in point. after a huge flooding of the province in 1953, the Dutch closed off part of the islands in this province from the sea with what is called the Delta works, a system of sluices and bridges which close off huge parts of the sea.
Today Zeeland has preserved its heritage of unspoilt coastline with nature reserves along the coast and small coastal towns dating back to the 15th century like Brouwershaven.
The Netherlands is such a small country within Europe, but they have managed to keep tourism a vital mouthfeeder btu not allow it to spoil the landscape. As you drive, cycle or walk in Zeeland, you feel proud to be a fellow human being, achieving harnessing nature but not destroying it, keeping alive the traces of history to make us reflect on the future of our planet.

Colour blocking or the art to have fun with colour!

I thought it wonderful when colour blocking appeared on the scene last year, but this year some fashion designers have continued with it and perhaps easier for our purses, so has the high street. If you want striking design and flash colour in your lingerie, look up Dutch lingerie designer, Marlies Dekkers, the shapes very flattering and modern retro! I love to combine that with flash nail varnish, Chanel gave us a wonderful lemon yellow nail varnish in last years summer collection, but I think the OPI "it colour", a mellow warm yellow is easier to wear for all skins.
To keep to your fun flash mood in your outer clothes what about lacy or soft cotton flash yellow, hot pink or aguamarine dresses with a legging and ballerinas in the same or contrasting  tone?The dresses can be found at Melvin, a Belgian high street label with a Diane von Furstenberg attitude; comfortable feminine wrap dresses , combined with great prints and colour. Ballerinas in a variety of colour, including patent yellow, hot pink and coral suede can be found at French internet shoesite Sarenza, look for the Spanish shoemaker Valensi (added bonus they go from 33 to 44 in high fashion designs, great!).
Top this orgy of colour with one of my favourite feelgood and highly quirky make up labels "Benefit", started by two sisters, who with retro packaging and really useful pragmatic makeup give us a great start to the day.
Should you be feeling flush with cash and wanting to treat yourself , then have a look at italian label Blugirl who does a wonderful collection in mandarine and pinks with 50's accents. For a 60's design look in great lemon and green Carolina Herrera has done some great outfits combining todays shapes and textiles with the graphic design of the mod 60's. As you can guess my favourite colour this spring and summer is yellow and so my fabbest fashion item of all is Mrc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton pale lemon coat in stiff cotton with crochet appliques.

have fun!!!