LuxuryActivist

LuxuryActivist is an international lifestyle webzine based in Switzerland. Get fresh news about luxury, arts, fashion, beauty, travel, high-tech and more. subscribe to our Happy friday luxury newsletter or follow us in social media.
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Ice Ice Baby – in pictures

Fashion: Ice Ice Baby - in pictures

Mellow out in the gently muted colours of spring's coolest palette, with light cotton shirts, linen jackets
and sharp shorts. Peaches and cream for two, please…

Fashion editors: Jo Jones and Helen Seamons
Photographs: Chloe Mallett
Make-up and hair: Ruth Warrior at onemakeup.com using Guerlain Terracotta, Fake Bake for skin and Kiehl's
Fashion assistant: Katie Tillyer
Models: Genesis and Dewi at Select
Special thanks to Shelly and Lenny Pitt for the loan of the Nissan Figaro

New spring fragrance 2012

l'eau de chloe

Heaven scent: L'Eau de Chloe

You know it's spring because everything smells different. Winter perfumes smell of patchouli and bonfires; spring perfumes smell of blossom and hope, and sometimes laundry detergent and babies. The new Chlo fragrance, L'Eau de Chlo (36.50, 0800 083 6312), smells the way "pretty" looks. It's like grass and camping holidays, and rosewater and homemade lemonade. Also fabulous is White Lotus by Illuminum (175, illuminumfragrancelounge.com), the niche British perfumer whose scent Kate Middleton wore on her wedding day. It smells fresher than the newest thing you can imagine, fresher than a glossy magazine page.

Alternatively...

Chanel Allure Homme Sport 48, 020 7493 3836
Illuminum Haute Perfume 175, as above
Tom Ford Lavender Palm 120, 0870 034 2566
Jo Malone London Blooms Collection 72, jomalone.com
Byredo Parfums Seven Veils 88, liberty.co.uk

Rich luxury day creams

origins youthtopia

Turning back the years: Origins Youthtopia.

While it's not a treat in the sense that a whole chocolate mousse cake to oneself is a treat, or a day watching old 30 Rocks while pretending to your boss that you've got a dicky tummy after eating a whole gone-off chocolate mousse cake is a treat, rich day moisturisers are certainly on the treat spectrum. Origins's Youthtopia range (Ultra-rich Firming Cream, 45, johnlewis.com) is perfect daily for dry skin and excellent twice a week for normal skin – or, if you've got the cash, Perricone MD's Nourishing Moisturiser (60, perriconemd.co.uk). It's like chucking a glass of water straight on to your face, but less drippy.

Alternatively

Simple 3.89, boots.com
Chanel 50 (020 7493 3836)
Rodial 75, rodial.co.uk
Clinique 30, clinique.co.uk
SK-II 265, harrods.com

Sisley opens Flagship counter at Jelmoli in Zürich

Last night, I was kindly invited by Sisley to attend to the opening of their first beauty flagship counter in Switzerland. It is placed in the beauty area of the prestigious luxury...

Hot spring menswear on the high street – in pictures

Originally from: Hot spring menswear on the high street – in pictures

Fashion Statement: Ballet pumps, Acquascutum in administration and the trend test

Fashion Statement: Ballet pumps, Acquascutum collapse and readers testing trends

Fashion Statement: Ballet pumps, Acquascutum collapse and readers testing trends. Photograph: Hulton Archive/Guardian /Martin Karius/Duffy/Rex Features

Dare to bare? Our readers did!
Well, sort of. Four Guardian fashion readers volunteered to Test the Trend this month, which involved wearing Warehouse's sheer grey top and letting us know how the style worked for them. Three of them liked it, and one most definitely did not, so overall it was a thumbs up for Warehouse from the ladies. If you want to take part in a forthcoming Test the Trend feature, please email us with your full name, dress and shoe size, age, occupation and location.

A photoshoot for Aquascutum menswear, 1960 A photoshoot for Aquascutum menswear, 1960. Photograph: Duffy/Getty Images

Acquascutum falls into administration
"In a tale of two trench coats, Aquascutum collapsed into administration as Burberry posted an 11% rise in sales," wrote Josephine Moulds and Zoe Wood of the demise of the 161-year-old business. "Harold Tillman, owner of retailers Jaeger and Aquascutum (the name means 'water shield') had ambitions to follow in the footsteps of Burberry, another classic but antiquated British label which had reinvented itself as a worldwide luxury brand. The dream came to an abrupt end after Tillman on Monday sold Jaeger in a rescue deal and appointed administrators FRP Advisory for Aquascutum." Read the full story here.

Samantha Cameron, Elle MacPherson, Kate Moss, Pippa Middleton, Samantha Cameron, Elle MacPherson, Kate Moss, Pippa Middleton Composite

Ballet pumps? That will be a flat no.
Apparently ballet pumps are so popular that they're being blamed for damaging Marks & Spencers' profits. Yep, so good it's ... bad? "There were 100,000 pairs sold in the first quarter of 2012 – a whopping 76% rise on 2011 – but the retailer says that it should have bought more stock, and could have sold 7,000 more pairs," writes Jess Cartner-Morley. "The figures confirm what John Lewis reported last August, when it announced ballet pump sales were up 129% on the same month in the previous summer: the ballet pump is over."

Invisible Woman Photograph: Jen Petreshock/Getty Images

Getting dressed when you're getting old is tough - literally
The Guardian's Invisible Woman knows a thing or two about balancing out the inevitable ageing process with looking good. But what about wear and tear? And she's not talking about clothing. "The four cuffs in my left shoulder are deeply and profoundly unhappy – and deeply and profoundly painful. In short, I can't move my arm to the side or behind me, or push, or pull, or carry anything heavier than a paper clip. It's not uncommon," she writes. "It's wear and tear, and I'll bet a pound to a penny that lots of you have suffered from the same condition. It's a debilitating unpleasant thing and it's pulled me up short because there are lots of things I can't do easily. Like putting on a bra, for example. I've been given a premonition of my old age, and I don't like it." Who would? Plenty of readers offered practical advice, but the tea and sympathy was appreciated just as much.

Agi & Sam Models display creations by designer Agi and Sam of MAN during a fashion show at London Fashion Week, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012. Photograph: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP

Men's fashion is all the rage in Britain
Two stories this week prove that British menswear is at an all time high. First comes this buzz generating video from London Collections: Men announcing the first ever dedicated men's fashion event in London, which will kick off in June. Details of the schedule are expected any day now, but as the video in question shows, it's high time British menswear got the props it deserves. Speaking of which, our second exciting British men's fashion-shaped feature comes via assistant fashion editor, Simon Chilvers, and his inspiring interview with newcomers Agi & Sam. Roll on June, we say.

Illamasque makeup Illamasqua makeup: would you wear blue lipstick? Well, would you?

• If you want even more fashion-related things to read, head to guardian.co.uk/fashionfor Jess Cartner-Morley on sparkly trousers, the very same JCM interviewing Tinie Tempah on his new clothing range and Anita Bhagwandas on daring to wear blue lipstick this summer.

Daily moisturisers: Eva Wiseman

daily moisturiser

Once a day, to keep the wrinkles away: tips for a daily moisturiser. Photograph: Observer

A daily moisturiser needs to do these things: feel light on the skin, so you barely remember it's there; make you not feel all dry and tight-skinned after a day sat under the air conditioning; make your cheeks feel smooth, not sticky; give a lovely base for your make-up, so it doesn't cluster in your forehead wrinkles; have some sun protection, so you don't look older than you need to. Also: hydrate. While Dr Hauschka's Moisturizing Day Cream (17.95, drhauschka.co.uk) doesn't have any sun protection, it does feel silky and smoothing, as does Shiseido's new Super Revitalizing Cream (75, 020 7313 4774), which is recommended for over-30s. Add your own SPF, or use Este Lauder's DayWear (37, johnlewis.com), which has an SPF of 15 and makes you feel like you've drunk your eight glasses of water.

Alternatively

Givenchy Hydra Sparkling Fluid 39, 01932 233 824
Omorovicza 74, liberty.co.uk
Clarins Extra Firming Day Cream 46, 0800 036 3558
Philosophy 34, boots.com
Nivea Anti-wrinkle Day Cream 11.08, boots.com
Shiseido 75, 020 7313 4774

Beauty spot: blonde hair products

Woman shampoo

How to keep those blonde highlights. Photograph: Alamy

Fellow blondies, I'm going to educate you. Let's go back to school. Remember the colour wheel? The complimentary colour for yellow is purple. What does this mean for you? When your icy-bright blonde highlights turn crabby, you need violet shampoo. Three words: Davines Alchemic Shampoo (13.75, 020 3301 5449). What it can do for you! Not only is the stuff eye-piercingly purple and served in a Calpol bottle, there is a real science to it (pigments). The conditioner (17.90) is also beautiful. But if brightening just won't do, take a more drastic measure. Come on, John Freida, come forward. The brand-new Go Blonder Controlled Lightening Spray (6.99, johnfrieda.co.uk) gives a magical boost. Just spray into the roots and the lengths, blow dry and sparkle.

Alternatively

Fudge Clean Blonde Violet Toning Shampoo 11.95, 01282 683 100
Pureology Perfect 4 Platinum Miracle Filler 15.45, 0800 783 3026
Philip Kingsley Pure Silver Conditioner 17.90, philipkingsley.co.uk
Lee Stafford Hot Shots 4 Blondes 7.19 for 3, 0845 070 8090
KMS California Color Vitality Blonde Treatment 14.30, kmscalifornia.com

LuxuryActivist

LuxuryActivist is an international lifestyle webzine based in Switzerland. Get fresh news about luxury, arts, fashion, beauty, travel, high-tech and more. subscribe to our Happy friday luxury newsletter or follow us in social media.
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