Luxury Activist | Since 2010

The New Victorinox Huntsman and Spartan Wood – Beautiful.

Design

-

7 March 2018

Reading Time: 5 minutes

This year Victorinox continues its dedication to design and to perpetuate the story of the iconic Swiss Army Knife. A while ago the Swiss brand started a full collection of pocket tools with wood scales. This detail of design was bringing a natural yet very elegant aspect to the pocket tools. Today there are two new models joining the collection: The new Victorinox Huntsman Wood and the new Victorinox Spartan Wood. Beautiful pieces that LuxuryActivist was lucky enough to get and to test.

The New Victorinox Spartan Wood – Icons Are For Ever

With the new Victorinox Spartan Wood, fans will enjoy the well known and iconic Spartan with new scales made in Walnut wood. Functional yet elegant, the Spartan Wood Swiss Army Knife packs 10 essential functions into its slimline profile, which is encased in scales of elegant, durable walnut wood. With the wood giving it a handcrafted, tactile feel, each tool is unique, thanks to the material’s natural grain. But don’t think this is a knife that’s a soft touch – it’s a noble, lightweight companion that’s made for everyday use and every day’s adventure, whether carried in a pocket or a toolbox. You will not be disappointed with it.

The Spartan is a direct descendant of the historic Victorinox Officer’s Knife, having essentially the same toolset as the original knife, but the modern versions of the tools. The earlier ‘Standard ‘ model was the predecessor to the Spartan and its name was a reflection of its early military heritage. It is almost identical to the Spartan, but with solid scales, which did not contain the tweezers or toothpick tools, and also usually did not included the key-ring. The original Spartan has the same tool set as the original Victorinox Officer’s Knife so it is a direct descendant of that historic Swiss Army Knife. The later versions only adding the toothpick and tweezers. The Spartan usually has classic red Cellidor scales, however it is/has been available in several different colours including ruby, blue, sapphire, green, emerald, yellow, black, white, and camouflage. Now Victorinox has extended the variations to Wood.

In terms of functions, you will be pleased to find the essential 10 functionalities that made the reputation of the Victorinox Spartan.

large blade
small blade
can opener
screwdriver 3 mm
bottle opener
wire stripper
screwdriver 6 mm
reamer, punch and sewing awl
corkscrew
key ring

With the new Spartan Wood, you will appreciate the tactile feeling in handling it with its soft and natural texture. It will become the addictive companion you will carry always in your pocket.

The New Victorinox Huntsman Wood – So natural

The Victorinox Huntsman is the perfect companion to be out there! It gathers all essential functionalities that will make your day and to take advantage of many situations. Functional yet elegant, the Huntsman Wood Swiss Army Knife packs 13 essential functions into its slimline profile, which is encased in scales of elegant, durable walnut wood. The Victorinox Huntsman is probably one of the most popular choices among the Swiss Army Knives of this size (91mm). It has 2 specific tools very useful: the wood-saw and the scissors. When you know the quality of the tools, you are definitely happy to get these in one pocket tool. I personally use the wood-saw for many garden works, cutting perfectly small branches (sometimes not that small!). This tool configuration has been manufactured in different forms and sizes for a several decades. Red and black Cellidor scales are fairly standard, with ruby, sapphire, and Silver Tech recently being offered as well. Camouflage scales are also available in either Shadow Grass or New Breakup patterns. As with most models other colors may be available from time to time or in specific markets. Now with the wood scales, the Victorinox Huntsman gets a new look, very coherent with its nature.

With the Victorinox Huntsman we have a very useful, efficient and practical tool, which is the wood-saw.

large blade
small blade
can opener
screwdriver 3 mm
bottle opener
wire stripper
screwdriver 6 mm
corkscrew
scissors
wood saw
multipurpose hook
key ring

In the wood scales collection there was already the Victorinox Forester Wood, the Ranger Wood, the Evolution Wood and the Swiss Champ Wood. With the Spartan and Huntsman, Victorinox offers a magnificent variation that any collectors and Victorinox lovers would like to get. You can discover more about the amazing world of Victorinox by connecting to the official website: https://www.victorinox.com

Victorinox masters the design like few brands and the Swiss company perpetuates a fantastic story-telling across different products. With the continuity of reviewing icons of the brand, Victorinox surprises us always with great additions to the existing collections. We cannot wait to see more from them.

José Amorim

Info sourced thanks to product testing facilitated by Victorinox. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only.

EnregistrerEnregistrerEnregistrerEnregistrer

EnregistrerEnregistrer

EnregistrerEnregistrerEnregistrerEnregistrerEnregistrerEnregistrerEnregistrerEnregistrer

EnregistrerEnregistrer

Oscars 2018, what do you need to know about this 90th ceremony

LuxuryActivist

-

4 March 2018

0

Reading Time: 7 minutes

We tend to say that the Oscars is the Super-bowl of Culture. In any case winning an Oscar is probably the highest achievement accomplished by an actor, director, or any related professional to the cinema industry. Here is everything you should know.

2018 Oscars winners

Here is the full list of the Oscars winners for this year. As we can see the great winners are The Shape of Water and Dunkirk.

Best Picture: “The Shape of Water”
Director: Guillermo del Toro, “The Shape of Water”
Actor: Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”
Actress: Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Supporting Actor: Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Supporting Actress: Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”
Original Screenplay: “Get Out”
Adapted Screenplay: “Call Me by Your Name”
Foreign Language Film: “A Fantastic Woman”
Animated Feature: “Coco”
Visual Effects: “Blade Runner 2049”
Film Editing: “Dunkirk”
Animated Short: “Dear Basketball”
Live Action Short: “The Silent Child”
Documentary Short: “Heaven Is a Traffic Jam on the 405”
Score: “The Shape of Water”
Song: “Remember Me” from “Coco”
Production Design: “The Shape of Water”
Cinematography: “Blade Runner 2049”
Costume Design: “Phantom Thread”
Makeup and Hairstyling: “Darkest Hour”
Documentary Feature: “Icarus”
Sound Editing: “Dunkirk”
Sound Mixing: “Dunkirk”

The Oscars Statuette, an icon of achievement

The Oscars statuette is probably one of the most recognizable awards in the world. According to the Academy Awards, until this year, 2’995 statuettes were presented during the 89 ceremonies hold so far. This year 24 new statuettes will find a legitimate and talented new owner. The first time the golden knight personnification was given to someone was in the initial awards banquet on May 16th 1929. Emil Jannings was named Best Actor for his amazing performance in “The Last Command” and “The Way of All Flesh“.

The Statuette was originally designed by MGM Art Director Cedric Gibbons. It is supposed to represent a Gold knight holding a sword and standing on a reel of film. The film reel features five spokes, signifying the five original branches of the Academy: actors, directors, producers, technicians and writers. Although the statuette remains true to its original design, the size of the base varied until 1945, when the current standard was adopted. During the years, the statuette got some revamps and this year, for the 88th edition, it will have another makeover. The statuettes, which had been manufactured by Chicago company R.S. Owens since 1982, will now be made by Polich Tallix Fine Art Foundry in Rock Tavern, New York, known for its collaborations with artists and architects like Louise Bourgeois. As part of the switch, the statuette is going back to its roots with a design that incorporates details from George Stanley’s original creation.

Since 1950, the statuettes have been legally encumbered by the requirement that neither winners nor their heirs may sell the statuettes without first offering to sell them back to the Academy for US$1. If a winner refuses to agree to this stipulation, then the Academy keeps the statuette. Academy Awards not protected by this agreement have been sold in public auctions and private deals for six-figure sums. In December 2011, Orson Welles’ 1941 Oscar for Citizen Kane (Best Original Screenplay) was put up for auction, after his heirs won a 2004 court decision contending that Welles did not sign any agreement to return the statue to the Academy. On December 20, 2011, it sold in an online auction for US$861,542.

Who is voting at the Oscars?

In order to vote for the Best Motion Picture or Best Director, you need to be part of the prestigious Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This membership will give you the rights to vote. In the first edition of the ceremony, only 230 voters participated in the awards allocation. Today they are 7’258 active members with voting rights. Can anyone be member of the Academy? Not exactly. To get into the Academy, first of all, you have to work in film production, according to the organization’s membership rules. So no press allowed, which makes the Academy Awards distinct from many annual-awards groups. A candidate has to be sponsored by two current members of the organization’s branch, which they hope to join. The Academy has 17 branches ranging from acting, directing, and writing to producers and executives. The largest segment of members is made up of actors, giving them an outsize influence on what ultimately wins. Here are the conditions to join the Academy if you are an Actor:

From Academy Bylaws:

Article III, Section 1. Membership shall be by invitation of the Board of Governors. Invitations to active membership shall be limited to those persons active in the motion picture arts and sciences, or credited with screen achievements, or who have otherwise achieved distinction in the motion picture arts and sciences and who, in the opinion of the Board, are qualified for membership.

To be considered for invitation to membership in the Actors Branch of the Academy, an individual must:

(a) have a minimum of three theatrical feature film credits, in all of which the roles played were scripted roles, one of which was released in the past five years, and all of which are of a caliber that reflect the high standards of the Academy,

and/or

(b) have been nominated for an Academy Award in one of the acting categories,

or

(c) have, in the judgment of the Actors Branch Executive Committee, otherwise achieved unique distinction, earned special merit or made an outstanding contribution as a motion picture actor.

Key facts of this year ceremony

The Oscars is a tremendous event, probably one of the most universal ones, together with the Olympic games. There are 255 countries live broadcasting the Oscars, no matter is the local time is in the morning, the afternoon or the middle of the night. The first TV broadcasted show was the 25th ceremony back in 1953. Here are some facts and figures for this year ceremony.

3’300 seats: these are the number of seats you can find at the Dolby theater, the place hosting the Oscars ceremony.
900 ft of Red: this is the length of the famous red carpet. This represents 275m which is a quite long distance in heels.
1’804 journalists: Thousands of journalists coming from all over the world are accredited to cover the ceremony, pre-Oscars and post-Oscars.
USD 30 Million: this is the total cost of the ceremony including Jimmy Kimmel’s fee (that according to the Hollywood reporter was around 15’000USD last year).
13 nominations: Guillermo Del Toro The Shape of Water got the highest number of nominations this year. We predict they might win best picture, actress, supporting actress and director.

Brits rock: This year the Best actor category is fully dominated by Britain actors: Daniel Kaluuya for Get Out, Daniel Day Lewis for Phantom Thread and Gary Oldman for . In total there are 30 Britain artists nominated this year including Christopher Nolan.
Women and Black are not quite there yet: Greta Gerwig is only the 5th woman to ever be nominated for directing – it’d be a poignant win in a year dominated by calls for equality, and Jordan Peele’s only the fifth black director to be nominated for his brilliant indie horror Get Out.
34 times: the number of times that Harvey Weinstein was thanked in acceptance speeches at the Oscars according to analysis in 2015 – he was thanked more than God, but came second to Steven Spielberg.

This year, it will be again a fantastic edition and many dreams will come true and some of them might inspire millions of people to perhaps one day hear one’s name after the famous sentence: “and the Oscars goes to….” Good dream.

José Amorim

Info sourced at the Oscars official website and communication, Forbes, New York Times, Financial Times, hollywoodreporter.com, star2.com, wikipedia, Vanity Fair and ABC.com.

EnregistrerEnregistrer

Theodora Haute-Parfumerie: Beautiful Fragrances In The Heart Of Geneva

José Amorim

-

27 February 2018

0

Reading Time: 7 minutes

There are places you go and forget and others that leaves an invisible mark that you will always remember. THEODORA Haute-Parfumerie is one of these places. No matter if you are a fragrance lover, or just an amateur of beautiful things, your heart will be conquered if your curiosity takes you to open the doors of this shop in Geneva historic downtown. From Santa Maria Novella, to Molinard or Dyptique, your nose will follow the path of your heart and you will get into a rich and facetted olfactory journey. This is definitely our Chief Editor’s choice of the moment.

THEODORA Haute Parfumerie, Independence Is beautiful

In a fragrance world where the big store chains have smashed the distribution, some brave independent retailers still believe there is room for beautiful and alternative brands, that very often cannot find its placement within the “fragrance supermarkets”. Established in Geneva in 2005, THEODORA Haute Parfumerie offers the world a showcase of subtle and original scents. Considered one of the most beautiful perfumeries in Europe because of its assortment and choice of prestigious brands, primarily distributed exclusively in Geneva, such as the Frédéric Malle Editions de Parfums, the Santa Maria Novella Pharmacy in Florence, the master Florentine perfumer Lorenzo Villoresi, and many others. It was one of the first boudoir boutiques dedicated exclusively to alternative brands and haute perfumes.

If you think about it, all Perfumery shops used to be this way. Beauty advisors would be able to really help you with choices, discover new brands and make you dream about the ones you love. Due to distribution concentration, we lost a bit of magic and very often buying a fragrance became something “convenient” rather than something unique. THEODORA Haute Parfumerie brings back this special moment in which you take 30mn of your precious time to explore your senses and experience a beautiful moment. The place is about authenticity, elegance and will please a sophisticated clientele. Clients will enjoy a true world-tour of fragrances and scented accessories.

THEODORA Haute Parfumerie: Ma Madeleine De Proust

What strikes immediately when you enter the store is the friendly and welcome ambiance. Everything is done in this store to make you feel at ease. Lights, fourniture and above all the smile of the beauty advisor will convince you right away that you were right to open this boudoir door. From the very first step into the store, you will be taken into an olfactory journey to remember. Being a fanatic of fragrances, each step was either a discovery or the joy of remembering a beloved fragrance. Some of them not smelled for the past couple of years. THEODORA Haute Parfumerie has probably the most beautiful fragrance collection of all Geneva. Most of the brands are exclusively distributed in this store. It was very pleasant to find Santa Maria Novella, Les Editions de Frederic Malle, Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier or even Molinard.

Visiting the store was for me an amazing experience. It has been almost a decade that I did not have the chance to smell Habanita de Molinard. We learn at the Perfumery school that Habanita was the first feminine fragrance to utilize vetiver. Launched in 1921, this great classic has a timeless elegance and a sassiness in terms of femininity. The warm, ambery notes of the closing give Habanita’s its classic Oriental shading, thanks to vanilla, musk and vetiver. Another beautiful moment was the rediscovery of Jean Patou great classics, especially Joy and “1000”. The first one, Joy was a fantastic message during a very complicated context. End of the 20’s, Wall Street just went bankrupted. Economy was bad and depression was all over the place. Jean Patou decides to exorcise depression and launch Joy, a message of hope and positivism. Crafted as a haute-couture dress, Joy gathered the most beautiful, rare and expensive flower essences at that time. An unique concentration of 10’600 flowers of Jasmine and 28 dozen roses composed the heart of a single ounce of Joy. The first advertising used to say “The Costliest fragrance in the world”.

It has been years that I did not rediscovered Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier. Launched in 1988 by Jean-François Laporte, Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier brings back all the sophistication from the 17th century and offers a beautiful and almost hypnotic perfumery. From Ambre Précieux, to Rose Muskissime or its Eaux Extravagantes, the French Perfumer has created an universe of his own where beauty joins audacity.

As we can see, THEODORA Haute Parfumerie has a true olfactory treasure in its store. All amazing brands that you need to discover or rediscover. But the choices of the store does not stops in the heritage of the fragrance industry. It also looks into the future and today. this extraordinary store positions itself as a true contemporary perfume curator.

THEODORA Haute Parfumerie: A Modern Perfume Curator

While being completely overtaken by the amazing heritage present in the store, we need to highlight the fact that THEODORA Haute Parfumerie also has a tremendous collection of contemporary perfumers, a lot in a full exclusivity in Geneva. From Aedes de Venustas, to Olfactive Studio or Sylvaine Delacourte, you will be able to discover beautiful alternative brands, all with a true history in the fragrance industry. My pretty discovery was Andy Tauer, a Swiss brand exclusively distributed in Geneva in this store.

Andy Tauer creates fragrances as sculptures. Sometimes sharp, sometimes round or even challenging standards, you would be intrigued and conquered by Andy Tauer fragrances. He has a non-academic approach of perfumery and position himself more like an artist than a “nose”. His perfumes invites to a journey that will cover different locations. From North of Africa with L’Air du Desert Marocain, to Phi-Une Rose de Kandahar, you will onboard for a journey to remember.

“You need absolute freedom to create beautiful fragrances. And you need time. And the best ingredients you can get. That is the true mystery how to create thrilling fragrances.” (Andy Tauer, 2010)

A last word on the beautiful work of Sylvaine Delacourte. She was the caring shadow behind Jean-Paul Guerlain and for years, she orchestrated many things at Guerlain before closing that chapter and to open a new one, more personal. She is a very passionate person and her nose writes truly poems. As a lover of all kinds of perfume and beautiful raw materials with innovative molecules, Sylvaine knows how to give soul to a perfume and release emotions. Having learnt how to blend different materials together, she is aware of what makes perfume lovers tick and adores creating beautiful fragrant melodies by exploring new creative directions.

THEODORA HAUTE PARFUMERIE
Grand-Rue 38
1204 Genève, Suisse
+41 22 310 38 75
contact@parfumerietheodora.com
http://parfumerietheodora.com

To all fragrances aficionados, you need to visit this store in Geneva. They have a beautiful collection of brands and fragrances, as well as room fragrances, skincare and accessories. The store also organize private conferences about fragrances with interesting passionate people from the fragrance industry (among other things). We could visit THEODORA Haute Parfumerie every week and still find something new each time. This modern boudoir-boutique will welcome you with an expert eye and you will see that your only desire will be to comeback again, and again, and again…

José Amorim

Info sourced in the brand official communication, website and visit to the store. Special thanks to
Ms Soraya El Agali, Theodora Haute Parfumerie Director. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only.

EnregistrerEnregistrer

How to Plan a Luxury Staycation

Luxury

LuxuryActivist

-

26 February 2018

0

Reading Time: 3 minutes

It’s the latest travel trend, an Internet buzzword that more and more people are embracing. The staycation invites you to experience the benefits of a luxury break without so much as hopping on a train. There are many benefits to this latest craze. For one thing, staycationers get to enjoy all the perks of being on holiday – freedom, pampering and sightseeing to name a few – without the stresses of travelling. A holiday in your hometown will also open your eyes to what’s on your doorstep; you might have lived in a place for many years, but have never been able to appreciate your surroundings from a tourist’s perspective. A staycation allows you to see your hometown through fresh eyes. With this in mind, here’s how to plan the perfect luxury staycation.

Consider What YOU Want

Chances are you work hard, or perhaps life has just gotten too much and you need a break. Whatever your reason for planning this staycation, it is your time to relax, unwind and hit the “refresh” button, so make it count. Decide what you want without thinking about anyone else: do you want to stay in the city so you can wander the markets in the mornings, head to your favourite restaurants in the evening and be close to friends and family? Or would you rather head to the outskirts of your town and stay somewhere more remote for a few days? Consider whether you need this time for yourself, or if you will enjoy it more with friends or your spouse.

Check Into a Boutique Hotel

Grab your laptop and research the best luxury hotels in your hometown. Chances are, you’ve never stayed in any of them, so now’s your chance to see what all the fuss is about. Who says you have to be somewhere sunny to appreciate five-star luxury? While you’re at it, book yourself in for a spa treatment and ask if there are swimming and hot tub facilities on site. Book yourself a table at the hotel restaurant or research trending eateries in your area. Treat yourself by ordering a bottle of champagne to be ready on arrival. It’s the little things that make a luxury life, after all.

Enjoy High-Quality Entertainment

As long as you’re in a great city, you can find great entertainment. After a day of pampering and sightseeing, you’ll probably be in the mood for some music or theatre, so check what’s on in your local area and book tickets in advance. The theatre is the very epitome of luxury, so why one of the award-winning Jacksonville Broadway shows you’ve been reading about? Alternatively, you could enjoy a bottle of champagne while taking in some cabaret or burlesque, or head to a local music venue.

Booking a staycation might seem indulgent at first, but we all need a luxury break every now and again. It’s not always possible to travel, and sometimes it can be more relaxing to cut out the unnecessary stresses of travel and remain close to home.

Carol

Info sourced by the author for luxuryactivist.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only.

How To Have The Best Workout

LuxuryActivist

-

22 February 2018

0

Reading Time: 3 minutes

We all want to have a productive and effective workout, one that, wakes up, warms us up and burns some calories, but sometimes, a workout can actually have the opposite effect. If you’ve been struggling with unsatisfying and unproductive workouts, then here are five tips to make sure your next workout is your best workout yet.

Prepare Ahead

Your workout begins the night before, as in many ways your performance will be affected by your mental and physical state before you start. Getting a good night’s sleep is key to having the best workout, as fatigue will drastically reduce the quality of your performance.

Eat Right and Stay Hydrated

What you eat and drink will also have a large impact on how your workout goes. Make sure you leave plenty of time after eating a meal to digest your food before you begin your workout, to prevent vomiting or bloating while exercising. Be sure to fill up on healthy nutritious foods such as bananas, smoothies, and avocado on toast, rather than Big Macs or Coca Cola.

Staying hydrated is equally as important, as dehydration can drastically reduce your stamina, performance and can lead to stitches and fatigue, so make sure to bring a water bottle with you.

Find the Perfect Playlist

The right music can make all the difference. While it can be beneficial to work out in silence occasionally, and is relaxing for some, working with the right music blasting in your ears can really motivate you and keep you going. There are plenty of pre-made workout playlists on apps such as Spotify that are designed to inspire you with fast tempos to keep up the pace. It’s also worth investing in some memory foam earbuds to truly have the ultimate running experience, as these will mold to fit your ear snugly and perfectly, providing a more immersive experience.

Motivate Yourself Before You Go

Sometimes, the only thing preventing us from working out is a lack of motivation, which can be disheartening and can lead to destructive thinking patterns. If you wake up in the morning with a complete lack of motivation to hit the gym, it can be good to remind yourself why you decided to start in the first place. Many people create vision boards, either printed out or on Pinterest to inspire them to keep exercising and improve. This can not only help to get you out of bed and into your workout clothes, but also to improve your run by inspiring you to train harder and faster.

Choose the Right Clothing

Having fun, comfortable workout clothes that make you feel good is the key to a good workout. Being able to feel confident and secure while at the gym or on a run will not only improve your self-esteem but will actually boost your performance. Try to buy from brands that make high-quality workout gear, and make sure to shop around to find the right fit and price for you.

Daniel Clark

Info sourced by the author for Luxuryactivist.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only.

Tips For Hosting The Perfect Dinner Party

Luxury

LuxuryActivist

-

19 February 2018

0

Reading Time: 3 minutes

If you’re hosting a dinner party at your home, then preparation is key to the success of the evening. You’re going to be largely in charge of preparing the food and dietary requirements yourself unless, of course, you’re getting a caterer. The decoration inside your own home, keeping check of invitations, who’s attending, and how all loose ends will come together will make for a slick and well organized enjoyable evening. Hosting in your own home has both pros and cons with one of the largest cons being the clean-up operation after your guests have left and you’re in the wake of a thoroughly enjoyed dinner party. You can consider hiring a cleaner for after your party if you’re planning a large event with a lot of people to feed, with plates and surfaces to be cleaned and tidied away afterward.

Personalization

Personalization can add a special element to your dinner party and lets your guests know that you’re thinking of them. Hosting the perfect dinner party is in the details so pay attention to adding an extra element of design to your evening. Consider seating your guests at their places complete with personalized settings such as individual napkins with their embroidered initials and adding a small bunch of flowers dotted along the dining table. You can design the tangible invitations yourself online, personalizing them as you go, and having them sent to their desired recipients through specialized websites. If you’re keen on cutting the groundwork and getting dessert sorted, you should look at ordering a personalized cake which can be delivered to you. New Cakes offer a free next day cake delivery service so you can relax in the knowledge that the cake for your perfect dinner party will arrive in good time, and provide a personalized, and edible, finishing touch to your soiree.

The Food

The food is arguably the most important feature of the dinner party so arrange your plans for recipes early to ensure that you can prepare and cook them before the event to make sure that you’re one hundred percent happy with the finished dish. Just because you’re holding an indulgent evening doesn’t mean that you can’t keep the food healthy and nutritious, so inquire into sourcing seasonal vegetables and focus on supporting local producers if you can. You can find many recipes for simple vegetable starters using ingredients such as coarse sea salt, garlic, different herbs, and a touch of balsamic vinegar and olive oil. If you’re cooking from home, you can keep it simple and create familiar dishes that you know will please a crowd. If you so wish, you can instead have fresh vegetables delivered to your door as to save time on going out and sourcing them yourself.

Drinks And Cocktails

Find out which alcoholic beverages your guests favor and begin researching what cocktails you can wow your guests with. You should provide a soft drink option also for any guests who don’t wish to imbibe from the alcoholic menu, so in this case, prepare non-boozy ‘mocktails’ alongside the others. If you wish to go one step further and impress your guests, you could consider the idea of hiring a professional bartender or mixologist for the evening and have them have free rein over which cocktails they create dependent of what your guests choose.

Carol

Info sourced by the author for luxuryactivist.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only.

The Importance of Fashion Clothing For Children

Fashion

LuxuryActivist

-

19 February 2018

0

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Fashion plays an important role in today’s society. People of all ages who are willing to express character and personality through clothes are following fashion trends each season. While most people believe fashion is based on eccentric items of clothing, it is not always the case. First of all, it is good to keep in mind the fact that fashion allows individuals to express and define their personality. Furthermore, fashion clothing is a simple way of communicating people’s interests and tastes.

Therefore, more and more people should realize the importance of fashion for both adults and children. These days fashion is everywhere. People can see it on TV, on catwalks, in magazines, and on the high street. Your clothing choices are an element which can tell people around you a lot about who you are. Even though the first impression is quite important in some cases, people need to understand that fashion can’t become an obsession. There are certain instances when people are required to wear formal or casual attire. After all, fashion is just another way of expressing feelings and communicating on a different level.

Quality over Quantity

Everyone knows that fashion and designer pieces are essential elements that define our style and personality. Parents often face the challenge of clothing when it comes to their children. While some people believe that children should never wear designer items, others have nothing against it. It is a well-known fact that child’s skin is sensitive and it requires a lot of attention and care. Good quality clothes are an item that can easily provide that. After all, children don’t need endless amounts of clothes. They just need a few essential pieces that they can combine and wear until they grow out of them.

Elegance and Confidence

Most adults are aware of the importance of feeling confident while wearing certain items of clothing. Therefore, children should also understand that they should only wear clothes that allow them to move freely, feel confident in their own skin and feel happy all day long. Being stylish is an important element even for kids. When it comes to fashion in schools, uniforms are the best option. They allow children to stay focused on their studies and feel a sense of unity. They boost school spirit and provide a safe environment. Most schools have uniforms these days, including private schools such as Meoncross School, who will also support your child’s creative spirit, different ways of learning outside the classroom and individual attention.

High Durability

Even though most fashion pieces tend to be more expensive, they are definitely worth the money and have a lot of advantages. A pair of designer shoes that are kept in good conditions can be simply sold or worn by other members of the family once they don’t fit the “initial owner” anymore. The same thing works for jeans, jumpers and other items of clothing. Often people notice that washing clothes multiple times can lead to deterioration. That doesn’t always happen for a designer or luxury clothing. Therefore, people can think of fashion clothing as a good investment option. Basic fashion items last over time and are appreciated over the years.

Carol

Info sourced by the author for luxuryactivist.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only.

EnregistrerEnregistrer

La Prairie White Caviar Creme Extraordinaire: Pure Light!

Beauty

José Amorim

-

17 February 2018

0

Reading Time: 3 minutes

La Prairie is launching a new outstanding product this year within the White Caviar Collection. It is called the White Caviar Creme Extraordinaire. The new launch is an incredible moisturizing cream that offers new levels of luminosity and evenness. The accomplished challenge for scientists was to release the most powerful illuminating molecule yet. The goal being to banish dark spots and other skin discolorations. The brand guarantees immediate effects after 2 weeks, visible in one month.

La Prairie scientist have screened more than 50’000 ingredients in order to find the most brightening active, this being LUMIDOSE. This revolutionary patented molecule is the most effective in supporting the inhibition of melanin, the pigment that causes dark spots. Melanin production is controlled primarily by one key enzyme for melanin synthesis: Tyrosinase. Of all the ingredients La Prairie screened, Lumidose has the lowest IC50-value — the concentration required for 50 per cent inhibition of tyrosinase activity — making it the most powerful inhibitor for human tyrosinase known. The potency of Lumidose lies in the extremely ef cient disruption of melanin formation, leading to a more even complexion. Dark spots seem to fade, as if banished by a powerful ray of light. Exclusive to White Caviar Crème Extraordinaire, Lumidose provides extraordinary results, helping to reduce the appearance of dark spots.

Obviously, this is not all. The Lumidose is paired with La Prairie’s Smart Crystal White, a brand’s complex that is a powerful delivery cosmetic system. The formula was created with rare Golden Caviar extract found only in the White Caviar Collection. This provides an exceptional firming benefits.

Enriched with La Prairie’s Exclusive Cellular Complex, which uses cutting-edge biotechnological research to give new life and energy back to the very cells where beauty is born, White Caviar Crème Extraordinaire diffuses all shadows, leaving skin looking rm and immaculate.

What requires also all our attention is the packaging-contained. As a ultimate luxury, all the details of this packaging is pure luxury. The high-polish silver cap opens like a jewel box to reveal an integrated, light-reflecting mirror. With a press of the sleek inverted button, an innovative airless pump is activated, releasing the perfect dose of pristine white cream – the precise amount for extraordinary luminosity. It is clever, practical and ultimately elegant.

La Prairie Skin Caviar and White Caviar collections raises the bar of luxury skincare for decades and still today brings an amazing holistic experience to customers around the world. You can discover more about La Prairie amazing world by connecting to the official website:
https://www.laprairieswitzerland.com

José Amorim

Info sourced in the official communication release and exclusive product testing by LuxuryActivist.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only.

Swiss Blog #1: A Renversé Is Not A Coffee With Milk

Swiss News

José Amorim

-

16 February 2018

0

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Our first blog post about Swiss specificities is dedicated to the Renversé! In Switzerland you do not say a Coffee with Milk, you say a Renversé… but be careful. It is not really the same thing! The name of Coffee varies a lot from one country to another and even sometimes from one region to another. However, if we compare the name given to coffee with milk in the adjacent regions of French-speaking Switzerland, we quickly see that the renversé (overthrown) finds no origin in our nearest neighbors.

German-speaking Switzerland: Schale
France: Café au lait
Italy: Caffè latte
Germany: Milchkaffee
Autriche: Kaffee Melange or Kaffee Verkerhrt
Netherlands: Koffie verkeerd

Actually Verkehrt (herum) means reverse, upside-down in several languages. We do not really know why the term renversé was imported to Switzerland but we know more or less when. The first written proof of the usage of renversé in Switzerland seems to be around 1968. It is interesting to see that it comes probably of the German Kaffee verkehrt. Strangely there is no usage of this word in the German-speaking area of Switzerland. So we might wonder how come this terminology came to the French side. Compared to a coffee with milk or even a coffee with cream, the renversé is supposed to show a lighter color because of the quantity of milk:

60% of Milk
40% of Coffee
we are supposed to pour the coffee into the Milk and not the other way around.

In English some people tend to associate the Swiss renversé to what we call “Flat white” even thought it is not necessary the same thing. Johan Nieuhof, the Dutch ambassador to China, is credited as the first person to drink coffee with milk when he experimented with it around 1660. It became very popular in the 40’s and in the 50′ thanks to the development of expresso machines with the milk functionality.

Switzerland has many specifics and a tremendous richness. Each canton has its own history and habits and over time we will cover a few of them here. Stay tuned.

José Amorim

Info sourced by the author for luxuryactivist.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only.

How to start a blog about luxury?

José Amorim

-

15 February 2018

0

Reading Time: 9 minutes

We tend to say there are 152 million bloggers around the world. That seems a lot, especially when you know that every second a new blog is created. Bloggers are a quite recent phenomenon and brands have been using them as a leverage for visibility. In the past 2 to 3 years, brands are not seeking bloggers anymore, they want influencers, meaning people who can drive attention to what they think towards millions of people. The buzz landscape is changing. From a luxury blog to influencers, from online writers to social media celebrities… welcome to the next level of online visibility. Here are some pieces of advice to create your blog about luxury.

Luxury Blog: choose your topic well

Before starting a blog about luxury, you need to choose your topic and your angle. Probably this piece of advice work for any blog. Make sure you will have great pleasure to write about a specific topic like luxury lifestyle, fashion, arts, travel or any sort of premium products, services or brands. Serious blogging require a lot of your time, so you better spend it on something that pleases you. Generally one of the best motivations is to always learn something new, something meaningful. Think about what are your interests in life. Another interesting tool to help you decide is GOOGLE. Search for other blogs that talks about the same topics as yours. If it is a very crowded area of expertise you have two options: either you have found an unique aspect to a mainstream topic or you should probably find another one. This will prevent you to get frustrated that your website is not visible enough. A good question to ask to yourself is would you read what you write? If not, then forget about it. Nobody needs just “another source of information”. At the contrary if you think you have found a good angle and a certain degree of originality then go for it!

If you wonder what kind of content people are looking for, you might ask yourself first, to what kind of audience you wish to talk to? Luxury is a vast domain and you can see many, many different things in it. Some websites will be very lifestyle oriented and very personal, others will find good tips to get products and services for free or cheaper. Other websites will talk about product launches and others will relay what they find in press releases. A few websites though will do a very qualitative work, writing about the history of certain products, certain companies. You will be able to find exclusive interviews and even avant premiere of new products.

Luxury Blog: never compromise on quality

Something that strikes me a lot is the lack of quality in digital journalism. Very often we see really bad writing and also people bringing a poor opinion about things. Let’s not forget that a blogger is not a journalist. This means that we do not expect from a blogger to accommodate things as the normal press. We expect a blogger to be sharper, free of speech and potentially not mainstream. Unless you get sponsored by brands, a blogger is free to say whatever he wants, when he wants and in the way he thinks it is best. Freedom does not mean poor editorial content. At the contrary. You should feel proud of participating to the quality of the digital landscape. Blog posts should be obviously interesting but also well written. Let’s not forget that real people will read them. If you are not very good in orthography, make sure someone will control spell check for you. Also, choose the language in which you are the most comfortable with and I would say the one that procures you the most pleasant experience. This is important because it will motivate you to write, especially on those tiring moments in which you need to do it and you have not much time. A blogger might not be a journalist, but should take care of a high quality approach of his writing. Quality is priceless.

Luxury Blog: maintain your website at its best

One thing is writing like a living god but all will be spoiled if you do not create and maintain a beautiful website. There are a few things you need to know if you wish to maintain a website up and running. First of all, you need to know that keeping a website live can be a lot of work. This means you will need to know a few basics in html and probably find someone who would be able to give you a hand from time to time. There are several technologies available that facilitate your life as a blogger. One of the most popular is WordPress. Our suggestion would be to be on wordpress to start as the technology is pretty simple and the community around is of a great support.

Once you have set up some basics, you need to find your template. In this field you will be able to find all prices. From zero up to 10’000 dollars. It all depends how big you wish to make your website and also how much money you have to invest. In any case make sure you have a few settings covered:

Easy template to customize
SEO friendly, mobile friendly, user friendly.
Compatible with WordPress or your CMS technology
Easy to work with, even from a mobile device
Beautiful and not too complicated

Another important point is SEO. Please note that today, Google and other search engines decide with clever algorithms how the information and what information users should access. So even if you have the perfect information for a user, this one will never find you if your website is not perfect for Google robots to find you. Internet is not free, it is owned by multinational companies that have their own agendas and sales to make. Google will organize the way search results appear with its own rules. The same way as Facebook will decide how and if your content will be seen by the platform users. Ten years ago it was much easier to get to people’s attention than today, so you need to cultivate your distinguishing advantage.

We use to say that it takes around 2 years for a blog to rise from invisibility. From this article about how to become a successful luxury blogger we can see that networking is a very important point as your content might take some time to appear. The new generation of bloggers might not wait that long so social media became a quicker way to express themselves and being out there.

Luxury blog: a growing need in the news environment

The luxury market is supposed to grow every year by 3 to 7% worldwide. This means that it is an industry with a strong appealing to people. There is an ongoing increase of interest for luxury news around the world and the young generations are ultra-connected, super-informed and craving for luxury brands. While emerging markets like Brazil, India or China have ups and downs, mature markets like the UK or the US are pretty stable or even slightly growing. This generates a strong interest on Luxury news as the luxury customers are more and more keen to discover more about brands, products and services. The younger they are the more informed they want to be. Among the younger customers, there are the Millenniums. They are below 25 years old and some of them have money. Millenniums have more than $US 200 billion to spend and they contribute to $US 500 billion indirectly through influencing their parents (source: US Chamber of Commerce). By 2017, this generation is supposed to outspend the BabyBoomers. They are “hyperly” connected and engage with luxury brands in ways we would not imagine.

They are also very demanding and traditional luxury is not enough. They seek very exclusive experiences and products, more than previous generations. We talk now more about hyper-luxury. Technology definitely opened the possibilities to engage with this young generation across the world but it is not only that. In this digital new landscape, we can see that Bloggers became the new media. They are clever, well informed, digital natives or at least digital savvy. There are blogs every where and sometimes you feel that everybody is a blogger. Nevertheless we see that some are more successful than others. Probably if your professional career puts you already in the limelights, this helps. Some star bloggers are top models, singers, journalists and a few just came up from nowhere and got their names written in golden digital ink. You can find here the latest ranking of the top 75 most important luxury and fashion blogs in the world:

Top 75 most influential luxury blogs in the world

In conclusion, the world wide web is really big. You need to know the rules but once you master them, it is a brilliant platform to self-expression. If you decide to become a blogger, this means you are entering into a serious matter of writing. You could also become a v-logger, meaning video base blogger (eg: Youtuber) if you prefer to express yourself on video. Some new comers prefer to dedicate their time on instagram, but not sure if we would call them bloggers as per the strict definition. Write, comment and share your thoughts as we always say: the more we share, the more we learn.

José Amorim

Info sourced in LuxuryActivist team experience, Forbes, Euromonitor, Forrester, Google blog study and wikipedia. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only.

EnregistrerEnregistrer

Luxury ActivistSince 2010

Luxury ActivistSINCE 2010

The New Victorinox Spartan Wood – Icons Are For Ever

The New Victorinox Huntsman Wood – So natural

2018 Oscars winners

The Oscars Statuette, an icon of achievement

Who is voting at the Oscars?

Key facts of this year ceremony

THEODORA Haute Parfumerie, Independence Is beautiful

THEODORA Haute Parfumerie: Ma Madeleine De Proust

THEODORA Haute Parfumerie: A Modern Perfume Curator

Consider What YOU Want

Check Into a Boutique Hotel

Enjoy High-Quality Entertainment

Prepare Ahead

Eat Right and Stay Hydrated

Find the Perfect Playlist

Motivate Yourself Before You Go

Choose the Right Clothing

Personalization

The Food

Drinks And Cocktails

Quality over Quantity

Elegance and Confidence

High Durability

Luxury Blog: choose your topic well

Luxury Blog: never compromise on quality

Luxury Blog: maintain your website at its best

Luxury blog: a growing need in the news environment

Green Notes

Swiss Blog

Top Categories

About us

Follow us