Zoé Skincare Products

I love to introduce you to quality Swiss beauty products at very affordable prices.

On a recent trip, I forgot to pack my cleansing and facial tonic. So my sister lent me hers. Zoé, the cosmetic line for sensitive skin. I was amazed by this excellent range of beauty products from Migros (a major Swiss supermarket chain).

It was so effective - my skin was radiant - that I offered myself this range of skin care products for sensitive skin. The total price of these 3 products came to CHF 28.20

As you already know, to have beautiful skin, you have to take care of it daily... and use the appropriate products for your skin type.

Let us now turn to the benefits of the Zoé range of products for sensitive skin:

Zoé Ultra-Sensitive Day Cream with UV filter treats and soothes sensitive skin, prone to irritation. Not only does it protect the skin from very harmful UV rays (and therefore against premature ageing), but it also refines the pores while unifying the complexion. No colourants, no preservatives, no perfume.

* Tube 50 ml, CHF 12.80

Zoé Micellar Cleansing Tonic - Lanablue & Cucumber extracts

Alcohol-free, this gentle tonic for the face clarifies and gently invigorates the skin, without irritating it. Its formula, which is based on the Micellar technique, makes it possible to remove dust particles and make-up residue in a gentle manner. Lanablue and cucumber extracts prevent drying of the skin and preserves its hydrolipidic balance.

* Bottle 200ml, CHF 6.60

Zoé Cleansing, soft cleansing foam - Lanablue & Cucumber extracts

This mild cleansing foam gently removes all traces of make-up and dirt. The foam is very creamy and generous, with Lanablue and cucumber extracts to avoids skin drying out and preserves its water balance.

* Tube 125 ml, CHF 8.80

And even if the cleanser acts as make-up remover... two weeks later I bought the cleansing milk.

Zoé Ultra Sensitive cleansing milk

This cleansing milk gently removes traces of make-up and dirt in depth. The skin is gently cleansed without being irritated.

No colorants, no preservatives, no perfume.

* Bottle 200ml, CHF 7.50

It goes without saying that this post is not sponsored, like all my blog posts. It’s just me sharing tips... You are welcome!

EDIE An American Biography by Jean Stein edited with George Plimpton (1982)

Born into a wealthy New England family. Edie Sedgwick became, in the 1960s, both an emblem of, and a memorial to, the doomed world spawned by Andy Warhol. Edie was outrageous, vulnerable and strikingly beautiful. Her childhood was dominated by a brutal but glamorous father. Fleeing to New York, she became an instant celebrity, known to everyone in the literary, artistic and fashionable worlds of the day. She was Warhol’s twin soul, his creature, the superstar of his films and, finally, the victim of a life which he created for her. Edie is an American fable on an epic scale - the story of a short, crowded and vivid life which is also the story of a decade.

Author: Jean Stein is an American author born into a Jewish family in 1934 in Los Angeles, California. Jean has worked as an editor for a number of magazines, including “The Paris Review” and “Esquire”. She is co-author, with George Plimpton, of “American Journey: The Times of Robert Kennedy” and in 1990 she became the editor of the literary journal “Grand Street”, until it ceased publication in 2004. It was described by The New York Times as “one of the most revered literary magazines of the postwar era”.

Author: George Plimpton was born on March 18, 1927 in New York City and he died in September 2003 at 76 years. George was an author, an actor and a literary patron. In 1953 he co-founded “The Paris Review” and published many books, including “Truman Capote” and “The Bogey Man”, to name but a few.

My thoughts: I’m so excited to talk to you about Edie, I mean about a book devoted to her short, intense and chaotic life. In the life of Edie there has been worldwide success and fatal degradation. Even though Edie was surrounded by a huge group of friends, acquaintances and members of her large family, she felt alone and unloved.

Edie was the muse of the great artist Andy Warhol - a character I call opportunist and who was described as a manipulator by many members of The Factory.

The Factory was an artists’ studio opened by Andy Warhol in 1964 and located in New York. It was used for the production of Warhol’s pop art works, the making of films and concerts and many party celebrations were held there too.

Returning to Edie, she felt a great emptiness in her life which drove her to get lost in the world of the night: alcohol, parties and drugs, lots of hard drugs. She died prematurely at the age of 28 years from an overdose of barbiturates. Strangely, Edie always knew she wouldn’t live long, according to her close friends. A gipsy, she said, read her palm and told her she had a short lifeline.

Edie had loneliness as an enemy. That came from her childhood as one of many offspring of one of the most prestigious rich and successful old American families: the Minturns, the Forests, the Sedgwicks.

She grew up with her many siblings on the family ranch where she never really felt at home. As a young teenager she was interned in an institution for anorexia. There were rumours of incest involving her father. The family lived in a closed circle, and always displayed a happy air, a facade. Knowing the self destructive fate reserved for some members of Edie’s family, one understands that there was a great lack of love.

In short, (if not I will write a thousand pages... hahaha...), I would say that this book is very rich in details of the American society of the sixties. We also learn about pop culture. This richly documented biography tells us historical facts about the USA, since Edie’s family was strongly linked to the history of the United States of America.

It is written in a pertinent and sincere way with the intervention and testimonies of people who worked at the Factory and members of her family, including a historian.

Edie moved me: a shy, generous, naive girl, very intelligent and gifted in the arts and terribly touching with huge black eyes and a bewitching regard... that’s how I perceive her. In addition to being the greatest model of all time, Edie created, rather than followed fashion. Her trademarks: dark eye make-up, large earrings, black opaque tights, a touch of glitter and all that enhanced by her natural grace. Her full name was Edith Minturn Sedgwick, she was born in Santa Barbara on April 20, 1943 and died on November 15, 1971.

It goes without saying that I loved this book, which is more than just a biography. I read it twice in August 2007 and 2012. “When we love, we don’t count” as we say over here!

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Hello dear readers! This cake, that you discover now, was our Easter cake. I have only just had time to put together this post – better late than never, right? I hope this recipe will please you.

We are fond of this spicy, moist and creamy cake (the cheese cream topping adds that little something to it)…This is a great cake with a gorgeous topping for a special occasion, such as the upcoming Mothers’ Day here in Switzerland on Sunday 14th May.

I decorated mine with a DIY cardboard stick and wrote “Happy Easter”, then I added a white Alstroemeria (in English, a Peruvian Lily). Enjoy!

Ingredients (Serves 8)

5 eggs

200g finely-grated fresh carrots

200g sugar

200g almond powder

2 ml kirsch

1 grated lemon zest

50g of flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tbsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Cake

Separate egg whites from yolks. Beat the egg yolks and 100g of sugar until the mixture is pale yellow and foamy.

Stir in the grated carrots, almond powder, grated lemon zest, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, flour, kirsch and mix well.

In another bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with 100g of sugar until soft peaks form. Then, incorporate it gently into the batter.

Then butter and flour a mould of 22 cm in diameter and 5 cm in height and pour the mixture in.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in a preheated oven at 190 degrees. Allow to cool before removing from the mould.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Whisk 100g of butter at room temperature until creamy.

Add 400 g Philadelphia cream cheese, and continue mixing.

Add 2 tsp of vanilla extract, and 150g icing sugar.

Whisk everything until obtaining the final texture: creamy, without lumps.

Assemble the cake

Using a sharp bread knife, cut the cooled cake into two layers.

Place your first layer on the plate followed by a big amount of frosting in the centre. Spread the frosting thickly and evenly across the layer.

Spread from the middle of the layer out to the edges and slightly down the side.  Add your second layer on top of the first. Repeat the frosting process by starting with a large dollop on the top and work your way down the sides, filling and smoothing with a spatula.

The frosting doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth. Actually it looks prettier when it is irregular.

You can store your cake in the fridge until time to serve.

Decorate

If you want to make your carrot cake a little sexier, you can put small carrots made of marzipan on top.

Pfistern restaurant Lucerne

When I began writing this post I was sitting in a park, watching the flowers blossom and listening to birds tweet - they seem to have a lot to say to each other...

While sitting there in the sun, I remembered the delicious meal I ate in the ancient Lucernois restaurant, open since 1578, which I will now share with you.

The Pfistern Restaurant Luzern is situated on Kornmarkt which is a small but charming square. The restaurant is opposite the City Hall. This is the heart of Lucerne, with restaurants, bars and historic places all around.

They serve typical Swiss cuisine that is seasonal and fresh with ingredients from the Mediterranean region. The result is inventive, surprising and in harmony with the local traditions.

We first went to Pfistern to have an end of the day aperitif. We had a Moscato Mojito (not too strong in alcohol), served with appetisers. We loved the place so much that we decided to return in the evening to dine. So, I asked the waitress to show me the dining room and book us a table by the window overlooking the city landmarks.

The restaurant itself is vibrant and cosy, no tourists only local clients, making us feel that we were somewhere very special.

We went along to try their typical dishes. We ordered à la carte, only a main dish instead of the 3 course set menu as we were not very hungry because we had already eaten a lovely Italian lunch. It was not easy to choose from the extensive menu!

Luzerner Fritschi-Pastete, Lucerne pastry filled with veal and pork (meatballs) mushrooms, apples and raisins with a cream sauce, served with seasonal vegetables.

Fischchnoschperli, white fish fillets baked in crispy beer dough, with tartar sauce, served with rice and vegetables.

The meal was absolutely exquisite and came with a wine carefully selected for us.

If you are a serious traditional food lover, this is a place to go in the evening. Order delicious food from the menu - they have cocktails and good wine too - and spoil yourself on the lovely terrace enjoying the buzz and fizz of the place…

Zunfthausrestaurant Pfistern

Kornmarkt 4

6004 Luzern

Phone: +41 41 410 36 50

Opening hours

Mon-Sun 09.00-24.00

It goes without saying that this post is not sponsored, like all my blog posts. It’s just me sharing tips... You are welcome!

Where to stay in Lucerne? The Hotel Lucerne, Autograph Collection

The Hotel Lucerne, a member of the Autograph Collection, is one of those dream hotels…a perfect location in front of a gorgeous little park, totally stunning design and service with the finest attention to detail. It is a hotel that had been on my wish list for a long time and I was excited to be staying there on our long weekend in Lucerne.

As soon as we entered the hotel we were greeted by the welcoming and ever so friendly manager and his staff. After a quick check-in, I took a look around and photographed the bar and restaurant before going up to our room on the 5th floor.

Even though the bar and restaurant areas were sublime, I won’t lie to you, we preferred to take our meals, including our breakfast, outside at different renowned restaurants, just to mix with the locals.

There is one bar, The Lounge, which was designed with even the smallest detail in mind by the French architect Jean Nouvel. The customers are locals who meet up with friends and chill out or tourists (guests of the hotel), who just come to relax in comfortable plush chairs listening to pleasant music till late into the night...

There is one restaurant, Bam Bou, which serves French-Mediterranean and gastronomic cuisine with views on an open kitchen (for those who enjoy seeing chefs in action...).

Jean Nouvel designed the hotel and specifically much of its furniture, such as the bedroom decoration items, desks, beds, bedside tables, armchairs and chairs. In contrast to the opulent ceilings, the furnishings of the rooms are suave and minimalist.

There are 30 rooms and suites at the hotel and each room has a unique decor and atmosphere which makes it special. The large, fascinating presentation of various film scenes on the ceilings and walls of the suites and studios generates a sensual atmosphere. Each of its rooms has a very large image covering a wall or ceiling, depicting a scene taken from films by Fellini, Almodovar....A DVD of the film in question is thoughtfully placed near the TV.  

Our Deluxe Studio was spacious with a beautiful open plan design, calming dark and neutral tones with some touches of strong colours and lots of comfy places to lounge around. Our photo ceiling was “Ai no corrida” by Nagisa Oshima – “Ureshii... Sonnani shitara... Atashi ...”

One of the things that really set The Lucerne Hotel apart was the very fine attention to detail both before our arrival and throughout our stay. There were magazines for us to read and we had plentiful supplies of various sorts of tea and coffee (with a Nespresso machine), water, fruit and chocolates. In addition there was a well filled mini bar with nuts, snacks, biscuits, juices and alcoholic drinks.

And let’s not forget the must in any hotel bedroom: a super bed and pillow to give you the ultimate comfort.  In front of the bed there was a flat screen TV with all the international channels....just in case you need to come back to reality and check on the news around the globe.

The large white ultra-modern bathroom was decorated with fresh orchids and a plant brunch. There were two sinks, a glass shower and a separate bath.

There were all sorts of cute little extras, amenities and gorgeous toiletries. I fell in love with the shower gel and body lotion...they smelled heavenly. I asked the staff for more of these products and was given a generous supply with a smile. The level of service was incredible!

Molton Brown, London’s bath, body & beauty products.

We loved the wide window that revealed impressive, illuminated scenes outside. We enjoyed the views of the park and the old town from inside the window. It was perfect to relax with a cup of tea in total calm, enjoying the beauty of the town.

This is truly one of most spectacular small boutique hotels I’ve visited in recent years. It has won a slew of awards...and I understand why.

The Hotel Lucerne, Autograph Collection

Sempacherstrasse 14

CH-6002 Lucerne

Switzerland

Tel.: +41 41 226 86 86

It goes without saying that this post is not sponsored, like all my blog posts. It’s just me sharing tips... You are welcome!