For three years in a row now, Gothenburg, Sweden has been called “the most sustainable city” in Europe, and now, the world. The land of Greta Thunberg, Sweden is eco-conscious and forward thinking when it comes to being aware of how we impact our wonderful Earth by having the privilege of living on it. Sweden is a global leader in the tourism-sustainability movement. While travel is unfortunately put on pause for the moment (and perhaps for the good of the atmosphere moreover), it’s always good to know who leads the world and why when it comes to sustainable living. Sustainable living will not go away: we must focus on climate change.
Policy, infrastructure, and lifestyle changes are the bedrock of sustainability. The European Commission has named Gothenburg its European Capital of Smart Tourism in 2020 for its ways of living. Namely, the city’s main transportation is accessible to everyone, its hotels do not use mini plastic shampoo bottles that create excessive plastic waste, and its hotels are sourcing electricity from wind turbines.
All of these things add up to a large impact on a city, which are globally scalable solutions. While countries may vary in their ability to implement eco-friendly policy quick enough, there is urgency and the urgency to do this should be our highest priority. Unfortunately, if we don’t prioritize the green movement, we won’t have anything left to prioritize in the future since all of our resources will be gone. Let us take a lesson from Miss Greta Thunberg and the city of Gothenburg.
Some things are always going to be timeless. Receiving a letter that is sealed with a wax seal is likely one of the classiest and thoughtful gifts you can give in our technology saturated worlds. Where sending a letter seems unfathomable for some now, it’s highly personalized and meaningful.
There is nothing more sincere than receiving a letter that has thought and detail put into it. Stamptitude is a small family owned business which has become the premier wax stamp producers of our time. With a social media presence of almost 60k followers, the appeal of wax seals is real; everyone likes the idea of receiving such a beautiful gift and it’s even more exciting to give. The Co-Founder of Stamptitude can be found on social media as well: @junesmessydesk and her page boasts almost 90k followers alone. People are fascinated with watching the calming videos of wax dripping onto an envelope… it’s become a new type of ASMR.
I grew up in a household that cherished letter writing, card giving, and wax seals. Sealing almost of all of my letters with a stamp of the letter “B” for my name or a fleur-de-lis symbol was commonplace for me when I was growing up. Some of my fondest memories as an adolescent include watching my mom show me how to create the perfect wax seal on letters I wrote. Wax seals are an art… getting the right amount of wax onto the envelope fold is a skill! Another skill that has become almost obsolete is the skill of calligraphy. That should never die off! Perhaps one of the most classic images we know of the wax seal is a white envelope and a red seal. The vast array of wax seals now is so comprehensive that you can virtually choose any wax seal color to match the color of your envelope.
There are many different seal designs and wax colors to choose from. A love letter… a wedding invitation… an event invitation… a note of gratitude… there are countless reasons to wax seal your cards to others and it’s a great reminder to not let the art of card writing slip away from us. We are left with a tangible reminder of another person’s thoughts and that is priceless.Happy Stamping!
There is a science to eyebrow grooming. Minimal eyebrow shaping to maintain one’s natural brow shape can make or break a beauty look. Less is more in terms of grooming; do less with your eyebrow grooming process and you will look better because of it. It’s the most underrated beauty secret and it’s a powerful one. We underestimate the power of eyebrows on a face. I have seen such a range of eyebrow styles recently and I will say, the Kardashian family’s overuse of eyebrow makeup has created a trend of unrealistic eyebrows which distracts from the face, sometimes so much so that it’s distracting from all other features of the face — and not in a good way. If you are blessed with natural brows, cherish and love them.
My first job when I was a teenager was as a babysitter at a gym. One of my colleagues had very prominently filled in dark eyebrows. I remember one of the kids asking me a question about my colleague, but she didn’t remember her name, so the girl did this motion with her hands over her eyebrows and exclaims to me, “The lady with the big eyebrows!” I learned early on that eyebrows can make or break a beauty look.
There is a key constant to grooming – always pay attention to the alignment of where hairs need to be met that is symmetrical to the face and in reference point to your eyes (see graph above). You really only need a tweezer most of the time… waxing and threading and all other types of eyebrow grooming is a bit too invasive in my opinion and too hard to maintain for it to be sustainable for you.
You don’t want to make your eyebrow grooming routine a hassle; the way your eyebrows are groomed, they should be able to naturally grow out and be groomed using a tweezer to grab a few stray hairs when needed. You do not need to commit to an entirely different eyebrow shape when it’s groomed, that is unsustainable and most likely won’t benefit your face shape as your eyebrows are the way they are for a reason.
Stay away from tattooing eyebrows (especially when you have eyebrows?!). This is a trend that I have seen recently where women will tattoo their eyebrows to fill in any slightly sparse areas because they don’t want to apply makeup. Some women will tattoo their brows even when they have hair… this is absurd. The only time it’s acceptable to tattoo your brows is if you don’t have any left in my opinion.
I have had a ton of experience observing eyebrows… my mom had hers tattooed when I was a little girl because she unfortunately lost her eyebrows early. I also had my silly phases in high school. I wanted to have the perfectly groomed eyebrow look because Megan Fox was all the rage when I was in high school, so I did my best to make my eyebrows look artificially perfect. I know that look is not necessary and I am happy to leave my eyebrows as is now and groom them as minimally as possible.
Megan Fox’s famous eyebrows are a bit too groomed for my taste; her arch is groomed a bit high.
Angelina’s eyebrow shape is impeccable here.
There are two major aspects to eyebrow grooming:
Do not over groom them; keep the look natural…
2. Do not overuse makeup. If your eyebrows are sparse or nonexistent, you can lightly apply eyebrow pencil in fine strokes that appears like hair! Do not apply eyebrow makeup like it’s a crayon filling in a space…
If you want to fill in sparse hairs, this is a great tutorial video.
Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is a subjective experience of low grade euphoria which results in a combination of positive feelings and tingling sensations, which can be from a variety of stimuli; there are now more than 13 million YouTube videos where people film themselves producing some form of ASMR sounds for stress relief or sounds of nature.
To learn more about ASMR is all about, it’s probably best to breakdown its etymology:
Autonomous – spontaneous, self-governing, with or without control
Sensory – about the senses or sensation
Meridian – signifying a peak, climax, or point of highest development
Response – referring to an experience triggered by something external or internal
It’s also important to note that these various responses outlined above are subjective and dependent on a variety of stimuli… I am a huge proponent of finding the particular ASMR that you find most calming for yourself, because there are particular memories which are attached with sensory experience (for example, how we attach scent and memory together etc.). Last year, The New York Times wrote an article outlining the history of ASMR.
There are many reasons why people are interested in ASMR; for example, I encountered it for the first time when looking for calming background sounds when I was diagnosed with tinnitus at the age of 20. For me, listening to calming ocean sounds is really soothing, especially for managing my tinnitus which I have been able to manage very well alongside my loved ones for the past seven years, but it’s a journey that I deal with everyday. Being conscious about sounds which help destress you is always beneficial, whether you experience tinnitus or not.
ASMR stimuli can include the following:
Listening to a softly spoken or whispering voice
Listening to quiet, repetitive sounds resulting from someone engaging in a mundane task such as turning the pages of a book
Watching somebody attentively execute a mundane task such as preparing food
Loudly chewing, crunching, slurping or biting foods, drinks, or gum
Receiving personal attention
Initiating the stimulus through conscious manipulation without the need for external video or audio triggers
Listening to tapping, typically nails onto surfaces such as plastic, wood, paper, metal, etc.
Hand movements, especially onto one’s face
Listening to certain types of music
Listening to a person blow or exhale into a microphone
A niche concept on the Internet erupted to a phenomenon for a reason… ASMR is not just a ‘trend,’ it’s been a denotation of the physical experiences which profoundly affect us and which lacks in the stressful pace of everyday life. It’s up to us to change that by being mindful of our intake of sensations, our feelings, and our behaviors. On a lighter note, the famous painter Bob Ross, is a great example of a form of ASMR.
One of my favorite PBS shows when I was a kid was watching Bob Ross paint and many adults now also love to rewatch his painting videos for the calming and soothing affect his voice has with the sound of him painting. Nic Hankins is one of his contemporaries who has continued the legend of Mr. Ross. He is a wonderful example of the calming effects of ASMR. IKEA has also produced ASMR videos using their products.
Ultimately, ASMR is what you choose to make of it, which is what can be so great for your own stress relief; for example, I think that certain sounds can help for meditation, so there are some videos that I love to meditate with, specifically “The Butterfly Effect.” Moreover, you can listen to ASMR for stress relief while working or before you go to sleep. There are so many ways to integrate stress relieving sounds into your life and choose the sounds that you enjoy.
Our bodies are composed of about 70% water – vibrations matter because our body intensely listens to vibrations when so much of us is composed of water. The vibrations of sounds affect how we feel, since water’s vibrations impact who we are. In turn, that affects how we experience our lives. ASMR can help us integrate a more mindful experience in how we choose to intake sensory experience.
As a long time beauty secret devotee, I am constantly scouring the marketplace to find the next beauty innovation: to not only pursue trends, but to find innovative beauty products that have great price points and also are beautiful pieces to put on a vanity. Enter Pretty Vulgar Cosmetics. This brand’s edgy name and rosy style is exactly what contemporary shabby chic lovers look for… this beauty brand does not encompass one singular beauty style (i.e. only classic makeup looks or only edgy and contemporary looks).
This brand allows you to lean into realizing life’s contradictions and living them out in any way you please (who said you can’t wear a rose print dress with a cat eyeliner?) Pretty Vulgar is a forward thinking brand that also appreciates classic and vintage style. This is a U.S. based company, available at Sephora, and in Europe it’s now available from Douglas Cosmetics. As they say, “Embrace your beautiful contradictions.”
Along the shoreline of one of the world’s most beautiful lakes (if not the world’s most beautiful lake), Lake Wörthersee, sits a holistic health clinic, VivaMayr. The clinic, which focuses on four principles to wellness:
Destressing
Cleansing the organs
Training as a factor in healing
Substitution
Prominent physician Dr. F.X. Mayr found that long-term health stems from a healthy gut. Chewing our food between 30-50 times for each mouthful and eating the right food improves our gut health.
Modern Mayr doctors have expanded the principles of Dr. F.X Mayr and the Mayr Cure to create Modern Mayr Medicine. The results can be brighter skin, more energy, better digestive health, a flatter stomach and happiness from within. Prominent clients include Kate Moss, Christian Louboutin, Elizabeth Hurley, and Karlie Kloss. Locations of VivaMayr include Maria Wörth and Altausse for medical centers. Day clinic locations are in Vienna and London.
Treatments include a range of personalized medical treatments, water therapy (hydrotherapy), movement therapy (physical activity), lab infusions (vitamins), massage therapy, oxygen therapy, nutritional consultation, and cryotherapy. All of the treatment programs are bespoke and intended to fit your personal needs.
What are the ways to get there? From Zurich, there are nonstop flights to Ljubljana, Slovenia. VivaMayr is about a 50 minute car ride away in Austria. Alternatively, you can fly to the Klagenfurt, Austria airport from which the resort is a 20 minute ride away. My mother is from Klagenfurt and visiting via the flight to Klagenfurt might be best.
What is the cost? An all inclusive experience is 5,000-7,000 EUR. One week is the minimum recommended time that you should stay at the resort, and also, a calmer, less busy time is recommended for before and after your stay to help you ease into the process of wellbeing at VivaMayr.
Many fans of the treatments say that VivaMayr is more of a lifestyle than a destination. The treatment methods and lifestyle changes are easily integrated into your everyday life to improve your quality of life and health outcomes.
After my everyday skincare routine, there are simply four products that I need for my new revamped work from home beauty routine that I have lived into since the beginning of this crisis (mascara definitely optional these days!)… I use the fantastic Revlon PhotoReady Candid Glow foundation to cover up any imperfections and it works wonderfully under the eyes, it has a moisturizing texture and it doesn’t smudge that easily. I noticed it has great staying power and works well as a concealer. Rather than applying foundation all over my face as I usually do, I have now been using this foundation as a light concealer over my moisturizer which lets my skin breathe a bit more.
Another change that I made which is significant, I stopped religiously putting on lip liner. I love lip liner, but I realized it’s not always the best look for me and with wearing a face mask, it’s not even worth applying that much product to put a face mask over. These days, I apply a pop of color lipstick without any lip liner (my go-to color has been Milani Cosmetics in Rose Hip) which is a lovely pink shade that works well for any season, but especially lovely in summer.
I brush my eyebrows with a spoolie as always, but no gel or eyebrow products anymore, because less is more. If I really want to go the “extra mile” on a certain day, I can apply Burt’s Bees nourishing mascara. Sometimes, I’ll take a light pink lipstick (Clinique’s Watermelon is a good option for my skintone) and put a couple smudges on my cheeks and spread out as a natural looking cream blush!
There you have it! I hope this experience has allowed you to rethink your beauty routine, allowing you to feel at your best, even if it’s for a Zoom call.
The COVID-19 global pandemic is unlike anything we have seen before. The pandemic has affected everyone’s lives and decimated entire industries. The sheer volume of this crisis is just staggering. For the June/July 2020 issue of Vogue magazine, for the first time in 50 years, there is a still life photo of a rose on the cover with a message: Our Common Thread. Our common thread during this time is creativity, and especially for those who work in the fashion industry, many questions loom overhead of the future of fashion and fashion’s position in society that now looks so different.
One conversation which has emerged recently due to this pandemic was if Fashion Week should even exist anymore, an event which is the highlight of the fashion industry across many cities around the world each year. With the question of how long social distancing will be a part of our lives (which seems to be for the long haul at the moment), Fashion Week is an event that is as crowded as it gets… When this crisis began, it was the strangest Milan Fashion Week there could be: Giorgio Armani streamed his runway shows online with an empty room and models walking down the catwalk. The fashion industry has had to become extremely agile, more agile than anyone could ever imagine.
The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) chairman and designer, Tom Ford, is now collaborating with Vogue magazine’s editor in chief, Anna Wintour, in establishing a fund for those working in the fashion industry, A Common Thread, which supports people who are no longer working during this crisis, which includes seamstresses, tailors, embroiderers, and many more. If you have the means, please consider donating to this fund established by the CFDA, which is a 501(c)3. To donate, text THREAD to 44-321 or go to this link.
It’s a shocking time for many and it’s deeply unsettling when you consider the larger picture. Anna Wintour’s son, Charles Shaffer, an ER Doctor, contracted the virus after treating patients with the virus in the ICU. We must all do our best to continue social distancing and following our state and local guidelines.
Anna Wintour’s son, Charles Shaffer, with his wife Elizabeth Cordry.
Mother Earth is a beautiful miracle. We must work to protect her and honor her. I do believe that the world is in tatters mostly because we are not living in tune with nature; like listening to our bodies and hearts, we must listen and be in tune with what our nature is telling us. Mother Nature is speaking back now – animal populations are going extinct, humans are experiencing the detrimental impact of climate change, and furthermore, we are on a path of no return sooner than later.
My heart breaks thinking about this reality. I know in my heart that Earth is a place that should be honored and protected. We speak of space travel like going into space is a better alternative. What about caring about Earth? On a more existential plane, perhaps it’s worth considering that Earth was intended to be man’s beginning and end: nothing more and nothing less, because if we want to be honest, Earth is an all-encompassing experience for humans to the delight of our spirits. Whether you are walking through a forest in Austria, exploring the jungle in Brazil, or swimming in a cave in the Bahamas, there is so much to look forward to when humans interact with and are one with nature.
Being part of nature and being on planet Earth is a blessing. There is nothing more and nothing less to expect when we are given the opportunity to be a human on Earth. Please remember that. Please enjoy a few images that show some of the miraculous places that exist on Earth and remember to always be kind to one another: we live once.
Blue marble caves of General Carrera Lake, ChileThunderball Grotto, a cave named after a James Bond film in Exuma, Bahamas.Pink Sand Beach, Harbour Island, BahamasTurneffe Island Resort, the resort on Turneffe Atoll, Belize, the private island which is speculated to be the exact geographic location where Peter Pan went on his adventures!Blue Grotto (Grotto Azzurra) of Capri, ItalyNavagio Beach, Greece Lake Bled, SloveniaTrails into a forest in Austria
From top left: The Astrology of You and Me by Gary Goldschneider, The Ancient Secret of the Flower of Life Volume 1 by Drunvalo Melchizedek, Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, That Churchill Woman by Stephanie Barron, Treasure Yourself by Miranda Kerr, The Spy by Paulo Coelho, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray.
rosybvm.com 