Fun & Famous
Carolien's fast lane life
Yes, another fresh weekday diary from our Carolien. Because you know: she never sits still…
When I was at the Theater School in Maastricht, I could really count down the days until my ‘stufi’, so I could score a new fashion find at Zara or H&M. But now I prefer to buy quality instead of quantity and I also pay attention to sustainability. Fortunately, more and more Dutch brands are producing sustainably, which can literally make a big difference in the fashion industry. Last week, LaDress joined the Fair Wear Foundation. Besides the fact that this organization fights for better working conditions and reducing negative environmental impact, they also advocate against animal suffering. I think it's fantastic that more and more large, established brands are focusing on this way of producing clothing. A big downside: now I can justify the purchase of those beautiful LaDress dresses to myself even better...
For months, my husband has been saying that we really need to do something about our air supply in the bedroom: because of the ‘blinds’, the windows can barely open (really super handy hung by my husband...) and in the summer, a sauna seems like a cooling compared to our upper floor. When Jon came in with yet another new device, I immediately started to bristle: don't we already have enough high-tech junk in our house?! But to be fair, this was a keeper: the Dyson Pure Cool Link air purifier cleans the air in our bedroom, making it feel like a window has just been opened. Especially when I read the statistics on how much air pollution you produce while you sleep, I was quite happy that this device filters 99.95% of those polluted particles from the air. Being the tech freak that my husband is, he was also very happy that the air purifier can be fully controlled with your smartphone and indicates when the air needs to be cleaned again. A nice bonus: the device also looks very appealing.
When people enter our house, our scent sticks are always immediately noticed “in a good way”. I find scent very important: it evokes a certain memory in everyone. My heart still races when I smell Jon's first perfume from Escada, and I always feel calm from the scent of Nag Champa incense and the associated memories of Bangkok. For a year now, I have been completely addicted to Molton Brown's scent ‘Coco & Sandalwood’. Unfortunately, this only existed in hand cream until recently, but when I received the newsletter stating that this line was being expanded, I jumped for joy. The scent immediately makes me dream of a sunny Caribbean island. So when friends enter our house from now on, they will smell the scent sticks and corresponding candle from this line and hopefully feel a bit like they are in the tropical sun.
Because of Carrie from SATC, I had to have a name necklace: you know, that nice ordinary one with your name in curly letters, preferably in yellow gold. Fortunately, this craze has become a bit more refined, and I now wear a beautiful bar necklace with my name on it from Vedder&Vedder day and night. For my witnesses, I was looking for the perfect gift and I quickly knew that it had to be a piece of jewelry from Vedder&Vedder, but something more original than a name necklace. Then I saw their bar with a GPS coordinate: how cool! I just had to come up with a special location to have engraved in it. And that certainly worked: both ladies now wear the coordinate where I first met them. And to think that we used to walk around with such a half heart on a chain as a BFF sign... Best Friends Forever!
When I walked over the Ponte Vecchio in the heart of Florence for the first time, I was immediately hooked on this city. Everywhere you look, you see a perfect postcard for yourself. Whether you want to shop, soak up culture, or enjoy culinary delights: everything is optimally possible here. And besides, it is also an über-romantic city: I don't know what it is, but when Jon and I are here, we are just in a state of pure love! If after this huge enthusiastic review you still have any doubts, I hereby give you our ultra-secret tip for a very hidden rooftop restaurant in the heart of the city that makes your entire trip unforgettable in one evening: the tiny restaurant in Hotel LA SSSS. Our ultra-friendly car rental employee tipped us off about this hidden spot, and upon arrival, I immediately got goosebumps at the sight of the beautiful view. Uh, dear Jon, when are we going back?
