How to Read More Books
Statistically, the questions I hear most often are: “Oh my god, are you unwell?” when I haven’t applied any make-up and “How do you manage to read so much?” when I’ve finished another book and feel the whole world should know. The latter question is often as..
5 Jo Malone Fragrances I Wear All the Time
Today is the first day of spring and this seemed a good time for a post on Jo Malone, the brand that reinvented cologne for modern consumers. Perfumistas can be a bit dismissive of Malone, as the fragrances aren’t very complex or statement-making. I complain..
Pastels, Again
I would never describe myself as a pastel person, but the evidence says otherwise: I’ve just searched the blog and in less than a year, I’ve written posts on pink, lilac and light blue. Similarly, there is no denying the fact that I’ve merrily worn pastels f..
A Slow Read: Richard Mabey’s The Cabaret of Plants
Among the things I promised to do in 2016 was reading longer books, as an antidote to my impatience and my growing inability to concentrate. I haven’t been doing too badly: in addition to quite a few other books, I recently finished The Silk Roads by Peter F..
Silly Stickers
Most children who grew up in Estonia during the last gasps of the Soviet Union, have a special relationship with stickers. Stickers were inherently western – unnecessary, shiny and bright – and therefore desirable. Me and my brother had an entire side of a c..
11 (French) Pharmacy Favourites
What to buy in a pharmacy in Paris seems to be one of the fundamental questions of modern times, something every blogger has to address at some point. Obviously, I swore I’d never do it. But the more I read posts that unfailingly mentioned Bioderma micellar ..
Bored with Blazers
Where I live, the question of the appropriate cover-up is ever-present. If we are lucky, there are three evenings a year warm enough to sit outside in a t-shirt. But for 362 days, you would need something to wear on top of your dress/blouse/shirt/camisole/ju..
A Year of Blogging
It’s strange to think that my blog turned one year old this week, it feels both like it should be more and less than that. Characteristically, I’m a few days late celebrating it – questionable health, increasing workload and some lovely guests have all playe..
Like a Teenager: Lancome Juicy Shakers
After all this lecturing and posturing I’ve been up to recently about national identity and proper behaviour before events, I felt like doing a frivolous little post on something very unintellectual. And I believe I’ve succeeded spectacularly in this with my..
13 Tips for a Big Event
I love big events. I love the drama, the dressing-up, the excitement. If there aren’t any sufficiently big events happening, I will invent some, so that I can wear my gowns. Or order new ones. But chatting to people at the Estonian Independence Day reception..