Woman Fashion

Guillaume’s first perfume

This morning I found this empty bottle of perfume. It is the first and one of my favourite, so I keep it as a remark of the beginning of my fragrant journey.

It is Kachgar from Isabel Derroisne. I still remember the moment i tried it: the opening note, an enchanting mixture of woodiness and amber led by refreshing bergamot; after a while, what left on the skin is the warmth of burning sandalwood, the sweetness of mandarin orange and a subtle smoothness of vanilla…

Describe a perfume

Perfume Families

Considering the using occasions would be mostly business events or open class, the perfumes that I choose to wear are mostly Eau de Toilette. For an event of around 3 hours, an Eau de Toilette can provide enough lasting time with a just right strength of aroma.

Concentration

A perfume is basically a solution of fragrant essence as solute and ethyl alcohol as solvent. The way we call a perfume differs according to the concentration of essence, let me introduce you their differences:

Eau Fraiche: essence < 3%
Eau de Cologne: essence 2%~5%
Eau de Toilette: essence 4%~10%
Eau de Parfum: essence 8%~15%
Extrait: essence 15%~25%

Perfume for formal occasions

Sensitivity level of olfactory receptor cells can differ among people. In formal occasions, it is better to avoid perfumes with too strong or unorthodox aroma.

Givenchy Gentleman

Let’s take example of Gentlemen Eau de Toilette of Givenchy, a perfume that I like to use. The major impression of top notes is cardamom, but its spiciness goes in company with fruity scents. The heart is iris, giving soft and sweet aroma; leather and patchouli are there in the base, but both very controlled. In a word, it is well balanced, nothing too strong, easy for people to accept.

Trying a perfume

Now, perfume has become a part of my life style. I always like to spend some time on looking for next nice perfumes. Trying perfumes is one of my favourite activities when I go shopping.

It is not elegant to spray a large amount of perfume on yourself. Usually people use fragrance blotters. However, the aromatic chemicals indeed give the best scent on human skin.

What I do when trying is to take a lower concentration perfume, spray once on my wrist. Around 5 minutes later, I will try another one on the other wrist or inside elbow. I stop after trying 3 different perfumes so that my sense of smell is still sharp.

What other perfumes does Guillaume use? What is his secret of matching outfit with perfumes? More stories about Guillaume and his perfumes coming soon…

Miona: perfume lover must-knows

Like many ladies, rather than keeping a same rigid image all the time, I change my styles and I have a collection of perfumes to go with different occasions and outfits.

My Collection

When I dress up nicely for an important date or event, I would like my perfume to make the perfect even better. I like to keep a pleasant and female style, so most of my perfumes are of floral notes, Versace Crystal Bright and Burberry Weekend are the two that i use the most often.

Take the perfume with you

I have a small perfume atomizer, which can be filled with perfume from large bottles. It is convenient to carry so that I can put on in restroom whenever needed.

I also like to buy roll on perfumes. They can be easily put into a purse to take with me anywhere.

Where to apply

When the event is long, in order the aroma can last longer and give its best smell, I usually use some Eau de Parfum on the inside of wrists, inside of elbows, behind my knees and a little bit behind my ears.

Spray on body parts where you can feel the pulse.

When you are already dressed up but still want to wear some perfume, don’t directly spray on your cloth! Essential oil in the perfume can leave a stain on white shirt or even dark cloths of smooth materials like silk.

Better not spray to cloths

Alternative Ways

When I feel stressed out, I take a hot bath or go out to a SPA. Since I already have some aroma from lotion or essential oil, I will spray some Eau de Toilette on my hair or on the pillow. I enjoy this feeling of lying in bed surrounded by fragrance.

For perfumes that I haven’t been using for a while, I spray them on curtains or on furniture.

With so many perfumes, how does Miona keep them? What’s her personal etiquette tips about perfume using occasion? Find out in our next perfume article!

Dear ladies and gentlement, what was your first perfume? What is your favourite one? Please share with us!

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The smile line eraser exercise
Why this exercise
With this exercise, you can work at reducing the fine lines around your mouth appearing over the years, helping you look younger and giving you a more natural, brilliant smile.
How to do it
Pucker up: purse your lips as dramatically as possible by sucking in your cheeks and rolling your lips out.

Attempt to smile while you’re puckering.
Hold this pose until there’s a mild aching sensation in the muscles around your mouth, then release.
How often to do it
This exercise should be done only once a day, in order to avoid straining the muscles of your face.

The smiling muscle exercise
Why this exercise
With adopting this exercise we keep our muscles around the mouth young and in good shape, so we are always ready to express the perfect smile with easiness.
How to do it
Start by sitting or standing in front of a mirror, whichever is more comfortable, with your face and lips in a relaxed state.
Stretch the corners of your mouth laterally (to the sides) while keeping your lips together; hold for 10 seconds.
Expand the lateral stretch and part your lips to expose the edge of your teeth; hold for 10 seconds.
Stretch further laterally and expose about half of your teeth; hold for ten seconds.
Smile as wide and hard as you can, with all your teeth showing; hold for ten seconds.

Repeat steps 4, 3, and 2 to reverse the smile gradually.

How often to do it
This incremental exercise in smiling should be done once a day, the best time is in the morning.

“Duchenne genuine” smile exercise
Why this exercise
With practice, you may be able to remove a fake smile by engaging your eyes with your mouth. When your smile has the power to enthral other people, then you have a genuine smile, so-called Duchenne smile.

How to do it
Stand in front of a mirror but concentrate only on your eyes. You may find it helpful to cover the lower part of your face with a piece of paper.
Make your eyes smile; hold it for ten seconds.
When your eyes do smile, remember how it feels, including which muscles are working and how.
Repeat this exercise 3 times.

How often to do it
This exercise should be done once a day, the best time is in the morning until you master the smile.

Let’s review together, can you detect which from the following smiles are fake genuine smiles and tell us why do you think so?

Do you have any other exercises for gaining the perfect genuine smile? Please share with me!

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Chinese and Western Kitchen
As a matter of fact, the biggest difference comes from cooking habits. If you are Chinese you probably prefer stir-frying or quick frying, while if you are European or American you are rather used to heating or cooking food in the oven or fry pan, which means less oil and less cooking smell. As a consequence, the way you have arranged your kitchen space if totally different.

Spatial Arrangement
For Chinese, a kitchen is only a place for cooking. And when you cook, you have to close the kitchen door, otherwise, the smell would pervade the whole room. In other words, cleaning Chinese kitchen is more likely war with the cooking smell, as well as the greasy stains during and after the cooking process.

The western kitchen is usually open space, sometimes it could even be a part of the living room. Thus, the kitchen area is visually brighter and cleaner than the Chinese one. Some families will also set up a certain space in the kitchen to enjoy themselves (bar, coffee table, etc.), as a result, the western kitchen is no longer just a place for cooking, but also for socializing to some extent. So if you want to try Chinese stir-frying in a Western kitchen, you should really think about it first!

Kitchenware
Plus what we mention above that the Chinese way of cooking is often with more oil, the kitchen wares in China are also more diverse. That explains why nearly 90% of Chinese don’t trust dishwasher for cleaning their dishes; but prefer using a lot of detergents and cleaning the dishes with hands.

In comparison, most of the western dishes like beef, fish, etc. could be cooked by frying pan with little oil. And 90% of westerners would use the dishwasher with less or even no detergent when cleaning their dishes.

Cleaning Tips

Designated area
Water sink: Salt the greasy stains of the water sink, and then wipe the area with plastic film; wash the sink with warm water.
Kitchen tiles: Cover the tiles with a paper tissue, and then spray the detergent over the area. Keep it for 3-5 minutes, then remove the tissue and wash the tiles with warm water.
Table: Salt the greasy area on the table, add salad oil onto the area; wait and then wipe it with a piece of cloth.

Appliances
Microwave oven: Add some detergent to a bowl of cold water, then heat the water with microwave oven for 3 minutes. Wipe the inside of the oven with a paper tissue.
Dishwasher: Place a cup of vinegar on the top rack, and run the machine without dishes. The vinegar works to loosen up any mineral deposits that might have built up.

Kitchenware
The cutting board: Cover the board with paper tissue; add vinegar to a bowl of warm water and spray the mixture on to the board; wait for 5-10 minutes to remove the tissue and clean the board with clean water.
Glasses: clean the inside of the glass with toothbrush and toothpaste, then clean it with fresh water.

Faux pas to avoid

– Wash the cutleries with clean water at least twice after using detergent or the chemical residues would cause health problems.
– Don’t use detergent to clean the cutting board, because some chemical composition in the detergent would pollute the wood board.
– Dishcloths should be cleaned and dried after use according to certain cleansing need. Prepare several dishcloths in the kitchen and don’t mix-use.

No matter what, you have to choose proper detergent and clean the kitchen regularly to keep your kitchen clean. What else do you know regarding this topic? Do you know any tips about cleaning the kitchen? Please share with us!

Don’t: Speak loudly on the phone in public
I will pay special attention and control my voice when speaking on the phone. We all tend to speak louder when we have a phone discussion. But the truth is that nobody around wishes to hear or take part in your discussion. Please make your voice strong enough for people to hear, but not to disturb the person seated nearby.

Don’t: Check my phone all the time when dining with someone
If I am having dinner or meeting somebody, I won’t check my phone or even place it on the table. Because this would probably make him/her think “I am here with you, but you don’t want to talk with me!”

Don’t: Rush to take a seat in public transport
Don’t push and don’t rush in public transport! If you are in public transport, do not rush to take the seated place or to go first in a lane, it is extremely rude to show you want to be the first before the other, it shows selfishness.

Don’t: Stand on the left side of the escalator
The etiquette rule for escalator is “ stand on the right, walk on the left”. Avoid standing on the left side of the escalator! This side is for people who are in a hurry or who want to walk up stairs, so please don’t get in their way.

Don’t: Interrupt rudely someone while he/she is talking
It is impolite to interrupt someone while he is talking and don’t interrupt other parties that are having conversations. Just wait patiently and listen carefully if you want to be respectful. Besides, you will have more time to think about what you are going to say and how to react when he is finished with his speech.

Don’t: Stare at people in the street
Don‘t stare at people in the street, especially some handsome guys or beautiful girls, or foreigners! Your stare would make them feel uncomfortable or embarrassed to some extent. Or even worse, don’t take stealthy.

Don’t: not holding the door to someone behind
Holding the door to the person coming after you is one of the basic rules. If you want to be even more elegant and admired, you can as well smile to the person coming after you. Smiling is the key to every good feeling, sharing it helps to feel more confident and glad.

If we would all have more manners, we would create a better society. What else do you know about this topic? Please share with us!

Standing posture
Our poor posture usually comes from the weakness of our muscles. When we try to have a perfect straight posture after a short period, we feel tired. Therefore, we have to strength up our muscles first in order to gain a gracious posture.

Exercise I
Every day, you may stand straight against the wall for 5 minutes: heels, hips, shoulders, hands should be kept close to the wall. This will naturally help to correct your neck and shoulders posture.

After a couple of times, if this feels too easy for you, you may stand longer or move away one step from the wall.

Exercise II
Keep your both arms in front of you, straight elbows, hands in fists facing up, thumbs pointing on a side. Move the arms away from each other with squeezing the shoulder blades and return. Repeat 20 times. This exercise will empower your muscles between shoulder blazes which will allow you to easier keep your shoulders in a proper position.

Exercise III
Same position like in the previous exercise, but keep your elbows next to your body, forming 90 degrees angle with your forearms and upper arms, move them away from each other with squeezing the shoulders blades and return. Repeat 20 times. It’s also applied to empower the muscles between the shoulder blades.

Exercise IV
Find support for your arm in a standing position, legs apart with a straight back, bend your knees a bit, one arm placed behind your head. Rotate the arm behind your head, in front – behind motion, follow the movement with your head. Repeat 20 times each arm. Another variation for straightening up your back muscles for a painless posture.

Sitting posture
We often sit a lot and that affects our body. Actually, our body is made for movement, that’s why it’s important to do exercises during sitting. These exercises you can do more times a day, anytime when you feel it can release you from back pain.

Exercise I
Cross your arms, start moving your weight from one side to another. Continue doing the exercise for 30 sec. By doing this exercise you are stretching your back releasing yourself from a pain.

Exercise II
Cross your arms, bring your chest up and then down. Continue doing the exercise for 30 sec. Another exercise for stretching your upper back that decreases the tension.

Exercise III
Cross your arms, rotate your upper body from one side to another. Continue doing the exercise for 30 sec. Overall, all these sitting exercises are used to activate your back muscles while sitting which allows you pain-free state.

Walking posture
For maintaining a straight back we have to have a stable base. That’s why our leg muscles play an important role. In order to have gracious walking motion, our muscles should be enough strong. Therefore, I propose you the following.

Exercise I
Place your hands on your hips, maintain a straight posture, and now follow the steps:
Step 1: Raise up our right leg in front of you. Hold for 30 seconds.

Step 2: While still in the air, move your leg on a side. Hold for 30 seconds.

Step 3: While still in the air, move your leg behind you. Hold for 30 seconds.
Bring down your leg, shake it a bit and repeat steps (1-3) with your left leg.

Exercise II
This one we use to teach our clients how to synchronise the whole body while walking. The rule is: right hand – left leg go together and the opposite. Another thing to remember is that we should walk heel to toe. You can do it in one spot if the available space is small.

Dear all, you know what people say, in a healthy body there is a healthy mind as well.