Brazil is Always Hotter

Brazilian brand Cholet.

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Beauty Notes: Cowshed Cow Pat Anti-bacterial Hand Sanitizer

It may seem odd that I'm reviewing an anti-bacterial hand sanitizer but then given the fact that HK is now prone to go into alert mode with flus and the wave of coverage a little while back about the 10th anniversary of SARs, maybe not so much. Anyway, what is there to review about hand sanitizers? Well a pet peeve is that while I understand the need for them and how it's handy to have it on hand just to be on the safe side, I don't like the sensation that these sanitizers give me. That icky cold feeling from the alcohol that leaves your hands feeling so dry. So when Cowshed sent me their latest hand sanitizer, I was a bit skeptical. However, to my surprise, it actually felt more like a moisturizer than sanitizer and smells realy yummy too as it's scented with essential oils of lavendar and grapefruit and comes sans alcohol. It's worth checking out if you, like me, don't like that dry icky feeling.

Cowshed is available exclusively from Lane Crawford, D-mop beauty and Let’spa.

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Nespresso Niceties

I swore that I'd scheduled more posts for last week, but I guess that was just in my head... in my mind you all were being properly entertained while I was gallivanting around Milan and Venice, which is what I was doing last week. Man, writing a blog just really interferes with going on holiday, you know?

Anyway, on to a topic that's pretty near and dear to the heart of anyone who's suffering from jet lag: coffee! I'm totally obsessed with limited-edition Nespressos. I buy them and then when I get home nobody is allowed to drink them but me. Which, admittedly, has led to me tricking friends into drinking decaf when they're looking for a mid-day boost... but I'm a big believer in the placebo effect, not so much in sharing.

Maybe some of my sleepy friends have been complaining to Nespresso... because the brand has just brought back three of its popular flavours -- chocolate, vanilla and caramel -- and placed them in the permanent collection. When they do the same with cherry, I'll know that good things do come to those who wait, and that Santa did get all my letters.

And in line with that whole crowd-sourcing trend, they're letting customers choose the next limited-edition flavour that will be available (but... I thought they normally did three anyway!) from the options of chai, mint and choco-raspberry. You have until June 26th to vote at this link here: http://www.nespresso.com/vote... but what if, like greedy ol' me, you want them ALL?

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Parisian Pastries a la Pierre Herme

Christina talked about her thoughts on Pierre Herme a couple weeks ago, now check out what hkLifestyleGeek thinks about this famed pastry chef.

The macaron craze has officially hit Hong Kong now that the "Picasso of Pastries" Pierre Herme has set up shop in ifc mall. It's impressive when a French patissier makes his mark in Japan before establishing himself in Paris -- 15 years ago. And now goodies are finally flown into Hong Kong. Sadly, not all of them are available in the Hong Kong, particularly the ice cream sandwiches which I hear are to die for...

In any event the Pierre Herme Paris boutique carries the signature chocolate and macarons as well as teas and scented candles. And the verdict on the prized macarons? Some are good, some are not too special. We love the Mogador -- milk chocolate with passion fruit that is dusted with cocoa. It's not too sweet and has a nice thick jammy texture in the middle. For the sweet tooth, it has to be Infiniment Caramel, a salted-butter caramel macaron that is dreamy.

More sophisticated tastes will probably enjoy the complexity of the Huile d'Olive & Vanille, a macaron made with olive oil, vanilla and slices of green olive in the middle. It's a subtle delicate flavour.

Of the four I tried, I didn't like Infiniment Rose, made of rose and rose petal. While the shell is a gorgeous shade of brilliant pink, the filling is like butter cream and not very pleasing for the taste buds.

Other flavours that will be available in Hong Kong include: Arabesque (apricot and pistachio), Creme Brulee (vanilla and caramel pieces), Imagine (matcha green tea and black sesame crisp), and Celeste (passion fruit, rhubarb and strawberries).

"I approach my work based on the combinations of flavours, in the same way a perfumer would," explains Herme. "I pick up associations of fragrances to turn into flavours, but it is never a literal translation, it's an interpretation. The perfumer uses his nose, the patissier his nose and mouth."

For chocolates, some creations include: Makassar (salted-butter caramel mousse ganache, covered in dark chocolate), Ouvre-toi (sesame praline and sesame nougat in milk chocolate), and Lou (ginger and milk chocolate ganache with gandied ginger).

"I wanted to go further in exploring the playful side of chocolate," adds Herme. "I enjoy a special relationship with chocolate, both physical and passionate. It is a substance that is not easy to domesticate. It is a particularly complex, sensitive ingredient."

Check all these delicious goodies at Shop 1019C in ifc mall. But beware the prices aren't cheap -- a box of seven macarons will set you back HK$210 and for a dozen it's HK$330.

www.pierreherme.com

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Tod's and Hogan Friends & Family Sale

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