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Author: Margit Rüdiger

CultureAndCream Author from Munich To travel during my profession as a beauty journalist was never enough for my. Also my six month on a world trip didn't do it. It always attracts me to other cities, foreign countries, on roadtrips and places I don't know yet. But I am not only interested in "culture" and "cream", I am also fascinated by people who have stories to tell .  Such unique experiences I want to share with you.

Sniff the scent of the people you miss!

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Berlin perfumer Marie Urban-Le Febvre gives us some very unique tips, how we can feel closer to people who are close to our hearts: just sniff their scent! An extraordinarily beautiful idea. In this difficult times, especially with its limitations, I also miss my beloved ones deeply! While the technology enables us to hold online meetings, we can at least see each other, have a chat, or virtually “have a drink” together. But an important dimension is missing – especially for me as a perfumer, since there is so much to do with scents and smell in life. In order to at least have an illusion of the scent of others, I use a few tricks. It’s not the same thing, of course, but it helps at least a little. Smell samples and perfumed letters If possible, I go to a perfumery and sniff the perfumes of my mother, father or friends. I even have small samples of the favorite scents of some very special people in my collection. This way I can at least create a little more closeness and inspire my memory. I have just received mail from a dear friend, and her stationery smells wonderful. In this way my grandmother always gave her letters an extra personal touch. She just sprayed her perfume on the writing paper. That may sound a little old-fashioned now. But so it was always a special experience for me to first open the envelope, then read her handwriting while I smelled her unique fragrance. For a moment I had the impression that she was standing next to me. While reading I could even hear the sound of her voice. A simple, an analog trick and a magical effect in this very different world of today. Marie’s Biography Marie Urban-Le Febvre is French and has spent most of her life in Paris. Her very special sense of smell was noticed early on. As a result, she attended various fragrance trainings while still at school. After studying chemistry, Marie graduated from ISPICA, the most renowned school for perfumery in Versailles. After her extensive training, Marie worked for international perfume houses and refined her skills with the masters of the perfume craft. Since 2014 she has been creating fragrances for her own collection “Urban Scents” in her Berlin laboratory as well as tailor-made perfumes for customers. In addition, she supports other brands with their creative potential and knowledge and is dedicated to fragrance projects for exhibitions as well as science and research.… weiterlesen

Do you Have a Resting Bitch Face?

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RBF means Resting Bitch Face means a grumpy facial expression. Incidentally, there are also men among this group. To show such a look should not be difficult in the current crisis period. But it was new to me that you could make a lot of money with it. The US journalist Taylor Orci (IG taylororci) came up with the phrase “Resting Bitch Face”, after being constantly asked about her sad face. But as a comedian, she is anything but a sad person. Incidentally, at men she describes the phenomenon as “Resting Asshole Face”. The most famous RBF is the cat “Grumpy”, who thanks to her grumpy expression has become a super influencer. The grim look brought her a wax figure Madame Tussauds in San Francisco and her owner Tabatha Bundesen a lot of money. It is said to have earned 80 million euros in two years with the portrait of her angry cat. Grumpy Cat, whose real name was “Tardar Sauce”, died 2019 at home after contracting a urinary tract infection. A natural phenomenon If you want to get money and fame with a grim face like cat Grumpy, there is a requirement: The grumpy expression has to be real and not fake. A face that doesn’t look friendly or even arrogant to others is an unjust mood of nature. The steep lines between the eyebrows that are already present in the calm face are responsible for this, as well as pronounced teardrops lines. Also dropping eyelids and corners of the mouth which are pointing down send non-verbal messages: annoyed, repellent, in a bad mood. Welcome to the Club! You are often asked, what is bugging you or if something bad happened? Or you are regularly asked to laugh? And if you finally smile, the smile feels strange on your face? Then you belong to the group of „Grumpy Cats“. But that does not mean that you are actually a sour pot and are always in a bad mood. Only your facial expressions doesn’t exactly look like exuberant joie de vivre. But a little comfort: You have many fellow sufferers – from movie celebrities to royals. In Hollywood in particular, the land of everlasting smiles, grumpy faces stand out even more clearly in addition to the tons of smiling people. Above all, Designer Victoria Beckham, who even if she accidentally smiles, looks like she has to burst into tears. In thoughtless moments, also Queen Elizabeth, Kristen Stewart, Lana del Rey and Kanye West always look as grim as if they had been forced to do something terrible.… weiterlesen

My Tip: Lifting at the Hairdresser, the slightly different Beauty Cut

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For a rejuvenating effect on the face, you don’t always have to see the Beauty Doc with a syringe or even the scalpel. Stefan M. Pauli, owner of the Salon Pauli in the Brienner Quartier in Munich, told me how the right haircut can rejuvenate a face and make it look brighter. That a haircut can have a good lifting effect sounds strange at first. “But that’s right,” confirms Stefan M. Pauli. “All lines on the face that are aspiring radiate something positive, lively, friendly. Everything that optically points down does the opposite.“ Seems logical to me! Because dropping corners of the mouth and long, straight hair hanging down, have always something sad. Precisely such features are decisive for the haircut, especially for the contours on the face. Creating counter energies Pauli: „I look at where I see lines emerging in the customer’s face, which I emphasize with the contouring, i.e. cut, or conceal if necessary. For example, if someone has strong nasolabial folds or sloping corners of the mouth, and then I cut hair that has the same course at exactly this height, the face looks even more tired. If I also lose fullness on the top of the head, I get the feeling that energy really escapes from this look.“ As a countermeasure, the cut is kept slightly shorter at the top, so that the first lot of the hair already makes a swing outwards. “With this I create a counter energy to the falling lines”, explains the expert. But only a real hair professional can do that. You shouldn’t even attempt such experiments yourself. Not even if you have already practiced on yourself and others with scissors during the corona lockdown! Stefan M. Pauli, Owner Salon Pauli in Munich Photos: Petra Schönberger, Hair: Stefan M.Pauli… weiterlesen

Breakfast as harmful as smoking?

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The home office allows more time for breakfast. A British professor wants to spoil that for us. He claims that breakfast is as dangerous as the cigarette. Other scientists oppose it and declare that people who have breakfast are healthier and leaner. What now? Having a sumptuous breakfast, that is something special. And when you work at home, there is maybe a little more leisure even on weekdays. With plenty of coffee, of course, to get you going. Because: Those who feel good automatically start the day more motivated and positive. Breakfast with children is also an important ritual, not to say a part of the culture that brings the family together at the table. But actually how beneficial breakfast is for our health? The breakfast defeatist The British biochemist Prof. Terence Kealey believes that breakfast is the most dangerous meal of the day. His book „Breakfast Is A Dangerous Meal“ has created a great deal of heat and has fueled the breakfast discussion that already has been going on for years. He writes in his book how breakfast increases blood sugar levels, which would lead to obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes in the long run. He himself was diagnosed with diabetes2 at the age of 56. Consequently he began to control his blood sugar level meticulously and found that his sugar rose dangerously, especially after breakfast. Without breakfast, his blood sugar dropped and did not increase during the day not even after further meals. In order to stay healthy, he therefore advises also non-diabetics to cut out breakfast. Fasting in the morning Kealey explains why eating in the morning is less healthy than all the other meals. He says, that our body does not react the same way every time of the day. The circadian rhythm which controls the release of hormones in the body over 24 hours is responsible for this. The stress hormone cortisol in particular is higher in the morning so that we wake up. In the evening it drops and we can fall asleep calmly. Cortisol is one of the most important hormonal opponents of insulin and weakens its effect in the cells. Kealey: „Morning is the time of natural insulin resistance. Then eating provokes and exacerbates the Metabolic syndrome, the mass murderer of our modern times.“ The Metabolic syndrome includes metabolic deseases like obesity, high blood pressure, increased blood sugar and fat metabolism disorders.… weiterlesen

Tested for you: Tonymoly’s Vital Vita 12 „MANGO BOOSTING PACK“

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I love mangoes. That’s why „Mango Boosting Pack“ has already a bonus. The gel smells subtly of mango, is mango-colored and so the jar, of course. I also appreciate Korean skin care. It has a long tradition in Asia and knows how to optimally combine science and nature. The gel mask consists of 90% mango extract, plus olive extract and soothing ylang-ylang and lemongrass – so far what is said on the package leaflet. The first grip in the jar introduces me to a cooling, soft texture. First I apply it on the back of my hand: it does not stick. That’s important to me, I don’t like sticky textures. Now I will start: Clean the face, apply the mask, as we have learned avoiding the eye and mouth area. I leave it on for 15 minutes. The gel feels pleasantly cool and refreshing on the skin. I can very well imagine for soothing the skin after sunbathing. Rinse mask off thoroughly with warm water. After the prescribed time I rinse the mask off thoroughly with warm water. The look in the mirror reveals a youthful boosted and radiant skin! But my test continues: After an extra stressful day, I apply the gel thinly in the evening instead of night cream and let it work for me overnight. And lo and behold: The next morning my skin looks smooth and well rested „Mango Boosting Pack“ will be my skin care favorite for summer! Vital Vita 12 „Mango Boosting Pack“ von Tonymoly, 200 ml, ca. 18 US$  … weiterlesen

Tested for you: GUCCI „MASCARA L’OBSCUR“

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When it comes to mascara, I’m very picky. For many, the texture is too rich for me, so that the eyelashes stick together. If the brushes are too thick, I will not catch the small outer lashes and leave black traces on the upper lid. And if the formula has dried up after just four weeks, I am annoyed with every cent I spent on it. The „Mascara L’Obscur“ of Gucci Beauty does not apply to all of this. Its creamy texture is rich, but does not smear. Even after an extra long day, I don’t find a single black crumb under my eyes. The flexible elastomer brush with its spherical shape has just the right volume enveloping the lashes from the root to the tip. Thanks to the slender tip, I can easily come across for grabbing even the tiniest bottom lashes and separate them cleanly from the roots upwards. Already the very first layer brings amazing length and volume, and even if you like your lashes a little more voluptuous, they do not clump. I also like the elegant, subtle packaging: The mascara is housed in a retro powder pink tube with a gold metal screw cap. No cheap plastic material! And the best of all: I’ve been using „Mascara L’Obscur“ for six weeks now, and the texture is as fresh as the first day. It has its price, but every cent is worth it. Well done, Gucci! Gucci’s „Mascara L’Obscur“, black, US$ 35 Photos: Gucci Beauty… weiterlesen

Tested for you: „ANTI-POLLUTION PRIMER“ of Grown Alchemist

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Pollution is a big issue in skin care. That’s why I chose the „Anti-Pollution Primer“ to test it. The silicone-free gel is a real innovation of the Australian skincare brand Grown Alchemist. The company stands for “bio-compatible beauty” with an holistic scientific approach. All products are vegan, non-toxic and eco-friendly. The primer is formulated to protect the skin from environmental damage and also from blue light. Prebiotic-Peptides enhances the skin’s microbiota to noticeably improve epidermal barrier function, boost hydration and protect skin against environmental aggressors. What personally won me over is its soft feel. The gel spreads velvety and light, the pores immediately appear refined. I apply it evenly over clean skin using fingertips after applying my preferred serum. Although I never use foundation myself, I have tried how the product is compatible with it. It works very well. But it is important to allow the primer to dry before application of foundation or additional makeup products. Otherwise the layers merge into one another and slip off the skin. „Anti-Pollution Primer“ of Grown Alchemist, 50 ml, US$ 39  … weiterlesen

Nutritional Supplements. Not always without Risk!

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Wherever you look – nutricosmetics. You find them everywhere, in pharmacies, drugstores, departmentstores and luxury beauty shops. Even in groceries the shelves are full of them. The big beauty companies as well as the smallest doctor brands have extended their lines with beauty pills and powders and drinks. But this „beauty from within“ is not always without risk. Karen Grant, Global Beauty Industry Analyst of the NPD Group, provides a comprehensive view of the market. She says: „A huge turnover of 133 Billion US Dollar is made worldwide with beauty supplements.“ Even the Germans spended over two billion euros for food supplements in 2018 – upward tendency. Online has the lion’s share. For example, if you search on the luxury online platform net-a-porter for „food supplement“, you won’t get less than 94 products as an result. They all promise „beauty from within“. Who has never ordererd his magnesium or vitamin C online“? Or was tempted to click on „order now“ of an Instagram post, when there was advertised a “Glow Inner Beauty Powder“ or the „Ageless Beauty Vitamin“. Pill instead of cream According to studies, it is precisely the millennials in Europe and Asia, who choose more often a proactive approach. They turn away from traditionell skin care products, especially from antiaging creams. They prefer pills, shots and teas for their overall wellness. Prominent beauty women do their part. So Heidi Klum advertises a tablet „that makes my skin, hair and nails beautiful like never before“. Gwyneth Paltrow sells on her „Goop Wellness“ platform several sticks und gums for more energy, a clear mind and more glow for the skin. Her pill cocktail „The Mother Load“ is designed for women before, during and after pregnancy. However, this product has already come under fire from experts. According to WHO (World Health Organisation) pregnant women shouldn’t take food supplements containing vitamin A. It could harm the unborn child. Doubtful benefits If you look at the ingredients on the packaging, there is nothing wrong with most of them on the first sight. Often they contain physiological substances like collagen and hyaluronic acid. These are responsible in the body for the elasticity of the skin and the connective tissue. Their natural production is reduced in the body from the age of 20. In addition, there are usually found minerals, trace elements like zinc, several vitamins and antioxidants in these beauty pills.There are already jelly bears with hyaluronic acid and collagen available.… weiterlesen

Markus Rock: Provocation in Pictures

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The large format pictures of photo artist Markus Rock are anything but nice and pleasing compositions. His oeuvre, he has already shown on many international exhibitions like the NordArt, is provocative and thought-provoking. Markus Rock’s photographic work centres on the question of what it means to be human in contemporary society. His earlier series show de-contextualised naked female and male bodies floating on black surfaces. The prints confront us with different states of individual being. But they also thematise the universal human longing for intimate and meaningful relationships. The physicality of the human body, the images suggest, is the landscape into which such searches for and struggles over human identity and selfhood – individual and collective — are inscribed. The ultra-realistic aesthetics of Rock’s photography can be deeply unsettling because the boundary between the body’s reality and its representations is kept open, porous and undefined. The powerful drama of human life is there for us to see and we are inescapably drawn right into it, complicit in the construction of ‘the Other’. The struggles of fellow human beings for dignity and recognition, Rock’s powerful images remind us, are always part of our own. Modern vanitas symbolism In his most recent work Markus Rock continues his visual exploration into what it means to be human in today’s world. He is particularly interested in what role material culture plays in who we think we are. Is there a meaning to the physical world that goes beyond its materiality, its mere use value? Rock is inspired by the old genre of vanitas still-lives which first emerged during the Golden Age of Dutch and Flemish culture in the 16th and 17th century. Decorating the parlours of the burgeoning merchant and bourgeois classes such meticulously arranged and amazingly realistic paintings aimed to show off the wealth of the patrons. They also celebrated the then growing stress on worldly accomplishments and human abilities: colourful paintings carefully combined the precious, rare and exceptional produced by the arts and to be found in nature with the pleasures of the mundane: flowers, bread, cheese, fruits and vegetables, books, jewels, golden and silver wine-filled chalices, scientific objects, maps, mirrors, Venetian glass, Chinese porcelain, silver cutlery, Indian cloth and Turkish carpets. Such opulent paintings were – and still are – a material feast for the eyes. Some of the objects there depicted, however, such as the hourglass and even more importantly the human skull, drove home another profound, if invisible, philosophical message: all is vanity, they reminded the viewer, and thus pointed to the transience and brevity of human life as well as to the shallowness of all human pleasures, of power, beauty and wealth.… weiterlesen

Tigerbalm – The Silver Bullett from Asia

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Hardly anyone comes back from a vacation in Thailand without the tin with its golden lid and the colourful sleeve with the tiger around it. In Asian countries you will encounter them at every nook and corner – on the market, at street stalls or in the boutique of your holiday resort. They cost almost nothing, if you compare it to western medicines. And that is exactly how the locals use the balm. It is brought to the aid of almost all ailments, each sort of tension and inflammation, also for the navel care of human and animal newborns. Tigerbalm should not be missing in any household. Also with us, it is now part of the basic equipment in the handbag of many women. Because it helps, when a sudden headache attack is announced, with itchy insect bites or to clear the nose when you have a cold. Monkey versus tiger Many people think, the healing balm is originated in Thailand. But this is an error. „Tigerbalm stinks“, says my thai son-in-law. They prefer there own product „jaa-mong“, recognizable by the monkey on the packaging. It’s official name is „White Monkey Holding Peach“ balm, but mostly it is called just Monkey Balm. Its composition is similar to that of the Tigerbalm. It also consists mainly menthol, camphor and methyl salicylate, the methyl ester of salicylic acid. Beside that it also contains various types of ginger. The locals don’t just value it as a medicine. It is placed in bowls dissolved in a little hot water, to neutralise unpleasant smells in house and kitchen, or to repel mosquitoes and other insects. Warmed up in the hands, it becomes the massage palm. Long tradition The asian balm originally comes from chinese medicine. In China it was reserved exclusively for the emperor and his ailments.The recipe has been strictly guarded. It was always passed on by a great teacher only to his best students. This treasure of traditional chinese medicine would certainly have been forgotten, if it hadn’t handed over to the Burmese plant scientist Aw Chu Kin by accident 150 years ago. He owned in Ragoon, the capital of Myanmar (former Burma), a small shop for natural remedies. Back then, the balm wasn’t called Tigerbalm. It owes its name to Aw Chu Kin’ s sons, Boon Par, the „soft lepard“, and Boon Haw, the „soft tiger“. They took over the pharmacy after the death of their father.… weiterlesen