Travel Beauty :: Makes Scents

[trip style = any]

Do you purchase a new fragrance for every trip? I read that tip in the Paris Review recently and fell in love with the idea. The writer was quick to point out that she wasn't suggesting we purchase an expensive bottle every time we go to a cousin's wedding, but instead that we dignify a journey with its own scent.

Whether you select a new rollerball in the airport duty-free or carefully choose a scent to match your destination, this practice will allow you to create a unique sense memory for your trip. Our sense of smell connects to the part of our brain that deals with memory, motivation and emotion, which is why a scent will evoke a memory more so than any other sense.

I've selected five fragrances that originated in or were inspired by the cities to which they're attached. The first three are unisex and the next two are intended for women and men, respectively, although worn by both {I love Spicebomb even though it's from the men's department}. I'm off to Europe next month and I'm already contemplating my options: seductive and spicy for Barcelona or fresh and woody for Stockholm? With so many hours in airports, I may do both!

Trip Styler Tip: Perfumer Frédéric Malle suggests that when selecting a new fragrance, you should try on one or two and then walk around the store for 20 minutes. After that it will have settled and you'll have some confidence in whether you like it. If it still appeals, it will do for a long time; if it irritates, it will never stop.

Stockholm
Byredo Gypsy Water
Notes: Bergamot, Lemon, Pepper, Juniper Berries, Incense, Pine Needles, Vanilla, Sandalwood

New York
Le Labo Santal 33
Notes: Sandalwood, Cedar, Cardamom, Iris, Violet, Ambrox, Leather, Musk

Capri
Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo Arancia di Capri
Notes: Orange, Mandarin, Lemon, Petit Grain, Cardamom, Caramel, Musk

Paris
Frédéric Malle Portrait of a Lady
Notes: Oriental Rose, Benzoin, Cinnamon, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Musk, Frankincense

Amsterdam
Viktor & Rolf Spicebomb
Notes: Bergamot, Grapefruit, Cinnamon, Pink Pepper, Lavandin, Chilli, Saffron, Elemi, Vetiver, Balsam Fir, Tobacco, White Leather

This post is written by Trip Styler's Assistant Wayfarer/Editor Heather.

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Roll-On Essential Oils for Travel
Best Fragrances for Trip Styles
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The Do-It-All Cream

[images by @heatherlovesit & @tripstyler except paris photo via ignant.de]

Spotlight :: Amsterdam

[trip style = urban + sightseeing]

This post is written by Trip Styler fashion and lifestyle writer Heather.

Forty-eight hours in Amsterdam is not enough. It's not enough time to eat street waffles, stroll past romantic canals, visit brightly colored tulip fields, drink Heineken in Vondelpark, gaze at stylish cyclists, take in the city's museums, or put your finger on exactly what makes Amsterdam so cool. This spring I took advantage of KLM's free stopover option while traveling from Vancouver to Barcelona. Best decision ever.

Eat
Amsterdam is full of chic restaurants, street eats and gorgeous cafés. Foodie must-eats include Vlaamse frites {Belgian fries covered in mayonnaise}, stroopwafels {two thin, warm waffles filled with caramel syrup} and Dutch pancakes {huge, thin pannenkoeken or small, icing sugar-covered poffertjes}.

A Dutch take on Italian and Spanish: pizza at Mazzo and tapas at Mercat, two popular restaurants from Amsterdam's IQ Creative group.

The most stylish café in the city. Linger over espresso and design books at Roomservice inside Hôtel Droog, an Amsterdam design shop, gallery, café, one-room hotel and collection of boutiques. Trip Styler approved!

Trip Styler Tip: Looking for coffee and a place to rest and recharge? Be careful what you ask for. Coffee shops and cafés are not the same thing in Amsterdam {coffee shop = marijuana / café = coffee}.

Stay
Hotels in Amsterdam are among the most expensive in Europe, but it's possible to find a stylish stay that won't break the bank. Look for a hotel inside the canal ring if location is your top priority. I stayed in the trendy Jordaan neighborhood, which was the perfect spot for a solo stopover. For a uniquely Amsterdam stay, look for a houseboat.

Hotel The Exchange and The Lloyd Hotel and Cultural Embassy {pictured above} are unique properties that offer rooms from 1 to 5 stars {Amsterdam's answer to the Ace Hotel chain}. The former is a small hotel steps from the train station with rooms designed by fashion students; the latter is a 100-year-old building---once an emigrant hotel, a prison and artist studios---in the up-and-coming Eastern Docklands neighborhood.

Do
I could have easily spent a week touring this extremely liveable city. I'll say it again: 48 hours is not enough. I'm already plotting my return.

I barely had enough time to explore Amsterdam's delightful 17th-century city center on two feet. Two wheels is a different story, and happens to be Amsterdam's favorite mode of travel. Bicycles are easy to rent and fun to ride. Bonus: the city is flat and covered in 400+ kilometers of bike lanes! Visit Amsterdam Noord and the Eastern Docklands if you're on two wheels.

You can really get your culture on in Amsterdam. Don't miss out on the big four: the Stedelijk Museum {pictured above}, the Anne Frank House and the recently reopened Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum {pictured at very top}.

Trip Styler Tip: If you plan on visiting more than two museums, choose one of the three multi-museum passes offered in the city.

A good way to restrain your shopping habits is to visit Amsterdam with only a carry-on to your name. Whatever you buy, you carry around Europe for three weeks! That didn't stop me from exploring The Nine Streets, a boutique-filled shopping area in the canal ring, De Bijenkorf department store for Holland's version of Nordstrom, The Frozen Fountain for crazy-cool furniture and home accessories and the Target-like HEMA for everyday essentials.

Related
Fashion Friday :: Cycle Chic
Fashion Friday :: White Chucks
Travel Trend :: Pod Sleepovers

[all photos taken by @heatherlovesit]

Fashion Friday :: Cycle Chic

[trip style = urban]

{Editor's Note: We will not be publishing on Easter Monday.}

Fashion Friday posts are published regularly by fashion and lifestyle blogger Heather.

I'm heading to Amsterdam next month and recently a friend jokingly asked if I'd go to the red light district. I confess I hadn't even thought about it. When I think of Amsterdam, I imagine stylish cyclists on Dutch upright bikes with tulips in their baskets riding alongside picturesque canals. I suspect the same thing of Copenhagen, and I refuse to think any differently until I'm proved wrong. Part of this confidence comes from my faithful addiction to street style blogs and their sub genre, cycle chic blogs, birthed in Copenhagen in 2007.

There's something magical about cycling in a bike-friendly city, smiling at passersby, having moments of fleeting flirtation at stoplights with fellow cyclists, all while getting in some light cardio. Of course bike commuting is only magical until that moment when it begins to downpour, you're splashed by passing cars, yelled at by impatient cyclists and you knock down a whole row of bikes while locking up your own. That's when you go inside for a Heineken. Speaking of Dutch beer, I'll have to drink some and I'll have to go to the red light district. It would be disrespectful not to...right?!

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[street style photos via thesartorialist.com, garancedoré.fr, amsterdamcyclechic.com, thelocals.dk and jakandjil.com]