Small gestures, big feelings: versatile THOMAS SABO gift ideas for Valentine's Day

Thanks to THOMAS SABO, it is now easy to find small gifts to match the style of your loved one. The diverse creations and detailed designs from the international watch and jewellery brand have the right Valentine's Day present for every taste. The new "Together" jewellery pieces impress with graphically modern designs. Two circular linked pendants decorate the handcrafted Sterling silver necklaces and bracelets, symbolising eternal connection and a memento of affection. For all lovers of a timeless look, the classic love symbol; the heart, is the right choice. In playful pendants and bracelets, partly refined with zirconia stones, THOMAS SABO reinterprets the expressive motif and effortlessly enables individual combinations. An additional sparkle in the eyes of loved ones conjures up declarations of love in the form of personal engravings, whether it’s a message, number or symbol - every gift is unique. The Valentine’s Day themed collections are available in all THOMAS SABO shops, online at www.thomassabo.com and from selected partners.

Images courtesy of Thomas Sabo

Valentine's Day with Ruinart

The oldest champagne house celebrates lovers on Valentine's Day. The duo boxes will delight all tastes and will bring a sweet scent of love for a sparkling evening.

Maison Ruinart presents three versions of gift boxes to be shared by two for a moment of tenderness break or a festive moment during Valentine's Day, a perfect celebration for all champagne lovers.
The emblem of the Ruinart taste: a Ruinart Blanc de Blancs duo box, an essential companion for an evening full of freshness and lightness, from the flute to the plate. At the table, it will take lovers on the roads of the Mediterranean thanks to its exquisite marriage with dishes composed of seafood and shellfish. The experience is complete thanks to the 100% Chardonnay grape, Ruinart Blanc de Blancs offers a first nose of great intensity, with notes of fresh fruit, especially ripe citrus. Then, a second very fine and floral nose with notes of white flowers and white fruit (white peach). Irresistible, it will leave no one indifferent.

Its uniqueness is based on the unique balance of its blend of Chardonnay, the House's signature grape and Pinot Noir vinified in red. The freshness of Chardonnay resonates with the roundness and character of Pinot Noir. Barely the first flute tasted, the flavors are multiple on the palate thanks to an original palette of exotic fruits (guava, lychee), small red fruits (raspberry, cherry, wild strawberry) as well as notes of rose and pomegranate this complex and intense aromatic profile. Ruinart Rosé will go perfectly with an Andalusian gazpacho, a beef tataki or even some prawns sautéed with Thai basil. A change of scenery guaranteed!

2020 WILL BE THE YEAR OF THE ROSE AT MOËT & CHANDON

Pink has become a new symbol for a new generation of lovers of gastronomy, wine and life: it is the color of optimism, the power of happiness and the shared experiences of today. The same is true for rosé champagne. The increase in demand is linked to the very qualities of the rosé, its effervescence, its intensity and its versatility because this wine goes perfectly with the dishes it accompanies.
At Moët & Chandon, the irresistible rise of rosé champagne has revealed the thousand secrets of the House’s wine traditions which have given birth to a range of versatile styles, designed to appeal to all palates. Rosé is not new to champagne. Historically, the first wines from this region were known for their "pinkish hue", which can be explained by the impact of the northern climate on the maturity of black grape varieties with white flesh grown in vineyards.

Only a small percentage of these grapes, once they reach the expected degree of maturity, have a perfect color and a generous intensity, is used to produce rosé champagne. Consequently, the production of rosé represents only around 10% of the total production of champagne. True luxury is synonymous with exclusivity, and rosé champagnes are undoubtedly among the most exclusive of the champagne varieties.

 Today, Moët & Chandon is once again a pioneer in terms of rosé. The Maison has diversified its production of rosé champagne with a collection of four styles that transcend the seasons and special occasions to appeal to all palates. A diversified range of extra rough, raw and semi-dry rosé champagnes offering the variety necessary to conquer all taste buds, while remaining faithful to the style of the House.

Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial Limited Edition

For the first time, the bottle of Rosé Impérial has been redesigned to enhance the sparkle of Pinot Noir grapes. Its new color "black and rose gold" creates a striking contrast between the deep and matte black - the color of Pinot Noir grapes - and the shades of pink. The new, raspberry-colored label is inspired by the oldest existing Moët & Chandon rosé champagne label, dating back to 1873.

Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial

Within the Moët & Chandon range, the Rosé Impérial, a perfectly fruity and intensely colored champagne, has become the rosé symbol of the House. If the Imperial Rosé is renowned for its radiant color, its intense fruitiness and its flamboyant palate, this is thanks to its custom assembly. The Rosé Impérial is a success in its own right, with its own custom-made blend to create an original and authentic rosé champagne, and not a modified version of the Moët Impérial.

Moët & Chandon Ice Impérial Rosé

Moët & Chandon created Ice Imperial Rosé in 2016: 

the first rosé champagne in the world specially assembled to be tasted exclusively on ice. 

The idea was to make a festive and playful champagne evoking

 the nuances of a summer sunset, matured by nature and served 

with the panache that only Moët & Chandon can offer.

Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage Rosé 2012

"Grand Vintage" champagnes are blended exclusively with grapes from a single vintage. 

For this reason, "Grand Vintage" champagnes are very unique and are closely linked to the characteristics of the harvests of a specific year. 

They are an ode to this harvest and the year of the latter is proudly 

displayed on the bottle. The Grand Vintage Rosé 2012 stands out for its maturity, 

complexity and charisma; it evokes the transition from spring to summer, 

offering a certain delicacy, accompanied by freshness and coral nuances.

Images courtesy of Moët & Chandon

FOREO: Beauty tech brings couples together

As Valentine's Day approaches, FOREO, the powerful skintech brand just released surprising data showing that one in four women admits sleeping with makeup; moreover, 60% wake up 30 minutes earlier than their partner to put their make up on.

FOREO has analyzed the beauty habits of women when they are in a new relationship.

Survey found that almost all women (91%) admit they need something in between two and four months before feeling confident enough to be without makeup in front of their partner.

A quarter (25%) of the women interviewed also revealed that they wore voluntarily make-up in bed to give the illusion of beauty 24 hours a day, while more than half (60%) said they wake up earlier than their partner in order to reapply their makeup.

Oddly, men don't seem to care at all about these things since 96% of interviewees said they were indifferent to their partner's makeup (52%) and that 44% of them prefer their partner without makeup.

Dalia Fernandez, Product Development Manager at FOREO comments:

 “All women can understand this behavior because we all want to appear at our

best at the start of a new relationship. However, to discover that a large percentage of women

wake up earlier to “reapply” their makeup, it goes beyond the limits and

can affect health, because getting enough sleep is very important for keeping skin in good

health. "

Without taking into account women's sleep habits, 56% also admitted to put make up on most days of the week, 60% of them reporting feeling prettier and confident; and according to another study, 1 in 20 men has never seen their partner without makeup at all.

The pressure on women to have a specific appearance and to depend on makeup to feel confident is still there. The FOREO study also found that the vast majority of participants still have a LUNA cleaning device. This shows that care is still essential, even if they are not yet quite ready to give up on makeup. More surprisingly, 68% of them say their partner "steals" their devices. They are not alone, Chrissy Teigen and John Legend are notably known for sharing a LUNA device, so we can say that “couples who take care of their skin together, stay together. "

HUBLOT: SPIRIT OF BIG BANG MECA-10 -

Hublot has revamped its famous Meca-10 in-house calf with a 10-day power reserve to combine it with the tonneau shape of the case of the symbolic collection of the Spirit of Big Bang 45mm. This new combination has created the Spirit of Big Bang Meca-10, which is available in three versions - titanium, black ceramic and the unique alloy King Gold - with the famous rubber bracelet that Hublot is the first brand to combine this with the shine of gold.

Hublot is not only characterized by the "art of fusion", in which innovative materials are combined and tradition and modernity merge, but also by striving for the perfect osmosis between the case and the movement - a challenge and a requirement that reinforces it is that the mechanical movements are almost always visible through transparent dials. With the wish to combine the round movement caliber HUB1201 Meca-10 (a movement that has already had great success in many Big Bang models) with the tonneau design of the Spirit of Big Bang (a collection of the brand that really wins through) , Hublot didn't want to be satisfied with a few small adjustments. According to the laws of the great art of watchmaking, in which a tonneau-shaped case has to hold a caliber in the same shape, the engineers were faced with the challenge of reworking the entire construction of the watch movement so that it was technically as efficient and aesthetically as harmoniously as possible in the new inserts the shape of the case.

Image courtesy of HUBLOT

Starbucks celebrates coffee diversity

Starbucks has the right alternative for everyone: when ordering from Starbucks, coffee lovers can choose between the Blonde Espresso Roast for a smooth but full-bodied taste and the Signature Espresso Roast for an expressive and rich aroma as the basis for their drinks. But also with the milk alternatives and the choice of preparation method, there is something for every preference.

Blonde roast or signature roast? With normal milk or with a vegan alternative? From the coffee machine or from the French Press? At Starbucks there are countless ways to enjoy your coffee. When choosing the preparation method, guests at Starbucks can choose between normal ground coffee and Brewed Coffee of the Week. If you like it more unusual, you can test the Clover Vacum Press technology, the French Press or the Chemex filter method at Starbucks at the airport at Check-in 2. In selected stores, fans of cold coffee can also choose the Nitro Cold Brew. And when it comes to milk alternatives, Starbucks coffee lovers have a large selection: from almond, coconut, soy and oat drinks, there are great opportunities to enjoy your coffee in a different way.

Bernie Malou, Director & General Manager Starbucks Switzerland and Austria, says:

 «We are proud that thanks to the large selection of roasts, 

milk alternatives and preparation methods, 

we can help our guests to put together their own favorite drink

 according to their personal taste. 

We are certain that Starbucks has the perfect drink for every taste. »

Innovations: The Blonde Macchiato Trio

Nothing beats a fine latte macchiato with frothed milk and a shot of Starbucks Blonde Roast with a soft taste of caramel and orange. Macchiato lovers have been getting their money's worth since January: With the Roasted Hazelnut, the Golden Honey and the Vanilla Bean, three new Blonde Roast Macchiatos are available for a limited time in our Coffee Houses!

 The blonde macchiato awakens spring feelings

The Cloud Macchiato will be available from March 5th as an iced version with caramel and vanilla bean and increases our anticipation for the warm season!

Nespresso and Migros join forces to recycle aluminum coffee capsules

Migros adopts recyclable aluminum for its Café Royal capsules compatible with Nespresso machines. In order to increase the current recycling rate of aluminum capsules from 58% to 75%. Nespresso, which has operated its own aluminum capsule recycling system for 29 years, joins forces with Migros. It is now possible to bring back the aluminum capsules to the 700 Migros branches across Switzerland in addition to the 2,700 existing recycling points.
The Swiss are increasingly appreciating aluminum coffee capsules, because this material optimally preserves the aroma of coffee and is fully recyclable.

Images courtesy of Nespresso