PENHA IMAGE

NATALIE PORTMAN NO FEAR OF THE DARK fragrances Find the perfume that’s perfect for you

travel Stay in the world’s most unusual hotels

beach sports SHOW OFF YOUR SKILLS ON THE SAND AND IN THE SURF

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Shiseido Advert

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Contents 14// SHOPPING Our guide to all 22 Penha Image stores and luxury boutiques across the Caribbean and California.

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34//

20// WHAT’S HOT Our expert take on the beauty, fashion and lifestyle ‘must haves’ including the new season fragrances, cosmetics, skincare from Elie Saab, YSL, Gucci and Carolina Herrera.

26// C INEMA

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Actress Natalie Portman has spent her career portraying deeply troubled characters, including, more recently, the crazed ballerina in Black Swan.

We find out what makes her tick.

34// F RAGRANCES Let our professional perfume ‘nose’ teach you everything you need to know about choosing fragrances that suit you and your personality best.

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42// CURRENT AFFAIRS There are now more powerful nations with female leaders than in any time during human history. What does this mean for the delicate geo-political balance of the planet? And will there be fewer wars?

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Contents 48// TRAVEL Fancy a night’s stay in a floating tent, or in a tree house, or in a cave hotel? We bring you a sneak look inside the world’s most unusual boutique hotels from around the world.

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54// C UISINE Our food writer chooses some of the finest speciality dishes and delicacies you’ll find anywhere in the Caribbean.

60// DRINK Erik Lorincz, award-winning head bartender at London’s Savoy Hotel, describes the fine art of cocktail-making and gives away a few professional secrets.

66// FASHION

74//

The Caribbean styles that have had the most influence on global fashion.

74// HEALTH AND FITNESS Surfing, water-skiing, snorkelling, wind-surfing and volleyball…our guide to beach sport will have you looking the expert in no time at all.

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80// THE LUXURY TREAT Sometimes nature has all the right answers and in Aruba you can feel the benefits first hand.

We ‘endure’ the joy of being pampered with aloe vera and local rum.

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Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector

Welcome to Penha Image

C

ongratulations on picking up our brand new magazine, Penha Image. Inside you’ll find great articles on celebrities, fashion, health, beauty, travel, food, drink and current affairs.

Brought to you by Penha Image Duty Free, one of the leading beauty and fashion retailers in the Americas, it also includes news and features about all our latest lines of fragrances, cosmetics, apparel and eyewear: Chanel, Dior, MAC Cosmetics, Estée Lauder, Clinique, Lancôme, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Carolina Herrera, Clarins, Shiseido, Jean Paul Gaultier, Ralph Lauren… all are available – some exclusively – in our many exciting retail outlets dotted across the Caribbean and California. We hope you’re inspired to visit our stores – there are now 22 of them across seven different countries – and find out why we pride ourselves on both exquisite products and worldclass customer service.

It was all the way back in 1865 that the Penha family first started trading in Curaçao. In the early 1900s the family moved their business into the elegant Penha building on Willemstad’s waterfront, known as the Handelskade – now on the list of UNESCO’s world heritage sites.

Although Penha traded in all kinds of merchandise over the years, more recently the company became

renowned for its extensive range of luxury perfumes and cosmetics, thanks to the founder’s son Julius Lopez Penha junior. In the latter half of the 20th Century Penha then expanded business across to the Netherlands Antilles’ other islands. Led by Julius’s daughter Edna de Jong Lopez Penha, and her husband Jan de Jong, it opened stores in St Maarten and Aruba, making the Penha name and company a leading light in Caribbean retail.

In late 2010 JL Penha merged with another leading retailer, Image Duty Free Services, to form Penha Image Duty Free. Established in 1992, in Florida, Image Duty Free Services originally blazed a trail in duty-free retail across South America and the Caribbean, as well as at airports, on airlines, and at international borders. It owns and operates stores in California, across the Bahamas, the Cayman Islands, French Guiana and Tortola.

This enlarged retail group has enabled us to offer you exclusive products, advance launches, competitive prices and promotions across all the stores. In the next two years you’ll also see a total refurbishment of all our stores, guaranteeing you a luxury shopping environment wherever you find the Penha Image sign.

Enjoy reading.

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Ni siquiera uno de los ingredientes líderes recomendados por dermatólogos es más rápido eliminando manchas.

The famous Penha building on the harbourside in Willemstad, Curaçao.

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contributors & Credits

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Contributors Writer//

Writer//

Writer//

Writer//

JANE DUNFORD

CHARLES HOWGEGO

PAUL HENDERSON

HELENA DRAKAKIS

Jane has been a travel writer for over 10 years, contributing to the likes of The Guardian, The Sunday Telegraph and Timesonline. She is currently deputy editor on British Airways’ High Life magazine.

Charles is editor of London magazine Big Issue. But his real love is all things foodie. During his career he has reviewed restaurants, interviewed chefs and tasted everything from snakes to cockroaches. He can rustle up a mean curry when required.

Paul is the sports editor on GQ magazine, where he also edits pages on food, drink and motoring.

This means he gets to attend major sporting events, eat in all the best restaurants and drive the most desirable cars in the world.

How jealous are we?

Helena is associate editor at London magazine The Big Issue.

Previous to that she worked as a journalist, reporting from the USA, India and Sierra Leone, and as a non-fiction editor for publishing company Bloomsbury.

Writer//

Editor//

KATIE JACOBS

DOMINIC BLISS

Katie is a freelance journalist who writes for magazines published by the likes of Haymarket Media Group, John Brown Publishing and The Guardian. In 2009 she won a journalist award from the Periodicals Training Council.

Dominic has been a magazine editor for the last 15 years, in fields as varied as retail, fashion, drinks, jewellery, architecture and sport.

Based in London, he also writes for newspapers and magazines.

For Penha Image Giselle Jonckheer, Diana LaReine Ashna Coster

© Alma Media International Ltd 2011. Original articles and other contributions in this magazine may be reproduced only with permission from Penha Image Duty Free and the publishers, Alma Media International. Neither accepts responsibility for any views or statements made in the articles or other contributions reproduced from any other source.

No responsibility is accepted for the claims made in advertisements appearing in this publication and the publishers reserve the right to accept or refuse advertisements at their discretion.

Penha Image magazine is published on behalf of Penha Image Duty Free by Alma Media.

ALMA Media International Devonshire House 31 Holmesdale Road, Reigate, Surrey, UK, RH2 0BJ T +44 20 8944 1155 E info@almamedia.co.uk W www.almamedia.co.uk

Publisher Tony Richardson Editor Dominic Bliss Advertising Manager Gideon Knowles Production Assistant Tracy Powell Account Director Amanda Richardson Design Deep.co.uk

Images credits Cover Raymond Meier (Trunk Archive) Features Getty Images, Scope Beauty, Trunk Archive, Corbis, Joel Grimes

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store locations

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store locations

Where to shop

Aruba

Bahamas

Curaçao

French Guiana

Grand Cayman

St. Maarten

Tortola

California

Just off the coast of Venezuela, Aruba is the westernmost of the Lesser Antilles. It may be tiny (less than 70 square miles), but it’s perfectly formed with beautiful, protected beaches in the west and rolling hills looking over the interior.

There are three Penha stores on Aruba. The largest is in Oranjestad, next to the Renaissance Hotel, with smaller outlets in the Holiday Inn Hotel and at the Palm Beach Plaza.

With 29 islands, 661 cays and well over 2,000 islets, you could spend a lifetime in The Bahamas without visiting them all. But whatever you do, don’t miss the country’s Penha Image Duty Free fragrance stores. There are no less than six elite perfumeries dotted across the islands, most under the brand name The Perfume Bar: Paradise Island Atlantis Beach Tower, Savoy, Marathon Mall kiosk, Madamoiselle Palmdale and Port Lucaya. We also have a Penha Image Duty Free store at Nassau International airport.

The largest and most populous of the three ABC islands, Curaçao is also the most architecturally significant.

The capital, Willemstad, features beautiful Dutch and Spanish colonial buildings which have helped earn it UNESCO World Heritage status.

The focal point of these historical buildings is Penha Punda, backdrop to countless tourist photographs over the years. Built in 1708, it now contains Penha’s flagship store, selling top fragrances, cosmetics and apparel. Right next to it is Penha Eyewear, selling all the leading sunglasses brands.

There are six other Penha stores: Salinja (cosmetics, eyewear and men’s and women’s apparel), Zuikertuin (fragrances), Renaissance Mall (fragrances and skincare), Hyatt Regency (fragrances and skincare), Montblanc Boutique (writing instruments, timepieces, jewellery, leather goods and eyewear) and Lalique Boutique (crystal).

Located just above Brazil, on the northern coast of South America, French Guiana is an overseas region of France, famous for its annual carnival and its pristine rainforest.

At Cayenne-Rochambeau Airport, near the capital Cayenne, you’ll find the Image Duty Free store known as La Boutique, selling many of the finest luxury products.

An overseas British territory, Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands, and the furthest west. One of its main attractions is Seven Mile Beach, a long crescent of coral sand considered by many as one of the finest beaches in the whole of the Caribbean.

Our stunning new Penha Image flagship store is now open in the centre of the capital George Town.

Comprising the southern half of Saint Martin island, this small territory is a constituent country of the Netherlands, along with Aruba and Curaçao. Over 1.5 million cruise passengers visit St. Maarten every year, making it one of the busiest cruise stops in the whole of the Caribbean.

A good proportion of them pass through the fragrance and cosmetics stores in Phillipsburg (Penha Phillipsburg) and at the airport (Penha Airport Duty Free).

The largest and most populous of the British Virgin Islands, Tortola features beautiful white beaches in the north and mountain peaks in the south. Its highest summit towers 530 metres above sea level.

At the cruise ship terminal you’ll find Image BVI (also known as The Perfume Bar), stocking some of the finest luxury goods in the Caribbean.

On one of the busiest border crossings between Mexico and the USA, just south of San Diego, the Penha Image Duty Free store is at San Ysidro and offers a wide range of top brands in fragrances, cosmetics, spirits, wine, confectionery, jewellery, watches and tobacco.

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For the very best in duty-free fragrances, cosmetics, apparel and eyewear, visit one of the many Penha Image Duty Free shops across the Caribbean and California.

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store locations

Aruba

Curaçao

French Guiana

Tortola

PENHA Downtown Caya G.F Betico Croes 11 Tel: (+297) 582 4160 or (+297) 582 4161 E-mail: info@penhaimage.com

PENHA Punda Heerenstraat 1 Tel: (+5999) 461 2266 Fax: (+5999) 461 78217 E-mail: info@penhaimage.com

La Boutique – Airport Duty Free French Guiana Airport Tel: (+594) 594 355 055

The Perfume Bar – BVI Cruise Ship Terminal Tel: (+1 284) 494 4624

PENHA Palm Beach Plaza L.G Smith Boulevard # 95 Tel: (+297) 582 4161 E-mail: info@penhaimage.com

PENHA Saliña Saliña Galleries Tel: (+5999) 465 8788 Fax: (+5999) 465 8789 E-mail: info@penhaimage.com

Grand Cayman

California IMAGE Duty Free - San Ysidro 4605 Border Village Road San Ysidro, CA 92173 Tel: (+1 619) 690 2230

Bahamas

PENHA Zuikertuin Mall Zuikertuin Mall Tel.: (+5999) 738 6368 Fax: (+5999) 738 6367 E-mail:info@jlpenha.com

PENHA Image Perfumes & Cosmetics Cardinal Avenue, Unit A & B George Town E-mail: info@penhaimage.com

The Perfume Bar – Atlantis Atlantis Beach Tower, Nassau Tel: (+1 242) 363 5936 The Perfume Bar – Marathon Mall Marathon Mall, Nassau Tel: (+1 242) 393 5031 Madamoiselle – Palmdale Madeirra Street, Nassau Tel: (+1 242) 323 6105 Prestige Perfumes – Port Lucaya Port Lucaya, Freeport Tel: (+1 242) 373 8633

PENHA Renaissance Mall Renaissance Resort & Casino Tel: (+5999) 461 2718 Fax: (+5999) 461 2714 E-mail: info@penhaimage.com PENHA Hyatt Hyatt Hotel Tel: (+5999) 840 1212 E-mail: info@penhaimage.com

The Perfume Bar – Savoy Bay and Frederick Street, Nassau Tel: (+1 242) 322 4687

PENHA Eyewear Punda Heerenstraat 5 Tel: (+5999) 461 0524 Fax: (+5999) 461 0527 E-mail: info@penhaimage.com

PENHA IMAGE Airport Duty Free Nassau International Airport Non-US Departures Tel: (+1 242) 377 7777

MONTBLANC Boutique Baden Powellweg 1 Renaissance Mall Tel: (+5999) 461 2795 E-mail: info@penhaimage.com

St. Maarten PENHA Downtown Phillipsburg Frontstreet 55 Tel: (+599) 542 2279 E-mail: info@penhaimage.com

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For more information on our stores and the latest news on the fragrance and beauty lines we offer please visit www.penhaimage.com

PENHA Airport Duty Free Princess Juliana International Airport Tel: (+599) 564 7740 E-mail: info@penhaimage.com

LALIQUE Boutique Baden Powellweg 1 Renaissance Mall Tel: (+5999) 461 2093 E-mail: info@penhaimage.com

More on Naomi Watts at thierrymugler.com

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New products

Hot news

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New products

POP star

IN THE FAST-MOVING WORLD OF FRAGRANCE AND COSMETICS, WE BRING YOU THE LATEST NEWS ON THE HOTTEST PRODUCTS. ALL ARE AVAILABLE IN THE PENHA IMAGE STORES.

First up from Carolina Herrera is its limited edition 212 POP which it says “evokes elegance with a twist of urban extravagance”. The woman’s version features delicate and fresh notes of bergamot with a musky trail, while the man’s version includes mojito mint and fresh ice. The inspiration behind the perfume is Australian artist Ben Frost, best known for his confrontational pop art paintings.

Light and modern “A fragrance which expresses a radiant femininity and which includes the duality of my world: the light of the Middle East and the modernity of the West.” So says fashion designer Elie Saab of his new perfume, Le Parfum. Opening with orange blossom, then moving to jasmine grandiflorum, sambac and patchouli in the heart notes, it culminates in a base of cedar wood and honey rose.

Available in 30ml, 50ml and 90ml eau de parfum sprays.

Choo’s only the best

Very important

According to Jimmy Choo, the designer’s new fragrance “evokes a sense of

The other perfume from

feminine confidence, seduction and sensuality”. To find out just how much,

Carolina Herrera this year

experience its fruity chypre with warm, rich, woody depths.

is the 212 VIP, so called because, like those on the VIP list, it combines style and attitude. “Accords

Travel the YSL way

of heady rum and exotic passion fruit,” says the perfumer. “Created from notes of abundant musk

Fuchsia, pinks, browns... Yves St Laurent’s international make-up

and distinguished gardenia,

guru, Lloyd Simmonds, has created a totally original harmony of

delicious vanilla and

shades inspired by the emblematic YSL colours. Exclusive to duty-

sensual tonka bean.”

free stores worldwide, the Very YSL make-up palette comes inside

212 VIP eau de parfum

an elegant and slim case, perfect for carrying in your purse when

is available in three sizes:

on your travels. Wherever you find yourself in the world you’ll be

80ml, 50ml and 30ml. The

able to give your cheeks, eyes and lips the makeover they deserve.

range also includes a body lotion, a bath and shower gel, and a deodorant spray.

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80s classic is back

New products

Slightly smaller than the original 1980s classic, Ray-Ban’s new Wayfarers also feature a softer eye shape. A variety of frames are available, including black, tortoise-shell, brown, blue, red, white and yellow. Lenses come in green, grey, brown, grey-green, light blue and of course mirror.

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In Brief 01// DIOR AQUA FAHRENHEIT Top notes of mandarin and

Enjoy life’s simple pleasures.

grapefruit give way to a heart of violet blossoms and spearmint.

esteelauder.com

The base then brings in woody notes and Haitian vetiver.

02// CH L’Eau Carolina Herrera’s new fragrance CH L’Eau is a “delicate and fresh” mix of lemon blossom, orange blossom, bergamot

Can you resist?

Feeling guilty?

“Intensely feminine, irresistibly rock chic,” is how

According to Gucci’s creative director, Frida

Givenchy describe their latest offering. A bit like

Giannini, the woman who wears Gucci Guilty is

Liv Tyler, the face launching the new perfume.

“young, sexy, and slightly dangerous. She takes

Starting with top notes of plum, the fragrance

risks, both at work and at play. The Gucci Guilty

then develops into Turkish rose and the forthright

woman doesn’t sit around waiting for something to

character of chypre. The intensity continues with an

happen. She makes things happen herself.”

effusion of white musk and patchouli. Also comes

The fragrance features a flamboyant opening of

as a limited edition five-ml roll-on case worn on a

mandarin and pink pepper, followed by middle

chain around the neck.

notes of lilac, geranium and peach, ending with

flower, freesia, osmanthus, violet, jasmine, heliotrope, lily of the valley, sandalwood flower, laurel, cinnamon flower and apple blossom.

base notes of patchouli and amber.

Also available is a men’s fragrance with top notes of lemon, lavender and pepper, middle notes of orange flower and neroli, and base notes of patchouli, cedarwood and amber.

03// Versace Vanitas New from the house of Versace is the fresh, luminous Vanitas.

A rich, voluptuous tiare flower mingles with lime and freesia, all enveloped by sensual accents of cedarwood and tonka bean.

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Natalie Portman

NO FEAR OF THE DARK A CAREER SPENT PORTRAYING DEEPLY TROUBLED CHARACTERS – INCLUDING THE CRAZED BALLERINA IN BLACK SWAN – HAS GIVEN NATALIE PORTMAN A SERIOUSNESS THAT BEAUTIFUL FILM STARS RARELY ACHIEVE. PAUL HENDERSON, FROM GQ MAGAZINE, FINDS OUT WHAT MAKES HER TICK.

IMAGE: RAYMOND MEIER

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Natalie Portman

N

atalie Portman doesn’t choose the easy roles. She has played a pubescent hit woman, a terrorist, an epileptic, a pregnant teenager, a stripper, a victim of the Spanish Inquisition, a grieving mother, Anne Boleyn and a psychotic ballerina. It was as the latter, of course, that she won her Oscar in the career-defining Black Swan.

In each film she has risen admirably to the challenge. The eclectic cast of characters portrayed so far during her 29 years have tested her acting abilities as much as they have proven her intelligence (she has a degree in psychology from Harvard University) and her willingness to speak out on political and ethical subjects close to her heart.

Ever since she burst into cinema-goers’ consciousness with her stunning debut as an innocently cool yet cynical little girl who befriends a hit man in Luc Besson’s Leon, Portman has handled Hollywood on her own terms. No mean feat, especially when you consider she was only 12 when she started her career. As she remembers it, she was “different from other kids.

I knew what I liked and what I wanted, and I worked hard. I was a very serious kid.”

Born Natalie Herschlag in Jerusalem, she was the only child to an Israeli doctor father and American housewife mother. When she was three years old the family relocated to the US. She started dance classes at four, then came singing

“I FEEL I LOST PART OF MY CHILDHOOD. I WAS ONE OF THOSE KIDS THAT ALWAYS WANTED TO BE OLDER, WHICH I NOW THINK IS A SHAME.”

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Natalie Portman

lessons, vegetarianism at nine, and pretty soon she was begging her reluctant parents to let her act. Even when she was ten and spotted by an agent who wanted her to model for Revlon, she was adamant about what she wanted to do. “I pleaded [with my parents] to be allowed to make movies,” she told British newspaper The Guardian. “I had to fight my parents because they were like, ‘We know what happens to child actors. They end up in rehab.’”

After finally convincing them, Natalie spent three summers at theatre camps, made her professional debut as an understudy in an off-Broadway musical, then began auditions for the role of Mathilda in Leon. “I went onto that film and I didn’t know what I was doing,” she later recalled. “But I was 11, and it was before the whole pre-teen self doubt set in. I was at that stage where I was completely unselfconscious, free and open, and it was really fun.”

So well was her performance received, that Portman – she began to use her grandmother’s maiden name – was inundated with acting offers.

Already mature for her age, she was thrust into a world where the roles on offer were invariably of the complex, troubled child variety. She appeared alongside Al Pacino in Heat, worked with Woody Allen in Everyone Says I Love You and Beautiful Girls to critical acclaim, but back in the real world she was struggling with the jealousy of her peers at school. She remembers crying every day in the seventh grade until she moved from private school to state school and threw herself into her studies, becoming a self-confessed dork.

“I do kind of feel that I lost part of my childhood,” she said later. “I was one of those kids that always wanted to be older, which I now think is a shame.”

However, what early success taught her was to guard her privacy carefully and to keep the prying eyes of the fame-hungry Hollywood monster at bay. And yet at 14, she surprised everyone in the film industry – and herself – by signing up with Lucas Films to make the three Star Wars prequels. Typically for Portman, though, she made the choice for all the right reasons.

“I thought it was a good way to grow up in films,” she said in an interview with British newspaper The Daily Telegraph. “I get to have the romance, always playing my age. If I do decide to continue in film, it’s a great way to make the transition to adult roles. And if I don’t – which is definitely possible – it would be a nice last thing to do.”

Despite criticism of her performances as the icy Princess Padmé Amidala (her reviews were almost as bad as those for Jar Jar Binks) and her commitment to education, rather than walk away from acting, Portman’s resolve hardened and she vowed to prove herself in more challenging roles.

But always under her own terms. As she made the transition from child-star to young woman, she decided to eschew roles that featured nudity.

“I didn’t want to be seen as a sex object, so I went the opposite direction,” she admitted.

“I’m definitely not a prude about sex. I just don’t want to do something that will end up in a screen grab on a porn site.”

After graduating with her psychology degree from Harvard in 2003, she was free to commit more of her time to film-making (choosing more challenging roles) and her private life (that she still “refused to talk about”), entering what she described as a “new phase in my life”. >

01//

Black Swan (2010)

02// Closer (2005) 03// Garden State (2004)

02//

01//

03//

Portman’s greatest hits Leon (1994)

Portman’s powerfully mature break-out role sees her playing a 12-year-old orphan taken in by a hit man after corrupt police agents kill her parents.

Beautiful Girls (1996)

Blowing everyone else off the screen, Portman plays the perfectly precocious “old soul” Marty as she takes a Lolita-esque shine to a piano player twice her age.

Closer (2005)

Starring alongside Jude Law, Julia Roberts and Clive Owen, Portman steals the show in this cruel and captivating story of love, deceit and desire that earned her a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress.

Garden State (2004)

As the quirky, free-spirited Sam, Portman is irresistibly charming in Zach Braff’s indie rom-com that won the Grand Jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

Black Swan (2010)

Dark, desperate and unsettling, Portman is sensational as the conflicted, crumbling ballerina, falling apart at the seams in her Oscar-winning role.

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Get Natalie’s style Perfume// Miss Dior It’s got to be Miss Dior Chérie. As the face of this great, new perfume, Natalie would hardly choose anything else. “It glides from the sharp charm of a fresh, fruity, citrus prelude into blossoming floral notes,” explains Dior’s top perfumer Francois Demachy. “Then on to the noble elegance of patchouli, before concluding with musk.”

Foundation// Shiseido Quick and easy to apply, the moderateto-maximum coverage foundation stick from Shiseido provides a flawless finish, minimising the appearance of pores, fine lines and dryness. Not that a Hollywood celeb would admit to any of those.

She experimented with method acting in Mike Nichols’ version of the Patrick Marber play Closer, became more active in politics, supporting John Kerry’s presidential campaign (she is a committed Democrat), shaved her head in the movie V For Vendetta and even appeared in Sesame Street. Then to cap it all she hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live that included her hilarious foul-mouthed rap spoof (she is actually a hardcore hip-hop fan, and counts Jay-Z as one of her friends) which proved an internet sensation. Once again, just when people thought they had Natalie Portman figured out, she surprised them.

Freed from the stereotype of the prudish intellectual, Portman has been able to take on even more varied roles, including comedies (“I like a good laugh more than anything else.”) She has even taken her clothes off when the role has required it. Her acting evolution was rewarded last year with her Academy Award in Darren Aronofsky’s darkly astonishing Black Swan. Portman plays Nina, a talented and driven ballerina who descends into madness as the demands of her performance take its toll. Having undertaken a year of ballet preparation, ultimately training eight hours a day, it is perhaps no surprise that her performance is so believable. Or that she fell in love with the film’s choreographer, Benjamin Millepied, who is also the father of her new baby boy.

Portman is so delighted that she has even broken another of her golden rules. “I have always kept my private life private,” she said after announcing her engagement. “But I will say that I am indescribably happy and feel very grateful to have this experience.”

Advert

Lipstick// Estée Lauder With a full spectrum of different shades, the new lipstick from Estée Lauder (Pure Color) features something called True Vision to give it extra clarity, vibrancy and brilliance. There are two finishes available: ‘satin, lasting crème’ and ‘lustrous, lasting shimmer’. Which one would Natalie opt for?

Make-up// Bobbi Brown Bobbi Brown’s limited edition Peony & Python Palette is just the type of exclusive make-up A-list actresses go for. Soft, pink lilacs merge with sumptuous greys to create a distinctive eye look that’s equal parts lovely and edgy. The shadows are all housed in a cool, little compact designed exclusively for Bobbi Brown by Tibi.

Sunglasses// Cartier

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You’ll often spot Hollywood’s elite in the latest Cartier sunglasses. These, the Panthère de Cartier sunglasses, are about as cool as you can get, with crescent-shaped lenses, available in amber, amethyst or pearl-grey.

Designed not only to protect sexy eyes from the sun, but also to disguise the famous while they’re out shopping.

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Advertising promotion

WITH HIS DRESSES REGULARLY LIGHTING UP THE RED CARPETS OF HOLLYWOOD, ELIE SAAB IS ONE OF THE FASHION WORLD’S MOST CELEBRATED COUTURIERS. BUT THIS LEBANESE DESIGNER, WHO LAUNCHES HIS NEW FRAGRANCE THIS YEAR, COMES FROM VERY HUMBLE ORIGINS.

A

ngelina Jolie, Beyoncé, Sarah Jessica Parker, Penelope Cruz, Christina Aguilera, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hilary Swank, Charlize Théron… the list of Elie Saab’s glamorous clients is long and impressive. With haute couture studios in Paris and Beirut, as well as boutiques in Paris, Beirut, London and Dubai, this fashion designer is now one of the most sought after couturiers in the world.

It wasn’t always this way, however. Saab’s is a rags-to-riches story, quite literally. Brought up in war-torn Lebanon in the 1970s, he first started making dresses by cutting up his mother’s old curtains and tablecloths.

It was his younger sister who proudly wore his first design. Rumours of the young prodigy’s talent quickly spread. First neighbours came knocking, and then his reputation spread across Beirut until he had a network of loyal customers. By the age of 18 he had opened his first workshop in the Lebanese capital, employing 15 seamstresses. In the late 1990s he was already showing his work on the catwalks of Paris and Milan.

“Elie Saab’s style is a unique fusion of Western and Eastern cultures,” says his website in praise. “He prefers noble materials such as

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taffeta, organza, sable and satin paired with more fluid and light fabrics such as muslin – for aerial effect – or fine materials like lace. Delicate embroideries made of sequins, semi-precious stones and Swarovski crystals highlight a sublime feminine silhouette.”

It’s a style that proves to be massively popular with both the A-listers he designs for and the less wealthy customers who buy his ready-to-wear dresses. “I like womanly women,” he says. ‘Women who twirl their dresses with desire and pride. Ever since my childhood in Lebanon, I’ve examined the way they dress. I’ve always wanted to please them by flattering their curves.”

There have certainly been a lot of curves to flatter. So busy now is his flagship studio in Beirut that over 100 seamstresses are employed there. “Including more than 50 embroidery fairies with lynx-like eyes who stitch the amazing silks,” says a spokesman.

When he isn’t travelling between the world’s fashion shows, Saab lives with his wife and three boys in the Lebanese mountains.

Elie Saab’s new fragrance, Elie Saab Le Parfum, is exclusive to Penha Image in the Caribbean.

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CONFUSED BY THE HUNDREDS OF DIFFERENT PERFUMES YOU SEE IN THE FRAGRANCE SHOPS? THEN YOU NEED THE HELP OF A PROFESSIONAL NOSE. MARINA JUNG, PERFUMER AT LE STUDIO DU PARFUM, IN PARIS, OFFERS HER ADVICE. BY KATIE JACOBS.

01

Natalie Portman

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ven for seasoned fragrance-wearers, walking into a perfume shop can a daunting experience.

Wall-to-wall different brands, all promising to make you irresistible. Where on earth do you start?

01//

KNOW YOUR FRAGRANCE FAMILIES To make things easier, perfumes are separated into categories, or families. The five main ones are cologne, chypre, fougère, floral and oriental.

It’s important you discover which is most suited to your taste and personality. “Specific combinations of smells produce different effects,” says Marina. “When you are familiar with them, you identify the families in the various scents on the market. You begin to recognise different styles of fragrance, just like you would recognise a romantic or modernist style of painting.”

The cologne family of scent, which has existed since the 18th century, is light and fresh, with lemony notes, and touches of orange and rosemary. “Perfect for wearing in the mornings and in summer,” Marina says.

Chypre (French for Cyprus) perfumes date back to the early 20th century. With citrus top notes, a light, flowery heart and hints of patchouli, they tend to last longer thanks to a mossy, musky aroma that lingers for hours. Perfumes in the fougère (fern) family contain lavender, sweet coumarin and woody notes, and are particularly popular in masculine scents. Floral fragrances, as you’d expect, derive from flowers, and feature either just a single flower or a bouquet of complementary blooms. Oriental scents are marked by vanilla and ambergris, a substance excreted by sperm whales. (But don’t let that put you off). “They are deep and sweet,” says Marina, “so are more suited to winter time and evenings.”

SHOPPING FOR A FRAGRANCE To get to know these fragrance families, you’ve got to hit the shops. Marina, with insouciant Gallic charm, likens a woman’s perfume collection to her love life. “You might already have your soul mate and still take lovers,” she says. “It’s not contradictory to have a signature scent and lots of fragrances in your collection. A person has many facets, so may need many perfumes.”

Marina recommends shopping for fragrance in the mornings. “You’ll be less tired, so you’ll be more aware of smells.” Although a perfumer with a trained nose can try many odours in a row, the average person will get confused if they smell more than three or four in a single session. Tester cards are a good way to find out if a scent initially appeals to you, but always apply a spritz of a potential purchase to your skin as well. The reaction between your natural body odour and the fragrance will make it smell slightly different. If your nose becomes overwhelmed by scents, try sniffing a cup of coffee to clear it.

Perfume is described in terms of musical imagery, with ‘notes’ combining to form an individual, harmonious ‘accord’. “The features of a perfume do not evaporate at the same speed,” explains Marina. “So perfumers break fragrances down into three notes: top, middle and base.” >

“COLOGNES ARE LIGHT AND FRESH, PERFECT FOR WEARING IN THE MORNINGS AND IN SUMMER. ORIENTAL SCENTS ARE DEEP AND SWEET, MORE SUITED TO WINTER TIME AND EVENINGS.” MARINA JUNG, PERFUMER AT LE STUDIO DU PARFUM.

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Marina Jung

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The top notes of a scent – citrus, green, aromatic, spicy and fruity tones – will evaporate in less than an hour. Middle or heart notes are more tenacious, and bottom or base notes, such as musky, woody, vanilla or leathery scents, are much longer lasting. Some musks survive for up to a week.

These different notes mean that, although you may love a scent initially, it’s important not to make a snap decision. Leave at least a day after applying the tester to allow all the notes to come through. “You need time to get used to and live with the perfume,” says Marina. “You’re wearing a shape, a style, an emotion. If you buy a perfume after only smelling the top notes, it’s like seeing a person’s head but not their body.”

Also bear in mind that certain factors such as stress, a change in diet or pregnancy can alter the chemical balance of your skin. This may affect how a fragrance smells on you.

How to apply a fragrance Common perfume folklore dictates that fragrances should be spritzed on the pulse points: the wrists, behind the ears, the crook of the elbow, the base of the throat and behind the knees. It’s here that your blood flows closest to the surface of the skin and acts as a miniature perfume pump.

But according to Marina: “Everywhere is good.

Put it everywhere on the body except the eyes.

There’s no bad place to wear perfume. Spritz it anywhere, put in on a handkerchief, spray it on your clothes…” You can even spray it in your hair, although the alcohol in perfume might dry it out.

Be sure to wash before you apply a new perfume to avoid the scents combining.

Storing perfumes When you’re not wearing your fragrance, it’s important to store it properly, away from heat and light, ideally in a covered box. Perfumes should not be exposed directly to the air, so it’s best to decant a splash bottle into an atomizer to prevent this. Caring for your scent properly will ensure that you (and everyone around you) can enjoy it for years to come.

TOP NOTES – CITRUS, GREEN, AROMATIC, SPICY AND FRUITY TONES – WILL EVAPORATE IN LESS THAN AN HOUR. MIDDLE OR HEART NOTES ARE MORE TENACIOUS. BOTTOM OR BASE NOTES, SUCH AS MUSKY, WOODY, VANILLA OR LEATHERY SCENTS, ARE MUCH LONGER LASTING.

How perfume is made The raw materials for perfumes are collected from a variety of sources. Distinctive smelling plants are harvested from around the world, animal products extracted and synthetic aromatic chemicals collected from the laboratories of perfume chemists.

The oils are removed from these raw materials using various processes. Solvent extraction, for example, sees flowers soaked in alcohol to encourage them to release their oils. Expression involves oils being squeezed out of a fruit.

The oils are then blended to create a unique accord, as designed by a perfumer, or professional ‘nose’. Over 100 different scents can be used in one fragrance.

Once the solution has been created, the oil accord is blended with ethyl alcohol and water and left to mature for several weeks. Like fine wines, perfumes are often aged for months or even years.

The final product is filtered to remove any sediment, bottled and put on the shelf.

Marina Jung is perfumer at Le Studio du Parfum, in Paris.

She offers short courses in fragrance creation. Visit lestudioduparfum.fr for more information.

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NOW THAT YOU’RE MORE CONFIDENT ABOUT CHOOSING YOUR PERFUME, HERE ARE SOME OF THE FINEST ON THE MARKET, ALL AVAILABLE AT PENHA IMAGE STORES. PERFECT FOR BUSINESS OR PLEASURE.

Romance

Active

Versace Vanitas

Lancôme Trésor in Love

Bulgari Bulgari Man

Lacoste Eau de Lacoste

Kenzo Flower Tag

Issey Miyake L’Eau d’Issey Florale

New from the house of Versace is the fresh, luminous Vanitas. A rich, voluptuous tiare flower mingles with lime and freesia, all enveloped by sensual accents of cedarwood and tonka bean.

Created by top perfumers Dominique Ropion and Veronique Nyberg, Lancôme’s Trésor in Love opens with accords of nectarine, bergamot, peach and sour pear. The heart features Turkish rose and elegant jasmine, while the base includes cedar wood.

With its fresh and vibrant notes of bergamot, violet leaves and lotus blossom, Bulgari Man is a contemporary and stylish scent, perfect for the man who likes to project his sophisticated and sensual spirit. Available in 30ml, 60ml and 100ml sizes.

Lacoste’s new range of men’s fragrances features three versions: Blanc, Bleu and Vert. Blanc has leather, suede and cedarwood base notes. Bleu is a classic fougère fragrance, with patchouli and oakmoss base notes. Vert has base notes of birch leaf, fig and bamboo grass.

A fresh, floral and fruity number, this features top notes of blackcurrant, manadrin and rhubarb.

The heart is feminine and very floral, with accords of peony, jasmine and lily of the valley, while the base has notes of tea, musk and vanilla.

This wonderful new fragrance from Issey Miyake opens up with a breath of rose, moving into Madonna lily, with hints of orange blossom.

Then there follow deeper notes of white wood and a lingering trail of musk.

Business

Evening

Coach Legacy

Estée Lauder Adventurous

Azzaro L’Eau d’Azzaro

Montblanc Legend

Cartier Cartier de Lune

Givenchy Very Irresistible Intense

“Youthful yet sophisticated, indulgent yet fresh.”

This is how Coach describe their latest fragrance.

Top notes of bergamot, mandarin and freesia give way to heart notes of orange flower, gardenia, honeysuckle and jasmine, followed by base notes of benzoin and cedarwood.

Estée Lauder hope to attract the more adventurous woman with their new fragrance.

“Experience the warmth of the earth, the rhythmic beat of African woods, the seduction of senses born of the earth and the raw beauty of adventure,” they suggest. And with American model Hilary Rhoda as their face, it’s not such a wild suggestion.

With singer Enrique Iglesias as their face, the manufacturers claim this fragrance has a “sensual appeal, a must for summertime”.

Created by the Givaudan nose, Michel Girard, it’s available in 50ml and 100ml eau de toilette sprays, and in a 150ml deodorant spray.

Described as “subtle, but striking and masculine”, Montblanc’s new fragrance, Legend, opens with bergamot, lavender, pineapple and verbena.

The heart features oakmoss, geranium, coumarin, apple and rose, while the base contains sandal wood, tonka and evernyl.

Cartier’s latest fragrance is a floral, woody musk.

Top notes of pink pepper and juniper berries give way to middle notes of honeysuckle, rose, lily of the valley and cyclamen, with base notes of wood and musk.

“Intensely feminine, irresistibly rock chic,” is how Givenchy describe their latest offering, Very Irresistible Givenchy Intense. Starting with top notes of plum, the fragrance then develops into Turkish rose and chypre. The intensity continues with an effusion of white musk and patchouli.

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

THERE ARE NOW MORE POWERFUL NATIONS WITH FEMALE LEADERS THAN IN ANY TIME DURING HUMAN HISTORY. BUT WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE DELICATE GEO-POLITICAL BALANCE OF THE PLANET? AND WILL THERE BE FEWER WARS? HELENA DRAKAKIS, FROM BIG ISSUE MAGAZINE, FINDS OUT.

QUEENS ——OF THE WORLD I

magine the newspaper headlines if Cleopatra were alive today: “Ruthless seductress wins over two Roman rulers to seize political power”. Or so the story goes. That was more than 2,000 years ago. Now, it seems, attention is yet again turning to the women who are kicking through the glass ceiling to reach the highest ranks of civic office.

From Brazil to Australia, Thailand to Costa Rica, in just the past year or so, nine women have taken command of countries in unexpected parts of the globe. And while their appetite for drama and reputation for sexual prowess may not be mythologised in quite the same way as their ancient Egyptian counterpart, all eyes are on what they might bring to a traditionally male-dominated table. Of course, unlike Cleopatra, most have been democratically elected to their new positions. So, why are women enjoying an increased representation and, more importantly, does it matter? >

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Argentinian president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner inspects the troops.

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Pratibha Patil, President, India

02// Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President, Liberia

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“IT WOULD BE A BETTER, SAFER AND MORE PRODUCTIVE WORLD. A WOMAN WOULD BRING A SENSITIVITY TO HUMANKIND. IT COMES FROM BEING A MOTHER.”

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ELLEN JOHNSON-SIRLEAF, PRESIDENT OF LIBERIA.

In Monrovia, in 2006, Ellen JohnsonSirleaf stood before the Liberian flag and placed her left hand on the bible to be sworn in as Africa’s first female president. Following two bitter civil wars that had ravaged the West African country, Johnson-Sirleaf won the ticket because she represented a fundamental break with the past. Despite being dubbed “Africa’s Iron Lady”, when asked whether war would prevail under female leadership, she replied: “It would be a better, safer and more productive world.

A woman would bring an extra dimension to that task, and that’s a sensitivity to humankind.

It comes from being a mother.”

In a state dogged by violence and corruption Johnson-Sirleaf was visually and emotionally seen as a refreshing change, and perhaps unsurprisingly has kick-started a bill to introduce a quota system which could see 30 per cent women’s participation in Liberia’s political fortunes. It is a controversial system that, until relatively recently, was rarely seen outside of Scandinavian countries. Although quotas in countries like Sweden and Norway are not enshrined in national legislation, many were introduced by political parties following intense campaigning by women’s movements.

In 1994, in Sweden, for example, the Social Democratic Party introduced the principle of “every second on the list a woman”, which meant that the list of electoral candidates had to alternate between the genders.

While critics have labelled quotas as mere window dressing, discriminatory against men, and simply undemocratic, the system has benefitted some countries. Argentina introduced a quota law in 1991 that required 30 per cent of those elected to its chamber of deputies to be women. The country went on to inaugurate its first female president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, four years ago. In total, 11 Latin American countries have quota laws, with Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Colombia considered the most progressive.

But quotas only go some way to explaining the surge, and haven’t, in all countries, produced women politicians or furthered equality.

According to Emily Esplen of the organisation One World Action, which campaigns for a greater women’s voice in politics worldwide, quotas have often been used by right-wing parties to field women who haven’t necessarily pursued progressive women’s agendas. Laura Chinchilla, Costa Rica’s first female president and a social conservative opposing – among other things – abortion rights, would be one case in point.

“Women’s unique experiences often give women insight into women’s issues,” Esplen says.

“But it does not automatically follow that women from political or economic elites seek to represent women from poorer backgrounds. There is also pressure on women once they get into power to display masculine leadership traits in order to be taken seriously.”

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Despite this, she says, the argument for including women in political life is far greater than the argument not to. “It is simply good justice to have an equal society and to have women’s voices heard in broader sectors outside of health and education that can be seen as softer. Diversity in all areas is not only better for public life, but it encourages greater female voter turnout and increased aspirations for all women.”

That said, Esplen points out that opinion is split on whether women in power should be held equally accountable as men. Many believe it is currently enough for women just to be visible at the top, and stop short of attacking them for a poor record of progressive policies.

Marilyn Davidson, professor of work psychology at the University of Manchester, in the UK, believes some leaders, like Margaret Thatcher, have reversed the cause of women throughout their tenure. “Thatcher was certainly a queen bee,” she says. “She surrounded herself with men and didn’t want women in her cabinet.”

Not everyone saw Thatcher as the “Iron Lady”. Her last political secretary, John Whittingdale, described her as someone who “used her femininity to get her own way” and “kittenish, especially with leaders”. More often than not, however, Thatcher has been portrayed as formidable, having no qualms about taking her country to war in 1982, like India’s Indira Gandhi and Israel’s Golda Meir before her. >

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CURRENT AFFAIRS

Laura Chinchilla, President, Costa Rica

IN PROFILE

Where does female power lie?

04// Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, President, Argentina

DOZENS OF COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD HAVE FEMALE LEADERS. THESE ARE SOME OF THE MORE IMPORTANT ONES.

03// 04//

MARY MCALEESE PRESIDENT, IRELAND This former law professor is the second woman to serve as president in the Irish Republic.

Jadranka Kosor prime minister, Croatia Single mother Kosor is Croatia’s first female prime minister. She is also the author of two poetry books.

Tarja Halonen president, Finland Considered her country’s most popular president, Halonen was voted in 94 years after Finland became the first European country to grant women the vote.

Dalia Grybauskaite president, Lithuania Grybauskaite is also a martial arts expert with a black belt in karate.

Angela Merkel chancellor, Germany The first woman to lead Germany, last year she was named by Forbes Magazine as the fourth most powerful woman in the world. (After Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey and the boss of Kraft foods.)

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf president, Liberia The first elected female head of state in Africa, she is dubbed Liberia’s “Iron Lady”.

And while across the African continent, post-conflict societies like Liberia have seen the largest gains in terms of women’s representation − Angola, Mozambique, South Africa, Uganda, and Rwanda are also among them – Davidson says it is dangerous to presume all women represent change. “The perception may be that women might not make as potentially warlike decisions as men. The perception might be women will be less corrupt. But we have to be careful and look at what women do as individuals.”

In fact, research has found there are more similarities than differences between women and men in leadership roles, says Davidson. “Where we have found differences is that women are more people-orientated, more team-orientated and more democratic in their leadership style. Some of them have adopted male traits, but the ones who have really succeeded have ploughed their own furrow and said: “Accept me as I am”.

What is also different, she adds, is that because there are still relatively few women in power, a different spotlight is shone upon them.

“The press, in particular, will concentrate on what shoes they wear, their dress and their haircuts.

They’ll point out when they’re a mum of two, whereas with men, that’s generally ignored.

Women are not at a stage where they are judged purely on their policies.”

And, with only 19 per cent female political representation around the world, it seems women still have a long way to go.

Pratibha Patil president, India The first woman to serve as president of India, Patil has a long-time association with the Gandhi political dynasty.

Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner president, Argentina Elected in 2007, she succeeded her husband Nestor Kirchner as leader.

Sheikh Hasina Wazed, prime minister, Bangladesh The eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh, Wazed was previously prime minister between 1996 and 2001.

Johanna Siguroardottir prime minister, Iceland This former flight attendant and union organiser is the world’s first openly gay leader.

YINGLUCK SHINAWATRA PRIME MINISTER, THAILAND Voted in as Thailand’s first ever female prime minister in July, Shinawatra (brother of her country’s former PM) was due to take office as we went to press.

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Micheline Calmy-Rey president of the confederation, Switzerland Although no single person acts as head of state in Switzerland, the confederation presidency is passed around the Swiss Federal Council. Calmy-Rey is the current incumbent.

Roza Otunbayeva president, Kyrgyzstan The first female president of an ex-communist country in central Asia.

Laura Chinchilla president, Costa Rica The first female president Costa Rica has ever had.

Kamla Persad-Bissessar prime Minister, Trinidad and Tobago Elected as her country’s first female prime minister after her predecessor’s’s administration was dogged by soaring crime and allegations of corruption.

Julia Gillard prime minister, Australia A revolt in the ruling party gave Australia its first woman prime minister last year. On appointment Gillard said: “I didn’t set out to crash my head on any glass ceilings.”

Iveta Radicova prime minister, Slovakia Radicova, who took power at the head of a centre-right coalition in 2010, pledges to cut spending, fight corruption and heal fractious relations with neighbouring Hungary.

Dilma Rousseff president, Brazil Rousseff is a former left-wing guerrilla who fought the military dictatorship in the 1970s.

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Nights to remember

FROM A TREETOP HIDEAWAY TO A FLOATING LODGE, IF YOU LOOK AROUND ENOUGH YOU’LL FIND SOME PRETTY UNUSUAL LUXURY HOTELS. JANE DUNFORD, FROM BRITISH AIRWAYS’ HIGH LIFE MAGAZINE, SELECTS HER FAVOURITE BOUTIQUE HOTELS WITH A DIFFERENCE.

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40 Winks London UK

UXUA Casa Hotel Trancoso Brazil

4 Rivers Floating Lodge Tatai River Cambodia

Hotel Cappadocia Cave Resort Uchisar, Turkey

It’s not a hotel, as such, just a particularly quirky and cool place to stay in London’s hip East End. Interior designer David Carter’s flamboyant townhouse has been used by fashion editors in the know for theatrical shoots for a while.

But now two bedrooms have been opened up to guests. It’s a great alternative to the capital’s expensive hotels, with a real home-from-home feel, and a deliciously opulent, yet relaxed setting. There’s a cosy communal room, a kitchen at your disposal and full continental breakfast included in the price. 40 Winks runs themed evenings too, from ‘bedtime storytelling’ to ‘erotic life drawing’. If you’re lucky you’ll catch one of these during your stay.

You’d expect the creative director of clothing brand Diesel to come up with something cool – and with this hotel, Wilbert Das certainly has. Inspired by historic Trancoso, a small fishing village on the Bahian coast, UXUA is a collaboration with local artisans. Accommodation ranges from restored fishermen’s houses to sleekly opulent eco treehouses, but all offering the best of rustic luxury. The incredible lake-like pool has 40,000 shimmering, green quartz pebbles, considered to have powerful healing properties. The spa draws on local knowledge of plants and herbal medicine.

With perhaps the only floating tents in the world, this unusual resort on the Tatai River, in the southern reaches of Cambodia’s Cardamon Mountains, is far from the tourist trail. You can only get here by boat and the whole lodge is waterborne, consisting of floating wooden platforms and a central pontoon with bar, restaurant and library. Accommodation is in one of 12 amazingly luxurious African safari tents complete with private decks, flatscreen TVs, DVD players and en-suite bathrooms. Surrounded by evergreen rainforest and coastal mangroves, it’s a great place for eco-adventure – you can explore by kayak, hike through the jungle, visit waterfalls or just kick back and soak up the pristine surrounds.

Carved out of a mountainside, this luxury hotel in the dramatic lunar landscape of Cappadocia has an undeniable romance about it. The cave rooms, all natural stone and fine woods, offer rustic chic, but there’s no scrimping on creature comforts. Hole up in the atmospheric Leea cave spa for a treatment or two. (A Turkish steam bath in the hamam and a four-handed massage are recommended.) The heated outdoor pool boasts fantastic views (there’s an indoor pool too), and you can feast on traditional cuisine at Padishah restaurant. It’s a great base for exploring this amazing region of Anatolia with its famed fairy chimneys, and Byzantine chapels and monasteries fashioned out of rock. >

Doubles from US$153 www.40winks.org

From US$695 a night for two www.uxua.com

From US$115 per tent per night www.ecolodges.asia

Doubles from US$345 www.ccr-hotels.com

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travel

THe neW feminine fRAGRAnCe

Southern Ocean Lodge Kangaroo Island Australia

Tree hotel Sweden

Raas Jodhpur India

If luxury and wild nature are your thing, this hotel should be on your wish-list. The location is amazing – right on a cliff top overlooking a rugged stretch of coast – and the striking architecture by Max Pritchard is slick, modern and eco-friendly. There are 21 incredible suites with glass walkways and floor-to-ceiling bathroom windows so you can soak up the jaw-dropping scenery. There’s a fantastic spa, and a star-gazing platform overlooking the ocean. The restaurant serves the finest local produce, with a daily-changing seasonal menu.

Dreamt up by a group of eco-conscious designers and architects, the idea behind the Tree Hotel was to create somewhere guests could stay in harmony with nature among the treetops. The stunning location, in the forest outside the village of Harads, is less than 40 miles south of the Arctic Circle. There are six different rooms including the Mirrorcube (a box clad with mirrors reflecting the sky and surrounds), a magical UFO, a giant bird’s nest and a more traditional tree cabin. This being Sweden, there is of course a sauna, too. Meals are served in a guesthouse five minutes down the road. It’s a perfect base for outdoor adventure, or just chilling out far from the modern world.

Slap bang in the middle of Jodhpur’s ancient walled city, Raas is one of the most innovative boutique hotels in India. With amazing views of Mehrangarh Fort, behind the hotel walls lies an oasis of calm with its terraced gardens and blue infinity pool – a world away from the colourful chaos outside. A beautifully restored noble residence, some of its rooms are in the buildings of the original haveli mansion, while modern quarters are cleverly crafted from rose stone to blend in. The 39 bedrooms are pared-down and hip, combining the best of traditional and contemporary architecture. There are two restaurants and a small spa, too. >

US$905 per night, including all dining www.southernoceanlodge.com.au

US$582 for two www.treehotel.se

Doubles from US$340 www.raasjodhpur.com

Hommage to the 150 th anniversary of René Lalique’s birth

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Product showcase

Don’t leave home without…

HAVE THESE STUNNING HOTELS FILLED YOU WITH THE DESIRE TO TRAVEL? BEFORE YOU HEAD OFF MAKE SURE YOU GET THESE TRAVELLER ESSENTIALS, ALL AVAILABLE IN PENHA IMAGE STORES.

The Standard New York USA

Kensington Place Cape Town South Africa

Hotel El Convento San Juan Puerto Rico

Straddling the High Line – the old freight railway that’s been transformed into a park on stilts – in New York’s Meatpacking District, The Standard is a dramatic sight, resembling, as it does, an open book made of glass standing end up.

Created by boutique hotelier Andre Balzas, it’s one of the coolest places to stay in town, but the price tag’s refreshingly reasonable. Rooms are all about texture and light, with cosy couches and fantastic views of the Hudson River and the city. The indoor-outdoor Living Room on ground level has fire pits to encourage year-round use.

There’s a clutch of restaurants and bars, from the achingly hip Boom Boom Room, to the laidback Le Bain with its synthetic grass and circular waterbeds, as well as gym and bijou pool.

Right in front of Table Mountain, with views out over the Atlantic Ocean, the location alone makes this a favourite Cape Town bolt hole for those in the know. Small and perfectly formed, there’s a great sense of fun about the place, with a groovy bar and dining room, relaxing lounge, stylish handpicked furniture and lots of cool touches, like laptops and iPods in all rooms. Chill in the sparkling plunge pool and dine alfresco in the lush gardens which are particularly magical when lit up at night.

Consistently friendly, upbeat staff add to the overall experience.

The most iconic hotel on Puerto Rico, this romantic 58-room hideaway was a Carmelite convent in the 17th century and is bursting with character. Its clever renovation has created a magical place that combines historic Spanish colonial architecture and the spirit of the Old World with modern luxuries and slick service.

It wins points for meticulous attention to detail, from the goose-down pillows and Bose stereos in the rooms, to the handcrafted furniture, lushly planted interior courtyard, and wine and cheese every evening. Chill in the rooftop plunge pool and Jacuzzi overlooking the bay, or if you want to go to the beach, use the private facilities of the sister hotels nearby.

Doubles from US$290 www.standardhotels.com

Doubles from US$475 www.kensingtonplace.co.za

From US$240 per room per night www.elconvento.com

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First-class fragrance

Gives you butterflies

Chubby Sticks

Bags of style

Givenchy’s wonderful new eau de parfum, Ange ou Démon Le Secret, is just what you need to stay fruity and floral on your travels. Top notes of lemon, cranberry and green tea progress to heart notes of jasmine sambac and white peony, followed by base notes of blond woods and patchouli.

Of all their world-famous glass jewellery, one of Lalique’s most lasting styles is their Papillon pendant. Compact enough to accompany you on your travels, its butterfly shape still retains that classic Lalique charm. “As if weightless, the finely engraved crystal wings offer lightness and elegance,” claim the manufacturers. Perfect for longhaul flights, then.

Check out the new Clinique Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour Balm. With a special blend of shea butter, mango seed butter and jojoba seed oil, it delivers a surge of moisture in a sleek stick, leaving lips soft, supple and soothed. Available in Chunky Cherry, Fuller Fig, Grapedup, Mega Melon, Richer Raisin, Super Strawberry, Whole Lotta Honey and Woppin’ Watermelon. Perfect for those dry lips you get on long flights.

World travel always subjects your luggage to a few bumps and scrapes. Fortunately Montblanc’s new canvas bag, the Meisterstuck Executive Tote Bag, is strong enough to hold its own. But it’s also lightweight enough to carry gracefully through airports. Designed with both timeless style and functionality, it features comfortable leather handles, two main compartments, an inner pocket and a shiny finish with the Montblanc emblem.

Feel fresh

Eyes right

Time zone

The write stuff

Arrive at your destination feeling fresh with Bulgari’s Aqva Pour Homme Toniq. The fragrance opens with zesty essential oils of lemon and peppermint. Then crystal ice and Posidonia seaweed gradually ease into a soothing base of vetiver and amber notes.

Gucci make some of the most stylish sunglasses on the planet. Perfect for lazy days on the beach, or for watching the sun go down with cocktails. And you can be sure you’ll look cool as you step off the plane at the airport.

It’s Nicolas Rieussec who is credited with inventing the world’s first chronograph, almost 200 years ago. Appropriate then that Montblanc should use his name for the latest outstanding timepiece in their collection: the Montblanc Star Nicolas Rieussec Monopusher Chronograph.

Features include a stainless steel case, a domed sapphire crystal and a black alligator strap.

Make sure you fill out those landing cards in style with this new John Lennon Special Edition fountain pen from Montblanc.

Featuring a peace symbol on the 18k gold nib, a silver plaque engraved with John Lennon’s self-portrait, and a clip shaped like the head of a guitar, it will add musical flair to even the most mundane of jottings.

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Caribbean food

ISLAND CUISINE SO MANY RESTAURANTS, SO MANY ISLANDS, YET SO LITTLE TIME. FOOD WRITER CHARLES HOWGEGO PICKS OUT SOME CULINARY SPECIALITIES OF THE CARIBBEAN.

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illustrations: Claudia Pearson

he food of the West Indies is as rich as the array of peoples that have settled there over the centuries. Fertile both on land and in the sea, the region produces a variety of colourful ingredients that will inspire even the most unimaginative cook.

Up to the 15th century the indigenous Amerindians used allspice and lime to make stew-style dishes. It’s believed that the old Caribbean word ‘barabicu’, meaning sacred fire pit, gave birth to the modern European word ‘barbecue’.

After Columbus arrived in 1492, his Spanish paymasters soon brought over oranges, sugarcane, plantains, ginger, coconuts, and much more.

Other Europeans later brought their farming techniques, plus pigs, cows and sheep. Beans, corn, squash, tomatoes and chillies arrived from the US. Soon migrant labourers from Asia made their own culinary mark, with rice, masala spice, curries and flatbreads still hugely popular today.

Yet in this vivid melting pot cuisine it is the food of Africa that remains the heart and soul of cooking, represented by okra, mangoes, fish cakes, callaloo, bananas and cornmeal.

There are many culinary treats to be had on the Caribbean archipelago, and with little space for farming, and with over 7,000 islands in the region, it’s no surprise that the oceans are harvested to the full.

Here are just a few specialities you ought to taste. >

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Advert Curried cascadoo

Snapper with Escovitch vegetables

The cascadoo is a rare and highly prized catfish, especially popular in Trinidad and Tobago, and famous for its shimmering scales which resemble armour plating. But it is also renowned for its sweet, dark flesh, served up in a spiced sauce with a curried stuffing. So tasty is it that “those who eat cascadoo will return to Trinidad to end their days”, according to island legend.

Escovitch refers to the pickling process introduced by Spanish Jews many years ago but which still exists today, usually associated with fish and seafood. For truly memorable results, soften vegetables such as onions, carrots and garlic, add bay, allspice and thyme, plus a whole scotch bonnet chilli, and cook in cane vinegar and lemon juice. Spoon this over a fried snapper for the zingiest of zingy platters.

Spicy conch fritters

Black cake

This delicacy of the Bahamas is so popular that there are now limits on the numbers that can be fished from the sea. A pearl-producing invertebrate in a large shell, it can be served in several ways, most popularly in a salad.

For a special treat, fritter it with garlic and bell pepper and fire it up with cayenne. A mouth-watering hors d’oeuvre, perfect with tasty tropical drinks.

The lengthy preparation and complex flavours of black cake are not done justice by its ordinary name. But make no mistake, this is a party favourite that those in the Caribbean dream of during its month-long preparation.

The main fruit part of the cake – currants, raisins, prunes, figs, cherries, mixed peel and almonds – languish in Angostura bitters and Jamaican rum for four weeks, and are then joined by grated lime peel, vanilla, cloves, butter, sugar, eggs and a caramelised sugar mixture. The resulting cake is a tangily rewarding experience – a little slice of heaven. >

Marinaded pig’s ears Perhaps not for the faint of heart, pig’s ears are nevertheless a dish for a special occasion, served up at notable family gatherings. After gentle boiling, they are then julienned and marinaded with salt, vinegar, allspice, cloves and hot pepper. Served with hot baguettes, they make a piquant yet satisfying entrée.

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BLACK AND WHITE

NEVER GOES OUT OF STYLE.

Advert Flying fish Bajan-style

Rum-caramelised bananas

This, the national dish of Barbados, features an amazing creature that can jet out of the water and glide for up to 100 yards at speeds reaching 30 mph. If you can catch it, it will produce big, juicy fillets. (Get someone else to take the bones out.) Here’s the sophisticated way to eat them: spike them with lime juice and season with garlic, thyme, parsley, scallions and Worcestershire sauce. Then simmer in a hot tomato and herb sauce.

The West Indies has made an art form of morphing the humble banana into many different dishes: banana bread, banana muffins, green banana salad, banana curry, banana fritters, banana strudel, banana smoothie, banana soup, the list goes on. For a touch of class, however, try bananas caramelised with rum accompanied by tamarind jelly and a coconut sorbet.

A truly innovative take on some classic native ingredients.

Sea urchin soufflé

Matete crab pilaf

Cooking in Martinique enjoys Caribbean, Creole and French techniques and flavours. The French influence is particularly strong in sea-urchin soufflé, where a lobster stock-infused béchamel sauce is mixed with minced sea urchin and eggs and cooked à la soufflé; a delightful meeting of worlds.

Matete is a fleshy crab native to the French Antilles. In this aromatic risotto-style dish it is given a typically West Indian makeover with lime, chilli and herbs, but also an extra injection of taste via smoked ham hock, saffron and paprika. A wonderfully diverse set of ingredients blended into a complex and zingy dish.

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DRINKS

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ERIK LORINCZ, WINNER OF THE WORLD’S MOST PRESTIGIOUS COCKTAIL AWARD, REVEALS THE SECRETS OF FINE DRINKING, AND SUGGESTS THE PERFECT CARIBBEAN COCKTAIL. BY DOMINIC BLISS.

D N E E R K R I A T H S &S “F

our hundred US dollars a shot! This is pretty special stuff.”

Erik Lorincz, head bartender at the Savoy Hotel’s American Bar, in London, is cradling his pride and joy in his arms. It’s a 1920s bottle of Bacardi superior rum that “escaped being confiscated by Fidel Castro in the Cuban Revolution”. One of only a handful the hotel has left.

“We opened a bottle the other day for a guest, and we had to charge him £250 (US$400) just for a single shot.” Apparently it still tastes as good as it ever did. Although, at that price, even the most well-heeled of Savoy drinkers are unlikely to find out.

Instead Erik offers up his latest creation, a cocktail to celebrate the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Called ‘Wedding Day’, it features Scotch whisky, poire William eau de vie, quince liqueur, a twist of lemon peel and a sugar cube, all topped up with Champagne. Erik reckons this would have been the ideal drink for the royal reception. “It’s a perfect combination of male and female,” he explains. “The poire William is the male bit for Prince William, and the quince liqueur is the female bit for Kate.”

Needless to say, it tastes delicious.

Last year Erik won possibly the most prestigious award in international cocktail-making: Diageo Reserve World Class Bartender of the Year. One of the tests saw competitors given 40 Euros in cash and half an hour to dash round the local supermarket, collect ingredients, and create a special cocktail on the spot. At the end of the week-long competition, judges eventually singled Erik out, not only for his skill at creating cocktails, but also for his presentation and etiquette.

“A barman’s etiquette is so important,” Erik stresses. “It’s like when you go to a fine-dining restaurant. Much of what you are paying for is how they present the food to you. It’s the same with a cocktail. You need to give customers a special experience rather than just getting them drunk. The actual making of the cocktail is maybe only 10 per cent of the whole bartending job.” >

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IN PROFILE

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drinks

Watching Erik at work, you see what he means. Holding fort behind The Savoy’s rather compact American Bar – less than seven metres long – this 31-year-old Slovakian cuts a fine figure.

He’s dressed immaculately in a cream jacket, waiscoat and black tie, his hair slicked right back.

As he spins the bottles of spirit and manipulates the cocktail shaker, you feel you’re watching a finely choreographed dancer in action. But he’s careful not to go over the top. “This isn’t flair bar-tending,” he stresses. He doesn’t go in for all that juggling and bottle-slinging, like in that famous Tom Cruise film Cocktail, for example. This is, after all, The Savoy, where things are more refined.

But some of Erik’s ingredients can be fairly flamboyant. One of his more unusual creations involves infusing foie gras with vodka, leaving it to marinade for 48 hours (a process known as ‘fat-washing’), placing it in the freezer where it separates, and finally using the liver-flavoured vodka to make a Bloody Mary. Another of his concoctions sees him burning hickory in a tool called a ‘smoking gun’, and then bubbling the smoke through cocktails in a huge wine decanter.

Occasionally he’ll serve cocktails alongside a vessel of dry ice so that the aromas in the drink are carried with the gas up into the nostrils of the drinker. Known in the trade as ‘molecular mixology’, this high-tech cocktail mixing often wouldn’t look out of place in a chemistry lab.

It’s all a long way from Erik’s roots in rural Slovakia. As a child he remembers being introduced to the wonders of alcohol thanks to his grandparents. Grandpa was an amateur wine-maker, while Grandma used to mix up infusions and medicinal tinctures using local plants and herbs. “I learned from her how to make my own tinctures and teas,” Erik remembers. “Even back then I was somehow connected with the art of alchemy. It sparked my interest in alcohol.”

After training in the Czech capital Prague, and earning his stripes in that city’s bars, in 2004 he then made the move to London where his first job had him “sweeping cigarettes off the floor and collecting empty glasses in a nightclub”. He quickly worked his way up through the industry, though, picking up some of his more refined skills during a stint in Japan. Seven years on and he’s the “creative brain” at The Savoy.

It’s a job with a weighty responsibility. The American Bar has been watering its London guests since the 1890s, and has been in its current spot since 1904. Although it was recently refurbished, it still gives off a genuine sense of history. Displayed in a cabinet at the entrance are signed photos from

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former regulars such as Fred Astaire, Noel Coward and Coco Chanel. Next to them is an original copy of The Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock, one of Erik’s legendary predecessors from the golden era of cocktails in the 1920s and 1930s.

So when he’s off-duty, and out of his Savoy uniform, what is Erik’s personal drink of choice?

He loves Champagne (“although I can’t afford the really exclusive ones”) and is fond of “dark, rich, complex Bordeaux or Riojas”. When it comes to spirits his golden rule is to go local. “If you visit Scotland, you don’t drink Champagne, you drink whisky. If you’re in the Caribbean, you drink rum, of course.”

Suddenly, at the mention of the Caribbean, he becomes animated, waxing lyrical about his personal take on a daiquiri mulatto. “It’s a wonderful Caribbean drink,” he says. “Rum with fresh lime, sugar syrup and crème de cacao, served straight up. But you have to use Guatemalan Zacapa rum. That’s the best.”

No mention of his 1920s bottle of Bacardi that escaped the Cuban Revolution. That particular rum is way too special, even for Erik’s daiquiris. >

Erik Lorincz, above, in action.

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health & fitness

N I C O L AS R I E US S E C T I M EW R I T E R A tribute to the inventor of the first chronograph.

Be your own barman

INSPIRED TO CREATE YOUR OWN COCKTAILS? HERE ARE FIVE CLASSICS YOU CAN TRY FOR YOURSELF.

Original Bacardi Mojito

Bombay Sapphire Collins

Grey Goose L’Orange Cosmopolitan

Patron Tequila Margarita

Curaçao Blue Lagoon

Ingredients// Two shots of Bacardi Superior rum, half a fresh lime, 10 fresh mint leaves, two teaspoons of caster sugar, chilled soda water.

Ingredients// Two shots of Bombay Sapphire gin, one shot of freshly squeezed lemon juice, two teaspoons of caster sugar, chilled soda water.

Ingredients// One and a quarter parts Grey Goose L’Orange vodka, one part cranberry juice, half a part orange liqueur and a squeeze of lime juice.

Ingredients// Half oz of Patron Citronge tequila, 1.5 oz of Patron Silver tequila, fresh ginger, one lime, dash of bitters and two teaspoons of honey.

Ingredients// One part blue Curaçao, one part vodka, three parts lemonade.

Method// Cut the lime into wedges and place in a tall glass with the sugar. Muddle to release the juice and dissolve the sugar. Clap the mint in your hands and drop into the glass. Fill with crushed ice, pour over the rum and top with soda. Stir well and garnish with a sprig of mint.

Method// Add the lemon juice, sugar and gin to a tall glass. Fill with ice cubes and top up with soda.

Stir well to integrate all the ingredients and garnish with a wedge of lemon.

Method// Pour all the ingredients into a shaker and add ice cubes. Shake vigorously until chilled, then double strain into a frozen glass.

Finish with a twist of orange, allowing the essential oils to spray lightly onto the surface of the drink.

Method// Mix the juice of one lime with a slice of fresh ginger. Add the remaining ingredients, fill with ice and double strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with a wedge of lime.

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Method// Fill a tall glass with lots of ice.

Add the three ingredients, vodka first, followed by the Curaçao and then the lemonade. Garnish with a cherry and a slice of lime.

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FASHION

FASHION

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CARIBBEAN CHIC Over the years, with all its cultural diversity, the Caribbean has played a major part in determining global fashion trends. Here, we pay tribute to the stars who have had the most influence on this fashion. By Dominic Bliss.

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FASHION

FASHION

Pirate chic: Johnny Depp

Funk chic: Grace Jones

Complete with bandanna, tricorne hat, silk tweed frock coat, braided goatee beard, dreadlocks and gold teeth, Johnny Depp’s Pirates of the Caribbean character, Jack Sparrow, is one of the most memorable film roles of recent decades.

Single-handedly, Depp has transformed the age-old image of the Caribbean pirate from a one-eyed, wooden-legged perch for a parrot to a camp but achingly cool sex symbol. As American magazine Entertainment Weekly put it: “Part Keith Richards riff, part sozzled lounge lizard, Johnny Depp’s swizzleshtick pirate was definitely one of the most dazzling characters of the decade.”

After the release of the first film in the franchise, catwalks positively bristled with piratethemed attire.

The Jamaican pop star has worn some outrageous outfits in her time, many of them leaving little of her stunning Amazonian frame to the imagination.

Fashion, as well as music, has always been close to her heart. Indeed, she spent much of the 1970s working as a model in Paris and New York, catching the eye of Andy Warhol who photographed her on many occasions. Throughout her ensuing music and film career she retained this heightened sense of style, often pushing the envelope with androgynous clothing and costumes designed to shock. Her angular outfits, flat-top hair-dos, masks and outrageous headgear were particularly memorable and influential in the 1980s club scene, but still have resonance today. Just look at some of Lady Gaga’s fashion choices.

Bikini chic: Ursula Andress

Latin chic: Shakira

It’s been hailed as one of the most iconic moments in cinematic and fashion history. When Ursula Andress emerged from the Caribbean sea in her white bikini, in the first James Bond film, Dr. No, she immediately caused a global surge in sales of the skimpy two-piece swimsuit. Until this unforgettable 1962 performance, the bikini had been considered too risqué for most women to wear. But Ursula changed all that, with perfect timing, sporting the fashion item right at the beginning of the 1960s sexual revolution. From then on beachwear fashion was designed to reveal more and more flesh with every passing year.

On a recent British TV survey, Andress’s famous scene was voted the sexiest moment in screen history. In 2001 the bikini in question sold at auction for over $60,000.

Born and brought up in the port city of Barranquilla, on Colombia’s northern coast, singer Shakira could claim to be the Caribbean’s most famous star of modern times, with sales of over 50 million albums worldwide. Such massive global exposure inevitably means her fashion style is constantly in the limelight, wielding a massive influence on what young women all over the world choose to wear. Tops that bare her mid-riff, figure-hugging trousers and Middle Eastern-style outfits (courtesy of her Lebanese heritage) figure strongly in her wardrobe, as do chunky bracelets and necklaces. >

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VISIT

R ‘n’ B chic: Rihanna Having sold more than 20 million albums and 60 million singles, Rihanna’s global influence is obvious. In recent years she has opted for a much more risqué, punky and overtly sexual image. “If style risks could be measured in miles, Rihanna would have criss-crossed the globe a thousand times over already,” commented Glamour magazine, which ranked the Barbadian singer among the most glamorous women on the planet.

No wonder she is the face of multiple fragrance, cosmetic and indeed fashion endorsement deals.

Advert Spy chic: James Bond Caribbean islands have provided the backdrop for many a James Bond movie, from The Bahamas (Thunderball, Licence to Kill, Casino Royale) and Jamaica (Dr. No, Live and Let Die) to Cuba (Die Another Day), Puerto Rico (GoldenEye) and Haiti (Quantum of Solace). And whether he’s sipping dry martinis on the sand, or sporting a beige linen suit and a Panama hat in the hotel bar, never has an Englishman looked so cool in the tropical heat.

Today, Britishers of a certain class still take sartorial tips from James Bond when visiting the tropics. >

The new fragrance for men 03//

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FASHION

Catwalk chic: Jeneil Williams The only full-time fashion model on our list, 21-year-old Jamaican Jeneil Williams is probably the most famous current catwalker to hail from the Caribbean. While she’s by no means a global supermodel (yet), her win of Caribbean Model Search, and work with Diesel, Paul Smith, Benetton and Lanvin proves her star is in the ascendancy.

Surely it’s only a matter of time before her influence on the world of fashion starts to show.

EVERY CENT FROM THE SALE OF THIS LIPSTICK AND LIPGLASS GOES

Rastafari chic: Bob Marley The reggae legend would no doubt turn in his grave if he suspected he might one day be lauded as an arbiter of style. Yet, just as his music reached out well beyond the Caribbean to the rest of the world, so did his dress sense. Nowadays, dreadlocks and the green, red and gold Rasta colours wouldn’t look out of place on the streets of New York, London, Paris or Sydney – and this is all part of the religious musician’s legacy.

The fact that Marley’s daughter, Cedella, is to design the kit for the 2012 Olympic Jamaican athletics team is proof that the Marley family has a natural fashion sense running in its genes.

TOWARD HELPING WOMEN, MEN AND KIDS EVERYWHERE AFFECTED BY HIV AND AIDS. MACCOSMETICS.COM

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IN PROFILE

health & fitness

H C S A N E B PIO M A H C

IMAGE: JOEL GRIMES

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Fancy showing off your sporting prowess on the beach?

Thanks to our foolproof guide to all the popular beach Xsports, never again will you have sand kicked in your face.

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health & fitness

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Wind surfing

Volleyball

Snorkelling

At the top level, windsurfing can be hard-core. The world’s most skilled windsurfers have recorded speeds of up to 50 knots, and completed single trips of over 5,000 miles in length. Granted, this is all a bit extreme for beginners, but there’s no reason why you shouldn’t take a little cruise in the shallows.

Ever since Tom Cruise took off his T-shirt in Top Gun, a whole generation of young men – and women – have fancied themselves as beach volleyball experts.

The problem is it’s actually a lot trickier than it looks.

It may be the poor cousin of sub aqua diving, but snorkelling still allows you to observe some of the ocean’s most enthralling wildlife.

You don’t even need any instruction.

• Drag the board into water that’s chest deep. Make sure the daggerboard is down. Turn the board so that the rig (the sail, mast and boom) is downwind and you are the opposite side of it.

• Pull yourself out of the water, holding the centre of the board.

Plant your knees on the centre of the board and take hold of the rope that’s attached to the rig (the uphaul rope).

• Place one foot in front of the mast and one foot behind the mast with your toes pointing to the rig. Ideally you want the mast and the board to form a T shape.

• Use your bodyweight to drag the sail out of the water with the uphaul rope. When the sail’s up at an angle the water will run off and it will be much lighter to pull up.

• Grab hold of the mast with your leading hand, and hold the rope with your rear hand.

• Reposition your feet so that your toes are pointing to the nose of the board. With your rear hand, let go of the rope and lightly pull the boom towards you.

• Place your leading hand as close to the boomhead (where the boom attaches to the mast) as possible.

Make sure your hands are positioned shoulder-width apart.

• As you start to move, keep your arms relaxed, your shoulders leaning back, your hips raised, your back straight and your head looking forwards.

• Now sail away. But don’t go too far out the first time.

Thanks to Windsurfing Curacao, Tel (+5999) 738 0883; windsurfingcuraçao.com

• The rules for casual beach volleyball are a lot less rigid than for the Olympic version of the sport.

• Recruit a minimum of four players, two each side of the net.

Measure out a court on the sand around 16 metres by eight metres.

• Serve from behind the baseline by throwing the ball in the air and striking it with one hand. Only one attempt is allowed. In two-man teams, alternate servers. If there are more than two, then rotate servers clockwise.

• Your team is allowed to hit the ball a maximum of three times before it has to cross the net to your opponents’ side. But the same player cannot hit the ball twice in a row.

• The ball can be played with any part of the body, even the feet.

Try to set up the ball for your teammate so he can smash (spike) it over the net for a winning point.

You cannot catch or throw the ball.

• In Olympic beach volleyball (two teams of two players), two sets (first to 21 points) are needed to win the match. At one set all, a deciding set is played to 15 points.

• Switch ends every 10 points.

(Every five points in the deciding set.)

• Make sure your face mask fits correctly and that the seal is intact.

Adjust the strap so it fits snugly.

Not too loose, not too tight.

Smooth back any stray hair.

• Spit into the mask and rinse out with sea water. This will stop it fogging up.

• Place the snorkel mouthpiece right inside your mouth and close your lips around it.

• If your mask fills with water, simply tip your head back out of the water, lift up the bottom of the mask and allow the water to drain out.

• Should water splash into the top of your snorkel, blow hard to clear it out. Be careful not to inhale a mouthful of sea water.

• Kick your fins from the hip, keeping your lower legs relaxed so that you don’t cramp up. Allow your arms to trail by your side as you swim along.

• Practise diving below the surface to look at sea life deeper down.

When the pressure starts to hurt your head you can equalise by holding your nose tight and blowing out hard.

• Be careful about stepping on the sea floor. Watch out especially for sharp coral or sea urchins.

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Surfing

Water skiing

Beach essentials

Surfing is the daddy of all beach sports. Saunter towards the sea with a surfboard under your arm and you can’t fail to turn heads. But if you want to avoid falling flat on your face every time, follow a few ground rules.

Learn the basics and get the style right, and you won’t fail to impress those watching from the beach. Just make sure you stay upright. Leave the trick skiing to the experts.

Safe in the sun

• Decide whether you want to surf ‘regular’ or ‘goofy’. Regular surfers have their left foot forward, goofy riders their right. Stand on the board both ways to work out what feels more natural.

• Learn the pop-up move safely on the beach. Place your board on the sand and lie flat on it. Put your palms flat on the board in line with your shoulders. In one move, spring up and land in a split stance with both feet at about 45 degrees to the nose of the board. Your front foot should be around the middle of the board and your back foot near the tail.

• Keep your weight centred across both feet, but stay light so you can shift about to keep your balance.

Put your arms out to either side of your body to stop you from toppling over.

• Learn to paddle your board through the water. Lie on it with your weight centred so that the nose is neither dipping into the water nor lifting too far up. Paddle using one arm at a time.

• You want to catch a wave just as it’s starting to break. Maintain your central position – so you stay level – and paddle fast to catch the wave.

Use the pop-up move you practised on the beach to stand up on the board. With a bit of luck you’ll get a long ride.

• Make sure the skis fit snugly around your feet.

• Hold the handle and place it between your knees.

• Bend your knees up towards your chest.

• Place your skis shoulder-width apart and, pointing them towards the boat, raise them so that around nine inches are poking above the water.

• Keep your skis parallel and your knees together as the boat moves forward. Your arms should be just slightly bent.

• Remain in the sitting position until you feel the boat pulling you out of the water. Then, when your skis are horizontal with the surface of the water, raise yourself to a standing position.

• As you ski, keep your arms and knees slightly bent, your skis shoulder-width apart.

• Stay behind the wake of the boat where the water is smoothest.

Get active on the beach and you’ll need a super-safe sun cream that still works when things get sweaty. The Clinique Sun Care with Solarsmart is perfect for this.

Protective against both UVA and UVB rays, its non-greasy formula is oil-free, waterand sweat-resistant, non-pore clogging and good for those with sensitive skin.

Beach rebel The new fragrance from R ’n’ B singer Rihanna is Reb’l Fleur, so called because this Caribbean star has similar wording tattooed on the side of her neck. Top notes of red berries, plum, peach and Hawaiian hibiscus give way to middle notes of violet, coconut, tuberose and vanilla, and base notes of golden amber, musk and poinciana.

In the shade When it comes to sport-specific sunglasses, Oakley manufacture some of the finest models on the planet.

High definition lenses mean you’ll be able to focus, whatever sport you’re doing.

For something with a bit more statement, try Ray-Bans: Aviator, Clubmaster, Jackie Ohh or Wayfarer… there’s something for every style of beach bum.

NATALIE PORTMAN NO FEAR OF THE DARK

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fragrances Find the perfume that’s perfect for you

travel Stay in the world’s most unusual hotels

beach sports SHOW OFF YOUR SKILLS ON THE SAND AND IN THE SURF

Beautiful skin Dior’s new Hydra Life Skin Perfect is much more than a simple moisturiser. As well as centella and black rose anti-ageing serum, it contains mallow plant acid which, according to Dior, smoothes the skin, shrinks the pores and helps the complexion become more radiant. Perfect after a day of sun, sand and sea water.

We hope you have enjoyed reading our new-look magazine.

If you have a moment to spare we would love to hear what you thought of this issue – let us know what you liked (or didn’t like) and what you would like to see more of in future issues. As our customer your input is very valuable.

E-mail your comments to: magazine@penhaimage.com To find our more about contributing or advertising in Penha Image magazine please email: info@almamedia.co.uk

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TheIN Luxury PROFILE Treat

Massage in a bottle DON’T MISS OUT ON LIFE’S LUXURY TREATS. LIKE ARUBA’S SPECIAL RUM AND ALOE VERA MASSAGE.

A

s if the sun, the sea and the laid-back Caribbean lifestyle isn’t relaxing enough. On the island of Aruba one of the leading spas, Larimar Spa, offers a special massage service using a glorious mix of local rum, lime and aloe vera.

Lasting 80 minutes, the treatment includes a full body massage followed by an aloe scalp massage. Then hot beach stones and Larimar stones, which the masseurs claim have healing properties, are applied to key zones on the body.

Since some of the rum enters your system through the skin, you might call it an aperitif.

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