A sacred symbol
Daily baths of donkey milk? Nah, as sexy as it sounds, it’s probably just another fabrication by the usual Cleopatra-obsessed ‘historians’. But if we are to believe Egyptian hieroglyphs, the Queen of Egypt had a much more fascinating beauty secret: the blue lotus. A sacred symbol of rebirth and healing, the flower was associated with the goddess Isis, aka the magnificent ‘Lady of the Holy Cobra’. Images of the gorgeous, electric-blue lotus were displayed prominently all over Ancient Egypt: on pillars, thrones, statues and even Cleopatra’s ceremonial headdress. The sweet, intoxicating scent of the blue lotus was considered especially divine and most cosmetics contained oil from the precious flower. If you could afford it – which the divine Queen of the Nile certainly could – you indulged in daily lotus baths. The aromatic water would first be poured over a statue of Hathor, the goddess of love and beauty who held the blue lotus as her sacred flower.
Knowing it was her job to impress and overwhelm, Cleopatra even used blue lotus perfume to scent the sails and draperies of her royal barge! Which makes extra sense now that we know that this heavenly flower contains euphoria-inducing chemicals…
Shop Space Odyssey Egyptian blue
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MD Friends
Building bridges
From the Erasmus Bridge and the Mercedes-Benz Museum to Qatar’s metro network; Ben van Berkel’s iconic landmarks bring people together in rapturous beauty, again and again. I talked with the Dutch architect and educator about sensuality, ‘healthy’ buildings and the remarkable parallels between our designs.
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MD Friends
More than a feeling
Don’t ignore your emotions; they are much more powerful than you can imagine. By linking the magical world of emotions with hard science, Dutch scientist Pierre Capel, professor emeritus in experimental immunology, shows us the consequences of our feelings and the power of our minds. The message: we can do much more than we think. “Meditate. It’s the single best thing you can do for your health.”
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Marlies Says
Keto curious?
The fact that I feel bikini-confident all year round is, of course, a nice bonus. But for me, the biggest payoff of following the keto diet is the way it optimizes my health and gives me tons of energy.
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Marlies Says
Super (skin) food
‘If you can’t eat it, why put it on your skin?’. I pretty much live by this beauty adage. After all, with your skin being one of your body’s largest organs, anything – and I mean anything! – you put onto your skin will end up in your bloodstream.
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