Destination Brussels, Belgium

The Grand Place

Brussels is like savouring a delicious hot chocolate that melts sensually into your mouth slowly revealing pleasures that tantalise and simulate your taste buds. It’s relaxing, yet has just the right amount of kick.

This is a capital city that is tuned into its medieval origins, embraces modernity and sizzles with creativity. It was, after all. home to Victor Horta, the inventor of Art Nouveau architecture, and the surrealist artist, Magritte as well as Hergé, creator of Tintin.

A sense of humour also flows through Brussels’ veins. A statue of a peeing boy, the Manneken Pis, is one its most renowned symbols and comic strip murals are scattered around the city.

Manneken Pis

My weekend started the moment I boarded Eurostar. Within moments I started chatting to some ladies, one of whom told me this was her first time and wasn’t looking forward going through the Channel Tunnel. The journey was so smooth and we were so busy talking that she didn’t realise that we had passed through it.

Another one of the group cracked open a bottle of champagne and kindly asked me to join them. Ah, the good life!  What better way to arrive in Brussels, a city that dribbles with bon vivant.

On Saturday afternoon, the rue Antoine Dansaert’s fashion boutiques were buzzing. This is where you can pick up some unusual pieces by Belgium’s cutting-edge designers such as Annemie Verbeke and Nicolas Woit. Also check out Hoet, this optic shop specialises in out-of-the-ordinary frames. This street and the surrounding area are peppered with interesting, quirky shops. From vintage to baroque to established European brands, you can while away hours here.

One of my favourite stores is Hunting and Collecting, on rue des Chartreux, where culture mingles with contemporary fashion. When I saw Parisians shopping there, I knew I was on to a good thing.

Avenue Louise and boulevard de Waterloo are also good hunting grounds, but they tend to have a cluster of the usual upscale international brands you can find anywhere. Rue Neuve is dominated by chain stores.

After all the hard work of flexing the credit card, it was time for some light refreshment and so it was off to Place du Grand Sablon. At the weekend there is an antiques market at the centre of the square. There is also a beautiful church as well as chic boutiques, wonderful pavement cafés – the ideal spot for people watching – and scrumptious chocolate shops.

You couldn’t be in the city of chocolate and not have a fix. Pierre Marcolini is good. I’m also a fan of Laurent Gerbaud, especially the dark chocolate 70 per cent which is based on a couverture from Domori, a company famed for its quality.

Brussels has a reputation as one of Europe’s most cosmopolitan cities and also for its friendliness. I was told a conversation at one table in a bar or restaurant can easily be picked up at the next. Yes, it does happen. At the Belga Queen, a former bank and now one of the city’s finest restaurants (the seafood is superb), a gentleman from Uzbekistan who, within seconds of sitting down, was only too happy to discuss life etc. 

Galeries Royales St Hubert,

For me Sunday mornings should be lazy, so what better way to see the sights than by taking the hop-on-hop-off tour on the ubiquitous red bus. Although you can walk to most places, you do get a brief history and explanation of the main districts of Brussels and you probably see a bit more.

No matter how many times you see Brussels’s historic landmark, the Grand Place fringed by the impressive Town Hall, decorated with statues, and guild houses in an eclectic mix of architectural styles, it never fails to impress.

Saunter through the elegant Galeries Royales St Hubert, Europe’s first indoor shopping mall built in 1847, which is nearby. Meander along the surrounding cobbled streets, eat a waffle, sip a beer, indulge in some mussels or buy some frites on a street corner. 

If you want culture, the city has around a 100 museums which will keep you well and truly occupied.

On Monday, there was time to take a walk in Parc de Bruxelles, one of Brussels's many green areas, and then enjoy the pleasure of getting lost in some of the city’s side streets where I discovered more of the city's eccentricities and surrealism. A delicious lunch at the trendy Bonsoir Clara was a fitting end to the perfect weekend.

By Daralyn Danns

Getting there

Eurostar operates up to nine daily services from London St Pancras International to Brussels. Return fares from £69. Tickets are available from eurostar.com or 08432 186 186.Connecting fares from more than 300 stations in the UK are available.

Tip: Check out Eurostar Plus Culture for special offers into paying exhibitions and Eurostar Plus Shopping for discounts at leading brands.

I stayed at The Dominican (www.thedominican.be)

For more information on Brussels call Tourism Flanders-Brussels on 0207 307 7738 (Live operator line, Mon – Fri.) or visit www.visitflanders.co.uk

Daniel Galvin’s team is performing miracles

After a long summer, it was time to put my locks back into the capable hands of Liz Edmonds, colour director at Daniel Galvin.

Even though I had been out in the sun, the colour hadn’t faded too much. I know that my tresses are well and truly back on to the road of recovery, because I can now wear blushers that match my skin tone, rather than ones that matched my hair and also I am starting to suit brighter-coloured clothes once again.

The best news is that the condition of my hair has improved immensely since I met Liz. I never thought that I would be able to have long hair again and now it is passed my shoulders. It shows you really do have to be careful not to overdo the highlights.

For the autumn, Liz said it needed to be slightly richer. This is a word that always needs defining when talking to colourists.

“When I say richer, I mean hazelnut, more golden-based shades as opposed to coppery hues or chestnut,” says Liz. “This season, there are a lot of plumy-toned clothes, rich blue-red colours, so hair can’t be too orangey. It needs to be more neutral or gold-based.”

Liz added that also this autumn hair is looking more natural. “It’s about playing with different tones of the same colour, rather than adding lots of highlights,” she said.

If your hair needs a bit of TLC, then style director, David Felstead’s new treatment menu (from £20) could restore your hair to its former glory. “For instant results, we can add a conditioner at the backwash, which will last for up to five shampoos” said David. “If you need something stronger, make an appointment and we can analyse your hair and tailor products to suit your specific needs and then put you under a steamer for 15 minutes.”  

I’m trying the new L’Oréal Professionelle Cristalceutic (£35) which contains GlucoMineral. The company claims it will give you colour radiance protection for six weeks. A masque is applied to your hair after the colour has been washed out, followed by a radiance-protecting serum which also works as a styling aid. There is a take-home conditioning treatment course. It will be interesting to see if there is less colour fade at the end of the course.

My colour is getting better and better. “Your hair looks amazing,” shouted out the local flower seller, whom I passed on my way home. When you get those kind of compliments you know your tresses really are looking great.

By Daralyn Danns

Daniel Galvin www.danielgalvin.com

Catching up with leading hairdresser, Mark Woolley

Courtesy of Electric

Mark Woolley, owner and creative director of the Electric brand, is regarded as one of the industry’s most highly-respected hairdressers. I went along to his boutique salon in Marylebone to meet the award-winning snipper to see what he would make of my tresses.

What I liked about Mark was that he spent ages weighing up my hair. “Looking at somebody, their face-shape, hair texture and how much they have got [of it] and how it falls is important. A hairdresser has to be a good listener and get to know somebody before creating a style,” said Mark. 

Courtesy of Electric

“Coming out of summer we are seeing stronger shapes. Most British women have fine hair. Chunky lines make it look thicker.”

There is nothing like a colour change to update your image, especially when going into a new season. “Colour should have depth and richness to it for autumn,” says Mark. “Richness doesn’t necessarily mean warmth.”

For brunettes with dark skins, Mark suggests subtle shades of plum, for those with medium complexions, he recommends mocha hues. “It’s about adding dimension by blending subtle tones rather than having one solid colour,” he explained.

This friendly northerner has his finger on the pulse when it comes to trends, but knows that fashions cannot be copied straight from the catwalk, they have to be personalised for each individual client. Mark believes that the same person who cuts your hair should also colour it as, he thinks, you get a more individual experience and look. 

Courtesy of Electric

What none of us wants is to get into a hair rut. Mark feels that you should use your relationship with your stylist to ensure that he makes time for you so that you are regularly updating your image.

Mark suggested that I grow my hair so that the weight falls forward to frame my face. I wanted a sweeping fringe but one of the problems with them is that they can fall into your eyes. According to Mark, it’s all in the cut. If it is done well and slightly angled it won’t. The proof of the pudding is in the eating so they say, and Mark was right – I’ve had no problems with mine.

Hair should look sleek and glossy, but not as if you have just stepped out of a salon. I was really pleased with the final result.

As we all know, the key to a great blow-dry is technique. So, I couldn’t leave the salon without some tips on how to get your hair looking smooth when you blow-dry it yourself. Mark told me to style it using a paddle brush. “Tilt your head to the side, put the brush into the hair and pull through.”

My blow-dry

I have fine hair, although a lot of it, so I shouldn’t be weighing it down with too much product. Mark has produced his own product line. To ensure that they really did what they said on the tin, he worked with a Parisian chemist to develop the formulations.

I left the salon with his Colour Protect Shampoo (£17.50) and Colour Protect Conditioner (£18.50), which I since have used and they did leave my hair feeling soft and looking shiny.

But, the hero product has to be the Smoothing Cream (£17), created to use on photo shoots and the catwalk. It is, he says, is the only one to evaporate totally into the hair. My locks weren’t at all heavy or greasy, nor did it go frizzy despite being caught in the rain. I’m sure that is what helped (along with Mark’s expertise, of course,) my blow-dry was as good as when I left the salon, a couple of days later. What more could a girl ask for?

By Daralyn Danns

For more info on Electric salons and products visit www.electric-hair.com