Opiates

Holiday Gift Guide December 24th To capture the holiday in motion I have long looked for a camera I can bring with me, to finally put the phone away for a moment and still catch the beauty of everyday life. This year, at the very top of my wish list, is the Leica Q3 Monochrom. Designed for those who love pure and authentic black and white photography, the Q3 Monochrom features a specially developed full-frame sensor with no colour filter and no low-pass filter. It captures only light, delivering exceptional sharpness, a wider dynamic range, and beautiful tonal depth that reveals even the most delicate details. Crafted in Germany, it also comes with IP52 weather sealing to protect against dust and rain, making it a trusted companion in any environment. One of its most important updates is support for Content Credentials, allowing photographers to create image files whose authenticity can be verified, a valuable safeguard in an age of AI-generated visuals. The Leica Q3 Monochrom is priced at 77,990 SEK and you can find it here  Image Courtesy of Leica

Holiday Gift Guide December 23rd Lisa Yang – The Ylda Balaclava Since we are based in Stockholm, we are used to snow, rain and cold windy winters that demand warm and durable layers, yet we still want to feel stylish and fashion forward. We love Lisa Yang’s sporty yet feminine cable knit balaclava in beautifully soft grey cashmere. It is perfect pulled up to protect the face and hair from harsh weather, but it looks just as chic worn down when the temperature is milder. You can find The Ylda Balaclava here Image Courtesy of Lisa Yang

Holiday Gift Guide December 22nd Jo Malone London — The Scent of the Season Jo Malone London’s Sandalwood & Spiced Apricot Cologne is the kind of fragrance that instantly feels like the season. It opens with the warmth of a festive drink, wrapped in gentle spice and sweetness, before settling into the creamy softness of sandalwood that lingers beautifully on the skin. Vanilla adds depth and richness, while cardamom brings a fresh lift that keeps the scent playful rather than heavy. With its blend of warmth, smoothness and subtle indulgence, it is a fragrance that captures the spirit of winter evenings and makes a thoughtful, elegant gift. You can find the cologne here Image Courtesy of Jo Malone London

Holiday Gift Guide December 20th CELINE CHARMS I have always loved charms. When I was a child, my friends and I collected little tokens for our bracelets, each one carrying its own meaning, wish, or memory. Something I would truly love to receive for Christmas is a bracelet and charm from CELINE’s new Charm Collection. Presented in beautiful layers on the runway, the charms feel like small personal statements. Each one is meant to be chosen because it resonates with the wearer, and to be collected over time so that every piece becomes part of a growing story. They can be worn on chunky bracelets, necklaces, gourmette chains or even pins, which makes them playful, versatile and deeply personal. The collection mixes gold and silver finishes and brings together CELINE’s iconic Triomphe with heritage symbols and new seasonal designs, allowing each person to create their own expression of style and individuality. Perhaps it is time to begin a new Christmas tradition, where you receive a new charm every year to mark the moment? Find the charms here Image Courtesy of CELINE

Holiday Gift Guide December 21st Helly Hansen Ski Sweater Planning to spend Christmas on the slopes? Then the Women’s Bliss Ski Knit Sweater is the perfect gift for you. Warm and flexible with its blend of 80 percent wool and 20 percent polyamide, it has a subtle side slit that allows it to move beautifully with your body. The design brings an instant sense of classic alpine elegance which, to be honest, is the only alpine style we really want. Find the sweater here Image Courtesy of Helly Hansen

Holiday Gift Guide December 18th A Festive Stay at Hotel Taschenbergpalais Kempinski Dresden Who would not want to spend the holidays in Dresden? During the festive season, the city is filled with the aromas of gingerbread, mulled wine and cinnamon, and Hotel Taschenbergpalais Kempinski Dresden captures this atmosphere with timeless elegance. Throughout December, the hotel offers a full programme of seasonal experiences, from beautifully decorated interiors and festive cocktails in the lobby to traditional culinary celebrations. Rooted in Saxony’s rich gastronomic heritage, Das Palais Restaurant serves a classic braised goose menu throughout the month, featuring winter flavours such as red cabbage, caramelised chestnuts and saffron pear. Afternoon tea at Amalie Patisserie and Lounge takes on a celebratory tone with Dresden Christmas stollen and festive pastries, served alongside sandwiches and scones by the fireplace, accompanied by a glass of Taittinger Champagne. The festivities continue with Christmas Eve lunch and dinner at Das Palais, followed by a New Year’s Eve Gala Dinner at Bel Etage with a Champagne reception and carefully selected wine pairings. To welcome the new year, guests are invited to the historic Kurfürstensaal, transformed into an elegant ballroom for a glamorous New Year’s Eve celebration with live music into the early hours. Image Courtesy of Hotel Taschenbergpalais Kempinski Dresden

Switch Nails Flagship image courtesy of Switch Nails Switch Nails is a Swedish brand elevating press-on nails to a new standard. With trend-driven colors, multiple shapes, and impressive staying power, you get beautiful nails without harming your natural ones. A new top coat refreshes already-used nails. Easy to apply, easy to remove—and now opening the world’s first press-on nail flagship store at Drottninggatan 73B in Stockholm.

LUMENE Unveils 2026 Skincare & Makeup Innovations LUMENE is set to launch a series of groundbreaking products in February 2026, combining Nordic ingredients with advanced skincare science. The cornerstone of the launch is the Nordic Bloom Bounce Collection, an expansion of the brand’s bestselling vegan collagen line. The new Bounce Moisturiser and Bounce Eye Cream are powered by next-generation vegan collagen peptides, triple hyaluronic acid, and patented Nordic lingonberry extract. Clinically tested, they are designed to visibly improve skin’s bounce, firmness, and elasticity, targeting the first signs of collagen loss from the late 20s. In makeup, LUMENE is leading the 2026 “blur” trend with the Blur Even Cover Foundation. This high-coverage, 16-hour wear foundation is infused with niacinamide and Nordic bilberry extract to smooth and even the complexion while maintaining a natural, skin-like finish. To create the perfect base for it, LUMENE introduces three skin-loving Primers: the tone-evening CC All-in-One Primer, the pore-blurring Blur Longwear Matte Primer, and the radiance-boosting Natural Glow Instant Radiance Primer. Skincare innovations include a powerful new targeted treatment: the Nordic-C Dark Spot Serum. Utilising a unique Triple Complex technology with patented Arctic cloudberry, vitamin C, and a unifying peptide, it is clinically proven to reduce the appearance of dark spots by 61%. For delicate eye area care, the new Nordic Hydra Hydrating Eye Gel Cream features patent-pending Nordic Hyalu-Birch technology to deliver 72 hours of lasting hydration. The launch is completed with two fan-favourite updates: a new bestseller shade (#300) for the multi-tasking Invisible Illumination Instant Glow Beauty Serum, designed for medium-tan skin tones, and a new on-trend brown shade for the volumising Wild Forces Volume Mascara. All products are vegan, fragrance-free where applicable, developed and manufactured in Finland, and feature a strong focus on sustainable packaging.

IDA WARG Beauty Redefines Self-Tanning for 2026 IDA WARG Beauty is revolutionising the self-tan category with a major relaunch and new, personalised products arriving in January 2026. The entire core range, including Tanning Drops, Face Lotion, Body Lotion, Spray, and Mousse, has been upgraded with a new, colourless formula enriched with triple hyaluronic acid for deep hydration, designed to minimise transfer and suit sensitive skin. The formulas are now fragrance-free and designed to be suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin, while delivering an even, natural glow within 4-8 hours. In a category-first for the brand, IDA WARG Beauty introduces the Cool & Warm Self-Tanning Mousses, its inaugural products developed to match the user’s skin undertone. Cool Bronze is designed for neutral to cool undertones. At the same time, Warm Glow complements neutral to warm undertones, ensuring a seamless, sun-kissed result that blends perfectly with the individual’s natural complexion. For those seeking immediate results, the brand is launching its fastest self-tanner yet: the Cocoa Self-Tanning Mousse 1 Hour Express. This advanced mousse allows users to customise their level of colour, offering a subtle glow after one hour or a deeper bronze after three, aided by recycled cocoa shells that act as a natural application guide. All products are 100% vegan, focused on skincare benefits, and easy to apply. With this launch, IDA WARG Beauty reinforces its philosophy that beauty should feel as good as it looks.