Paris Flashback Day 2

We woke bright and early on Day 2 to try and make the most of the gorgeous weather and gorgeous city?  First stop was a trip to the patisserie up the road to stock up on sweet stuff for breakfast, so we could sit in front of the window and eat while we were looking at the Tower. 

Terrible picture... That's an eclair, but you get the drift?! Pretty view. 

After we had eaten more confectionary than two human beings should eat, we headed off to explore further.  I've got to say we should have been at Disneyland Paris at this point, we had free tickets from Sky and that was what inspired the whole Paris trip in the first place, but there were so many things I wanted to see in the city that we decided to pass on Disney. Sorry Mickey! 

We headed over to Les Invalides, an army museum, to admire the rows of blue cannons outside and the huge metal gates.  We gave going in to the museum a miss, it's not really our thing, but the building itself was impressive enough to make it worth a visit. 

We carried on walking along the Seine, until we found ourselves back at Notre Dame.  It was nice to see the amazing architecture in a different light.  The exterior was so impressive that we decided to queue up (about 10 minutes) to go inside and look around.  No pictures - sorry! - but trust me, it was beautiful inside.  

It took a little while for my eyes to adapt to the bright sunshine again when we stepped back out!

Once I'd regained vision we carried on our stroll along the river and came across a guilded, sparkling bridge.

Closer inspection showed that it was actually covered in padlocks, with declarations of love engraved on them, aka a 'love lock'.

I didn't have a clue this existed and I was gutted not to have anything to leave (there were vendors selling padlocks on the river banks but at 15EUR each for something we could get for £2 at Wilkos we decided to pass!) but I will definitely be taking one with me when we go back. 

We started heading back to the apartment via Champs Élysées when Hubs directed me towards Avenue George V and straight in to Balenciaga!  He knew I'd had my eye on a 'Town' bag for a while and has been saving up.  Well, we had a wedding anniversary coming up in a few weeks so he put in the extra money I needed and I walked out of there with my very first Bal bag! 

Of course, my new bag had to come out for dinner with us that evening.  Turns out, it matched perfectly with a kimono-style top I'd packed. The colour is Rose Thulian, sorry for the bad lighting!

We headed over to explore the more arty section of the city and chose a lovely little restaurant where we could sit outside and people watch.  The bartender was great fun, chatting to us about our trip, where we were from... He even managed to persuade me to do something I never though I would: I ate snails!

All caught on camera by darling Hubs!! And yip, more Lipton Ice Tea in the background.

If you're wondering, the snails were gorgeous!  They really just tasted like garlic mushrooms.  I would definitely eat them again.  I've got frogs legs on my list of things to try next time! 

A couple of glasses of wine and a wander back to the apartment to watch the light show again and day 2 was over. 

What's the strangest thing you've ever eaten, that you never thought you would?  What would you write on your love lock?  Drop me a comment and let me know! 

Day 3 will be up on the blog soon.

Thanks for reading.

Aimee x

Paris Flashback - Day 1

In 2012 we went to Paris.  I am one of those old romantics who has dreamed about Paris forever and it was on my list of 'ultimate' places to visit. I know 2012 was ages ago and there's no point in living in the past but I love Paris and I want to talk about it, so I'm going to.  Warning: There's about to be a lot of pictures.  

We travelled with 2 friends (another couple - J&A) and went for 3 days.  We got great timed flights (thanks Ryanair!) so we got in to Paris at around 10am on Day 1.  J&A had already arranged to stay in a hotel in the business district but we wanted somewhere a little more central, so rented an apartment through airbnb.  It was the first time we'd ever tried this out, so we were a bit apprehensive, but our apartment was perfect (we had such a good experience with airbnb that we've been on 3 holidays since where we've used this site for apartments and every one has been perfect - highly recommended!).  We were right in the centre of Paris and the view out of the window was stunning.  

Eeeeee! The Eiffel Tower!!  You know the scene in Sex and the City S6, where Carrie goes to Paris with Petrovsky and screams when she sees the Tower for the first time? Yip, I did that too and I'm not ashamed of it! To say I was excited is a little bit of an understatement. 

After dumping our bags in the apartment we headed out to explore and made a beeline to get a closer look at the Tower, as we were only a 10 minute walk away.  The weather was absolutely stunning and we had glorious sunshine every day we were there.  This was slightly unexpected at the beginning of September, but definitely welcome. 

Lipton Ice Tea pops up in a lot of my travel pictures... For some reason, it becomes my drink of choice in Europe but I'm not as keen on it in the UK.  Maybe it's a different formula or something... Anyway, if you continue reading my little blog (big thank yous if you do!) then this is not the only picture it will be featured in. 

We sat in the park people-watching while we ate a soft, fresh baguette from a local boulangerie and then headed over to Champs Élysées to take a look at the shops. 

Up until this point Paris had seemed very quiet, we'd practically had the park to ourselves, but when we reached the Arc de Triomph we found the tourists!  It was so busy and the fact that it's in the middle of a main road made it difficult to get a good view.  We snapped a couple of photos but then gave up on fighting for space.

I have to confess, being a Vuitton girl at heart, I made a beeline for the flagship store.  We didn't get any attention from the SAs there, which was a little frustrating, but the store was filled with so many people 'just looking' that it would have been impossible for them to know who was actually wanting to make a purchase.  There were a few other Vuitton stores around Paris that were much quieter and the SAs there were much more attentive.

Second SATC reference in this post but I also dragged Hubs to see the Dior store that Carrie fell over in... (Hi, my name is Aimee and I'm a SATC addict...).  This store was slightly off Champs Élysées so was, again, much quieter and the SAs were lovely. 

We passed by Place de Concorde, then headed to Place Vendome to see the Ritz.  I should have done my research before we went as it is actually closed for refurbishment for two years!  I was hoping to go for afternoon tea there during our visit, but obviously this didn't happen.  At least I can use it as an excuse to go back again! 

One of the great things about Paris is that everything is within walking distance (if you're wearing comfortable shoes!) and a lot of the main sights are quite close together, so it felt like we'd achieved a lot in our first day!  We headed back to the apartment to reset before heading over to the Gothic Quarter to meet J&A for tea.  

Given the amount of walking we'd done through the day we got the Metro across and our stop was just up the road from Notre Dame and we got our first glimpse.  Didn't see the Hunchback though! 

We found a lovely little restaurant not too far away and sat outside to eat.  Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the restaurant, but there were lots of lovely eateries in this area, so it wasn't difficult to find something tasty. I had a lovely tomato pasta dish and even managed to fit a cheeky crepe in too! 

We decided to saunter back to our apartment to work off some calories and enjoy Paris by night but we'd underestimated just how far away our apartment actually was and ended up jumping on the Metro half way back!  

We got 'home' just in time to make a cup of tea and sit in the window and watch the light show. 

It was the perfect end to a perfect first day in Paris. 

Have you ever been to Paris?  Did it live up to your expectations?? I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

Paris Day 2 and Day 3 will be on the blog soon, so don't forget to drop by again! 

Aimee x

A Blogging First

So, a post a little out of schedule (my newly decided schedule being a post every Wednesday and Sunday!) but I wanted to spread the word about a fab giveaway that I've stumbled across from Chelsea at Haggard Library .  Being new to the Blogging world, this is also the first giveaway I've ever entered - yay! 

Up for grabs is a gorgeous iPhone cover from Iconemesis, a British phone accessories brand.  I've been browsing their website and have absolutely fallen in love with their cute, quirky designs.  So much so, that if I don't win the giveaway there's a huge chance I will be buying this one anyway...

'Fur Coat'

It's a bargain at £19.99 plus free UK delivery and my iPhone suddenly looks very naked and boring without this cute little cover on it. 

Here's the link to enter and don't forget to take some time to have a read of Chelsea's blog too, her outfits are gorgeous, her photos are brilliant and it's just gone on my 'Regular Read' list. 

Happy Saturday! 

Aimee x

PS. I'm blogging from a part of the world were there aren't many others.  A newspaper article I found suggested there were only 25 bloggers in the whole of our county (I'm in Cumbria, not the Outer Hebrides, FYI!) and it feels a bit lonely in the big blog world!  So, if you've somehow come across my little part of the internet, please pop a comment in and say hello.  If you leave a link to your blog too I'll stop by and say hi!

The I'm-Supposed-To-Be-Decorating-My-House Wishlist

We've made it through another Hump Day! I can't believe it's Wednesday already... This week is flying in! 

Hubs and I have made a pact to invest money in our house this year rather than spend our pennies on frivolous things.  Our house is a new-ish build - only 8 years old - so nothing needs fixed or replaced, but there's a few rooms that need our personality stamped on them.  

We're making our guest room a second lounge (with a sofa bed for when people do stop over), having a whole new kitchen fitted and hopefully, refitting the ensuite and guest bathroom but that will probably slip in to 2015! 

Anyway, I'm sure I'll have some decor ramblings on here at some point, but today's post is still going to focus on the frivolous things! 

Since majority of my spare money will be going towards the house, I've decided to make a Wishlist of things I'd like to buy this year and limit myself to buying 2 things per month from the list.  This way, I can take some time to appreciate what I already have and make our house perfect for us - win-win! 

So, with the help of Polyvore, here is my 2014 Wishlist...

I've run out of 'work' lip balm (a cheaper one that can be thrown around in my bag/lost under the desk) so the EOS is on my list to try, I just have to decide what smell/flavour(?) to get! The current vote is for Strawberry Sorbet, but I'm open to suggestions!  

Talking about lovely smelly things - my Yankee Candle (Soft Blanket) is on it's last burn.  I don't think any other candle spreads the smell through the room as well as Yankee, so there's no other choice for me and a replacement is definitely at the top of my list. 

I've been coveting the Diesel Loverdose perfume since Christmas, when I was supposed to be shopping for other people and stopped to have a sniff!  I'm planning on this making it's way into my bathroom but I've just received some Chanel Coco Mademoiselle and Valentino Valentina for Christmas, so I'm going to enjoy these (and the stash of other scents on my shelf!) before adding any more. 

The Remington hair wand I'm hoping will inspire me to do something more with my hair than wear it straight down or tied up.  Wands are supposed to be easier and quicker to use than proper tongs, so this sounds like the best option for lazy little me!

Black strappy sandals and ripped boyfriend jeans have been on my clothes list since last year, but I didn't find quite the right ones so they're still on the list.  I have a lot of outfit inspiration for these two things, so I need them in my life. I'm thinking the Homies tee will suit quite nicely with these too (plus, this tee makes me smile every time I see it!). 

Ray-Bans! I have brown ones, I would love some black mirrored ones.  In my opinion, these are the perfect sunglasses. The only downside to this one is that we don't get enough sunshine up here to justify another pair of sunglasses!  These might be near the bottom of the list because of this.  We need more sunshine! 

Kiehl's Avocado Eye Treatment and YSL Touché Éclat are necessities - I'm going to be *gulp* 26 in March.  I haven't seen a wrinkle yet, but no doubt they are on their way and it's time to take action. 

I have never owned a pair of Converse - I feel I'm missing out.  I keep seeing gorgeous outfits with these shoes featured and they look sooo comfortable. I'm thinking they would be perfect for strolling round Cancun and Isla Muerjes in April... Plus, I had a pair of white pumps from New Look (£6!) that the cat has recently destroyed (she threw up in them because she was scared by us drilling holes in the wall - poor puss), so there is now a white pump shaped hole in my wardrobe.  

Finally - the Louis Vuitton Neverfull in Damier Ebene.  This bag has been on my list for the past 3 years but for some reason, it keeps being pushed to the back of the queue. I've bought 6 bags since the Neverful came on my radar and every time I've still found myself pining after it.  So, my only handbag ambition for this year is this baby and I will not allow my head to be turned by other bags until I have it in my hands! 

So, there we have it - my simple Wishlist.  I'm sure there will be the odd impulse buy dress, top or shoes, but I really am going to try and be more considered about my purchases.  I'm going to try and think that every dress I don't buy will be another cupboard for the kitchen or a lamp for the guest room. 

What's on your Wishlist this year?  Have you got an item that must?  Leave me a comment and let me know. 

Aimee x

Day-to-Day Make Up

 Happy Saturday!  

I have officially survived my first post-Christmas week at work and, as with every January, I'm surprised by how quickly I've found myself back in a routine and feeling like it was months since I had a break! 

I thought I would try a slightly different post today, in that it is purely cosmetics and beauty related, as I've stumbled across this sort of post on a few blogs recently and I enjoyed reading them, so I figured I would have a go at doing one of my own!

So, here goes a review of the products I use in my daily make up routine:

1) Simple Kind to Skin Light Moisturiser (£3.99) - First thing to say is that my skin is 'combination'.  I prefer to call it 'temperamental' and 'annoying'.  I can literally have a patch of desperately dry skin on my temple, an oily t-zone and pimples at the same time.  It's like my skin can't make it's mind up! I'd heard brilliant things about Simple so thought I would give this light moisturiser a go and it's worked brilliantly.  It doesn't irritate or clog my skin and it absorbs super quickly, so acts as a great base for make up. 

2) Simple Kind to Eyes Soothing Eye Balm (£3.99) - I have to confess, I bought this because there was a 2-for-1 Simple offer when I first bought the moisturiser and I've been repurchasing since but only out of habit.  There's nothing blow-away about this but it is quite cooling and refreshing when you've just woken up! I've got another tube of this to get through (another multi-buy offer - I'm a sucker for them!) and then I'm hoping to try some of the Kiehl's Avocado Eye Treatment I keep reading about.  Hopefully that might give some more noticeable results - I hope so for 10x the price! 

3). Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream (£7.99) Shade: Light- This was an accidental purchase.  I had forgotten to pack foundation for a weekend away and a supermarket (Morrisons) was the only place open to pick up any replacements.  I'd been going through a particularly 'spotty' patch with my skin, so going without make up wasn't an option.  I picked up this BB Cream because it was cheap and seemed like it would do the job.  I was surprised to find that my skin cleared up over the 3 days I used this BB Cream and it gave great coverage, so I've stuck with it.  It's great for 'good skin' days if just a little bit is used, but it can be built up to provide heavier coverage when it's needed.  I'm very pale, so the lightest shade isn't a perfect match when I don't have a tan (like now!) but I'm a bit hesitant to try anything else when this has been so good.  Other than the colour, this is perfect for me so I'd be keen to hear any suggestions for a good alternative? 

4) Maybelline Cover Stick (£3.99) Shade: 01 Ivory - I bought this in the same emergency Morrisons trip as the BB Cream and have stuck with it.  The shade's a good match and the coverage is good, although it doesn't do much for disguising the dark eye bags that appear after a few late nights! I might change this when I find a new foundation, but it does a great job, especially for the price! 

5) Dior 5 Shadow Pallette (old - 2008!! - similar here ) Shade: 589 Goldfever - I don't wear eyeshadow during the day because I have a habit of wiping my eyelids a lot but it turns out that one of the colours in this pallette works perfectly for my eyebrows (pictured colour)!  My eyebrows are a slightly lighter colour than my hair (which is my natural colour, so I'm not sure why they wouldn't match!?) so they do need definition but, personally, I hate pencilled eyebrows as they always look so severe and bold.  I find that this eye shadow gives definition but still looks natural. 

6) Jemma Kidd Make Up School 'Line' Brush (old - similar here) - I bought this in Boots many years ago along with a few other brushes to shade, highlight and deepen and it works perfectly for lining eyeshadows, but now it's redundant from that job it now works perfectly for applying a light coat of eyeshadow to brows.  It loads up well and applies lightly enough to give full control of the depth of colour.  I would actually recommend this brush for this purpose - even if it isn't what was it was intended for! 

7)  Lancome Hypnose Mascara (£22.00)- This is my first tube of Hypnose as I've been a Benefit 'They're Real' girl up 'till now, but I love love love this mascara!  The brush is small and slightly curved, making it easy to apply.  The brush is always perfectly loaded, it applies with no clumps and can be built up for a more dramatic evening look.  It even applies well and provides non-clumped definition on my bottom lashes, which I'd accepted as an impossible feat until now!  This is a definite repurchase.

8)  Bobbi Brown Blush (£19.00) Shade: 9 Pale Pink - This was a present from my mum and I thought she'd gone a little bit crazy when I saw it.  In the pot this is an almost-fluorescent pink and not something I would ever have imagined wearing unless I was a clown.  However, on the skin it is a gorgeous muted-pink and gives a nice rosy flush to the cheeks.  The kind you get when you've been out walking in the wind, but this blush provides it without the terrible windswept hair! It doesn't look quite right when I'm a bit more tanned, so I switch to a bronzier toned Chanel for the summer but, in my opinion, it's great for giving a little bit of colour during these miserable grey months. 

9) Dior Blush Brush (old - similar here) - I have had this brush for years (almost 8?!) but it is still as good as new.  It's beautifully soft but the bristles are compact enough that it's great for blending the colour.  Regular washes with baby shampoo haven't harmed it and I can't imagine getting rid of this brush before every bristle has dropped out! 

10) Chanel Loose Powder (£36.00) Shade: 30 Naturel Translucent 2 - A beautiful, light, translucent powder that I use as a finishing powder.  I find this sets my make up well, stops any oiliness and makes my make up last all day.  I used to use Bare Escentuals Mineral Veil for the same purpose - this was good, but it works out as the same price per grams as the Chanel and if there's a choice like this Chanel will always win with me! 

11) Limited Collection Kabuki Brush (out of stock) - I bought this from M&S when I had some Reward Points to spend and my old kabuki brush had given up on life.  It's a lovely soft brush and provides good application of the Chanel powder (which comes with an applicator of it's own that I don't like using).  It isn't anything special, but it does the job. 

12) Philosophy Kiss Me Tonight Lip Balm (£16.00)- Most days, I apply the same theory to lipstick/gloss as I do to eyeshadow - it'll be gone in an hour or so and I won't have time to top up regularly, so I don't wear it.  But, I will always put a bit of this lip balm on as a finishing touch.  It's an intensive moisturiser, which is great in my dry office and the moisturising feeling lasts a long time.  Personally, I like the little bit of shine and definition that it adds to my lips too.  It's expensive for what it is but, in my opinion, it's worth it for a little luxury on your lips! 

So, there you have it - my 12-product daily face!  I hope you've enjoyed reading and perhaps picked up ideas for some new products to try.  The Philosophy lip balm and Chanel powder became part of my routine after I'd read a blog review and I love them both. :) 

As I said, if you have any recommendations for a light foundation that gives good coverage (and comes in the shade 'Ghostly White'!) please leave me a comment.  I really would appreciate any advice. 

Do you have any 'must try' products or things to steer well clear of??

If you've managed to last to the end of this post without falling asleep - thank you!  I really do appreciate you taking the time to read my ramblings. :) 

Aimee x

Hello Hermès!

I can't believe Christmas and the New Year celebrations are over already!  The Christmas tree comes down tomorrow (I leave it until the very last day!), then there's the first full week back at work next week and it's well and truly back to reality!  

Before the festive season becomes a memory for another year, I'm going to take a quick moment to share the wonderful Christmas presents my mum and husband gifted me this year. 

A 90 cm silk twill Hermes 'Mexique' scarf...

...And a 'Jumble' scarf ring, in Palladium (thanks mum!). 

We're heading on holiday to Mexico in April, for the second time, and it's a place I have absolutely fallen in love with, so it seems appropriate that my first Hermès scarf was inspired by such a beautiful country.  This wasn't a surprise gift, as I'd been with Hubs when he'd bought it in Copenhagen, but it made it all the more special that I had been in the boutique when it was purchased. 

My photography skills don't show the true saturation of this colour way.  The reds, greens and yellows violently clash against each other, but somehow it works! 

Hermès scarves are hand rolled and I find it lovely to think that there's been a lot of care and attention put in to making such a beautiful piece. 

There's a big difference in the saturation of the colouring on the back and front, which makes it a bit difficult for an amateur like me to tie properly!  I somehow always manage to have the dull side facing outwards, no matter how I do it, but with a little bit of pulling and shuffling it is easily fixed.  

Please excuse the terrible pics - taken in my pjs! Focus on the scarf. :) 

I love the way a different part of the design shows through with every different style, it's like wearing a different scarf every time.  

As you can see, I've been trying out some different tying ideas, but would appreciate any suggestions to really show this scarf off in the best way.  Step-by-step instructions would also be welcomed! :) 

Aimee x