Monthly Favourites 

April 2016

April was a very quick month for me but I managed to amass a few beauty favourites along the way.  I managed to depart from my Jo Malone only perfume collection, I rekindled my love affair for Chanel make-up and resurfaced an old skincare classic. 

Liz Earle - Cleanse & Polish, Hot Cloth Cleanser 

An oldie, but a goodie.  I switch my skincare often because I suffer badly from breakouts.  I don't know why I bother, I always revert back to trusty Liz Earle.  I started reusing Liz Earle last month and I've noticed a massive improvement in my skin tone and texture.  The formulation is rich and creamy and is very sensitive on the skin.  It quickly removes make up (even the most stubborn mascara) and leaves my skin feeling very clean.  It is very soothing and while it doesn't always heal my breakouts, it doesn't aggravate my skin in anyway which many a cleanser does.  The smell of the cleanser isn't overpowering, which I hate in a cleanser. Oh and did I mention it is multi-award winning?  It's reasonably priced too.  I usually buy through QVC where there are always very good deals.  You will usually be around £14 for 100ml.  

Chanel - Le Blanc De Chanel, Multi-Use Illuminating Base 

Chanel - Les Beiges, Healthy Glow Foundation

I've included these as a duo because I've not used one without the other.  Essentially, I love them as a combo.  The Multi-Use Illuminating Base is everything you would expect from a primer.  I feel it does even my skin tone, gives my complexion a dewy glow and has great staying power. I don't ever look in the mirror after a day of wearing a full face of make-up and think "wow, my face looks oily" when I am wearing this. What more could you want? Of course, a foundation to go with it.  The foundation creates a natural healthy glow without compromising on coverage, which has always been the let down factor with Chanel foundations for me.  I would put Les Beiges as a buildable medium cover.  I wouldn't say it's matt but I wouldn't say it's overly dewy either, it is somewhere in-between.  My all time favourite foundation is "Estee Lauder Double Wear" but I think Les Beiges has overtaken it to become my new prized favourite.  It's on the higher end of the market but I would say it's worth it.  The foundation retails for £36 and the Multi-Use Illuminating Base for £33.   

Rosie for Autograph, Eau de Perfum

Now, I admit it, I am the ultimate perfume snob and I didn't want to like an M&S fragrance but I do.  The most prominent ingredient is Rose Flower Extract, the fragrance is therefore very floral and very fresh.  It wearable both for day and night, albeit there is a specific Rosie night (Nuit) fragrance.  I don't know if I'm ready to leave my Jo Malone love affair behind but this is a cheaper alternative to keep my love affair afloat meantime.  It is a bargain too, only £14 for 30ml. 

      

Rosie for Autograph, Starstruck Contour

I've never really boarded the contour bandwagon, until now that is.  This contour stick is the only method of contour I have found that is foolproof.  It is surprisingly easy to apply.  You can apply it directly from the twist up stick.  I apply it under my cheek bones, down the side of my nose, along my jaw line and above the temples on my forehead.  It is extremely blendable and it doesn't leave me looking like I've painted combat camouflage stripes on my face (which has been the unfortunate consequence of other contouring methods for me).  The shade looks scarily dark if you are fair toned like me but the blendable-ness of the formation actually leaves a subtle contour on the face.  It is also reasonably priced, at £15 from M&S.     

Overall, my April favourites have been a good mix of beauty.  I'd love to hear any suggestions of products you have been loving during the month of April.  Please feel free to leave a comment below.  

A Weekend in Paris

Paris is a city of many memories for me.  It is where I undertook postgraduate study and it is where I had my first professional occupation as a Teaching Fellow in Law.  I loved my time living in Paris -  I’ve made many friends there and it’s a place I always feel is a home-from-home.  For that reason, I have always maintained I would keep close connections with Paris and therefore made a vow to myself to return every year.  There is just something about Paris.  I recently went for a weekend visit, it mainly concerned shopping and here are my highlights. 

Paris, it is very pretty.  The architecture is something to behold and that alone is a highlight of any visit.  I always forget how stunning it is.  Literally every building you walk past you want to take a photo of.  The cream tones of the buildings mixed with the green floral foliage, which is ever apparent around Paris, makes for a dreamy combination.  The quirky shutters on the Parisian windows and bicycles strolling deliver a quaint (and very French) touch.   The metro signs are always a lovely quirky feature and they differ throughout the city.  My favourite is the one pictured below of Bastille Metro, it is just so different.  Don’t get me wrong, Paris still has that city feel, with the buzzing of mopeds and hustle of people but it’s not completely in your face.  One thing I would say on the back of the buzzing of mopeds - if you ever drive in Paris, I will automatically put you on my brave list.  It can get pretty crazy. 

One place I love in Paris is Ladurée on the Champs-Elysees.  Just being in there makes me happy.  During this visit I went for my staple, a chocolat chaud (hot chocolate) and cholocat macaron.  For me that combination is always a winner.  The velvet texture of the hot chocolate is something to behold and the taste is just divine; it oozes luxury.  The macarons are, of course, world famous and they quite rightly deserve their global recognition.  The interior of Ladurée fits with the atmosphere within, complete sophistication.  It has that Parisian feel.  The service can be at times patchy (so probably not the best place to go if you are in a rush) but the beauty of the building, the interior and the finesse of the food does it justice alone.

The Champs-Elysees and the surrounding areas are a great shopping hot spot after a Laudaree pit stop.  But make sure not to just stop at the Champs-Elysees, the side streets and Avenue de Montaigne hold the real beauties.  My just-off-the-Champs-Elysees favourites?  Dior and Chanel, even if you don’t intend to buy anything, the shops décor and displays are alone worth seeing.

Photos taken from Avenue de Montaigne and the Champs-Elysees. 

Another place I love is Galeries Lafayette.  I could get lost in there and come out days later, still with a smile beamed across my face.  You have Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Longchamp, Dior, Tiffany & Co, Celine…oh heck, every designer worth a mention under one roof.  Again, the architecture of the building is divine and there is a nice eatery on the top floor.  The eatery is not overly fancy and great for stress free eating whilst in a shopping frenzy.  At the moment you can get a novelty key chain for free when you spend over 55€ in Galeries Lafayette.  You will find the voucher at the back of certain tourist leaflets scattered around Paris.  A nice touch for a memorable shopping experience. 

And if you are in a crazy shopping mood, I would suggest Val d’Euorpe at Marne-la-Vallée.  Val d’Europe, a shopping centre and the adjoining outlet village, La Vallée Village, is located just a stone throw away from Disneyland Paris.  My personal highlights are Ralph Lauren, Longchamp, Michael Korrs and Tommy Hilfiger.  You get great gelato there too!  Within the Val d’Europe shopping centre there are 140 shops, with your usual classics like Sephora, Zara etc.  But, a surprising shop for me within the mall was KIKO Milano Cosmetics.  A relatively unknown brand in the UK, but great quality and extremely affordable.  It’s a new favourite of mine.

Val d'Europe - La Vallee Village

My last highlight? The hotel gardens at Les Jardin du Marais.  They are simply beautiful and incredibly relaxing. I had the pleasure of kicking back with a Rosé wine on both nights with my Mum.  For the record, the Rosé was just as good as the gardens. 

Photos taken from Les Jardin du Marais

Leave a comment below if you have been to any of the above places or if you have enjoyed any other parts of Paris.  

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