Paris & London Wrap-Up: Observations on Fashion, Makeup & More!

It's only Wednesday night and I already feel like this week has passed me by.  I finally had a chance to review my notes from our trip---they're all just random observations from our travels abroad.  I made sure to document what I was seeing fashion and beauty wise too, because I always notice what people wear, their hair and makeup no matter where I am!

Before we left for our trip, my H's awesome mom and dad gave us this cute "Paris" box. Right now it's full of ticket stubs, tour books and other little things from our trip:

...and my messy, barely-legible notes
(I have the worst writing ever, I should have been a doctor
because I can scribble awesomely like docs do on prescription pads):

My observations of Paris:

• I saw a lot of UGGS, black leather (flat) boots,  and ankle booties
• Everything decor-wise is over the top and luxurious---store windows, streets, displays---it's all beautiful and lavish
• People have a more simple approach to fashion---it was cold so I was obviously seeing people in outerwear, but most of the time people dressed very basically, which surprised me
• The shopping is wonderful---pricey (not as pricey as London) but like I said in my previous entry, I was more of a window shopper abroad
• I didn't notice gyms anywhere---people walk everywhere and take the subway---so people there look pretty fit
• Families dined out together, even later at night, even with young children
• People helped each other park their cars---there is so little parking on the teeny streets that people would actually get out of their cars and help direct someone in a parallel park---it was lovely!
• Most women there don't wear a lot of makeup (if any at all) the girls who did wear makeup favored black liner just on the top lid...I also didn't see a lot of women there who appeared to be wearing a base (foundation)
• I didn't see a lot of women with noticeably styled hair---but like I said, it was winter so a lot of people were wearing hats
• Monoprix is a great little Walgreens type store (but they have clothes too) I bought a lot of candy there!
• Versailles is beautiful---but nothing like the Sofia-Coopola produced film (I mean that the rooms aren't all set up like the sets used for the film) but the outdoor and some indoor shots of Versailles were filmed there so those are accurate
• We walked everywhere---and it was such a great workout and helped me burn tons of calories since I was eating yummy calorie-full foods all day
• Flameful---we ate at McDonalds---yep! So did everyone else. It was sometimes the cheapest and most convenient options between all of the touristy stuff we were doing.  McDonalds are everywhere and they are always PACKED (and not just with tourists!)
• Services takes forever at restaurants. Forever.

My Observations of London:

• Everything is really expensive---like really expensive. I don't get how people afford to buy things there! Even TopShop prices surprised me!
• People are VERY stylish---especially the women. It was like a walking fashion parade on every street. It was awesome.
• The women in London pay a lot of attention to appearance---styled hair, nails always done, makeup, and a great outfit (for the most part)
• A lot of women carry designer bags---I'm used to seeing designer bags here in Houston, but in London it seemed like everyone was carrying one. It was all about designer labels.
• The women there have the longest lashes. Everywhere I went it was like lash fest 2010.  I don't know if they have magical mascaras there or if the lash extension craze is happening---but they were LONG.
• I saw a lot of girls wearing dresses (or even shorts) with tights
• Tons of UGG boots, Hunter boots and heels/booties and other flat boots
• Westminister Abbey is a must-see---I was taken aback and blown away by the entire experience of being there. It was by far the best part of my trip.
• Lots of girls wore hair accessories---headbands with big flowers, bows or sequins and hats
• Some girls, despite the cold wore lightweight blazers over loose tees with leggings or skinny jeans and long necklaces
• People wore scarves---from chunky ones to light ones
• The streets are always busy---especially in the shopping areas, you'd never know the country was in a recession!
• Some girls had noticeable tans---which makes me think spray tans are common there
• The Only Way is Essex ("The Hills" of the UK) is awesomely addicting
• All of the girls I saw were wearing earrings---2 piercings in the ears are still popular there (2 holes in each ear)
• Overall, the women weren't afraid to be bold with their fashion and accessory choices and it made for some awesome people-watching
• Services takes forever at restaurants. Forever.

As you can probably tell---although we absolutely LOVED Paris, we loved London more.  It's just got this vibe and atmosphere to it that I can't quite define.  My H and I both want to move there!  There's just something about it.

We would love to go back to London since we didn't spend a lot of time there so we can see all of the attractions we missed.  We would definitely aim for a summertime vacation to enjoy the city in the warmer weather.

I know my notes were kind of all over the place but I hope they were a fun read!  I LOVE to people-watch, so London was especially awesome because there was style everywhere you looked.

xoxo,

Veronika.