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.

What I Bought in Paris & London (Not Much at All)

A lot of you lovely ladies have been asking what I bought on our trip---the truth is, not much at all!

I enjoyed a lot of window shopping while we were abroad.  For designer items especially, the prices were simply so much higher than what you'd pay for the same item in the US, so I decided to only buy things I haven't seen in the US or can get cheaper in Europe.

Something I stocked up on was La Roche Posay.  In Paris, it's sold at every pharmacy and it's significantly cheaper to buy it there.  My favorite face wash, Effaclar was just $10.80 euro for a 400ml bottle...when I pay $20 US for a 200 ml bottle online or at a local CVS---so I essentially got twice the product, for less than I pay for half the product. I also bought the "Targeted Breakout Corrector" cream that I love for about $7 euro.  A bonus---it's no longer available on the US website so it was especially awesome to score it at such a great price!

My second purchase was this Eiffel Tower that I literally bought off the street.  I negotiated the price from $20 euro down to $12 euro and the guy threw in 2 free mini Eiffel Tower key chains. Nice. I thought the tower would double as cute decor and a nice memory/reminder of our trip. Here's where it is in our home right now:

Going along with my "can't get this in the US" theme, I stumbled upon a gorgeous lingerie brand called "Princesse Tam Tam, Paris." The lingerie was just so gorgeous I had to get something (and trust me, I wanted to get it all!) I got this non-padded, translucent-ish bra with pretty metallic polka-dot detailing. It retailed for about $45 euro so it was a splurge, but I absolutely love it and it was a nice luxury item to get that was actually affordable. Love the little bow on it too!

Lastly in Paris, I bought this pretty mug:  It's by a brand called "Sabre Paris."  Their stuff is amazing.  It's a soft gray color and says "LOVE" on it.  It was about $18 euro.  I like to buy things I'll use a lot when I'm on a trip instead of little trinkets and souvenirs that will end up in some box at the back of a closet one day. A tea cup is especially practical for me green-tea addiction!

I snapped a few shots of SABRE stuff in the store too (Pretty!):

That's a whole lotta candy-colored pretty!

Next up, my London purchases!  I bought (and ate) a ridiculous amount of Wine Gums (one of my fave candies that I can't get in the US).

If you've never had these before---try them if you can! They are awesome, chewy goodness. 

Finally, the most awesome purchase of all---the royal wedding mug. Oh yes ladies, I got myself a Will & Kate mug from a souvenirs shop and I'm proud of it!  Seriously though, my coworker and I are always chatting about the royal wedding and how much the Today Show talks about it, so it's a little inside joke we have and I thought it would be hilarious coming to work on Monday with this awesomeness.  So here it is, on my desk! It has their names and wedding date on the back too.

Will + Kate, Forever <3

So, that's all!  Can you believe it?  I hardly spent anything at all abroad---but that's a good thing. Most of our money went towards food and attractions and our luggage wasn't nearly bursting at the seams because we didn't have too much extra stuff to bring home. 

Do you tend to shop a lot when you travel? 

xoxo,

Veronika.

What I'm Glad I Packed (& What I Wish I Had Packed)

I'm so exhausted that the thought of writing a post about our trip just seems overwhelming right now.  I've got to be honest---I need a vacation after our vacation!

Firstly---I want to thank whoever left me the comment to bring a journal and write down my thoughts about our trip each night.  I forgot to bring the journal, but I used hotel paper to write my notes at night and I am SO thankful I did that because it really did help me remember specific memories and observations. So thank you to whoever suggested that---I HIGHLY recommend jotting down notes when you travel somewhere.  It doesn't have to be a journal entry---mine were all point form notes that were quick and simple. 

Where to start?  Gosh, there's so much to say, so many pictures to share.  I'll have to categorize my posts because there's just too much to pack into one post.  I will say this though---we had an amazing time in both Paris and London---but we loved London just a bit more and wish we would have budgeted more days there.  Now we have a great excuse to go back!

I thought it might be helpful to write a post on my packing and what I wish I had brought and what I could have lived without.

As you can tell, the Michael Kors jacket that I bought last minute, was an absolutely must-have for the frigid Paris temperatures. Oh, and of course, I always managed to find a Starbucks. It's like a shining beacon of hope in any city. Yep, that's a true Starbucks addict talking right there!

What I'm glad I brought:

• All of my boots---I wore the cognac boots, the Hunter wellies and the UGGS all of the time. I'm thrilled I didn't bring any heels or other shoes because they never would have been worn.
• Black clothes (and lots of them!)  I wore black everyday. It was easy and looked chic at night when we went out for dinner.
• Tights--- I can't be more thankful for Lulu Lemon's wunder under tights---I wore them everyday (layered over 2 pairs of cheaper tights) for the entire Paris portion of the trip. I loved that because they are so stretchy and comfy I never felt uncomfortable when we walked ALL DAY long.
• My own soap---I know it sounds silly, but I use Dove sensitive skin bar soap and love it---it doesn't irritate my skin and I'm glad we brought a bar to use on our trip.
• Velcro rollers--- believe it or not ladies, I didn't bring a flat iron, curling iron OR a hairdryer on our trip. I took my chances and was blessed with a glorious hair dryer in my hotel room that was almost as good as the one I have at home (almost).  I just did a blowout with my round brush, set my hair in velcro rollers as usual, and voi-la, my hair was pretty decent (uh, except when I wore a hat all day and my hair got massive knots in it). 
• My GAP skinny jeans---those were my London staples---wore them everyday we were there.

What I wish I had brought:

• Mousse. I cannot emphasize this enough. Mousse mousse mousse.  I didn't pack mousse because I was all "ohhh I won't need it I'll just do a blowout without it."  Here's a little secret ladies---it turns out, mousse it a key ingredient to keeping your hair from gettting greasy.  Let me explain. I always use mousse before a blowout.  It helps to create volume at the root and gives hair a little hold. I only apply it to my roots.  So in Paris I didn't use mousse and the next day my hair was already limp and greasy. It was like I had different hair or something. It was odd. Let's just say I bought some mousse at a drugstore the next day.  It's a must-have for my hair type.
• Nail polish/remover. I know this sounds awful, but my nails just go so gross on this trip and I wish I could have just repainted them and cut them and stuff. It was okay though because I always wore gloves. Nail polish was super pricey in Paris so I just passed (yep, even the drugstore stuff was like $6.50 euro minimum)
• A hairdryer---our London hotel for some odd reason didn't have a hairdyrer---it was no biggie because I didn't have to wash my hair there (I washed it the night before we traveled there) but I hated not being able to heat my eyelash curler like usual (yes, I know).

What I packed and didn't need at all:

• Dressy clothes---I didn't wear any of my dressy clothes, including the blazer I thought would be a go-to item... I rocked the black Target tunic sweater everywhere---it was chic and worked for both day and night.

I hope that's helpful.  Overall I was happy with what I packed and I have to be honest and just admit that I re-wore a lot of my clothes (I layered clean tees and tanks underneath sweaters I wore more often). 

I was underwhelmed at the way people dressed in Paris. I think I had it all built up in my mind that it was going to be a fashion show everywhere I looked.  When it comes to fashion---the girls in London take the cake.  London was like a fashion show everywhere I looked, and it was incredible.  More on that in a coming entry.

I'll leave you with some additional pics from our trip:

I was always always always bundled up!

The view from our hotel room and our hot pink modern Paris hotel room
(a coincidence, I swear!)

That's all I've got for now...more to come, of course!  I hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday and that everyone's 2011 is off to an amazing start!

xoxo,

Veronika.

Parisian Pretty

Everything is so beautiful here---the Parisians really focus on making everything as pretty as possible.  Their malls are incredible. For me, seeing the mall decor, store windows and the general interiors of the malls was more exciting than the shopping itself (because uh, everything is super pricey here).

(click to enlarge)

The decor in Paris really does remind me of the movie "Marie Antoinette" from 2006 directed by Sofia Coppola.  It's really all about pastels and brights, bows and ribbons, embellishments and textures---everywhere you look, it's another visual delight. There's so much pretty here it makes everywhere else seem kind of boring in comparison. I've never seen such creative, beautiful and cute store windows before---I have pictures of those too that I'll share later.

Hope everyone had the best holidays! I have so much to share from our Paris trip...can't wait!  We leave for London Wednesday morning so we're very excited for that too. 

xoxo,

Veronika.

Getting to the Bottom of Things: Eiffel Tower Tour

Can you guess where we went today?

It was dry out and so sunny and clear---the perfect day to visit the Eiffel Tower---but we were disappointed to learn that we couldn't go to the top level, it was closed because of wind. We also visited Notre Dame today and walked around the city for hours...and ate crepes!
As you can see, I wore the cognac boots today. BIG thank you to everyone who told me to bring them---I am so glad I did because I started to get some serious knee paint after dinner last night.  It makes it really difficult for me to go down stairs.  Like super painful---I've never had knee pain before, ever. The Hunters are very comfy but they are a heavier less flexible style boot so I opted for my lighter Nine West boots.  I still get the pain after about 5-7 hours of walking, but I'm just trying to elevate my knees at night and take some painkillers.

I saw another girl wearing the exact same Hunters I wore the other day and I wanted to yell to her "don't wear those all day---your feet will feel fine but your knees will feel brutal!"

I'm also seeing A LOT of UGGS here.  Everyone is dressing for comfort because it's freezing---I haven't seen anyone really dressed up anywhere.  I've been loving my Lulu Lemon leggings---I layer 2 other pairs under them and can't imagine a comfier way to walk around all day. 

I also wanted to thank the person who told me about La Roche Posay being sold here---I went to a pharmacy today and sure enough they had the entire line of products and they were way cheaper here, even with the exchange.

We are having a blast here---tomorrow we head o Versailles! Can't wait :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

xoxo,

Veronika.

Keeping Warm in Paris

It was all about layering today---one moment you're in the freezing cold battling the wind and snow---the next you're at the L'Ouvre---thank goodness they had a coat check!

Jacket- Michael Kors
Scarf- Forever 21
Hate- Charlotte Russe
Tights- Lulu Lemon Wunder Unders
Boots- Hunter Wellies

Oh yes, I'm definitely wearing THREE pairs of tights!  The Lulu Lemon Wunder Unders are the ones you see---and I have two cheaper pairs underneath. I must say tights are the way to go here---with all of the walking, the stretchy comfort is essential.  The Hunter boots are a huge heaven-sent for me as well (I'm actually seeing a lot of women here wearing similar boots).  They were super comfy almost all day long (after a day of walking the heels of my feet hurt slightly, but I feel like that would happen with any shoe---I really love these!)

Hope everyone has a beautiful Christmas eve!  We plan to go to the Eiffel tower on Christmas day---magnifique!!!

xoxo,

Veronika.

okay, one more:

Packing Update: New Additions & Questions About Hair Dryers & Travel

After reading through my comments and many message board comments about last night's packing adventure, I made a few adjustments to my suitcase while still maintaining the same amount of room.

I eliminated:

• The sweater Candice lent to me---it was a teeny bit short on me and took up a lot of space so I decided to forgo it since I already have a lot of sweaters happening (thanks C for lending it to me!)
• Some Lulu Lemon tanks I had packed---instead I opted to add some dressier black tops and an additional black tee which I thought I'd wear more than brightly colored workout tank

I added:

• My black Express blazer---I had one of those *headdesk* moments when I decided to pack it---perfect, sleek, black blazer made from stretchy cotton fabric---umm hello, how was this NOT an obvious choice when I first packed!?   It's perfect---it can perk up ANY outfit, works well with skinny jeans over a black top for dinner and is perfect to throw over my fur-collar sweater vest for a luxe look---thank goodness I thought to pack it
• A fitted black dress---which can double as a top/tunic (it's stretchy and I can roll it up)
• The F21 tunic I wore with leggings and boots to my work Christmas dinner
• The cognac boots---I chose these over heels---I will probably buy heels while I'm there---I felt the cognac boots were a better choice for this trip---who knows, I may be wrong
  
  I was actually surprised that though I added some items, it didn't appear that I did when I packed it all.  It's all about strategy and placement!
   
  google images
  ps- this is NOT my luggage, just a pic from google images! sorry about that!

So thank you so much to everyone who "helped me pack"---I might make some additional adjustments---I had a thought that my gray Express sweater with the pretty crystal buttons might be a nice addition because it's thinner than my other sweaters and might be nice if we get a warmer day...what do you think?

I also have to mention one of my lovely readers found the Target tunic top I was raving about (the one I'm wearing on the plane that's practically a dress length---definitely covers the bum) You can follow this link to buy it. I must say it looks much better in person than it does on the model---it's really such a versatile top!

At this point all I have to add to my packing process is my liquids and my makeup.

Someone told me that curling irons and flat irons don't work in Europe because they are too high voltage---I am not sure what my hair situation is going to be.  I don't even know if I should bring a hairdryer---lovely readers, please chime in and tell me there's hope for good hair? I have one of those converter plugs...but I hear the converter is not the problem, it's the voltage. Let me know your experiences.

Update: my H just told me his cousin lent us a voltage converter so I think my hair will be OK :)

xoxo,

Veronika.

Hitting the Books: Confessions of a Shopaholic, Lauren Conrad Style & More!

I got a coupon in my email last night for 40% off of one book at BORDERS so H and I hit the bookstore this morning to pick up a few books.

Some of you may know this already and others may not...but H and I are going to Paris for Christmas and London for New Years (eekkk!) We are SO excited! Although I was born in Europe, I have only ever been back to the homeland (Slovakia) and H has only been to Spain so it will be incredible to experience this together.  I think it will be so pretty and romantic over the holidays too! 

I bought a travel guide and also a french quick reference book.  Some of you might not know this but I actually did French Immersion from grades 4 through 12 but because I haven't spoken it in many many years I need to brush up on my french before we go.

The other books are Sophie Kinsella's new book from her "Confessions of a Shopaholic" series which I love and Lauren Conrad's Style book.

I wasn't going to buy Lauren Conrad's style book initially, but then I read Lace & Blush's review of it and I just had to have it.  I already started to read it and I must admit it's a nice read and she gives great tips on staple items, styling, shopping, organizing, traveling etc.  It's not necessarily things I didn't already know but she does give some great style advice and there are lots of gorgeous photos (I don't think she can take a bad picture!) 

My favorite part is where she shows 5 ways to wear one dress.  She has some great ideas like put a lace slip underneath and just let it poke out a bit- very vintage-y and pretty.

Back to Paris-  I need to do some serious shopping before we go.  Because I moved to Houston I didn't bring any heavy coats with me so I need to get a few winter-friendly pieces/

On my list?

Flat boots

Boots with a stacked heel (nothing stiletto-esque)
Heavier coat
Skinny Jeans- dark denim and black
New camera (to take tons of pics!)
Gloves
New scarf
Winter hat
Small crossbody bag- to keep tour guide book, passport, money with me at all times

Can you think of anything else I might need? Let me know in the comments below!

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend!

xoxo,

Veronika.