Luxetips Beauty! Visit Bath and Body Works and Win a Free Trip 2 Paris!

Hello Divas!

Embrace change.  It may be uncomfortable, but everything always works out in the end!

Previously I wrote a post about Bath and Body Works newest fragrance, Paris Amour.  It sounds so beautiful and I can't wait to try it!  Well the official launch of the fragrance has finally arrived.  On tomorrow, Saturday, August 13, Bath and Body Works will debut this new fragrance with a bang with the Paris Amour Event.

Simply visit your nearest Bath and Body Works between the hours of 11am and 4pm to check out the new scent and learn more about the history of the fragrance.  Best of all, you can also enter a contest to win a trip to Paris, the most romantic city in the world, for two! Wow!  Attendees will also have a chance to vote on Bath and Body Work's next Signature Collection scent.

Sounds like fun right?  Well I will be there.  While luxe son is doing is weekly Saturday activity, luxe baby and I will go to Bath & Body works to check it out.  Visit Bath and Body Work's Facebook fan page to find the nearest store near you.

Toodles!

Postcard from Paris: Morroccan Leather at L'Olivier

Walking through the 4ème arr., I ran across a leather shop that caught my eye. L'Olivier is a tiny shop off of rue de Sevigne. The owner regularly imports hand-dyed and hand-made leather purses, briefcases and satchels from his native Morocco.

             

Smelling the freshly tanned leathers and seeing the bright colors, I was a kid in a candy store. Feeling overwhelmed and rather than buy everything I bought... nothing. I have been thinking about the unbelievably great prices (even in Euro) ever since I returned.

              

The basic satchels are increasingly in popularity here in the States with the growing retro Seventies trend. Just check out wheredidugetthat, they are being spotted all over New York, and famed blogger Karen can’t seem to find them in NY. I can’t help you there, but if anyone is wondering where they are in Paris, check out L’Olivier. Now, we just have to figure out where to find them in Atlanta. I will keep you posted.

 

Until tomorrow,

 

Chamele

Postcard from Paris: Dore Dore Stockings

One trend that I repeatedly saw in pairs was stockings. Shocker! the French have always been a been manufacturer of hose, but they are also famed from throwing stocking to the side and wearing bare legs.

Many younger girls wore stocking with their cut-off jean shorts and flat sneakers- i.e. Converse. Twenty and thirty somethings wear dark stockings with their boots and ballet flats. Generally the color of the stocking matched the color of the boot.

I must admit, as warm as it was, stocking classed up short cutoff denim and mini-dresses. I almost never saw any outfit more than one or two inches above the knee that was not accompanied by a stocking, unless it was a young child. I recently  wore a dress to work and felt almost naked after seeing a week’s worth of mini-dresses accompanied by stockings.

One smartly dressed individual  that I came across was a young woman in her late twenties wearing a polo, red V-neck pullover and navy blue short shorts. She wore sheer stockings with a slight shimmer,  a la Pippa,  and  70’s style sandals. The best place to get hose in France, Dore Dore, since 1819.

Until tomorrow,

 

Chamele

Postcard from Paris: J.B.Guanti

A couple of years ago, my "new thing" was fashionable colored leather gloves. No need for winter to be dreary. I bought several pairs in orange, red and cream from TJMaxx.  While walking through St. Germain-des-Pres, I ran across an Italian leather shop, J.B.Guanti. According to style authors, Helen Frith-Powell and Ines de La Fressange, the French love their Italian leather (as do we Americans) and correct they were in that assertion. There is an entire store dedicated to leather gloves. The window display of J.B.Guanti  looked  like a candy store to me-  leather driving gloves, fashionable fingerless gloves and elbow length gloves in every color of the rainbow. I have been on the hunt for more funky colored fingerless leather gloves and here they were in every color of the natural color spectrum. Unfortunately, I never made it to store while it was open (sniff, sniff). If you are looking for a cool pair of fingerless, try the Leisurely Drive Glovettes at Modcloth.

Postcard to Paris: Lacoste

Not only do we have the French to thank for haute couture and macaroons but also for Lacoste, the sporty and iconic tennis gear that has made its way into mainstream fashion.

 

For the French Open 40^th Anniversary, Rolande Garros celebrated the famed French tennis player, Rene Lacoste. I have to admit, as much as I knew Lacoste was a tennis brand, I had no idea that the brand celebrated an actual tennis player, Rene Lacoste.

 

Rene Lacoste introduced his tennis shirt in 1929. The crocodile became the brand’s trademark, because Rene Lacoste was nicknamed the Crocodile and a friend had crocodiles embroidered onto Lacoste’s tennis shirts. I found a ton of cool Lacoste merchandise in the official stores onsite. I fell in love with this t-shirt You can find it and other Lacoste French Open paraphernalia at the Roland Garros website.

 

 Until tomorrow,

 

Chamele

Postcard from Paris: Fragonard

The French certainly know how to take care of themselves. The vast array of beauty care products and fragrant parfums produced in France are testament to that fact. I had the opportunity to briefly visit the Fragonard perfume museum just off of  the Rue di Rivoli.  The Fragonard name is synonymous with French Country. Upon entering the Montmarte store, nearly a stone’s throw block from the Sacre Coeur, I was overcome by the soft flowery aroma rising from the store. You would think with that many parfums and soaps, the smell would have been overwhelming, but it was actually a pleasant and welcomed one- think fresh laundered linen wafting through an open window. I found several lovey gifts including hand soaps, sets of mini perfumes, and kitschy laundry bags. While the Fragonard stores are all over France, the perfume is actually manufactured in Grasse , a region of the country known for its lavender. Many perfumes are produced there, and after visiting the Grasse factory, Coco Chanel was inspired to create the famed Chanel No. 5. Grasse is definitely on my list of places to visit the next time I go to France.

 Until tomorrow,      

 

Chamele

Postcard from Paris: 14th Street Antiques market yields Marche aux Puces finds

The first thing that Luxe Diva said when I returned was, “Tell me about the flea markets. Were they great?” “Of course!” I replied. Flea markets in Paris are like a treasure hunt. I don’t know if it’s the thousands of years of history and country’s obvious obsession with perseveration of its antiquities that lends to some of the most amazingly priced antiques sold every Saturday morning. I found myself walking the aisles of Vanves and Saint Ouen. Vanves is more of a tradiontal flea market experience, where street vendors lined up for 4 hours displaying some of the best artwork and vintage purses imaginable.  Saint Ouen is an antiques market that literally stretches several blocks.I found a cool late 1960’s Yumarcel leather clutch with detachable leather strap in almost mint condition. I bought it for 25 Euro. If you’re looking for a cool vintage purse try the 14^th Street Antiques Market where a local dealer sells a host of vintage purses fit for a lady.

 

Until tomorrow,

 

Chamele

Postcard from Paris: Bonsui at Galleries Lafayette

After a full day of shopping in the markets of saint-Oouen and Vanves, followed by a brief visit to Les Halles, we stepped out of the Metro, and onto Blvd. Haussmann. Blvd. Haussmann is where the 10 story mall, Galleries Lafayette is home. Galleries Lafayette is the most amazing shopping mall you will ever come across. It once housed some of the most famous French design labels. Each floor has its own designation, Think Saks in Rockefeller Plaza. There is an entire floor dedicated to cuisine- complete with Himalayan salts and the prettiest Herbes de Provence I have ever laid eyes on.  I only made it to the Fourth Floor before Hubby literally looked as though he would pass out. I must admit it was even overwhelming for me. Nevertheless, after spending only 30 minutes in the store, I found the most adorable dress, a Bonsui cream sleeveless sheath with a chiffon overlay at the shoulders.  

 

Until tomorrow,

 Chamele    

My Paris Packing List : Lotta flat, Matt and Nat Plush Ritual and Fun Spring Dresses from Modcloth

 leave for Paris is less than one month! Gosh times flies. This trip has been on the back burner for a couple of years now, and I finally get to go. I have been trying to decide how to pack. At first we were supposed to go during Easter, which would have been a much cooler trip than the mid May trip for which we are now scheduled. I do not know how to pack because I am trying to make sure I have enough room to bring back some goodies. There are a couple of things though, that I believe are necessary: a pair of cool flat shoes, spring dresses, and a cross body bag with a long strap.  

 

I told you about  the new Leifsdottir  line of shoes that debuted two months ago.  The four pairs I mentioned are all on my wish list which includes, the Lotta Flat, the Brazilian made buttery ballet flat with a flirty ankle strap. The Lotta Flat contains a zipper in the back of the shoe. The Lotta Flats are $248.00 at Leifsdottir.

 

There is one spring dress in particular that I think is so Parisian. The All Along the Lines Dress is a strapless mini, multi-tiered cream dress with blue, red and pink stripes. It contains a sash and a cut fold over seam that folds down against the bodice. It is 100% viscose with a polyester lining. If only the Lotta Flat came in red...The All Along the Lines Dress is $47.99 at Modcloth.

 

The cross body bag of which I am in search needs to have depth and width so I can stash some souvenirs while I am tramping through St. Germain-des-Pres. The bag should be something kind of sexy and not too practical, but nothing to big and audacious that might signal tourist. I found the Matt and Nat Plush Ritual. It is marketed to carry personal laptops, so you can imagine how deep and wide it is. The bag is  16 inches wide, 3 inches deep, and 12 inches high with an adjustable cross-body strap that is 18.5 inches long.  The bag has a recycled interior lining and is constructed from vegan faux leather. The Matt and Nat Plush Ritual is now on sale for $180.00 at Zappos.

 

Until Paris,

 

 

Chamele

Poule de Luxe Vanilla Fruit Sorbet Solid Parfum

Hello Divas!

Life is beautiful so lets enjoy it!

Recently I have become fascinated with solid parfums! They travel well, are compact, and so convenient to use. And because they are solid parfums, the scent is insanely intense. During Fashion Week, I attended a beauty blogger tweet-up and a representative from Crazylibellule and the Poppies Parfum Company put a cute tube of solid parfum around my neck. The packaging was crazy cute, but I did not think anything of it. Well once I returned home, I smelled the parfum and thought WOW this is nice! So I threw it in my purse for a "freshen up" moment. One day while at work, I whipped it out and rubbed some of the parfum on my wrist and my neck. Immediately, I was engulfed in this rich vanilla fruity scent! Yummy! Everyone in the office kept asking "what is that smell?!!" Seriously, people were flipping out over the scent. I promptly fell in love! The scent is Vanilla Fruit Sorbet and it contains rich notes of vanilla, raspberry, rose and musk. Delicious! Plus the parfum is paraben and sulfate free.

Crazylibellule and the Poppies Parfum Company sells several different scents in the same compact packaging. Although you only receive 1.7 oz of product, you only need to use a small amount to get a beautiful scent. I have been using mine for 5 weeks now and I still have plenty of product left. The parfums retail for $18 and you can purchase them at Sephora.

Toodles!

OPI Nail Color: La Collection De France

Hello Divas!

I hope your Labor Day is filled with good food, good fun, and relaxation! I don't usually discuss nail polish but I am currently in love with OPI's La Collection De France nail colors. In my opinion this is the BEST fall nail color collection. As OPI states, this collection contains "rich sensuous colors inspired by the effortless elegance of French fashion." I feel it truly captures the current fall trend of rich intense dark colors: burgandys, chocolates, and purples. FABULOUS! Wearing these colors will make any woman feel luxurious and fashionably chic. I know I am gushing, but ladies the nail colors in this collection are a must have this fall! Recently, I had an opportunity to try OPI's "We'll Always Have Paris", a rich purplish coffee shade. Check it out to the right. Can I just say I am in love. The color is so rich! However, all the colors in the collection are beautiful.

I can't wait to try, LOUVRE ME LOUVRE ME NOT, a dark royal purple;

EIFFEL FOR THIS COLOR, a shimmery wine;

and PARLEZ-VOUS OPI?, a smokey lavender.


And come on ladies aren't the names just wonderful? It really motivates me to take that trip this year to Paris! There are 12 colors in this collection and they retail for $8 a bottle. Click here to view the collection and for purchase information.

Toodles!