Versailles – Le Roi Soleil et La Reine Dépensière

‘A TOUTES LES GLOIRES DE LA FRANCE.’ – To all the glories of France. And glorious it is, the grande Château de Versailles. Should you ever be in Paris, don’t miss the chance to see this beautiful palace only 30 minutes away from it! It screams splendour, pomposity and grandiosity. The golden gate invites you to walk on the tracks of Louis XVI, King of France and Marie Antoinette. The jardins du Versailles are not what we usually call a ‘garden’. It’s not even a park anymore! It’s more of one of the most beautiful … I don’t know what it is! There isn’t a word for it, and you know what I mean if you’ve been there. The Galerie des Glaces and the Petit Trianon are also something you simply mustn’t miss!

Above are some pictures of the golden entrance gate. Below  is a photo of me goofing around… 

My Vintage Red Lulu Guinness Lips Clutch

As those of you who follow me on Twitter or have read my Burlington Arcade Lulu Guinness store post know, I bought a lips clutch a few weeks ago. I was really excited to finally get it. It’s Lulu’s signature bag and if you love her as much as I do, you simply have to get one. They’re available in various variations, colours and materials and they’re so cute, like eye candy! Red is my favourite colour (well, red and pink), so naturally I wanted a red one. The little word ‘vintage’ won me over. I wanted the vintage red lips clutch.

I was so happy and excited, I was protecting it like a mum would protect her newborn all the way home from Central London. It’s now sitting next to my bed, waiting to be used on a cocktail evening or birthday.

I’m wearing my lips clutch necklace by Jaymie which I love almost as much as the real lips clutch.

I  also want to introduce a new category, called ‘Lips Clutch Travel’. I travel a lot and have decided to take my lips clutch with me each time and take a photo of it in front of , for example, a famous sight or something which is typical for that country or city. First is Dresden, Germany, as this is where I’m right now. The photo will be posted next week!

General Loveliness – Macarons & Other Treasures

A few tiny things I love. The limited edition Karl Lagerfeld coke I bought in Paris last year. Macaroon lip balm (strawberry and lemon) from Accessorize with a Paris street scene on it. Two flower bracelets from Etsy. A small cream/gold-coloured bag which contains an extra button for my Anthropologie dress. A butterfly I bought in Weimar last week. A white Chanel bracelet. Lots of cute hair bows. A ‘Red London Bus – Ticket to London’ necklace from Accessorize. The pink ice cone necklace I bought at Cyberdog in Camden. A gold clock necklace I inherited from my grandma. Another necklace I got at Camden (the one with the dark pink bow, and my selfmade one (the other one with a pink bow).

Some more quotes, words and things I love, all on one sheet of paper. The messages I wrote down only to fill the empty space are the funniest, I think. Who can find ‘This is a sheet of paper with letters..’? Haha!

Willkommen, Bienvenue, Welcome…to Cabaret!

The last time I’ve acted in a stage play (or probably ‘Musical’ is a better word here), was 2 years ago, and ooh, how I’ve missed it! The hurricane of applause you get at the end of each show is worth everything: every tiring rehearsal, every little ‘What am I doing here?!’ thought, every time I got stage fright minutes and seconds before I went on stage with the others. It shows you that all of that was not for nothing and that the audience enjoyed the show. It’s like a huge wave of relief. I don’t play a lead character, which I’m, in fact, glad for, as they are so stressed out before each show that they’re near tears. I’m very happy, costume-wise, because I feel comfortable in my costume and it looks really cool, like some Cabaret girl from the 20s (which is, I guess, what it’s supposed to look like…).

We’re all backstage 3 hours before each show starts to get our hair and make-up done and the last person is ready about 5 minutes before it starts. We’re a team of about 90 people (first and second cast) and you have no idea what happens backstage in those 3 hours. Everyone runs around like a headless chicken, looking for someone or something who/which isn’t there! It’s mayhem, I tell you!

In the words of the ‘conferencier’:

“Willkommen, bienvenue, welcome! Fremder, étranger, stranger. Glücklich zu sehen, je suis enchanté, Happy to see you, bleibe, reste, stay!” xx

Chanel Love…Letters

“Chanel – the new language of love!”

I’m quite sad I only just discovered this great page by Chanel MakeUp Confidential. It would’ve been a nice surprise for Valentine’s Day. You can type a message and the letters will be written in Chanel makeup. You have up to 140 characters (was Twitter involved here somehow?) and when you’ve finished your message, you can send it to your special someone and as many friends as you want. I’ve tried it and it’s addictive! Here’s a message I created:

Butterfly, Fly Away

I like to think that it’s almost spring again, with flowers (and love) awakening, a mix of beautiful pastels and pale shades of pink, red, blue and green, and the first butterflies of the year. In spring, I like to sit by a lake or in a park and listen to music. I imagine spring in the Jardin du Château de Versailles to be a wonderful experience, now and back in the time of Marie Antoinette. I went there in May, but it was very hot, like summer, so most of the flowers didn’t look very beautiful anymore. However, I don’t need to go as far as Versailles to see a beautiful garden full of the prettiest butterflies. I have one only 2 hours away from me which is open the whole year, even in winter. My friend loves butterflies and she has a conservatory with lots of exotic ones.

Blogger Drawing: Briony Whitehouse of A Girl, A Style

First of all, a Happy Belated Birthday to Miss B! Her blog is one of my all-time favourites. We not only share our love for Chanel, Lulu Guinness and macarons, but also our dream to live in Paris for at least a few months. I could stare at the pretty photos on her blog for hours and when I first discovered her blog, I read all posts, back to the first one.

It’s the little things in life

It’s the little things in life that often make me smile the most. For example, I saw a man this morning, standing on the pavement right in the middle of rush hour with a huge bunch of flowers in his hand, glancing at his clock every now and then, and it just put a huge smile on my face. I’m sure the flowers brightened up the day of whoever got them. I had an idea and made a list of things I love and everytime I feel depressed, which is quite often at this time of the year, I’ll look at it and it makes me feel that little bit better.

Things that make me feel good:

The smell of flowers and my favourite perfume, Black XS by Paco Rabanne. The thought of the weekend on a Friday morning (‘only one more day’). When I wake up at 4 o’clock in the morning and think of how I can still sleep for another 3 hours. Cuddling with my bunny. An early morning in Central London (drunks who pass stupid comments not included!). Watching the sunset on Primrose Hill on a warm summer day. Strolling through Hampstead Heath. Cupcakes, decorated with little things like sugar roses or strawberries. Looking at shop windows, no matter if I can afford the things or not (eye candy!). Bubble Tea in my favourite Bubble Tea “lab” in Soho (Bubbeology on Rupert Street). Trying on dresses in Anthropologie, just because I always get the biggest fitting room. Spending afternoons in Hamleys (makes me feel like a child again). All kinds of photoshoots (especially history themed ones). Taking photos of everything and everyone, because it’s sooo much fun. Putting on red lipstick; don’t ask me why, I just like it. Going to Musicals with friends. Evenings/Nights of watching (horror) movies while eating chocolate and drinking coffee to stay awake. Being outside in the countryside at night, listening to all the noises. Watching the stars at night. Listening to piano music. Getting a task for the boss done. Giving little presents to friends because I feel like it. Walking through the streets of London. Bateaux mouches on the Seine and the Eiffel Tower at night. Walking barefooted through the sand on the beach in summer. Carrying at least 5 shopping bags, containing lovely new stuff, while walking through crowded streets. The lilac/white striped bags you get when you buy something at Lulu Guinness. The smell when you enter a bakery (not all of them, but some smell like chocolate cake, mmmh). The sigh of relief I make as soon as I get out of a plane (yep, nervous flyer..). The memories I share with my friends. Ice cream with weird flavours.

There are loooots of other things, but those are the ones I could think of when I made that list, and they’re enough to make me feel happy again.

Fashion Post – Leo skirt

I love the leo print this winter! I never used to like animal prints until I saw this amazing leopard print faux fur jacket in Camden last autumn. I didn’t buy it and instead bought a white coat which was half the price of the leo jacket. But I knew I had to buy one soon, which I did in November. It really keeps me warm on cold days. When I saw this skirt I immediately fell in love with it, not only because of the print, but also because of the style. It’s a bit like a bubble skirt and I love bubble skirts. Again, this is something I wore to work and I added the clutch/bag in the evening when I went to a friends party.

Outfit Details:

Leo print skirt: H&M

White top: French Connection

Tights: H&M

Scarf: Camden Market

Clutch/Bag: Accessorize

Shoes: New Yorker – Amisu