The Paris Poodle

Paris Poodle hands over....

2011-08-01T06:17:00.000-07:00

Poodle lovers, Paris lovers and beauty perfectionists, I've not been poodling of late as I've been busy pursuing the heady heights of beauty journalism.

No longer living in Paris it's not fair to call myself the Paris Poodle anymore, and so for all your beauty needs, be they french, fancy or otherwise, please head to www.jolie.co.uk - it's a dedicated beauty site I can't rate highly enough! But then I would say that, being a major contributor to this new site!

Let me know your thoughts on www.jolie.co.uk - I look forward to hearing from you!

Poodle love xxxx

The new way to propose: Lavin's Marry Me

2010-08-15T13:53:00.000-07:00

Marry Me - the new fragrance from Lavin is the Poodle's latest beauty lust item. Attending its launch event, in the discreet and beautiful Lavin showroom, surrounded by dainty silk wedding dresses - vintage style slips and chiffon creations 'perfect for any city weddings' (the PR's assured me) I knew that whatever I was about to smell was going to be floral, romantic with an urban twist.

Their latest fragrance creation, which launches this month is supposed to encapsulate the impulsive love rush emotion-explosion felt when you want to propose 'Marry me!' or rather, this is what those two words actually smell like - intriguing non?

Well, I was intrigued, and it turns out that Lavin's sparkling, feminine fragrance with it's initial top notes of Tunisian bitter orange, jasmine and rose do go some way in expressing that youthful exclaimation. And it's certainly a head turner - I was asked 3 times what I was wearing in one morning. The warm undertones of white cedar, amber and musk make offer a comforting finish - perhaps, that is what marriage offers too? Comfort with musk.

Nonetheless it is a fresh and uplifting fragrance which I spritz whenever I want to smell deliciously girly. The advert for the fragrance fulfils my Parisian ideals perfectly too - a young and gorgeous couple smiling white smiles together, in the Jardin du Luxembourg sharing a very French looking bicycle and looking very much in love. La vie est belle in Paris it's true. But heuresement in London we still have Lavin - praise be!

Th Poodle is sure that this launch will provoke rose and bitter orange scented marriage proposals left right and center, making it a difficult one for your man to buy if you just want the fragrance and aren't really looking for a ring... hmmm problematic - that could interfere with sales. We'll see!

Lavin - Marry Me, available at Harvey Nichols from September 11th for £32, but goes nationwide in October. Lovestruck ladies - forward him this post now!

www.lavin.com

Paris fashion - the essence of elegance

2010-08-04T14:24:00.000-07:00

Mardi Jeudi do accidental chic

London and grey have long been friends. As have London and rain. Whilst I was tapping away in the office, the clouds thundered, the rain poured and the cool grey lighting scheme that London favours over all sunshine, reigned the skies. I'd like to say it was all very Dickensian but in fact it was just a bit depressing. (I had to shut the windows and change my (skinny) frappucino to a cappucino). Luckily something pinged into my inbox from Paris that made me realise that grey doesn't have to mean all doom and gloom... grey is the new gay darling.

Just look at this gorgeous smokey smock dress that says 'between seasons' with style:

Designed by Parisian boutique Mardi Jeudi, this French brand has captured to a T the perfect effortless sexy chic of French women who don't try to look sexy, but who are actually jaw droppingly, heart racingly sexy in a I-can't-take-my-eyes-off-of-you of a way.

I think the word this Poodle is looking for is allure. Mardi Jeudi are definately taking some inspiration from our home grown Alexa Chung, with their toussle-haired models and thick woollen tights. She really should model for them - the craft of Paris's designers and the Chung celeb de Londres would be a match made in fashion heaven.

Mardi Jeudi use high quality materials, their knitwear range for Autumn/Winter 2010 uses a mix of angora, cashmere and mohair - and their commitment to relaxed shapes and thick tights really makes knitwear wearable and sexy - the elusive combination. And of course, their A/W colour pallette revamps grey into delicious oyster, matt silver, smoke and stone as well as blemishes of dark navy, dark tartan and camel browns.

At the moment you'll have to head to Paris to get hold of their collection - and if going to Paris fait expres pour faire du shopping isn't a good enough reason, then what is?

Luckily, Mardi Jeudi are coming to London for Spring Summer 2011, with another irresistable collection of silks and light jersey materials, in more Parisian understated styles - the Paris Poodle can't wait!

Paris in London blog

2010-07-27T15:38:00.000-07:00

OK. I am a bad, bad, BAD blogging Poodle for not blogging nearly enough lately and for letting my Poodle friends down. I hate to think of you looking elsewhere for your usual fashion and beauty blog fix!

But I am here to fix that, c'est clair. Indeed.

So....where to start? It's been a hectic time for the Poodle and unbeknown to you, I've been finding a new job in a new city, and although it breaks my heart not to be permanently in Paris, I am dealing well with this new situation.

Yes, I have moved. To the city of London! (Cue cockney accent) From this side of the Channel life looks considerably more dreary and wearing, less romantic and more red brick...but the British eccentricity and forward thinking fashion are present on every street to remind me that being back in Blighty aint all bad.

Besides, I love my new journalism job which involves frequent trips to Paris - the headquarters are on the Champs Elysees no less - so there really is no time to shed tears... (maybe just one - Paris is heartbreakingly beautiful after all).

Short lived as my Paris days were, it's actually nice to be able to drink tea at any time of day, in huge quantities and not have anyone raise an eyebrow when you add milk.

And there is also the advantage that my beloved X Factor will be enjoyed in full this year.

London has so much to offer a beauty and fashion obsessed pooch like me - fabulous markets, vintage stores and pop up shops. There's never a dull moment and there are of course great perks to being a journalist - cue goody bags laden with Lavin fragrances. Oui, la vie est encore belle.

I feel I must also address the small detail of my blog title too, now that I'm only a part time Parisian.

As a London Poodle, it's clear that the alliteration I so love to adhere to, is completely lost, so for the purposes of perfection, I'm keeping my Paris Poodle title, as in my heart I'll always be a Frenchie. C'est vrai. (Let's face it- this fashion and beauty blog isn't going to work with 'British Bulldog').

So....where I have been being a lousy blogger in the last month, you're gonna have to cut me some slack. I have acquired real life things in the real life world, as oppose to my virtual blogspot bubble. I now have a new job, a new flatshare (and as my new flatmates are Scottish and Californian I'm confident I'll have some new stories to share with you all pretty soon) and a new summer trench coat - cheers Bay Trading!

Life is sweet once more - and with plenty of French fashion shows, beauty launch events and Maison du chocolat tastings to attend, I'm searching out whatever Paris there is to be had in little old London and will be reporting back to you! It's Paris, but not as we know it.

I for one am looking forward to the results! Watch this space ...

With love,

The Poodle

Heatwave Handbag Essentials

2010-06-28T00:08:00.001-07:00

The Poodle knows....there has been a blog post famine for the past couple of weeks, but let's be honest - if you've been in London or Paris lately the chances are that you haven't been online so much anyway! That's because it's been hot hot HOT! And when the grey skies of Paris and London reveal clear blue and sunshine, the only thing to do is get out there and enjoy it!

So I know you'll forgive the Poodle for neglecting the net for the real world for a couple of weeks!

The sunshine has also given me a chance to just get to grips with heatwave city essentials that are going to keep you fresh on the metro/tube and keep you looking, smelling and feeling fresh... So where I may have been a little quiet, the truth is that the Poodle is forever undergoing intensive research trials in the quest to bring you the must buys of right now.

The Poodle's guide to How to be a hottie, not a hot mess!

My findings:

City heat and the sardine effect on the metro can only lead to sweating en masse with your fellow commuters and city sharers, so the Poodle has put together a heat wave handbag list that will keep you sorted throughout a city summer!

1. First things first, to freshen up make sure your handbag is equipped with Dove's Body Wipes which will banish any beads of perspiration. Lightly fragranced and extremely refreshing, Dove's Body Wipes also care for your skin, so it refreshes perfectly without drying your skin.

2. Next up, you're going to need a handbag friendly fragrance that smells just great in summer. For an instant spritz of floral freshness the Poodle suggests Gucci's Flora eau de toilette with its citrus top notes and peony and rose heart, it's a breezy, easy fragrance that isn't overpowering. It also comes as a deodrant for only £24 which the Poodle thinks is just great - when it comes to fragrance, matchy matchy is always more pleasing!

3. You are definately going to need water, but we all know that plastic water bottles are just helping to clutter up the planet, so go for a reuseable, stylish, refillable wottle instead which is eco friendly and in the water bottle stakes, far superior to the average evian screw top, after all it is designed by Orla Kiely! And if the green sixties leaf print doesn't go with your Furla, then try the streamlined SIGG travel water bottle in red, from £9.95 at http://www.ethicalsuperstore.com/ :

Made from a single piece of aluminium, its durable, cooling and looks pretty cool too!

Last but not least, to survive summer in the city, the Poodle believes that floaty dresses, short shorts, playsuits and flat sandals are all essential for heatwave happiness. Fashion can be your friend in summer, but the more you expose, the more grooming you're going to need to do, so invest in a full leg wax and some nourishing body oil so that whatever you bare, you can make sure it's beautiful...

Introducing your new friend:

Usiku Body Oil by Jo Wood Organics, is a multi award winner and at only £10 you can't go wrong - your skin will love you for it! With organic calendula, echinacea and vitamin E, this is a melody of lovely, natural, essential oils and plant extracts to slaver on your sun parched pins! Enjoy!

Deckchair image from http://s3.amazonaws.com/metrotwin_production/photos/28907/sunshine_large.jpg

Summer Hair Survival

2010-06-08T00:06:00.000-07:00

Where is summer?

Ergh. It's raining, its June, it sucks! It really is a Poodle hair 'mare trying to keep your locks under control in temperamental weather conditions. My mane has been going through a whole spectrum of disasters in recent days, from sun frazzled to rain frizzed to wind beaten lank! I've had enough, and have decided to sniff out the products that will get me through an undependable summer... hopefully these will also bring you some hair happiness too!

First things first, what summer hair requires is control. I like to slick my hair back for work days to keep smart and groomed but to ensure hair style endurance you will need L’Oreal’s Elnett which you can get online via Boots at a reduced bargain price of £4.89. This is the ultimate in hair sprays and it doesn't have such a good press for nothing! It is simply one of the most reliable, firm holding, easy to brush out, overall amazing hair miracles.

Another good one is Aussie’s Dual Personality Hairspray - Hi Shine +Hi Hold, which is good value and adds brilliant shine whilst holding your locks in place for a good few hours – see it online at http://www.aussiehair.com/.

Next up, is conditioner, as hair in good condition will be easier to manage, maintain and will undoubtedly behave itself much better! Which conditioner is best for your hair will depend on a few factors… your hair type, its current condition and if you have coloured your hair at all. A brilliant all rounder that works wonders on flat hair is Charles Worthington’s Full Volume Conditioner from £4.55, whilst curly hair will ring with health after this daily conditioner for curls from John Frieda – Curl Around, promises to help protect hair from frizz producing weather conditions, with its magical silicone formula Frieda promises you soft, smooth, defined curls – check it out here http://www.johnfrieda.co.uk/products_frizz_ease_condition_curl.asp.

Finally, a summer shearing is always a good idea. I’m soon booking in for a new relooking as the French say. A trim off the ends will make your hair feel and look a thousand times more healthy and will take some of the weight off that can make your hair look flat, dull and lifeless. Whenever I get my locks lopped in Paris, I head for Camille Albane where the staff are always polite and the cuts are always just right http://www.camillealbane.com/, but if you’re Thames-side, I thoroughly recommend celebrity hairdresser Andrew Barton’s own salon in Covent Garden’s Henrietta Street http://www.andrewbarton.tv/ . I believe that Chanel once said that a woman who has a hair cut is about to make important changes in her life. So whether those important changes relate to your shampoo and conditioner or your career or even your love life, a little snippy snippy can make a whole lot of life changing wow!

With love from

The Poodle

Sex and The City 2

2010-06-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

So, I guess it's time to talk honestly about Sex and the City 2. The ultimate chick flick movie we have been counting down to. The hype grew to epic proportions with the sneak preview pics of Miranda's 80's hair nightmare, the shots of Carrie not wearing a wedding ring, the scenes caused by Samantha as she walked around NYC in a wedding dress (gasp!)?! The storyline speculation went through the roof!!! So... I braved the cinema, with sky high heels, a tribute-to-Carrie crop top, tight and light demin jeans and my very own name necklace and sat in the cinema bar with cocktails, friends and let the hysteria take over!!!

Not a good look for Miranda

The excitement caused by the ritual of going to see SATC2 was probably more exciting that the film overall. Although it was utterly fabulous in terms of fashion, the story line forgot that the film was supposed to be about the series Sex and the City and the friendships, hardships and female issues our famous four face together. As soon as the girls left the sanity of New York for the sun of Abu Dhari, the characters and the plot seemed to loose it in the heat of the Middle East. The script barely had time to squeeze in conversations between Miranda and Charlotte on the trials of parenting, and Samantha's menopause mania made her into a caricature that didn't look too convincing or empowering...Yam paste on face? Hmmm. Not a good look. Or message.

The SATC girls - in the story line desert...

Ultimately the girls or women as they now are, were all on form in terms of trend, harem pants, maxi dresses, statement shoulders and tropical textiles, but the story line lacked the depth to keep its fans animated. We didn't really feel that convinced by the Aiden kiss- as Samantha says, 'it was just a kiss' it wasn't important. Yes Carrie felt bored, yes she had a kiss, felt bad, cried, had a moment of realization, but it did feel like they were just avoiding the real issue in all of our heads... Are Big and Carrie going to have babies??? Where was the pregnancy scare?

Where was Charlotte's parenting break down?

Why didn't they cause a scene with the braless nanny?

Where was Miranda's cynicism?

What happened to Samantha and Smith?

Why the hell wasn't there more of (topless) Smith Gerrard altogether?

So... the SATC fans are a demanding bunch. We want fashion, drama, tears, tantrums, disasters and most of all, happy endings. But in this film there was monogamy and monotony, cack-handed dealings with muslim traditions and Samantha's bag of condoms. I still love the girls and I take my Poodle hat off to them for their devotion to style, but we wanted more than a fashion show, and a luxury holiday to SATC land, we wanted a taste of their reality and the real issues facing women in their 40's; not Irish boob fluff and yam paste.

As the movie drew to a close, I couldn't help but wonder if SATC should have stuck to the small screen....?

What do you think? The Poodle wants your thoughts???

xxxx

Images from www.usatoday.net www.content9.flixster.com www.static.decaturdaily.com www.culch.ie

T Shirt Talk

2010-05-15T07:02:00.001-07:00

This is the Poodle reporting for Blogger duty. Being in England at the moment has its problems when it comes to blogging about Paris... or so I thought it would when I boarded the eurostar. However, all across England it seems that Paris has been splashed across T-shirts and magazines, as far as the eye can see. Every shop I go into welcomes me with a 'Paris je t'aime' slogan emblazoned across the chest, or a 'Je suis la plus belle' written in swirly letters. Some keep it simple and state PARIS next to an Eiffel Tower image that is decorated with glitzy gemstones. Its so English. Of course, I get it, it is trying to be French, but in the most English, insanely obvious, LOOK AT ME fashion, that is the trend this side of the channel. Now, don't get me wrong, I love the British eccentricity and outlandish approach to dressing, its just even more apparent when trying to be chic involves screaming 'J'adore Paris' across handbags, dresses, tops and jewellery. And that is the difference between us Brits and ze French. I think subtle is the key word here.

The Poodle's super quick, tres vite guide to identifying the English and ze French is as follows:

French Style: Typified by classy, subtle interpretations of the cat walk and pret a porter collections

English Style: LOUD AND IN YER FACE LOOK AT ME IM WORKING THE LOOK - ITS CHIC, IM CHIC GODDAMIT!

New Look £14.00 say it loud and clear

Of course, even the Poodle has indulged herself in the odd statement T shirt in the past. These include the following:

- Love, Peace & Lipgloss (turns out, it's not suitable for an office environment)

- Love Surf since 1985 (not strictly true as I hadn't been created then)

- Femme Fatale (as if the hot pink of the Tshirt didn't give it away)

- J'adore (I clearly couldn't afford the J'adore Dior version)

So out of these, two statements are french, and it seems that splashing the French language across our chests is once again all the rage. And why, not, it is a beautiful language. Just don't expect anyone French to be wearing one!

But the English love a bargain and if it mean's buying a piece of Paris for £6.00 then we anglophones are all ears! Thank Britain for Asos!

Ce n'est pas tres cher, mais quand meme, c'est chic!

An Education

2010-05-10T05:15:00.000-07:00

The Poodle is back in the UK at present and in order to continue to feel Parisian in Blighty, last night I settled down to watch a DVD I had been meaning to see for a while - An Education. Starring Carey Mulligan and Olivia Williams and Peter Sarsgaard, it is mostly set in Twickenham, Oxford and London's West End, so I was a little disappointed. I had been expecting more scenes of 60's Paris. Nonetheless, the dialogue had the occasional French mot, chanson or phrase, and of course included a short lived romantic weekend away in gay Paris.

The story line was sold to me as a romantic poignant story of first love and coming of age. Which it was. It was also the age old story of "nice young girl gives nasty smarmy older man benefit of the doubt along with her virginity, only to regret not studying harder".

Jenny is a vulnerable, albeit clever 16 year schoolgirl who has hopes of attending Oxford (if only she can pass her Latin classes) who is seduced by an older, dishonest, disconcertingly charming man with a sports car and a large wallet (David). Naive, she is taken in by his flashy lifestyle and Pre-Raphaelite loving friends. Nonetheless, she soon realizes that her older man is in fact a serial bastard, with a wife, child and a history of illicit affairs. Quelle tragedie! By this point she has lost her 'innocence' but luckily, is not in the 'family way' as one might say in the 1960's.

During their brief doomed affair they visit the Poodle's spiritual home and enjoy a Seine side snog with a bottle of red, and wander through its charming cobbled streets. I couldn't help but notice that today's Paris doesn't look all that different from the chic and sleek Paris of yester year.

The 1960's Paris presented in An Education could have been from yesterday, as ladies are still wearing coiffured chignons, cinched waisted dresses and classic stilettos. It made me wonder if Paris is actually stuck in a timeless time warp?? In some ways perhaps it is - the buildings are traditional, there are no Gherkin's, Millennium Wheels or Oxo Towers to be seen, and the fashion is elegant, classic... there's a je ne sais quoi about the place. That is Paris magic! It offers time travel without the butterfly effect and who doesn't want to go back in time?!

In terms of what Paris has given the Poodle as far as 'education' goes, it is without doubt the perfect location to learn, think, reflect and debate. And also the best place to get a quality French manicure, along with the world's finest fragrances. (Chanel' Coco Mademoiselle)!

To conclude my musings on the film in question, I would say that this is definitely worth a look, if only to remark upon how lovely and smart school girls in the 60's used to be, and the gorgeous vintage cars, dresses and impossibly perfect hairstyles that all used to be an everyday 60's occurrence. The moral of the film is of course, to try harder with your Latin homework.
Bisous!

Here comes the sun - so lighten up!

2010-04-28T11:13:00.000-07:00

With summer creeping around the corner and blue skies becoming more of a regular feature, everyone around me seems to be right on cue, brightening up their hair with sunshine loving highlights.

The best thing about summer is that for blonds, it really is their season to come into the spot light and work that sunkissed beauty look aka Brigitte Bardot. In Paris, blond femmes are seen strutting importantly with pastel Furla handbags, and beige Phobe Philo skirts, with a waterfall of silky natural looking blond, shimmering over their designer clad backs.

Over here, if your highlights aren't well maintained, and at least somewhat natural looking, it truly is a cardinal sin. Especially so now that Toni & Guy are in the neighbourhood; no one is going to forgive you for brassy highlights, haystack ends or chunky roots. Of course, in Paris, traditionalist as ever, the blond is still seen as something to be approached with caution. They are associated with all the usual blond stereotypes: the man-eater, air head, or femme fatale. Because of this, French blonds take extra care to emulate classy light haired lovelies such as Vanessa Paradis and Gwynth Paltrow. Subtle is the buzz word.

Fortunately, in Paris, the blond brigade are offered a lot of extra caring products to keep the bleached to death look at bay. The Poodle may not be blond, but according to my fair headed friends, and hairdressers in the know, the best things to use to protect your summer barnet are as follows:

Shampooing Blond Lumière Dessange

This blonding shampoo uses light reflective mother of pearl extract to give blond locks more lustre and shine, whilst the secret formula of nutritional agents helps to ensure hair is kept soft, and the colour fresh looking. Dessange are a reliable French brand who excel in affordable hair care- a 250ml bottle is only 4,93 euros.

Voile Nuit Kérastase Noctogenist

An intensive night time treatment should be used on coloured blond hair once a week to stop it from drying out. Night Veil by Kerastase is deeply nourishing and can be a great pick me up treatment for holiday frazzled hair too. Rich in vitamin E, after a night time together, your hair will be shiny, soft and satisfied. 32,50 € for 100 ml.

Frizz-Ease 100% Shine Glossing Mist

On a day to day basis, finish styling your goldilocks with a small dose of shine enhancing Frizz-Ease 100% Shine Glossing Mist. This way your hair can glisten with health and flyaway ends are kept under control.

With these key three products, you have everything you need to avoid looking like Cousin It! Blondettes from London to Paris can get ready to have the thick summer lovin', shiny locks they dream of! Even the Poodle is thinking it could be time to lighten up!

What are your blond perfecting must haves?

Vote for a brighter future! For the country - and your skin!

2010-04-21T09:26:00.001-07:00

The Poodle must make an important decision.

There's an election on, and all across England men and women are talking about what they believe in, which policies they agree with and who they'll be voting for. Little known parties have started posting leaflets through letterboxes with programs and manifestos whilst the men in white shirts all promise results that will change the face of the country.

Call me hopeless, but as I have been researching the different policies and listening to the various election arguments, I couldn't help but draw a similarity between this, and the way in which women choose their cosmetics.

Each beauty brand has a different perspective and philosophy whether it is a dedication to ethical, animal friendly products (Body Shop), a dislike of all things preservative (The Organic Pharmacy) or a passion for science (Skinceuticals). Each one promises radical results and change (Botox), or promises to make you feel differently (Aromatherapy Associates). They are all campaigning against each other, promoting their ingredients policies as the most failsafe (Liz Earle) or their figures the most reliable (Boots Protect and Perfect anyone?). But who are we to believe when it comes to the state of our skin?

There are so many conflicting points of view, whether you believe in the power of plant oils, or prefer results proven formulas developed in the lab. Whether you prefer your skincare to be straightforward or fancy or expensive or cheap. Some women believe that, like the 3 main parties in England, that all the skincare creams and brands are practically the same thing, just in different packaging. It's no wonder we spend so long trying to figure out what makes one bottle of serum better than another. They all promise to fight against the signs of aging, free radicals and fine lines (which are probably all caused by high taxes, pollution and not enough holidays), and equip themselves with the tools required for the job - antioxidants, dermatologist jargon and celebrity supporters.

Of course, the only way to find out what works best, is to try. Which is where choosing a skincare system becomes a lot easier. Unlike political elections, when you choose a certain skincare brand over another, you don't run the risk of having to commit to it for 5 years to see if anything will really change. You can simply keep trying different products until you find your winner who you can stand behind with confidence, knowing that your chosen brand perfectly delivers the results you are looking for. Here's a hint - it's probably Botox!

As for the Poodle, I am still looking for my perfect match in skincare, but aside from that, I know who I'm voting for come May 6th. Do you?

Who would you vote for when it comes to your skin? Tell the Poodle!

Images from www.moneytothemasses.com, http://coolrain44.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/poodle.jpg, www.corbisimages.com - Jutta Klee

The Power of a (French) Woman

2010-04-13T05:29:00.001-07:00

It seems that there are two types of French women: those who groom their hair and those who just let it grow, the latter forming the majority. Of course, there exists the hairy arm-pitted stereotype of a French girl, who despite her waify figure, hazel eyes and seductive lingerie, unfortunately has hair sprouting from beneath her arms, making her instantly unattractive to red blooded men across the Channel. But in France, men don't seem to mind their women highly sexual even if they do have secret hairs in the intimate caverns of their armpits...

Perhaps it is the fact that French women are already so utterly seductive with the way their lips have to move to pronounce and annunciate each musical word of the French language, or the way that they insist on wearing stockings as part of usual underwear protocol? French women ooze sexiness. They eat well, they drink well, they think well. They are petite powerful dominatrices who speak with unquestionable self assurance. Some even have very dark expressive eyebrows that can silence any man with the roar of their silent thunder, whereas others have several pairs of stilettos which have the sole purpose of intimidating men whilst simultaneously turning them into quivering horn dogs.

Like this one:

Even those French ladies with pinched sharp noses, slick pony tails and obnoxious oversized handbags share the same secret with those same French women with fuzzy moustaches and frizzy manes of untameable curls...that unmentioned secret that French women are the ones who really hold the cards. At least, when it comes to hair management, it is the women who make the final decision on what has to go.

Yes, the French woman is a very powerful force to be reckoned with. French men get what they are given, their opinions on armpit hair are not given so much as a nanoseconds' thought. My friend encapsulated it perfectly the other day when I asked her about it, "I shave if I want to shave, if I don't want to, then tough. My decision."

Can you smell the poison with which that sentence was laced? I could! That is the subtle scare factor of French women. You can see it in Sarkozy's eyes when he looks up at Carla Bruni - her smile may be sweet, but like all French women, she knows she has the power.

She's already wearing flat shoes for you Sarkozy - you have no right to ask her to shave!

Despite being a Paris Poodle, I am of course, still undeniably English. And for that I have never allowed myself to see my armpit hairs, as I employ the Daily Shave Prevention Measure. Nonetheless, with my musings on the power that armpit hair has given to French women, I am for the first time tempted to grow wild and free and try to cultivate the advantages of the French Ladies Power Pit...

So here's the question - to shave or not to shave...?

Images from: http://www.eatfrenchbread.com/underarm-hair/
http://galadarling.com/images/08-10/parisian.jpg

Eggstra Special Easter

2010-04-03T06:26:00.000-07:00

Painted to perfection!

The Poodle has survived a Paris Pacques! Thank God Cadburys doesnt exist over here- every time it's Easter in England I can't help but eat multiple mini eggs, cream eggs and all sorts of chocolate rabbits until I feel like vomiting. Luckily in Paris, greed and chocolate don't go together - it's a much more classy affair, where chocolate eggs in all their french finery are purchased to be enjoyed visually. The egg is a work of art and you have to admire the chocolate egg for much longer than this Poodle is used to...It's almost used as a dining table center piece, except that my dining table is a coffee table and that due to the ongoing Paris space shortage the egg was promoted to sitting on top of the television.

Nonetheless my magnificent easter egg from Maison Boissier which I was lucky enough to be bought by the Lapin de Pacques - that's Easter Bunny to you and I, was so beautiful that destroying it for chocolately consumption didn't even enter my head for a good couple of hours! Of course temptation took over when my cup of tea needed a sweet companion and by the time I thought to photograph it for my blog, there really wasnt enough left to picture! However, these French chocolate easter bells resound with the echo of my chocolate Boissier egg!

As much as I love to hate eating delicious chocolate Easter eggs for a good 2 or 3 days solid, without them it really wouldn't be Easter and along with many other fabulous things in life (champagne, wine, brie) we also have the French to thank for the delicacy that is the Easter egg- it was their idea orginally to use egg shells as moulds and fill them with chocolate, probably completely unaware of how popular they would become! So today, I would like to say, merci, la France, for another of life's little pleasures! Vive la France!

Images from: http://www.legrandjournal.com/, http://www.mariepanic.com/, http://www.linstantpoursoi.be/

Top 3 Paris novels!

2010-04-03T06:25:00.001-07:00

It's time for another top 3 Poodle list and this time, I'm recommending my top 3 Paris books! Whilst on holiday I had plenty of time for that traditional holiday past time - sunbathing and reading! There's nothing that illuminates and animates the city around you more than reading literature which has been set in the very streets that you walk through every day.

I discovered the Paris of the 1870's, the 1920's and the secret Paris stories of today, via the following 3 novels which I lapped up with the enthusiasm that is exclusive to Paris lovers everywhere. So although I may have been in Sri Lanka, I was still there in Paris with Henry James and Hemmingway having a wonderful winey, thinky, writey time through the books I was reading.

I can thoroughly recommend the following 3 novels but do tell me which Paris books get it right for you?

1. Ernest Hemmingway - The Moveable Feast

This short read details Hemmingways life as a young struggling writer in Paris in the 1920's and his days and nights socialising with the literary greats of the last century, Ezra Pound, James Joyce and Wyndham Lewis to name but a few. The wonderful thing about this book is the attention to detail. Writing in his wry, dry and simplistic style, Hemmingway effortlessly transports you into his every day life of the 1920's. I have to visit a fair few bars now where he used to put pen to paper, starting with Cafe des Amateurs.

2. Henry James - The American

I found a battered ancient Penguin copy of this book hidden amongst the Sri Lanka guides at one of the guest houses I was staying in and what a find it was! Henry James' protagonist Christopher Newman is a rich new money-ed American on a tour of Europe, with the side project to find the perfect wife. He comes across an aristocratic widow, Claire de Cintre who he courts and eventually becomes engaged to. I won't ruin the rest of the story for those who want to read it, but let's just say that the Poodle made short work of the 450 pages! It's also really insightful into the Paris of old, the little streets and beautiful facaded apartments with high ceilings, the beautiful Parisian ladies and the lazy days spent looking around the Louvre, doesn't sound all so different from the Paris of today. But that is the beautiful thing about this city, it is utterly timeless and hopelessly romantic!

3. Muriel Barbery - The Elegance of the Hedgehog

This award winning best seller is both philosophical and profound yet easy to read. Renee Michel - a 54 year old concierge who is a secret culture whore, and more intelligent than she herself even likes to admit, and Paloma Josse - a 12 year old genius who is plotting arson on her family home and eventual suicide on her 13th birthday, are more similar than they might have thought. Living in the same building, each with their own personal projects to enrich their cultural landscape and find meaning in life, these two ladies lives become mirror reflections of the other. Along with a platonic love story and an index of books to read and films to watch, the novel is exceptionally well written and achieves the authors aim to make philosophy applicable in the every day - a typically French preoccupation. Totally deserving of its multiple awards, the Poodle urges Paris lovers and Francophiles, concierges and all those who appreciate Japanese culture to buy this book immediately and get deep.

What are your favourite Paris stories? Tell the Poodle!

Sunshine survival

2010-04-03T06:00:00.001-07:00

The Poodle is back! It’s been a while since I posted, but that is because the Paris Poodle has been off location and has been exploring the beautiful island that is Sri Lanka. A well deserved vacation is what every Poodle needs once in a while and the white sands of Sri Lanka were the perfect place to relax, unwind and get tanned – the L’Oreal Tinted Gel has been firmly pushed to the back of the bathroom cabinet for a while! Hurrrah!

Sooo... I’m sure you’re itching to know what I got up to and what perfecting beauty products I used to keep pristine in the extreme? Well, there were a great many things, and I shall be posting a few blogs with a holiday inspired theme in mind, after all, going on holiday highlights so many unforeseen beauty battles to be waged and won. A leisurely beach side lifestyle leads to fearless frizzy – as if that wasn’t problematic enough already! Dry skin, cracked nail varnish, mosquito bites and sun cream clogged pores? Not to mention staying on top of hair removal, tan lines, make up management and split ends. If I wasn’t a crusader to perfection it wouldn’t be a problem, but a Poodle I am and flawless I must be.

The key things which got me through on a daily basis were as follows – pack these with you on your next trip and reap the benefits of a Parisian Poodle’s trial and error!

Simple Radiance Brightening Eye Make Up Remover Pads (30 pads for £3.99) are little circles of eye heaven which not only swiftly removed my stubborn Big Fatty Urban Decay mascara, but they also soothe and hydrate skin whilst the tropical Mango extract brightens the eye area, making you look practically human after a whopping 20 hours of travelling! Suitable for sensitive skin too – which is always a bonus- thank you Simple!

An intense face moisturiser is essential for travelling, plane journeys and night times to protect against dehydrated skin. I chose french brand Terry’s Gelee de Rose Intensive Multi Action Moisturiser because it is the best! I am actually in love when it comes to Terry, and although I find it bank bustingly expensive, it’s of uttermost importance to treat oneself to luxury on occasion (as if a holiday weren’t enough)!

Sun Cream - an obvious beauty must have on holiday, but there are many choices and considerations... mineral or chemical, liquid or cream, spray or dispenser, factor 20 or factor 50? The sun protection that got me through weeks of intense Sri Lankan sunshine was Garnier’s Clear Protect Sun Spray Factor 20 because it’s not too low and not too high, it sprays on as a dry oil, doesn’t go sticky and is reliably waterproof. It was practical and didn’t leak and it wasn’t too expensive – have I sold it to you yet?

Juicy lips are great on holiday – and all you need is a half decent lip balm – I loved this Evolution of Smooth (EOS) one in sweet mint for its deliciously edgeless packaging and its fresh minty clean zing which was unbelievably refreshing in that tropical climate!

That’s it for now, but more to follow on my recent beauty adventures. It was utterly fabulous in Sri Lanka and if you haven’t been you must – you should head to the south in Hikkaduwa for a friendly chilled out vibe and cheap guest houses with incredible cuisine. It’s not only the French who know how to cook!

Here’s a shot of the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in the centre of the country where you can watch the baby elephants at feeding time and see the whole herd of meander down the hill to the river for their daily heat relieving wash. Just magical!

It’s great to be back – tell me anything I missed out on whilst I was away!

Poodle on Vacation

2010-03-10T12:58:00.000-08:00

Holiday time!!!

Poodle pals, I am off on holiday for two and a bit weeks where I will be testing out my fabulous beauty finds in the intense Sri Lankan sun!

I'll be posting again from April and am looking forward to sharing my adventures with you!

With love from The Poodle xxx

Plus belle la vie!

2010-03-10T12:39:00.000-08:00

It's a Poodle's life for me! Lingerie lusting, sniffing out the best beauty buys a Poodle could want and winding down in the evenings on the balcony of my 5th floor appartment with a glass of red and some french filles friends. La vie est belle.

In my latest adventures I have been visiting the iconic ever so Art Deco Bon Marche -with its 1920's decor it is the queen of all department stores full to the brim with Dior, Versace, Jean Paul Gaultier and good old Vivienne Westwood (whose lurid fluro plastic stilettos are simply kitsch incarnate).

Oh la la Aubade has made the ultimate thong for irresistable bottom cleavage!

Whilst doing window licking (as the french call it) at Bon Marche, I fell in love numerous times in the lingerie hall. Aubade's delicate lace culottes and thongs were somewhat pricey, but if this Paris pup forgoes food in order to wear them, my derriere can only look better- doubly worth it n'est pas? Unfortunately I can't give up food for underwear... the tartes fraises here are TOO delicious, and luckily a corset designer friend of mine can do me a deal on some vintage inspired lingerie-its wonderful how corsets have that instant slimline effect! I had a coup de foudre (love at first sight) with this pokka dot ensemble designed by Black Kitten:

A hint of vintage, a touch of fetish, Black Kitten underwear is the lucky charm for seduction, and whilst outwear bras are a la mode, nows definately the time to splash out on something more special in than the Marks & Sparks T shirt bras - they just won't cut it on the other side of your T shirt!

Be gorgeous! Check out Black Kitten here http://www.myspace.com/me_blackitten and Aubade here http://aubade.com/Recherche and a new favourite discovery of mine, Princesse Tam Tam - the ultimate girly lingerie www.princessetamtam.com/PrincesseTamTam.Site/en/home.aspx:

What are your favourite most indulgent lingerie labels?

Title image courtesy of http://vanillablonde.com/store/images/large/Paris-lady-&-poodle-ring-holder0358_LGE.jpg

The Tourist... and other Paris films

2010-03-01T14:20:00.000-08:00

With today being the first day of Spring, Paris, right on cue is taking it all in its' stride. The skies are cloudless blue and the weather is warmer, even the occasional bud can be seen on the trees in Bois de Boulogne. The city seems to be reawakening from its rainy grey skied winter, and the Poodle has been out enjoying hustle and bustle...

With this glorious weather in this gorgeous city, it's only fitting that you should also have gorgeous people out in force, therefore it was almost no surprise that whilst the Poodle was exploring the ice cream on offer at Hagen Daas at metro Palais Royale Musée de Louvre, that I came across Angelina Jolie.

Filming for The Tourist has begun in Paris following a period in Venice where Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt have been sighted. Although this Paris pup didn't have her appareil photo with her, luckily the popsicles pretties over at Pop Sugar had their pap team ready and waiting, check out these photos below:

As one of the most aesthetically pleasing places known to Poodles, fashionistas and thinkers, Paris has long been the inspiration behind many a film. Until The Tourist (directed by Florian Hecknel) is released, here are my top 3 Paris based films:

1. Funny Face (1957)

This classic 1957 film not only features Paris, it also has style icon Audrey Hepburn dancing around on Parisian balconies and parading the catwalk when she is chosen as the new face of top New York fashion magazine. With a musical twist and fabulous full skirted costumes, it’s kitsch as Christmas, and definitely one of the Paris Poodle’s top 3!

2. Paris je t'aime (2006)

No other film says so much about Paris in only a few short segments. A beautiful patch work of Parisian love stories and half started curiosities, are all filmed against the backdrop of the Marais, Tuileries and Montmatre in this long film of shorts. This is a MUST watch for all Francophiles and Paris addicts alike!

3. Amélie Poulain (2001)

Quirky, stylish, romantic and eccentric! This film is everything that makes Paris, and Audrey Tatou so adorable and appealing!

What are your favourite Paris films? Share!

Introduction image from:

http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs39/f/2008/366/9/7/spring_in_paris_by_isismas.jpg

Desert Island Essentials

2010-02-18T15:03:00.001-08:00

The Poodle has the pleasure of an upcoming holiday in the Indian Ocean, where the sun never ceases to shine! Being an active sort of a pup, I am looking forward to surfing, sightseeing and exploring temples to tea plantations. With so much to do, I'm asking a lot from my current make up bag. Naturally, along with my wardrobe, the makeup I'm going to be bringing also requires intensive planning.

First and foremost, waterproof mascara and anti slip foundation are must haves. The Paris Poodle is in the midst of deciding between dozens of waterproof mascaras, eye liners and SPF make up... here's my shortlist so far, but if you know of any other make up miracles which can survive intense heat, and an action packed holiday agenda, tell this Paris Poodle - share your treasured desert island finds...

Let's start with eyes.... for your pretty peepers, waterproof mascara and eyeliner are essentials- so that you can look photo shoot worthy at any given moment. Who knows where you could be papped next? My old faithful Max Factor False Lash Effect Waterproof mascara with a massive plasticy bristled brush is very reliable when it comes to having luscious lashes in sun, heat and sea. It's affordably priced (check it out on http://www.amazon.co.uk/ where it is only £7.99) and stays on wonderfully.

A close contender is Urban Decay's Big Fatty in Waterproof. The name says it all. Big fat brush means lovely separated glossily coated lashes. The 60's inspired packaging is absolutely irresistible as well! I want this in my make up bag come rain or shine!

Waterproof eyeliner is notoriously difficult to find. However, after parading across Paris, visiting different outlets and beauty parlors from La Defense to Montparnasse, I have concluded that MAC's liquid last eyeliner in black is the one to stay put until you say so. Obedient and reasonably priced at £13.50, this is a dependable little eye liner that can survive water, tears and tiredness.

SPF make up is essential for sunshiny days, holidays and everlasting youth... therefore, I am going to be using Clinique’s Almost Make Up SPF15 which gives a natural hint of colour, with a sheer, lightweight finish that won't weigh your skin down in the heat.

For lips and cheeks I want to keep it really simple- and have discovered the good quality make up of Eyes, Lips, Face - elf http://www.eyeslipsface.co.uk/. Their Super Glossy Lip Shine SPF15 comes in a multitude of delicious colours - Juiced Berry and Goddess are personal favourites of mine..! For rosy cheeks, the Poodle recommends Elizabeth Arden's Ceramide Cream Blush as it gives cheeks a dewy, healthy glow and won't clog your pores; powders are a definite no no!

What are your favourite holiday make up must haves? Tell the Poodle!

Paris Valentine Essentials

2010-02-06T14:21:00.000-08:00

Cliches aside, Paris can't help but be a city of romance. The men and women are gorgeous and groomed, the streets are cobbled or accessorised with quaint candlelit street side tables, and rose vendors on the metro are a constant feature. With all the romance that is in the air this week, in the count down to Saint Valentine's Day, the best of Paris really comes to life, and somehow you start seeing people in love whereever you are. The romantic possibilities in Paris are countless. Even just walking through Jardin de Tulleries today, a sudden heavy snowfall transformed the park into a winter lovers paradise. Couples embrassed, locked in full french kiss mode, as the snow speckled their behatted heads, the Poodle couldn't help but smile at the obvious romance of it all.

If Paris is the city of love, then the flower of love is most definately the rose. Whether it is in beauty balms, lotions, perfumes or tea, the delicate floral aroma is always associated with femininity and love.

As, sadly, this Paris pup is not expecting to receive a dozen red roses this Sunday, I have treated myself to some rosey themed treats and thought I would share them with you.

First up, is the most delicious smelling beauty product I have had the pleasure of daubing myself with since my Guerlain lipstick buy. Le Baume Precieux Or de Rose by Terry (15ml), is at 49euros somewhat of a beauty indulgence, but it is the most strikingly lovely beauty product that I carry around with me at ALL times. With flecks of real gold and the shimmering rose fragranced balm, this ultra reflective precious product gives lips a shimmering prettiness that can also be used to highlight cheek bones or dotted along eyelids for an extra chic sparkle.

Next up, is the new perfume from Dolce & Gabanna, Rose The One. The whole fragrance was based on a 'love for Scarlett' according to Dolce, who thinks that she is the one person in the world who best sums up femininity...pushing aside my strong dislike of such a statement, I still recommend this perfume for its romance. The fruity and musky combination of blackcurrant, pink grapefruit, mandarin, lily of the valley, rose, peony, Madonna lily, ambrette seed, sandalwood, musk and vanilla is one that is fresh, feminine and certainly seductive. In spite of my resistance to Scarlett (who loves herself so much that its actually vulgar), the sparkling top notes are as inviting as the woody musky base notes. If there's anything women should take from Scarlett it is her ability to attract men so if this is Scarlett bottled, then for V Day, I'm going to have to spritz myself from here til Sunday!

Last but not least is Boots Botanics Rose Water Toner. A good old simple, dependable beauty product. It has an astringent aspect to it which I love to use to attack spots, remove stubborn fake tan stains or whenever I feel my skin needs an intense toning session and it only costs a few pennies at £3.91- why not treat yourself to this one with your Boots cards points next time?

One other rose themed treasure I have come across is the Rose The cafe in the 11th arrondisement (104 avenue Ledru Rollin) which has a heavenly choice of tea, pastries and hot chocolates, which you can enjoy in the most gorgeously pink and girly decor. In case you happen to be lucky enough to be whisked away to gay Paris for a long weekend of love making and sight seeing, do stop in for a quite pause and people watch the Parisians outside. It's truely cosy and utterly Poodle tastic!

Also for cheap hotels in Paris check out http://www.budgetplaces.com/5580/paris-valentines-day-hotels-paris-55-1-1.html where you can get a room in Paris from 28 euros a night...quickly - send this link to the man in your life!

With love

The Paris Poodle x

Love the London Look

2010-02-04T07:35:00.000-08:00

Go Aggy!

After a recent trip back to London, the Poodle has a renewed love, adoration and appreciation of the sheer audacity of British fashion and fashionable Brits everywhere. The same goes for British make up, which is also loud, proud and experimental. Clothes clash, patterns out pattern other patterns, structured jackets are teamed with billowing shirts while pork pie hats are worn with floaty dresses, vintage jewels with neon lycra from American Apparel, lip liner, stars, face painting, stripes, big lips, big eyes, everything is a fashion possibility. There are no limits to the creative potential of what you’ll find walking around the streets of London.

Florence teams sequined hot pants with a flyaway dress...

If the world is Gok’s Fashion Fix, then London is most definitely Gok, with shock tactic fashion, naff high street kitsch and tongue in cheek styling to extreme. With more dash than cash London makes fashion about fun, trying things out in fearless style, and always a smile. Yes, I’m doing Desperately Seeking Susan today, and yesterday was Bat for Lashes... the influences are evident, music and fashion are irrevocably at one in London...

The Florence and the Machine floaty night dress and big boots topped off with a shocking scarlet barnett – all images are interlocked and inter-referenced and it’s this blatant nod to popular culture, historical vintage fashion or even runway references gone mad, that is so refreshingly quirky, cheeky and indisputably cool about the way that Londonistas dress. Take a look at Alexa Chung and Pixie Geldof, London's leading ladies:

Therefore, in contrast to Gok, Paris is most certainly Brix Smith Start (although much quieter and with 90% less peroxide). Paris is the capital of fashion, the home of Chanel, the domicile of Dior and the je ne sais quoi of Yves Saint Laurent, and naturally designer rules on these streets. Parisians are innately stylish – it is part of their genetic make up. They opt for simplicity, clean lines, clean colours, sophisticated outfits which are appropriate for all occasions and situations. Parisians combine quality, simple, wearable, expensive designer pieces in shades of black, white or navy, with varying combinations of other expensive designer pieces in brown, black or grey. So, even if behind the heavy 12ft ornate doors in countless Paris immeubles along Boulevard Saint-Germain there are fireworks of creativity shooting off in the couture houses, on the street in Paris there is a dreary albeit chic winter uniform obeyed by all.

Tatou goes for classy but conventional

Pour les filles:

Minimal make up
One subtle piece of jewellery
Black trench coat
Stockings
Boots in black or brown
Little black dress
Longchamp handbag

Pour les garçons:

Dark jeans (tight fitting)
Shirt
Cashmere jumper
Black or brown trench coat – can be in leather
Black smart shoes often with a pointed toe
Therefore it really is a lovely moment for the Poodle to venture on to the colourful chaotic streets of London to breathe in the humour, the style, the jumble sale chic and the kitsch eccentricity of it all. Thank you London! Apologies to Paris but when it comes down to it, it’s London that shouts fashion loud and clear, trends are taken off of the runway and interpreted in a multitude of individual British ways. Today is a proud day for the Paris Poodle to be an English rose!

Who wins in your fashion stakes? London or Paris?

The Edge of Fashion

2010-02-02T05:50:00.000-08:00

So the Spring/Summer shows have been paraded and assessed and one thing is for sure, edges are the accessory of the season whether they are crocheted, lacy, streamlined, ruffled or frayed. The Poodle investigates the edge of fashion....

The tearaway trend is one that has really caught my eye; I’m in love with Prada’s raw edged haut couture. Freshly cut silk blouses and shorts are shot through with the creative chaos of creation, giving a new meaning to ready to wear. Subtle but savage with threads a trailing and jagged frayed lines, this is fashion barely born.

Take a look at this:

Sophisticated but sexy, chic but not too proper, Prada has captivated the imagination of the Poodle, and the best thing is that it is thoroughly re-creatable on a budget- I’m tempted to rip, snip, cut and tear into my wardrobe, trimming length and teasing threads loose to recreate the whimsical yet feral femininity of these 2010 collections. What a fabulous crunch friendly fashion. The Poodle approves.

With this tearaway trend ripping up the runway now is the time to hurl yourself into vintage shops, charity shops and get hunting for a silk camisole, a satin patterned shirt, some skimpy shorts, and take them home with you and let the scissors loose! It may be messy but without looking ‘too much’ as the French like to say sounding ever so Anglophone. I agree! Let fashion rip!

And if the frayed edge look isn’t for you, there is a multitude of other ways to wear your hem. Karl Lagerfeld and Dolce & Gabbana opted for crochet for a home spun chic that is more gorgeous than granny, Madonna looks fabulous in D&G’s crochet wrap dress in their ad campaign although the Poodle thinks they should have let her finish her pasta before taking the shot!

Who would have thought that Madge ate carbs?

Lace is still a big OUI from the fashion authorities and if anyone did it justice on the runway it was Chanel with their fragile lace layering in shades of pastel pink and sugar white.

Luckily RARE have this great lacy number for £80 which won’t break the bank but will give you a girly edge over the fashionista competition on your next night out!

Fuffles, ruffles, frou frous and flounce flirted with many a model at the Spring/Summer shows, but the designer who really got the ruffles right according to the Poodle’s exacting ruffle standards, was Lavin, who came up with this fabulous feminine but feisty dress:

Fortunately you can buy this Lavin inspired ‘One shouldered wired ruffle dress’ on Asos for £38.00. Bargain beautiful!

How do you like your edges? Let the Poodle know your thoughts!

Happy Hands

2010-01-20T10:08:00.000-08:00

Don't hide your hands like Hepburn!

Since being in Paris, I wash up a lot more often. Not only because eating is such a ritual at any meal in France, and inevitably involves endless cutlery and crockery, but also because washing up is the nearest I can get to having a bubble bath. I only know a tiny handful of people who have the luxury of a proper bath. The Poodle dreams of laying in a Jo Malone Dark Amber scented bath, all warm and toasty until my skin is irresistibly soft and smooth.

All of this washing up, and with the cold winter air outside has somewhat made me develop a hand cream obsession. The slightest dryness or discomfort is enough to send me into a frenzy of moisturiser hunting! If I see one, I buy it, and if I don't buy it, I at least try it! And now I'm going to blog about it! But it's all for a good cause. If hands are the first thing to give away your age, then this Poodle is a good 10 years older according to mes mains!

So what can I recommend for perfect paws? I have recently developed a penchant for bergamot which is widely used in aromatherapy to relieve stress, insomnia and depression - the ideal uplifting ingredient for these dark and dreary January days. Any cream that contains this delicious ingredient is sure to get both me and my hands happy...

Liz Earle Hand Repair
This one is a good old favourite of mine - mostly because of its bergamot, neroli and lavender fragrance but also for its super skin friendly ingredients -beta carotene and a healthy dose of vitamin E - both rich in antioxidants - the magic ingredient for skin repairing - much needed at this time of year! From £8.25 for a 50ml tube, the ideal handbag size.

L'Occitane Bergamot Tea Hand Cream
This shea butter enriched hand cream from French Provence is £12.50 for 75ml and is delicately fragranced with Bergamot. Sinking in rapidly it instantly makes hands softer and smoother and also does wonders for your cuticles.

Neal's Yard Remedies - Garden Mint & Bergamot Hand Lotion
Harder to come by in Paris, but one of the most beautifully fragranced, natural hand creams known to ladies is Neal's Yard Garden Mint & Bergamot Hand Lotion which is in a 200ml pump - (and only £10.50 at that)! An added bonus is that you can keep this one in the kitchen in between rounds of washing up and pump natural goodness back into your skin as soon as the dishes are out of the sink. This light lotion also has jojoba, shea and evening primrose and leaves hands looking lovely and smelling delicious.

Ortigia Bergamot Hand Cream
This Sicilian brand has great taste in packaging and ingredients! Their Bergamot Hand Cream is very dense, rich and nourishing and is perfect for heavy duty washer uppers in Paris and beyond! With a fine uplifting fragrance, and of course plenty of olive oil (it is Sicilian after all) it is a reliable hand helper at 19€ although one word of advice is use a small amount because it can be a trifle greasy. Available from http://www.ortigia-srl.com/

Golden Globes Glamouratti

2010-01-17T05:07:00.001-08:00

Christina Hendricks drives Men Mad with her creamy curves

I may be in Paris, but everyone I know and everywhere I go, the beauties of the Golden Globes Glamouratti are being given their obligatory score marks, not for their acting abilities of course, but for their taste, grace and accessories to dress ratios. It's a testing time... but who came out on top for their gorgeousness or ghastliness?

If you're asking the Poodle, the results are clear:

Drew Barrymore stole the style stakes with her classy, sequined Atelier Versace number. The pale ivory of the dress really looks exquisite against Barrymore's own alabaster skin tones. I particularly love the quirky unexpected crystal embellishment at the shoulder and hip - this dress sums up Miss Barrymore perfectly- a natural beauty, classy but kooky! Bravo!

The award for the most emaciated of the evening de”thin”itely goes to Calista Lockhart who looks as though she may fall over any moment under the weight of her Alberta Ferretti dress! Please someone feed the poor thing! I don't care if Kate Moss thinks that 'nothing tastes as good as skinny feels' - from the languid look on Miss Lockharts face, it doesn't really feel all that wonderful! The Poodle subscribes a healthy portion of pain au chocolat!

It's clear that nearly naked nude was THE colour to be wearing at the GG’s – and there really is something infinitely fascinating, alluring and daring about wearing nude. Just think what a stir Shakira caused in her kitsch-eriffic ‘She Wolf’ video! Nude remains one of those colours which you have to be stunningly beautiful and utterly svelte to pull off, which is probably why it featured so much on GG red carpet. I think you'll agree that Toni Collette, one of my favourite ladies from 'down under' looks sexily sublime in this sandy sparkle sprinkled dress from the talented Elie Saab.

The Glamaratti took to the red runway with minimal, lady like, startlingly classic make up and orderly up-do's with the odd rebellious strand tumbling away to flutter around their beautiful faces! For the Poodle, she who is the fairest of them all, has to be Kate Winslet - her make-up is impeccable and she has the Madonnesque dark eyebrows/blonde hair combination that I find absolutely naughty and irresistible! She is absolutely one of those women who look ever more beautiful over time! Qu-est qu'elle est belle!

Kate Winslet - Golden girl

Make away with the January Blues

2010-01-11T09:06:00.000-08:00

The Paris Poodle has been fending off the January blues with whatever means possible. And if there's anything that is guaranteed to equal instant happy (minus severe purse pain), its make up shopping! Well - if you followed my plan to clear out the crap from your make up bag, then you'll naturally soon feel the need to replenish it with new wonderful cosmetics!

And although spring make up may be calling out for fresh faced nude lips and make up minimalism, seeing as MAC have just launched a French lace boudoir inspired collection of seductive mauves, cloud greys and startling white, as the Paris Poodle it would be rude not to check it out - purely for the purposes of pampering... check out this palette of pastels... I indulged in the mauve shimmering Hypnotizing shade! It's got Paris under its spell!

From searching in Sephora sales I have also picked up a gorgeous lippy (with 50% off) in the perfect shade of barely-there 'Purely Pearl' this one is subtle, feminine and a great choice to ensure my lips are on trend this spring! The only thing is, it doesn't stay on for that long - so it will probably only last me through the spring at the rate I'm reapplying!

Another lipstick which I am in love with is my recently discovered Guerlain 671 Maxi Shine in Baby Shine - a moisturising candy stripe pink! Not only does it make my lips feel incredibly soft, leave them sparkling with seductive shimmer, it also smells delicious; with its sweet violet tones, this lipstick plumps and smooths and seduces with its girlishly gorgeous candy floss gloss! C'est l'amour!

Its Guerlain gorgeous!

Forward thinking fashion...

2010-01-10T13:13:00.000-08:00

Think fierce, flirty, feminine for Spring 2010.

So.... it's a new year - that means a new wardrobe! Get ahead and scan the Jan' sale rails and charity/vintage shops for pieces that echo the 2010 Spring trends that will see you through the seasons. The Poodle and her style spies recommend the following...

Look out for corseted, boned tops and dresses - although they suggest boudoir, the fashion authorities have spoken - underwear is set to be the new outer-wear for Spring - that means dainty lace, transparent fabric, sculpting whale bone corsets and bustier tops. Think Madonna's Blonde Ambition tour, but dumb the look down so you can pull it off on the street, without being mistaken for a streetwalker.

Other than sumptuous silks, lady like lace lace and lolita lingerie inspired dresses, Spring 2010 is calling for other wardrobe staples...for example, the baby doll dress like this one from Luella:

As for colours, if you come across ivory, black, nude and beige, then you should be bang on trend for Spring - the barely there palette of pastels is back with the odd exclaimation of black punctuation! Take Lagerfelds word for it at Chanel:

Cutesy, short, flirty and fun - that is what Spring dressing should all be about - and although it may be dark and cold outside, there's no time like the present to prepare for future fashions whilst foraging through the sales this month!

The Poodle's Steps to Sales Success

2010-01-08T11:54:00.001-08:00

The Poodle apologises for the slight delay in posting – but if you were in Paris you will understand – les SOLDES have begun! And in France that’s headline news – on the metro newspapers at least! The French hold off for their sale fixes until the 6th January so since then the streets have been packed thanks to early morning opening hours...shopping has never been so serious!

Some boutiques have even been offering customers croissants and coffee – so chic, so français – it goes to show just how far the French will go for a January sales bargain – foregoing breakfast would never otherwise happen unless the shops were offering pastries on a plate!

With shopping fever reaching an all time haut (high) this Paris Poodle has been tempted, taunted and teased with shops offering 30%, 40%, 50% off... but as much as I’ve thrusted through the crowds, and lusted at the sale rail, I have stuck to some very important rules (after all in this country sale items are NON exchangeable – impulse buys have no get out clause)!

With promotions partout, and end of line stock slashed in price to a level of bulk buyability, it can get messy... allow me to share with you, the Paris Poodle rules to sale shopping success....

1. Dress accordingly. Simple, easy to enleve (take off) clothing is essential – think shift dress, tights and ballet pumps/boots for a quicker changing room turnaround.

2. Stay focused – sales shopping can be intimidating-ly chaotic – surtout a gay Paris where shopping isn’t just a nice thing to do with friends – it’s actually a way of life! The diehard sale shoppers will get to shops before opening hours to benefit (in theory) from first dibs on the bargain buckets. Don’t bother with buckets and head to the sale rails that have the most variety to choose from.

3. Think twice. Importantly, before buying any item, make sure that you like it – even if you can now afford to get it wrong (now there’s a 50% discount) there’s no point buying that pair of silk hot pants from Kookai just because you can – hold out for a better bargain that’s way more you!

4. Dedicate a day to sales shopping – or maybe 2– it’s a trial that we have to put ourselves through just for the peace of mind that we haven’t missed out – so you’ll need to take a full day to study the sales and get to grips with the discounts at every store.

5. If being selfish is one of your 2010 resolutions or even being more economical, buying pressies for oneself (and for others) during the sales, is the best way to make you feel great about yourself and your bank account – buying bargains now technically means saving loads of money to put towards those Jimmy Choos’ you’ve been fantasising over! It’s a win-win situation.

Make Up Management

2010-01-04T14:16:00.000-08:00

As promised, Project January commences...! First things first, resolutions, rules and re-hauls are needed. Starting the year off in the best way possible can only pave the way for fabulous things ahead. So let's start with the face - and that mean's clearing out your make up bag!

The state of make up bags across Paris (and beyond) is shockingly unkempt - despite the Parisians addictions to designer make up brands galore there are half broken, over used, over stuffed make up bags crying to be cleared out! Especially so after Christmas, when you've recieved more MAC make up sets and lip glosses than can ever be used up by one girl -the sheer quantity of flawless foundations, lash longifiers and blush beautifiers is overwhelming!

Of course, it would be sinful to throw out your half used NARS lipstick or Urban Decay Eye Liner, but there is a way to manage your make up...

Here are the rules to getting sorted:

1. Throw out any mascara which no longer bears any writing on the packaging. Considering that mascaras should be replaced every 3-5 months, any packaging fade suggests you've been clinging onto your Boujours Club Mascara for way too long.

2. Sort through your eye shadows - are you really going to be wearing that shade of yellow eyeshadow now that the summer 2008 collections have truely been and gone? Ditch the dreary under used grey eye shadow with the dodgy won't-shut-completely-lid. Spring is on it's way and according to Paris Vogue, it's time to think fresh with nudes, rose and blossom colours.

Let's face it you're not going to recreate this look in 2010!

Rosey, Voguey - that's much better - this spring seasons' make up promises instant pretty!

3. Reject the ugly. That mean's get rid, chuck, throw out, expel from your make up bag any crumbled compacts, cracked bronzers or powder puffs that make an ugly mess all over your hands, dressing table, make up brushes, make up bag more than they beautify. It may be your favourite shade of Clinique powder foundation, but if its broken, you can't fix it. Move on.

Out with the old and in with the new!

These of course are the top 3 rules of make up management. However, suffice to say that to clear out your make up bag will make you feel more organised, and will help you to make up each day in a more organised, more co-ordinated way, which can only be more beautiful in every way!

One other pet hate of the Poodle, is ill matched foundations. Obviously with foundations being the base of all classy cosmetics, it's important to get this right. Make sure that your foundation matches your skin, being the general, most important rule, and if you're not sure, I can thoroughly reccommend Prescriptives for their bespoke blending of high quality make up especially their Flawless Skin foundation which covers imperfections in an instant!

Project January

2010-01-04T13:43:00.000-08:00

First things first, the Paris Poodle would like to wish all fashionistas, francophiles, recessionistas and beauty addicts across the world a very Happy New Year! 2010 is the start of a whole new decade and that means a whole decade of fashion, beauty trends and trend history making to look forward to!

After a winter's worth of hoarding, feasting, gorging and general over indulgence even the most speedy model metabolismed of beings can feel lethargic and lack lustre at this time of year - its January for goodness sake -the longest, darkest, most penniless month of the year and everyone is reeling from the anti climax to Christmas! But never fear - the Paris Poodle vous proposes Project January...

This month I'll be positively posting so together we can collectively turn January around into a month of fabulousness - don't forget that January does have its upside - this is only the month where there are sales galore, it's also the only month of the year where it's socially acceptable to be anti-social and podgy -(everyone is forgiving after last month's excess)!

Personally, this Paris Poodle loves the beginning of the year where all is new and shiney and full of infinite possibilities - the New Year is a lot like a new LBD - who knows where it will end up throughout the course of the next 12 months?

Audrey's LBD took her to Tiffany's and beyond!

The brilliant beauty of a new year is just that - the beauty of possibility! It can be a brand new start to a brand new you so keep checking the 'Poodle for my Project January postings!

I love Paris in the wintertime...

2009-12-18T13:47:00.001-08:00

I was so looking forward to going home, back to England, where the fields are green, the wine mulled, the mince pies hot and the holly and the ivy plentiful. With it's frosty mornings, open fires, endless tea and milk, carol singers and it's houses distastefully smothered in flashing festive lights... I could not wait to take my plane!

But then it snowed. It snowed in Paris... And suddenly it became SO beautiful, perfect and wonderfully magical, that this Paris Pup had to revise whether or not to return to London, when gay Paris was suddenly adorned with all the Christmas charm one could hope for!

Effortlessly decorated by mother nature in lashings of fluffy neige, with sparkling frost on the windows, rooftops and balconies...(of course Paris waits for the real thing -much more classy than spray snow afterall)! Christmas has never been more Christmassy - so here is my Paris Xmas Hit List if you are lucky enough to be in the city of lights this festive season...

1. Hotel de Ville Ice Skating

Ice skating is always a wonderfully wintery thing to do with friends and my pick of Paris's patinoires has to be Hotel de Ville where the ice rink is admittedly very busy but this has the added advantage of being in the heart of the city, in front of one of Paris's most stunning building. What's more afterwards you can spend TIME in BHV and in the numerous boutiques, shops and commercial havens in the Hotel de Ville vincinity! Parfait! Alternatively why not check out the Eiffel Tower Ice Skating Rink on the 1st floor which is free once you have entry to the tower itself - what could be more quintessentially romantic?

2. Champs Elysees

Another festive must do is the Champs Elysees Market near to Place de la Concorde where you can see the Eiffel Tower, Tour Montparnasse and Invalides all at once! The market itself is again, crowded, but there are cutesome stalls, vin chaud and roasted chestnuts a plenty and lots of cute jewellery finds to be discovered, alongside animal figurines carved out of vegetable ivory and pashima venders. Be sure to take a few turns on La Grande Roue - Paris's answer to the Millenium Wheel which gives a terrific view over Paris's twinkly lights.

Outside Rue Mouffetard! Tres FESTIVE!

3. Rue Mouffetard

Being in my quartier, Rue Mouffetard is naturally often frequented by the Poodle, and at Christmas it really is something special - the well known vivacious street, with its cobbled stones and cutesy boutiques and bars, this is one road where you can meander with friends and enjoy the open air food market where you can buy the freshest of oysters to the most delicious strawberries! Further up the road and there are some very reasonable gift shops, clothes stores and shoe shops too - one of my favourite Mouffetard shops is Anoki who sell earrings from 3euros to scarves and wallets from 20euros - a great place to go to stock up on gifts or presents to self!

Let the Poodle know what your favourite festive things to do are! Wherever you are....!

Style for the Season

2009-12-13T03:36:00.000-08:00

Christmas is the time of year when 'il faut' wear a beautiful party dress! For all those nights out during your Christmas vacation, for staff parties and girls nights out and the pinnacle Christmas eve soirees...

This winter it is the reign of Sequins and Shimmer when it comes to having a gorgeous dress (no matter what the colour! With so much dazzling sparkle, this is the season to be the centre of attention!) The Paris Poodle, has sniffed out the top 3 places online to find the perfect dress or dresses to enjoy the season in...

Find Me A Dress

www.find-me-a-dress.com/ -Firstly...this new website is frankly THE one stop shop for finding the perfect dress...100% dedicated to dresses, not only does it have the best selection of dresses from Luella to New Look, from Debenhams to Diane Von Furstenburg, it also has a section dedicated to finding out what styles suit your body shape in its' "Figure me out" section. This is so helpful! And I wonder why not all clothing websites have this feature! It really does help you decide which dresses are going to be most wonderfully perfect for you - it's like having an online Gok best friend to tell you what will or won't look good. With its interview section with my favourite girl banders from Sugababes and The Saturdays, (I think the Paris Poodle should be next)! This shopping site also has all the essential girly extras which are 100% necessary inbetween browsing their infinite selection of dresses. It's also very simple to use, select a category (PARTY DRESS!) and then you can chose the size, colours, style, dress length and price that you are looking for and it does all the hard work for you - this really does take the pain out of dress shopping! I found this gorgeous satiny grecian Lipsy number thanks to their site!

Boohoo.com

Next up is a budget dependable classic favourite - http://www.boohoo.com/ is basically Asos but cheaper and with less fancier packaging. They have a great choice of dresses and I have many a cutesome dress for under £20 from there. With their quick delivery and amazing choice of purse friendly fashion there'll be no boohooing about them! At the moment they are doing a 50% off pre Christmas sale - how amazingly fabulous of them!

This sexy little number is only £10! What are you waiting for!?!

Dress Me Joyce

http://www.dressmejoyce.com/ is the answer to fashion that women have been waiting for! A totally bespoke dress making service, this website really strikes a high note with me for its use of real women to model the dresses, as the website claims "None of the women pictured on this website are professional models, but strong, modern women who represent the Dress Me Joyce ethos...Know your shape.Understand your style.Look your best." The Poodle loves! This feminista website offers its customers a choice of dresses which you can then have made especially for you in your perfect size, colour and with any alterations or extras you make want. For the festive season their "Audrey" shift dress in red satin - it's striking and daring and utterly feminine- so Joyce!

Screw the Scrunchie

2009-12-12T14:37:00.000-08:00

It looks like France is catching on to the 'SAY NO TO SCRUNCHIES' movement Carrie Bradshaw and I are advocating. Look at this abandoned red number I found in the Marais!!!

That's one hair accessory well worth loosing! How proud I was to see that at least one frenchie is following my Poodle advice. I like to think it was ripped from a high pony tail after the wearer heard news of the PP blog - or on finally realising that it's 2009, not 1989!

This being said, I was rudely affronted by a yellow floral scrunchie on the metro today, with no where to move, it was forced into my personal space... so it seems that the Poodle has more scunchie campaigning to do...

Also, whilst being scrunched together on the metro, I noticed the plea from another exasperated campaigner who, like me is trying to eliminate any traces of bad french taste, (so that they really can live up to their flawlessly chic reputation) a poster, in the middle of the carriage proclaiming "I don't eat horses" - ou "je ne mange pas de chevals"- another worthy cause which is strongly supported by Brigitte Bardot.

Bardot and Connery - Horse lovers

At times like these I can't help but feel somewhat superior to some of the Frenchies, (which is often shamefully difficult when one is English!) Nonetheless, I can happily declare, that I, the Paris Poodle, do not eat horses, I don't wear scrunchies!

I look forward to the day when the French stop placing stuffed real animals in their shop windows (and stop wearing them too for that matter!)

I couldn't believe it when I saw this!

These reminents of poor french taste continue, but hopefully not for long... being of the animal kingdom, I have already found my local Animal Rights centre. But as for crimes against hair accessories - I think I'll soon have no choice but to call in Carrie and the girls if this scandelous scrunchie behaviour continues... Watch this space...

Tis the season to be sparkly...

2009-12-04T11:35:00.000-08:00

and that mean's jewels galore, sequins, sparkles, diamonds, silver and gold! It's the same every December and the Poodle LOVES it! 2009 has certainly been a year for all things sequin, particularly this years AW collections, which always embrace the winter as a season of friviolity and festivity.

Jean Paul Gaultier knows how to do couture glamour!

The Poodle finds that there is no better way to adorn oneself to seasonal splendor than to get bejewelled to bedazzel! Nothing makes one feel instantly more glamourous and girly, or festively fickle than excessive jewels - be it statement pieces, vintage vamp or sensational sparkles. What's more jewels and jewellery make a great present - for yourself! So why not splash out on some outfit transforming pieces or invest in some year round me me me must haves?

I've been on the look out for the most glitterai and most gorgeous pieces for this months' nights out and have come up with my own little shortlist of the best bijoux's around, from Paris and Londres alike...

This Charming Girl

First up this vintage online jewellery stall specialises in all jewels kitch and cute, plus it has the most 'charmant' name - my french friends love it as much as my Brit chicks - which means anything from here is a fail safe purchase! This is a treasure trove of darling finds which have tiny prices but big reactions! Plus all their jewellery is delivered with sequin hearts inside- as if their cutesome creations weren't enough already! (http://thischarminggirl.bigcartel.com/)

Check out their OUI necklace - me love!

And their 'Fly me to the sky' hot air balloon necklace is sickly sweet!

Regarde! The little pearl is being carried in the basket!

Saoya

Next up is French jewellery boutique Saoya (http://www.saoya.fr/) who have my nose pressed to their delightful window displays several times a week! Their nature and fantasy inspired collections all contain flowers one way or another and their unusual pieces are really quite special.

I love their Accroche Coeur collection -shown above (Kiss Curl) it's super sparkly and sophisticated and I adore the the topaz/fuschia combination -ultra sophisticated and ultra special, this collection has a vintage feel but doesn't take itself too seriously!

Their Divine Hellebore collection is also really something - with flowers shaped from mother of pearl and twinkly swarskovsky crystals this is baroque vintage chic with a touch of the bohemian!

Divine Hellebore! Divine!

Agatha
Agatha (http://www.agatha.fr/) is a typically chic french jewellery boutique which specialises in Scotty Dog terriers on wallet, purses and umbrellas and everywhere else you wouldn't expect to find one! But aside from this oddity they also do some great chunky, funky, classic jewels, bangles, rings and braclets like this one here- look at the size of them crystals!

Frey Wille

Last but by no means least is Frey Wille who do the most retro chic, coolio, look at me outlandish pieces for money burning prices! Prices aside, their jewellery is unique and rock and roll and artistique and not afraid to shout out LOOK AT ME, I AM FREY WILLE. I will leave you with some images of their incredible collections:

A decorative December...

2009-12-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

It’s officially December and that means CHRISTMAS IS COMING!! That means presents, lots of food, lots of parties and so much fun!! In recent days, the Paris Poodle has been learning how the French do Christmas. Through my decoration observation studies in Galaries Layfayette, Printemps and along Les Champs Elysées, it turns out that the tourist hot spots have had the most commercial X-mas Factor ploughed into them – the vitrines (shop windows) at Printemps alone have enough magic, mechanics and cuteness to keep you occupied for a good 45 minutes! Each one has a set of small steps and a platform so that the kiddies can get a better view- the moving teddy bears and puppets are accompanied by sinister music (presummably Christmassy), which for the Poodle, made the cutesome scenes of festive joy transform into something like The Nightmare Before Christmas! The little ones didn’t seem to mind though!

Cute or creepy?

Check out these pics of my festive fenetre favourites:

Aside from these grand gestures to be extra Christmassy for the kids, I have found that elsewhere the Christmas displays are much more discrete. Where are the marketing signs of pre Christmas offers? Where are the complementary mince pies and mulled wine when you go into shops? Where’s the holly and the ivy? And why don’t the French go Christmas carolling? They don’t even seem to like playing Christmas songs in the shops for fear that they will devalue their stock. In fact so far, the only shop I have had the pleasure of ‘I wish it could be Christmas every day’ and ‘ Santa Clause is coming to town’ was in the 4th arrondisement when I was browsing in a sex shop. Somewhere in between the ‘How to control a man remote control’ and the ‘ring for sex’ bell I momentarily understood why the French don’t play these songs as incessently as they do in England... but it is only the 4th so I’m holding out for more to come...

The French may be less OTT in their approach to Christmas but they really cant help it - they’re not allowed to be overtly commercial and in your face. It’s a matter of ‘class’, of ‘sophistication’ the eternal understatedness that reigns in Paris. Nonetheless the Christmas markets and the hot roast chestnut stands are still in check here...and what’s more, I still have the outdoor ice rink at Hotel de Ville and the classical music concerts in various Paris cathedrals to look forward to – its still twinkly sparkly pretty in shop windows and main streets!

Although, the Poodle must confess, part of me is desperately longing to decorate my balcony with blown up illuminated snowmen just to add the retro to the oh-so-chic ness of my avenue des Gobelins Paris palace!

Paris Excess and Finesse

2009-12-02T11:14:00.000-08:00

The Paris Poodle apologises for the late posting but I have been glamourously galavanting around Paris with my gorgeous girlfriends, frequenting Paris’s most famously fabulous haunts! After all, even in these ‘crunch’ ridden times if you can't have the odd blow out in Paris at Christmas, then where and when can you!?

The Poodle opted for a 3 course dinner on Saturday night with gorgeous girls and great company, at Les Deux Canards, with its typically French interior and quirky French cuisine- the restaurant is located in the back streets of the 10th arrondisement and you must book ahead or be beautifully rich to make sure you have a table.

The food and wine is utterly first class and beginning the evening with their cherry or orange wine is a great way to start! I finished with their cremalicious crème brulee which was burnt to perfection in theatrical fashion in front of my own eyes. This was enough to leave me feeling 100% satisfied, thirst quenched and well fed...until we found ourselves in THE Paris Four Seasons Hotel, George V – think Ritz and Glitz!

The sparkling rose champagne by Cuvée Louise Rosé was divinely delicious and the ambience of their marble floors, plush sofas, soft lighting and excellent service (every glass came with a selection of chocolates, nuts, olives and nougart) made this Poodle temporarily feel that excess is best...but as the bubbles kept bubbling I couldn’t help but feel that having drunk nearly 100 euros of champagne in only a couple of glasses that maybe DIY at home Glam could just be my new plan.... it has to be – I’ve used up my annual visit allowance to George V until next year! (January is only one month away!)

The Kitsch Benefit...

2009-11-19T05:25:00.001-08:00

Will the French ever be as in love with Kitsch as the Yankees and the Brits? It's questionable. This week, the Les Gobelins Brocante (flea market) had more antique mirrors and matching regal candlesticks than you could shake a stick at – and although very français, the whole market lacked the Kitsch factor of London’s Portabello Road or Ladbroke Grove market. Nonetheless I poodled around to see if I could better understand the French flea market mentality...

My French friends insist that for flea markets (Brocantes) people empty their cupboards and take to the streets in a car boot sale fashion to flog their unwanted collections of silverwear or fur coats. There were some beautiful ornate and intricate finds to be found- the jewellery was granny chic adorable and the French mirriors really were quite impressive. It was all very typically French, so much so that it was almost kitsch – but to be kitsch you have to know it!

Thankfully my San Fransico make up friends at Benefit Cosmetics are doing business in Paris and introducing the concept of kitsch to Sephoras nationwide in France. Soon kitsch will catch on – as soon as les français embrace the concept – that NAFF is CHIC and OTT is never enough!
Benefit are one of my favourite, very American, very Darrhhhling brands and their latest face powder is just fabulous. ‘One Hot Minute’ is a rose gold finishing powder that you sweep over your finished face to give your make up an extra sexy sparkly shimmer that instantly gives you a superstar glow of gorgeousness.

For the party season I recommend moisturising your arms and décolletage with a light body milk like French eco beauty brand Nuxe’s Rêve Miel, waiting for it to dry somewhat, then take 60 seconds to brush Benefits One Hot Minute along your décolletage, lightly dusting along your arms and shoulders, for a sexy party shimmer that’s ready to dominate the dance floor.
It costs £23.50 so it’s a reasonably priced present to self and as it suits all skin shades its perfect for sprinkling on your friends at home during pre party drinks! J’aime beaucoup!

And if you are feeling really playfully kitsch then why not indulge in a small bottle of one of Benefits new Crescent Row fragrances- you can chose from 3 appealing scents Lee Lee, Sofia or Gina – each one is housed in their little box which opens up to reveal the bottle in situe in the maison de Lee Lee, Sofia or Gina. My Poodle favourite is Something about Sofia – for its mango and vanilla tones and oriental blossom but also for the cringeworthly kitsch poem its marketed with:

She lives in a dream
More dazzling than fiction
Imaginary but real
She defies all prediction
An incredible girl
She draws you right in
To where the everyday ends
And magic begins...

Now who wouldn’t want to smell like that!!

Merci Benefit – for helping make Paris a more kitschfabulous place to be beautiful in!

The Best Bits of Budget Beautiful

2009-11-13T10:32:00.000-08:00

The Paris Poodle loves a bargain – a budget buy is always a bit of a hit or miss. But when you buy a hair spray for 1 euro 10 and it actually delivers the same fab reliable results as your usual Elnett Laquer you feel so much more grateful for your little budget buy in its unfancy packaging with its dodgy smell, because it was so unassuming – it didn’t promise you the world it just delivered. Its a bit like finding that the godawful date you are wasting your time on suddenly turns into ‘the one’, which, granted doesn’t happen often but when it does it is a great day – in pocket, in love and a great hairstyle held dearly in place by your budget can of budget hairspray.
With the recession still grinding on, it’s always sensible to be sensible and what better way to be sensible than to buy sensible beauty and fashion products at sensible prices – I don’t think you could get more sensible than that!

The Paris Poodle has already done the research for you when it comes to saving the pennies this winter and has come up with a shortlist of the best budget ideas to be beautiful and branchée (trendy) throughout the winter months.

Bargain Boujois Beauty
Bourjois Mini’s – I love the Boujours mini collections – they are just too cute. Their lip gloss phone charms may be a little passé but the teensy crème blush compact is a real bargain at £2.69 and with a peachy array of colours to chose from you can buy a couple for a little over £5!

Designer Arm Candy
In Paris they love a label and the majority of the time this comes in the shape of an IT bag or IT pair of shoes. Unfortunately as a Paris Poodle of modest means I can’t constantly buy the latest designer arm armour –which is why I am so delighted to have discovered http://www.handbaghirehq.com/! This handbag hire site has a great collection of handbag rentals from classic totes and IT bags to more trendy, chic understatements from the likes of Dolce & Gabbana, Dior and Chloe. C’est genial. You can update your look, with a fabulous bag for as little as £10 a month. Plus they have great deals and voucher offers which are make extra special Christmas gifts for your Poodle pals!

Rimmel Kohl
Rimmel has just made it to Paris and although it is a lot more expensive over here, whenever I need a decent make up pick me up I know I can rely on this Brit teen essential for colourful nail varnish, golden bronzers or magnifying mascaras. One classic budget buy from the Rimmel range is their Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil in Black – you can use this on the inside of your eyes as well as the outside and it leaves dense dark colour making your eyes the centre of attention. For smokey sexy party eyes its a must – and from £1.99 you can’t complain!

Festive Red & utterly Sparkly! Are these the perfect Christmas shoes?!

Cinderella Me Shoes
A woman has a right to shoes! And that includes expensive, designer, red soled Christian Louboutins, Jimmy Choos and Gucci. And especially at this more festive time of year – if you cant wear Louboutins at Bon Marche in rue de Sèvres to do your Christmas shopping in then when can you? Cinderella-me shoes (https://www.cinderella-me.co.uk/) is a new company which launched earlier this year – they hire out designer heels to Bradshaw wannabes for a fraction of the price making designer shoe shopping completely guilt free for the first time! Each pair of shoes is only hired out for a maximum of 8 times and they are extremely tight on hygiene – this sure aint no bowling shoe hire! You can have killer heels with out killing yourself, designer footwear without the debt – Cinderella Me shoes is a Paris Poodle godsend – budget has never felt so indulgent!

The Secret Maths of Bad French Taste

2009-11-07T12:10:00.001-08:00

Whereas Carrie Bradshaw fell in Dior, I the Paris Poodle had Dior fall on me! You may think this is the better way round – a luxurious shower of quilted handbags and Diorette rings falling into my outstretched hands! But no. Dior, in my case, was a 6ft Amazonian check out worker at Monoprix who happened to trip up onto me in the cheese aisle.

The glamour of it. I know. With her stock of chevre (goats cheese) flying partout (everywhere) and my jus d’orange splattering colourfully on the floor this was one Paris moment this Poodle is keen to forget –how I felt for Carrie Bradshaw. Yet, at least when she fell over, her vintage clutch fell open like a Pandora’s box of lipsticks and credit cards; when Dior fell, her goats cheese smeared onto my coat in the process. I’m sure Carrie would have felt worse for me. I detest goats cheese.

It’s clear from this humiliating incident that:

Carrie Bradshaw + Fall in Dior x Credit Cards = Amusing albeit embarrassing anecdote

But

(Dior ÷ Monoprix checkout girl) + Goats Cheese x Paris Poodle = Messy supermarket disaster with no happy ending

This mortifying episode got the Poodle pondering, how ironically, the French who are soooo renowned for their good taste, elegance and plain smug sophistication can simultaneously do things in exceedingly bad taste. Like call their someone Dior as a prenom. Or even Chanel – another common mistake – I believe I also saw a vendeuse (shop assistant) called Fanta?! No joke.

At the end of all this I do feel worst for Dior (and especially poor Fanta too). After all, having a name such as Dior can only make one feel depressed if your circumstances are anything less than riches, finesse and fortune. Whilst I imagine being called Fanta can only be a negative equation.

Fanta = Lifelong hatred of parents

Paris Hilton’s Chihuahua’s are all named after designers in true tongue in cheek Paris fashion.

Chihuahua x Celebrity owner Paris Hilton + Prada = Cute puppy dog

However, actually being a person named Dior, living in Paris, and working at a Supermarket? That’s just not a kitsch combination.

Aside from such unfortunate names..the Poodle has noted other bad Paris choices which were presumably chosen with tasteful intentions, but how very wrong they were...

For example:

This week alone, I have encountered 3 women wearing real fur. I honestly don’t know how they get around. If this were London they would all 3 of them be beaten to a pulp by the Knightsbridge Harrods protestors. However, it seems that fur, here in Paris, where it isn’t even that cold, and where there is an infinite choice of shops, that fur is still acceptable. I mean! Uniqlo has just opened a branch here for goodness sake – even their awful Parkas are more tasteful!

I have also found that the scrunchie (cue Carrie Bradshaw/Burger argument) is also still an acceptable hair accessory here. Provocatively placed around pony tails and half pony tails, proudly wrapped around buns and semi chignons, I have been flabbergasted to see the scrunchie in shades of sparkling pink, velvet black and 90’s inspired floral print. I even saw one scrunchie teamed with a fur coat – that was TOO much! Je ne sais pas pourquoi the French have failed to throw out their scrunchies but they continue to exist. As soon as I find the offending shops that continue to sell these I will make a formal complaint!

Limited Edition Lust List

2009-11-05T03:16:00.000-08:00

Although there are still 8 weeks til Christmas I have started to think about which gorgeous gifts my glam girlfriends might like to receive... for the Paris Poodle’s pals’ there is nothing better than a unique, thoughtful, original gift that is cutesy, glamorous and beautifying.
Here’s the top 3 of the Paris Poodle’s Limited Edition Lust List...

Bourjois Limited Edition Paris Collection
Perfect for gifting to Francophiles (it sounds like such a dirty word doesn’t it) these Bourjois Eye Shadows and blushers are part of the ‘Rendez-Vous A Paris’ collection where French artiste Nathalie Lete has decorated the packaging with the most cutesy images of Paris living. Just having these in your make up bag makes you instantly more chic! With the iridescent eyeshadows and cheek colours they are a quick route to looking ravishingly radiant! Available from www.asos.com in mid November...

Elizabeth Arden’s Limited Edition Eight Hour Cream
This fluro –fabulous limited edition 80’s inspired packaging is toooo hideous not to love! Its clashing neon colours are outrageously outlandish! It’s great to see Elizabeth Arden have some fun with their packaging – and this colourful recreation has taken its inspiration from Versace, Gucci and Marc Jacobs AW shows. The magic of the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream always works wonders in winter and with this new limited edition look you’ll find it hard not to make it to House of Fraser (from 16th November) to get yours before they go go go!

Liz Earle Limited Edition Cleanse & Polish
From one Liz to another....Paris Poodle Readers will know that I love a Liz Earle product or two and this Holiday season they have excelled themselves making THE most glamorous packaging for their multi purpose cream cleanser – Cleanse & Polish. With its winter wonderful white and silver swirling design, it’s new design ideas like these which make Christmas shopping all the more exciting. With 150ml’s of the worlds best make up remover/skin cleanser/miracle worker in a pump to be proud of, for only £16.00, this one’s a definitely a Poodle lust have!

Make it a nice November

2009-11-03T15:12:00.000-08:00

Being November and all, I imagine lots of other Poodle pups are also feeling somewhat forlorn and depressed. The relentless Paris rain we had over the weekend meant I couldn’t even go walkies – that meant no lingerie lusting, hot chocolate sampling or jardin de plantes exploring. No ‘ing’s at all. I spent all weekend and most of this week just vegging which out of all the ‘ings’ is not really that exciting....

It’s a difficult month to get through – and inevitably November means you find yourself going into hibernation mode. For the Paris Poodle that means home comforts – endless cups of tea, cosy slippers and boxes of chocolates to pick your way through whilst reading Breakfast at Tiffany’s. In November you say no to going out and oui to staying in and watching French X Factor – (which really doesn’t have the right to use the X Factor name because it is SOOO pallid in comparison).

However, rather than having a typical November of retreating into comfort food and counting down til the Xmas lights go on, I have decided to turn November around – and you can too! It is a nothing month, and as the nights are so long, there is plenty of time to use the extra dark hours to your advantage. As far as poodling to perfection goes, it’s a great opportunity for some hibernation beautification.

With December the only month of the year where it’s bad form to be anything other than perfectly glamorous it’s November that counts – the beauty bother taken now, will all be worth it when you are the most radiant of them all throughout Decembers demanding social calendar.
So prepare for party season, treat yourself, relax at home with hair masks and intensive treatments, foot baths and brightening creams, lotions and potions, cosy and smug in the knowledge that your indulgent November pampering is the prerequisite for a partytastic, glamourgorgeous, mistletoemagical, snowsparkle perfect Christmas!

To begin this month of at home self petpampering I suggest....

Mizani H20 Intense Night Time Treat by L’Oreal
Perfect for proper Poodles with curly locks the Mizani H20 Intense Night Time Treat by L’Oreal (20 euros) is a very effective overnight treatment for hair that is course or rebellious. Although I would say this doesn’t describe my hair, I tried this in a small quantity to restrenghten the ends of my hair which were becoming a little wayward. After massaging the somewhat gloopy liquid through your hair you leave this on all night and by morning your hair will feel soft, smell divine and will look a lot less frazzled. It really is a miracle as your hair feels like liquid silk when you wash it out in the shower. It’s actually formulated for Afro hair but it happily works a treat on Caucasian hairs as well – an all round must have for extra beautiful, well conditioned hair. L’Oreal claim that the shea butter and vitamin rich formula with its ceramide hair strengthening technology can improve the strength of your hair- you can use this several times a week to tame your hair in party perfect condition.

Crabtree & Evelyn La Source Extreme Foot Therapy Cream
I love Crabtree & Evelyn – their stores are just so full of intoxicating fragrances and smells and their many beauty sets are little oeuvres d’art – all matchy matchy in quintessentially English packaging (even if it is traditionally a US company, it’s English inspired creations are spot on). It’s a haven of sweet smelling creams, soaps and delicious room sprays, twee draw liners and candles – the perfect ingredients to create a cosy environment for your November pampreening!

Il faut aller – you must go – if it’s the one outing you have all November there are enough lovelies to buy in this one shop to last you all month – if nothing else make sure you buy their La Source Extreme Foot Therapy Cream to prepare your tootsies for your winter high heels. With its softening seaweed extract and its light matt texture your feet are left moisturised but not greasy, leaving them smooth and soft. Having your feet massaged is one of the best ways to bliss so idealement get someone to massage this in for you! And if you are in Crabtree & Evelyn buy their Organic English Country Lemon Curd at your own risk – it’s ADDICTIVE! I am also relying heavily upon their Earl Grey Tea Caddy and their English Breakfast Cookies whilst in Paris when the urge for a ‘nice cuppa’ exceeds the need for ‘cafe au lait’. http://www.crabtree-evelyn.co.uk/

Montagne Jeuness Green Tea Peel Off Masque
This one use mask is 97p. So, its budget, but it does work! A cheap pick me up this mask is actually made with some good quality natural ingredients and as a BUAV and Peta Proggy Award Winner this one’s also very animal friendly – great news for the Paris Poodle! With green tea and root ginger extract and a refreshing squeeze of lemon this peel off mask deep cleanses and refreshes the skin leaving pores cleansed and your complexion feeling zingy, fresh and radiant. Plus the packaging is super kitsch – aka irresistible!! http://www.montagnejeunesse.com/

Liz Earle Intensive Nourishing Treatment
I use this a lot during the winter – when my skin is drier than normal – this is a great one to whack on at home and get on with things (Telly watching, reading, learning the subjunctive) – its highly nourishing and hydrating and sinks right into your skin – you will need to wash this one off though but you can immediately see a difference – your skin is softer, any lines are less defined and you feel as though you have done your skin a good deed. With its natural formula of borage, shea butter and St John’s Wart extracts your sad winter skin will soon be smiling once again! http://www.lizearle.com/

Vampy Vampire Essentials!

2009-10-31T07:40:00.000-07:00

The Paris Poodle would like to wish you all a very Happy Halloween! It's a great time to throw a party, loose your angelic inhibitions and let your inner demon come out to play! And what better way to start the ghoulish celebrations than with some blood red nails, heavy death black mascara and thirsty blood stained lips? Think extreme, exaggerated and excessive - think Thriller! This is the one opportunity to embrace being British or American (aka unashamedly seduced by over commercialised holidays) its Halloween for goodness sake - it’s supposed to be cringe worthily naff!

Having recently fallen in love with all of the Cullen’s (a secret I can only reveal on a day such as today) this Poodle insists that women everywhere dress as vampires this year - which essentially means that you have to look as beautiful, impeccable and pale as possible!

Here are some of the Poodles Halloween essentials:

Blood red nails

Guerlain's Terracotta Paduka Nail Varnish Kerala Sunset £16.00 is a deep glossy red which was formulated to be the perfect colour next to a golden tan. Being Halloween I recommend wearing this with a ghostly white complexion to emphasis your pale ghastliness. Ultra bright with a long lasting shine this nail varnish will keep your talons looking petrifyingly perfect long past midnight!

Deepest Black Mascara

BADgal Lash Mascara from Benefit Cosmetics has a rich formula that builds horrifyingly hot lashes that are irresistible, flirty and filthy! The extra big brush is oversized to help achieve a dramatic lash effect so you look like you have very big, white eyes -combine this with some heavy black eye shadow and you will be well on your way to hypnotizing your victims with your killer lashes!

Blood Thirsty Lip Stain

Urban Decay Lip Envy in Envious is a great gel based lip stain which as well as being very hydrating, and long lasting, it dries to a semi-matte inky crimson finish. I recommend building up several layers and powdering your lip line so that the lip stain sinks into your lips and creates that 'just drank a cup of blood' look that Bella Swan does so well. Scented with vanilla and made with green tea and ginkgo biloba extracts this lethal lip stain postures as an innocent gloss, when really it gives you the poisonous lips of a French femme fatale.

Halloween isn’t a big deal over here in gay Paris...tomorrow is Tous Saints which is a national holiday that celebrates the dead, which is basically Halloween repackaged - and being French Tous Saints sounds more somber and respectful and sophisticated. And you certainly won't catch anyone dressing up as pumpkins or zombies. Plus in true French fashion Tous Saints is a national holiday! Too bad it falls on a Sunday this year!

Beauty is Law

2009-10-28T06:03:00.000-07:00

In Paris (if you are an immeuble) it’s illegal to be ugly, unsightly or anything less than perfect! Every 10 years all Paris immeubles (traditional style Paris apartments) have to have their exterior facades repainted and re-perfected, as commanded by law. If you fail to clean up your act (or immeuble) not only do you look worn and haggard you also have to pay up!

This doesn’t surprise the Paris Poodle; this is a city of culture, beauty, a city of art and fashion, la mode and l’amour, and in this town believe me- no one’s falling in love with you if you look like you haven’t cleaned up for 10 years!

It’s a cultural requirement of the Parisian femme to cover up the cracks, and rather than every ten years this happens every 10 hours or so... morning and night. Day creams, night creams, eye creams, gels, serums and masks, there are plenty of options to keep your facade looking fabulous, and here are some French beauty secrets which the Paris Poodle has so far discovered...

Guerlain Orchidée Imperial Exceptional Complete Care Serum £275
Wowowow! This one is expensive! But if a cream doesn’t work after spending 300 euros, the Paris Poodle always finds that you will convince yourself that it really does work nonetheless! The extravagantly titled Orchidée Imperial Exceptional Complete Care Serum, contains Orchide Imperial molecular extract which has skin strenghtening powers, to rehydrate and protect dry skin. This silky smooth serum leaves your skin feeling supple and smoother and looking younger with fine lines reduced after just one application. As with all Guerlain products this serum smells beautiful –(even their lipsticks are like shimmering lip fragrances) and easily absorbed this super serum is the ladies way to better skin. The beautiful glass bottle is a work of art in its own right and or at least you start thinking it is after forking out for it !

Mixa Soin de Jour et Nuit
Right down the budget end of the scale is Mixa, this brand is a French classic that makes loads of moisturisers creams and potions in large ml’ages for not much cash. Their body lotions are great bathroom standards that have featured on every French persons bathroom shelf since I started visiting France many years ago. The day and night face creams from Mixa are suitable for all skin types – even really sensitive skin and are the non cash flashy way to care for your skin on a shoestring. The Mixa Expert Soins de Jour Revitalisant Fermete creme and the Mixa Soin de Nuit Régénérant Fermeté creme work in harmony together with a complementary vitamin complex of vitamin H and vitamin C. They stimulate collegan production throughout the day and night to ensure your skin is well hydrated – which in turn means wrinkles or ‘rides’ as they call them in France, are much less visible - And from 10 euros each this isn’t a bad price.

L’Occitane Immortelle Cream Mask £38.50

The Imortelle range from L’Occitane uses an extracted oil from the Immortelle flower which has anti wrinkle properties. This Poodle loves a rich blend of essential oils and really believes they can improve your skin overnight! The Immortelle Cream Mask is rich in essential oils and although it doesn’t make you immortelle, it does deeply replenish your skin. With restructuring vitamin A and E it protects your skin from the elements even on the coldest of days! A great winter essential this crème mask will certainly leave your skin in better condition, the only downside is the fragrance which is rather too old fashioned for a Poodle of my youngish years.

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer from £26.50
Although not French in any shape or form the Smashbox make up primer really does leave your skin feeling smoother than freshly spun silk. Apply just a teeny amount of this each morning before applying your make up foundation and this will instantly make your skin feel and look smoother, softer and perfected. Formulated with vitamins A and E this primer is the rescue remedy for skin tone casualties everywhere! Thanks to grape seed extract this primer is like smoothing liquid pixie dust onto your skin, the velvet texture is incredibly smooth but leaves a flawless matt finish whilst the antioxidant green tea extract helps protect your skin from damaging free radicals.

Let the Poodle know what your anti facade cracking favourites are! Post me a comment ...

The Non French Sourire (Smile)

2009-10-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

The French aren’t too kind to their teeth! With their black coffee, cigarette chain smoking, decadent red wine drinking and black tea habits, I imagine the dentists over here make a killing! Brown stained, discoloured teeth are byproducts of being French –almost a prized possession- serving as proof of your hedonism and sheer French-ness, your fearlessness (when it comes to strong espressos), and your colourful social life whereby you smoke numerous cigerettes on roof top terraces across Paris, whilst discussing politics, sex and the latest Lacroix collection.

As a Paris Poodle I have already had to subject my pearly whites to such offending substances- just to feel like I am at least trying to fit in! Last week as I took my strong black tea to my lips with my French friends watching intently I realised that this was a part of my French flat share initiation. Followed by 3 nights of red wine drinking and I was starting to worry – a quick oral inspection and I was sure that the colour was just a little less sparkling white than before! Action was needed!

Although us Brits aren’t too well known for our nashers I feel it my Paris Poodle duty to look after my smile and at least have white teeth, even if they aren’t perfectly aligned. A simple smile can make you look a thousand times more beautiful and it’s a thousand times more useful for getting help/your own way/another drink, than a mouthful of yellow tombstones!

To keep my smile looking pristine and sparkling, to the extent that the Olsen twins would be jealous, I rely on some super teeth whitening products – which really should take off in France, soon. I hope. These are my personal Poodle beauty secrets – as I believe there is nothing more beautiful than a great smile (well maybe David Beckham’s Calvin Klein advert...or even Paco Rabannes Black XS perfume)...so here are my favourite buys for a set of glistening, gleaming, gorgeous white gnashers...

Beverly Hills Whitening Toothpaste (from £3.49 at most supermarkets or pharmacies) Of all the teeth whitening toothpastes out there this is the Poodle’s choice – its unashamedly American marketing, promises ‘Teeth so white’, its Hollywood promise of ‘total whitening’ is irresistible when sat beside the Colgate equivalent in the toothpaste aisle at Superdrug– its so much more girly and so much more fabulous! This is Beverly Hills Formula darling- and who has discoloured teeth over there? Nobody darling! Just the nobodies!

Crest Whitening Strips £34.98 – http://www.crestwhitestrips.co.uk/ These whitening strips are the sure fire way to have sparkling white teeth and they do really work. The strips are soft tape pieces which have a gluey gel on one side – there are strips for your top nashers and for your bottom nashers (upper and lower), you fold the strips over your teeth and leave on for 30 minutes. During this time frame you can talk with an entertaining lisp, but are forbidden to eat or drink anything- unless you want to swallow the strips. The gel itself has a sweet minty taste so although it is tempting it might not be a great idea as the gel contains 10% hydrogen peroxide. This chemical concoction is the magic ingredient to whiter brighter teeth. You can buy the strips in 7, 14 or 21 day sets (where you use the strips each morning and night) and I find that even after one set of strips your teeth are already looking more red-carpet-worthy. These are such good value, you can have them every few months, or as often as you wish, to make sure your teeth are always gleaming.

Pearl Drops Instant White Brush On Veneer £7.99 Although somewhat gimmicky I confess I was a total sucker to try this and then I just fell in love with it. The Instant White Brush On Veneer from Pearl Drops “gives you a dazzling white smile in seconds! In just one coat, you can transform your smile.” So say Pearl Drops themselves- and they would know! They made it! Although painting each individual tootth with this gel is somewhat inconvenient and vain, the gel itself has a touch of glitter so that in photos you can have a real sparkle to your smile! That’s right – glitter – on your teeth! It’s so teenage that this is my favourite novelty product in my make up bag – I mean it’s so ridiculously silly that simply wearing it is enough to make you smile all night! I also recommend, if you have a good half hour to spare, to use their online Tooth Whitener where you can upload photos of yourself to whiten your teeth and retouch your make up before posting to facebook - http://www.pearldrops.co.uk/tooth-whitener.php - as Crest say;

“people with whiter teeth appear more confident, are more likely to be hired for jobs and even get better dates”

Perhaps I’d better not tell France about this! After all if they had bright white teeth they really wouldn’t really be French anymore!

Addicted to chocolate in more ways than one!

2009-10-23T03:08:00.000-07:00

Food, taste, pleasure. These are, in the correct order I believe, the 3 most important preoccupations of the French nation. I found these three vital elements deliciously combined at the Salon du Chocolate exhibition in Porte Versailles last week. This annual event has become somewhat of an obsession for the chocolate lovers of the world, and as a fellow chocoholic it was only fitting that I went along to discover more.
I had rather hoped that the Salon du Chocolate would have its own Hansel and Gretel style house of chocolate, cake and ginger bread, but sadly no.

However, the Salon du Chocolate was deliciously like entering a small chocolate shopping centre where all the vendors are keen to give you free samples of their sugary creations. Along with demonstrations of how to make chocolate cakes, macaroons and the like, there was also a chocolate fashion show where models (who clearly never touch the stuff) were wearing outfits created by renowned chocolatiers in collaboration with French fashion designers (including Thierry Muglar, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada and Jean Doucet). This delicious défilé was held in aid of the charity ‘La Voix de l’Enfant” to raise chocolate supplies and funds for under-privileged children (http://www.lavoixdelenfant.org/).

As well as the fashion show there were stands upon stands of chocolates all beautifully presented! At times I couldn’t tell if the chocolates were too perfect delicacies or lip glosses, eye shadows or compacts, either way they were too beautiful to eat!

The chocs and macaroons at Pâtisserie Sadaharu Aoki looked beautifully delicious!

The Salon du Chocolat also had a small section for makeovers by professional makeup artists along with a small stand from Palmers cosmetics which had joined in on the chocolate affair because of its cocoa butter content! This got me to thinking about how chocolate can be pleasurable in multiple ways...

Aside from being rich in antioxidants, highly addictive caffeine and sugar, cocoa butter has great skin softening properties hence its explosion into the cosmetics industry. I have to confess however, that previously I have found chocolate inspired beauty products disappointing – for me they smell too much like the real thing, your taste buds get overexcited, your mouth waters, only to be disappointed when the chocolaty substance ends up being used as a shampoo/moisturiser/face mask!

However, amongst my beautification adventures I have found some delightful chocolate inspired products which have a whiff of creamy deliciousness but remain firmly in the cosmetics side of aromas. Mixing food and beauty products to the degree that you can’t tell which is which is never a good idea! Take LUSH for example – are you supposed to eat their Heavenly Buttercream (£3.87) with chocolate flakes and cocoa absolute or use it in the shower for soft and silky skin?? LUSH say that with its cocoa and vanilla absolute and sweet orange essential oils it will make your “skin detox feel like a wash with a chocolate orange cheesecake” – eurgh! The Poodle apologises but I would rather eat a cheese cake and wash with shower gel! But no, there are some choctastic creams and lotions and potions that do the chocolate theme with a bit more cleverness and a bit more class.

Take Palmers Cocoa Butter Body Lotion for example. A classic well priced moisturiser which not only blends cocoa butter to a sexy smooth aroma but also smoothes away stretch marks and tones the skin. Any pregnant woman I know is always equipped with 2 bottles of this in the cupboard (along with much Bio-Oil) to prepare for the baby bulge! And at from only £3.50 it would be rude not to try it hein?

Another Palmers must have is something I discovered at the Salon du Chocolat itself –Palmers Dark Chocolate and Mint Lip Butter (£2.75). Rather than being buttery as the name suggests, this tube of gloss makes your lips feel silky smooth and the fresh smell tricks you into thinking that you have just enjoyed several boxes of After Eight Mints! It is destined to make men’s heads turn as you waft past and will give you just THE sweetest kisses!

As previously discussed this Paris Poodle has tried practically all of the fake tan options available to pale skinned beings and Diana B’s Miracle Tan from the states has not escaped my realm. Scented with chocolate truffle (better than the usual biscuit scent!) and the same colour too, this fake tan promises to tan you in 1 minute! The colour it gives you is subtle and natural looking but the way to achieve this colour is somewhat unusual, but ultimately practical. You apply it when you are in the shower, rubbing the foam onto your wet skin which activates the ‘sugar protein’ that gives you a ‘sunless tan’. Cover yourself in the chocolaty foam and wait 60 seconds until you rinse off. It is suitable for all skin types too but it’s MESSY! Really MESSY! The Poodle recommends emptying the shower room of all towels/clothes/dressing gowns as this stuff really does go everywhere – which means that once you have used it you can also give the bathroom a thorough clean too – that’s what I call multi tasking beauty!

Last but not least Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare for Men has also used cocoa butter in their range – perhaps that’s why the range is a nice shade of truffle! The Men’s Cleanse & Polish as well as the Men’s Face Scrub both contain cocoa butter, the scrub is also contains pumice for extra gritty exfoliation – the perfect natural scrub for really manly metrosexuals who prefer to exfoliate with the hard stuff to have baby soft skin! All thanks to cocoa butter!

The Secret Math of the Famous French Figure

2009-10-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

It’s a Paris Poodle duty to discover the well kept secrets and rituals that only French women know to render them so irresistibly effortlessly sexy – another of my duties is to find a concrete, semi scientific reason why French women can stay so rakish whilst simultaneously having Europe’s highest baguette count?...

Here are my findings so far...

(0 Gym + 0 work out video) – exertion of any kind = Tiny, toned, slim French Mademoiselles

All across the nation, from Nice to Nantes, French women don’t exercise, they aren’t seen in high numbers jogging in local parks, the Ministry of Sound work out DVDs are frowned upon (perhaps rightly so!), and they certainly don’t go to the gym! Gyms hardly even exist over here and when they do they are painfully expensive and are seen as sweaty work houses – the type of place a jeune fille française or ‘Madame de’ doesn’t belong...

After only a few weeks, already I have been to half the underwear shops in Rue de Rennes, Place d’Italie and Les Gobelins with my effortlessly sex kittenish French flat mates who see underwear window shopping, as normal a past time as running, aerobics or painting ones nails....
This strictly French phenomena of lusting after costly lingerie as a means of relaxation is certainly seductive. Just picturing the female form in various combinations of silk, satin and lace not only makes you feel super feminine and whole heartedly glad that as a member of the female race you can wear such flirtatious clothing, but it also has the added advantage of suppressing the appetite. It has become clear to this Paris Poodle that Lingerie Lust is a national female sport -welcome to the French workout - the typically français way to be fabulously slim!

As I wondered the shelves and rails of Soleil et Sucre, Aubade and Etam, meandering the Parisian streets with my always too heavy, always trop des choses handbag to ‘se detendre’ (unwind) amongst the French knickers and lace bras of the top underwear designers I began to believe that it is the perfect way to stay toned and commit to a low calorie diet so that one can wear such tiny frivolous creations. This regime is best practiced twice a week (with a heavy handbag/small child or some other weight) with a daily half hour round trip to the bakery and back to pick up 2 baguettes – one for ce soir and one for the morning of course!

The Paris Poodle has come to believe that French baguettes have slimming powers – even the tiniest scraps of French ladies insist upon thrice daily portions of bread baguettes with heart stopping quantities of butter! It truly is a marvel. Perhaps I will simply surround myself with lithe French girls until some of their weight gaining defences become mine by the power of osmosis.

So, from these results the Paris Poodle can conclude that; Baguettes + Butter x Lingerie Shopping= Size 0

Although not strictly exercise related, even my little French bathroom has not escaped the French love of les fasses (buttocks). It has been decorated in a haphazard style with various lingerie adverts. As I sit on the loo to ‘faire pipi’ I am affronted by two perfectly peachy arse cheeks and just to my left generous cleavage greets me wearing a lacy creation. Perhaps it’s just my flat mates but I like to think that it’s the French nation that is unashamedly fascinated by the female form, its curves and shapes.

As long as women are women they will competitively try to out slim and out sexify each other. Since arriving here I have had to find new alternative ways to feel my normal taille - in this city my slim size 10 is practically monstrous amongst the size zerolites that inhabit Paris en masse. As a Paris Poodle I have resolved to up my handbag weight by 2 kilos, my baguette intake to 3 a day, my lingerie lusting to 4 times a week and a monthly tour of the Champs Elysees to exercise my credit cards! You should try it too! It’s so much more elegant than the perspiration humiliation of the gym- je t’assure. Vive la France!

France says NO to fake tan

2009-10-15T03:39:00.000-07:00

I personally have been a fake tan user for many (embaressingly streaky) years. Once after an authentic French kiss at a wedding in Normandy I remember the horrific moment that my French amour whispered in my ear ‘tu est très charmant, mon petit orange’... and it suddenly became clear to me that the French don’t do fake. Be it tan, boobs or handbags.
Quelle dileme! For years I have lived life a more intense shade of me, having sampled every instant tanner, religiously faked it with mousses, gels, creams and sprays, even concocting my own home made melanges of L’Oreal Sublime Bronze Tinted Gel with the L’Oreal Nutri-Summer Daily Moisturiser, to spray on salon tans... now I am to pooddle in Paris I have had to ask myself, I may have, finally, reached the end of the (orange) line. There is no more fake tan can do for me, or I for it, and having now taken up residence as Paris Poodle, I refuse to be anyone’s "petit orange" again!

It may be Autumn now, but every so often the Paris Poodle is invited to a special occasion that warrants a healthy glow. An autumn wedding, a special birthday or reunion or the like, and seeing as any photographs could serve as a lifelong reminder of one’s pallid sickly skin tone, just once and again it the Poodle fake tans or autobronzes – (which sounds heaps more sophisticated!)

In Paris however, when it comes to being sun kissed, golden and gorgeous, the only name that springs to mind is that of the original sun goddess, Brigitte Bardot. The ultimate 1960’s advert for the natural suntan; her sexy spattering of freckles and a deep golden skin...One look at Mlle Bardot told a story of long summers lounging on the beach, swimming in the sea and wandering gloriously bare limbed in the heat of the sun.

After a rather malicious and ageist attack in the press, she has since become known as the ultimate anti advert for sun worshippers everywhere. Beware of each and every sunbeam, or the prune face will be your face-(quelle horreur!) and we haven’t even gone down the skin cancer route yet! Every Paris Poodle knows that to protect the skin is to perfect it.

And so these musings have lead me to the elusive question of how to achieve a healthy glow that is streak free, natural and acceptable to the anti fake wave in France...

In a dramatic step away from the hardcore overnight St Tropez Auto bronzant I have sniffed out some super subtle alternatives which can be kept in the bathroom cupboard whenever a hint of health is called; for...Introducing the new ‘its so real it must be fake’ line up...

1. The Paris Poodle loves Clarins all the more because all its packaging is in both english and french. At no. 1 is Clarins Delicious Self Tanning Cream, £19.09 or si vous preferez Clarins Creme Délicieuse Auto Bronzant! With extract of cocoa butter, it really does smell delicious! Although not as subtle as the rest of the tanners in this list it really does deliver a beautiful natural tan that is golden rather than tangoed. With a healthy dose of skin loving aloe vera this rich cream won't dry out your skin like some fake tans out there!

2. Dove Summer Glow Body Lotion for Fair To Normal Skin is a true bargain and a sure fire way to look a shade more bronzed, smell fruity and fresh, have smooth hydrated limbs and feel amazing about your own unique body shape! Despite Dove's valient efforts to use 'real women' to sell their potions, I only became curious to try this gradual tanner when I met beautiful blonde Swedish bombshell with a washboard stomach who swore by it! But the swede was real! Even if the tan wasn't! Besides Dove's £4.49 price is real enough for me! You can't go wrong with this - just apply once every other day!

3. Another of this Poodles' No.7 must have - (perhaps its because I get so many bloody vouchers) is thier No.7 Naturally Sunkissed Gradual Body Tan, £9.25 this daily moisturiser gradually builds a natural glow that is more green tea healthy than bling bling wealth. Not only does it give you a subtle colour it also leaves your skin irresistably smooth! 4. Finalement, if the idea of NOT fake tanning is totally abhorent then The California Tan Neutralizer is the must have product to banish the biscuity aroma with which all fellow fake tanners are familiar with! For only £14.99 this is a true bargain!

Fabulous French Fragrance

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As well as their reputation for obtuse men, delicious cheeses and a penchant for smoking, the French are renowned for their noses, that is to say, their ability to create the most exquisite, world famous and incomparable landmark fragrances of all time. Chanel No. 5, Miss Dior, Shalimar, are all classic fragrances which are timeless as they are irresistible.
As any Paris Poodle knows, smelling divine is an essential part of your preening routine, as Coco Chanel rightfully said "A women who doesn't wear perfume has no future." Hard to hear but utterly true! And as a new resident of Paris, I thought it fitting to recap the classic French fragrances and list my favourite 3 french fragrance newcomers.

Chanel No. 5

The Mother of all fragrance, the only number associated with style, femininity and class, Chanel No.5 is sophistication in a bottle. Even though one bottle sells every 30 seconds this parfum has only become more iconic with time. Launched in 1921 this i s a parfum classic that has continued to captive, a parfum which has faciliated many costly advertisements with the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Nicole Kidman, Audrey Tatou and and a parfum which has graced the necks and wrists of the worlds most fabulous women for decades! Who could fail to fall in love with the romanticism of Chanel No.5?With a blend of floral top notes of ylang ylang and neroli, and less alluring sounding synthetic chain notes, this rich seductive scent has its mid notes of rose and jasmine and its base notes of sandalwood and vetvier to thank for its trademark associations of finesse and states of undress... I say take Chanels advice and wear this classic "wherever [you] expect to be kissed."

L’air du Temps

This Nina Ricci fine fragrance was launched in 1948 - some time ago! The perfume itself was designed by Francis Fabron whereas the luxury french glasswear company Lalique assisted with the dove design bottle - very fitting in the post war climate. Nowadays the Paris Poodle has found this uplifting scent continues to have an air of optimism with its sparkling top notes of rosewood and carnation, mid tones of powder room femininity evoked by rose, violet and jasmine and with its woody sensual undertones of musk, sandal, amber and cedarwood. The bottle itself is a work of art ou ouevre- the way a true french classic parfum bottle should be!

Jean Paul Gautier "Classique"

Arguably the most feminine bottle around Classique is really the essence of feminine playfulness and sensuality! This Paris Poodle certainly loves its rosey femininity, its flirtatous orange blossom and ginger and its sensual vanilla base which demands affection, caresses and tenderness. Although this parfum was only launched in 1993 its certainly up there with the best of them.

Yves Saint Laurent - Parisienne

As for whats hot now there have been some delicious new launches in Paris lately that demand a few inches of cybercolumn space here on the Paris Poodle - upfront, and no prizes for guessing... Yves Saint Laurent! and their new fragrance, Parisienne - with Miss Moss fronting their campaign and a name that encapsulates the essence of Paris dwellers and wannabes everywhere, I loved it before I even inhaled its fresh invigorating fragrance! A sweet urban fragrance that combined vinyl tones with cranberry, vetvier and damask rose, I love this newcomer! Although the eau de toilette didnt seem to last that long the Paris Poodle still thinks this is the perfect fragrance to wear on sunny days walking along the seine and shopping in the afternoon before stopping for a vin rouge. It is Parisienne after all!

Guerlain – Idyll

Another romantic sweetie is the new launch from Frances finest fragrance house - Guerlain. Their new parfum, Idyll, is the love of love in a bottle - romantic heady and bittersweet. With rosy notes combined with patchouli, white musk and freesia this tear drop shaped bottle is definately a young sexy fragrance, the likes of which may lead to many heads turning as you walk past leaving a trail of lily of the valley, jasmine and lilac. A floral whirlwind inspired by young french maidens pondering the timeless question; 'he loves me he loves me not '...

And last but not least, the Poodle has fallen in love with the paradox that is...

Givenchy - Ange ou Demon - Le Secret

Another delicate floral it may be, but this citrus scent combines green tea and citrus with musk and blonde woods to leave a light and fresh inticing aroma that leaves one smelling very clean and angelic, which is the perfect smell to have when one wants to behave badly! Although the Poodle prefers heady, strong fragrances, for a citrus Le Secret has got it just right!

British Beauty for a Paris Poodle

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The Paris Poodle is on location! Ruff! And to keep this pup from looking far from rough I can divulge my must have best British beauty buys which have made it to Paris in my cosmetics bag...

First and foremost my trusted Liz Earle favourites www.lizearle.com – this British beauty brand has only been around 15 years but is already a landmark natural skincare brand set to become an English version of the US Esteé Lauder Empire. Their Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser is an instant reviver at the end of a day’s travelling on Eurostar. This is the best cleanser ever invented which allows one to remove any trace of the most minute imperfection- daily grime, old makeup and even extra waterproof mascara (which should always be worn for teary goodbyes). As well as this wonder product which this Paris Poodle has used morning and night for many years, I have also brought my Liz Earle Superbalm, which has the added advantage that I can say it with a fabulous French accent; Sup –er Balm! And it really is super! This multi purpose wonder balm is made entirely with plant waxes and oils and not only makes my lips silky smooth and kissable but also works its powers to repair dry cuticles and dry skin, nourish nails and groom fly away hair. With an addictive aroma of lavender, neroli and rosehip this is surely one of Britain’s finest exports.

Aside from the British born Liz Earle, this Paris Poodle had to have one last nose about in that good old reliable British institution, Boots. The Poodle pickings here could be endless but I will for now share just 2... at the top of the list – I made sure I walked away from Boots equipped with No.7’s Perfect and Protect Beauty Serum; the must have prolonger of perfection. Proven to work because of its active pentapeptides this is my bedtime, travel time, morning and night time emergency skin smoother – a short few moments away from beautiful skin.

Also in my basket from Boots was Natural Collection lip-gloss in Turkish Delight – very pleasing against an ivory skin tone. I truly believe that lip-gloss is one of life’s most satisfying oral pleasures and at only £1.99 Natural Collection at Boots really gets my tail wagging. It smells delightfully fruity, gives gloss, colour and sparkle and at such a price you can’t go wrong! After all as soon as you gloss up you are either eating, drinking or French kissing again – mwah mwah – better get the gloss out again!

For glam parties alongside the Seine, I also bought some Biradari Shimmering Body Oil from Covent Garden’s The Sanctuary www.thesanctuary.co.uk . This gives skin an irresistible shimmer and intense hydration as it is rich in Sweet Almond Oil and vitamin E. Apparently based on an Indonesian cleansing ritual with Jasmine and Ylang Ylang, this is still most definitely one of my favourite British beauty buys and at just £9.99 it’s a bargain buy for a gorgeous glow! You must buy this for those that you love because they will certainly love you more after this!
And there you have it – a small cross section of my pampering favourites from Grande Bretagne – GRAND!

Welcome to The Paris Poodle

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Looking perpetually pampered, powdered and perfect in Paris, is a full time job. The Paris Poodle is a one stop blog devoted to sharing secrets on how to look pristine in the extreme. With beauty pickings, reviews, style secrets and my ‘comme les filles’ diary, The Paris Poodle is my guide to a more beautiful life in the city of lights.

Technically my Paris pam-preening has not yet begun. Still in England, I am only a few short days away from ditching my less charming Brit-addications, namely X Factor, Marmite, Fish ‘n’ Chips and greasy spoon cafes, to go where the French lead; the official (and très chic) home of style, sophistication and all things beautiful ….where a most ‘charmant’t transformation will take place… from British Bird to Paris Poodle.

Armed only with a basic foundation of French, and a simple French foundation (my trusty Chanel Teint Innonce Compact) my soul duties will be to…

1. Sniff out the most coveted French beauty secrets, must have make up, and ‘voila’ products…

2. Nose around the best bits of Paris for walks, making friends and amusing oneself…

3. Dig out the best bargains Paris has to offer for fashion, style and beauty…

4. Retrieve the truth about the haughty reputation those preened Parisian’s have…

And there you have it! Although I will miss Cowell’s weekly cruxifications of contestants on the X Factor stage, and the nasal eviscerations of Colemans mustard; leave England I must, as I have far more pressing issues to ponder…Guerlain or Chanel… oh yes, it’s a Poodle’s life for me!…