The Kimono: A Perfect Transition.

Every year we face the all too familiar challenge of transitioning our wardrobes from Summer to Autumn. It’s an awkward phase of having to don jumpers and jackets every morning, and peeling them off when you’re boiling by mid afternoon. It’s incredibly difficult to dress appropriately until we’re well into Autumn and permanently in a thick jumpers and tights – but I have a few tips to make this transition a little easier!

We don’t need a whole new wardrobe, we can update our SS14 favourite pieces and wear them through Autumn. That floral co-ord you adored this summer? Don’t put it away just yet, simply add a pair of low denier tights, a leather jacket and a pair of boots and you’re instantly updated for Autumn and ready to tackle the bi-polar elements. The sleeveless dress you’re about to hibernate? Team it with a plain long sleeved top or a cute blouse and you can wear it all year round. 

But my ultimate favourite transition piece? The kimono!

Throughout summer, the kimono was our staple: we draped it over our floral maxi dresses, our Levi cut-off’s, and our dainty co-ords. We emulated festival goddesses to perfection, and we have the Instagrams to prove it. But now that festival season is over, is it time to retire our trusty garment? Certainly not. 

ARK Clothing has a selection of kimonos that are perfect for this transition period, these are my favourites:

Hearts and Bows Avril Monochrome Kimono | Hearts and Bows Kuebo Floral Kimono  

Kiss the Sky Velvet Black Kimono | Ark Floral Kimono

This Autumn is all about dramatic textures and soft layering, so consider teaming a longline floral kimono with dark jeans and heels for a flawless relaxed look. For an injection of 90’s Gothic Glamour, try layering a jet black kimono over your favourite velvet dress and a pair of chunky soled boots.  

I’ll be investing in something like ARK’s super versatile longline floral kimono, which would look amazing worn over jeans, high shine leggings and grungy dresses! It’s also in the sale and just £18 – style steal alert! 

Will you be layering with a kimono this Autumn? Post your outfit links below! 

48 Hours in Ibiza: The Swimwear365 Challenge

What better way to escape the increasingly dreary British weather than to jet off to the fabulous party island of Ibiza? Swimwear365 recently challenged me to blog about how I would spend 48 hours in Ibiza, and I was more than happy to oblige and spend my evening day dreaming! 

Cala Conta
My first stop would without a doubt be Cala Conta. How could I resist starting the holiday without taking in the sun, sea and sand at Ibiza’s number one beach. The dress code here is simple: a gorgeous bikini (Boohoo) and a retro floppy hat (Luisa Viaroma). I’d spend the morning sipping mocktails and catching some vitamin D! 

Shopping in Ibiza Town
Ibiza isn’t exactly famed for it’s shopping, but I for one am excited to find out more! An array of bead stalls, vintage boutiques and markets await – there are plenty of bargains to be found and treasures uncovered! I love vintage and one-off pieces, so I’d definitely take a trip to Hola Hola and Kurru Kurrur for some sartorial steals! A Topshop bralet and a Forever New midi skirt would be perfect for bargain hunting (teamed with a Coach bag and Zalando sandals for practicality, naturally!). 

Party time
Ibiza is practically synonymous with nightlife; a Mecca for music lovers. The island’s Pacha nightlcub is apparently the place to be, where I’d plan to party until the sun rises! H&M faux leather shorts and an eye catching Chicnova kimono would be the perfect uniform for dancing ’til dawn!

D’Alt Vila & Ibiza Museum of Contemporary Art

With the beach and bar-scene out of my system, I’d reserve day two for absorbing some culture. First on the list is the beautiful old town of D’Alt Vila. I’d spend the day shopping, dining al fresco and sightseeing! Word has it, you can climb to top of the town and witness the spectacular panoramic views. What better than a floral maxi dress (Vero Moda) and tan accessories (Debenhams and Nordstrom) for a day spent as a culture vulture. Not forgetting this gorgeous Olivia Burton watch and an H&M denim jacket in case it turns a little chilly. I’d also love to visit the Ibiza Museum of Contemporary Art and take in some exhibitions! 

 Relaxing by the pool

And finally, I’d end my 48 hours with blissful relaxation by the pool. All I’d need is an ice cold drink (little umbrella optional), a good book and I’d be in heaven! I adore this Swimwear365 polka dot swimsuit – I’d ramp up the va va voom vintage vibes with a classic floppy hat (Debenhams) and Lancome‘s red lipstick (accessories: We Like Fashion, Fossil and Accessorize). 

What do you think of my 48 hours in Ibiza? What would you do differently?

Fancy a chance to win 48 hours on the party island itself? Take part in the Ibiza Challenge before this Friday! 

The Great Blogger Bake Off – Classic Cookies

Welcome to week two of The Great Blogger Bake Off! This week’s theme is ‘biscuits’ and after a little bit of pondering, I decided to bake my world famous (slight exaggeration) chocolate chip cookies.

These are classic style cookies (I love a retro bake) and make the perfect addition to any gathering- or even as a cute little present for a friend! They’re also ideal comfort food and after the terrible news about Robin, an indescribably important and beloved element of my childhood, I think I’ll be taking a cookie or two and watching Hook to commemorate the laughter he brought to the world.

This is a recipe I’ve perfected over the years, much to the delight of my family and friends. Apparently these are the tastiest cookies around, so try out the recipe yourself and let me know what you think!

Much love,

Nikki x

Recipe

• 225g flour
• 100g light brown soft sugar
• 125g caster sugar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 125g butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 200g chocolate chips/chunks

  

1. Cream together your sugars and butter. Add the egg and vanilla.
2. Sift the flour and salt, add to the mixture and then add your chocolate!
3. Cover bowl with cling film and place in fridge for 30-60 minutes to firm a little. You can skip this step if you wish.
4. Pre heat over to Gas Mark 4/ 180C.
5. Add small round shapes of cookie dough to greasing papered baking tray and flatten slightly. Leave plenty of space between each cookie!
6. Cook for 7-10 minutes depending on how gooey/crispy you like them. I find 8 minutes is perfect for me! They look undercooked when you remove them, but trust me – they’re done! 
7. Leave on the baking tray for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack – I often add mine with the greasing paper still underneath! Make sure they’re hardened or they’ll fall through. Messy. 
8. Pour yourself a nice glass of milk and enjoy!

Got Ink? TTTattoo.

Have you seen my new ink?

Okay, I lied – it’s not real. Gotcha!

When TTTattoo asked me if I’d review their new temporary tattoos, I jumped at the chance. I’m fascinated by body art and despite having no ink of my own, I was excited to join the club – even if it was just for a week! 

Tattoos seem to be everywhere at the moment and now that one third of young people have them, they’re far from the sailor/soldier/rock star/bad ass symbol they once were. Everyone from accountants to catwalk models sport them now. They’ve basically become the ultimate accessory – as big a part of festival fashion as Hunter wellies, an oversized fedora hat and chunky ethnic jewellery.

I have a lot of concerns about real ink – how do I know I’ll like it in 10 years? What about picking a great design? I change my mind all the time – I can’t keep a haircut or a WordPress theme for more than a couple of years. Committing to something forever is pretty terrifying. Oh yeah, and it hurts! 

So whether you want to sport some cool body art for an event, to freak out an elderly relative  or to test out a design you’ve come up with before you get it inked for real, TTTattoo’s temporaries are the perfect solution.

The Design

The best bit about reviewing these beauties was getting to design my own – any excuse to crack out the pens! I chose an anchor for my design, I love the aesthetic and what it represents: the sea. I’ve always loved and lived near the sea and therefore anything nautical has a special place in my heart. I even added a heart to the design! I drew the anchor to look thin and symbolic, so its overall look is light and feminine – or it would most definitely look very wrong on little ole me. I’m actually pretty pleased with how it turned out! 

If you don’t fancy designing your own, TTTattoos have a whole host of great designs – like the beautiful vintage style feathers featured at the start of this post. The vintage camera, the array of finger tattoos, the arrows and the compass are also personal favourites!

The Tattoo

This works in exactly the same way as our beloved temp tattoos from childhood: peel off the plastic, slap it on your skin, apply water and hold for twenty seconds. The transfer worked perfectly – no patches or sticky bits. It remained shiny for an hour or so, but then faded to look more like a real tattoo. If you look very closely in bright light, you can see a faint outline from the transfer, but generally speaking, it’s completely realistic. I’ve been wearing it all day and it shows no sign of peeling off. 

Maybe wearing this for a couple of days will convince me to get a tattoo for real – or perhaps I’ll just repurchase some temps!

Check TTTatto’s Pinterest for your inkspiration!

Seasonal Colour Analysis

What are your colours?

As a fashion fanatic, I’m always drawn to the new colours of each season: the oxblood and bottle greens of Autumn, Gothic shades of Winter, ice-cream pastels of Spring and tropical hues of Summer. I’m generally willing to throw myself into each sartorial season with renewed excitement, whether it’s lusting after pastel midi dresses or wrapping myself in dark, grungy knitwear. Are you the same?

I’d always known some colours suited me better than others; I always got a lot of compliments in blues, and I never felt my best in browns or super-bright neons (but then again, who really looks good in florescence?). I’m sure we all have some colours we refuse to touch, and certain colours which fuel our wardrobes, but is there a hard and fast way to determine exactly which colours we should be buying and which we should be avoiding?

My Google search led me to Seasonal Colour Analysis.

How does it work?

If you’ve watched enough slightly retro TV, I’m sure you’ll have come across someone referring to themselves as a “Spring” or a “Summer”. That’s Seasonal Colour Analysis. It was huge in the 1980s and I wouldn’t be surprised if it resurfaced as The Next Big Thing in the near future.

It works by categorising people into seasons according to their skin tone, hair and eye colour. Simple, in theory! Cool toned individuals (with blue or pink undertones to their skin) will either be a Summer or a Winter; warm toned individuals (with golden, peachy or yellow undertones) will either be an Autumn or a Spring. Winters and Autumns are “high contrast”, with a vivid difference in hair, skin and eye colour (think Anne Hathaway), whereas Springs and Summers are “low contrast” in colouring (think Cate Blanchett).

Within each season are three further sub-categories, but I think it’s easier to leave the explanation at the four seasons for now! For a full description of the theory behind Colour Analysis, head over to The Chic Fashionista’s page.

You might be reading this thinking ‘I’m clearly this season!’, and it’s very easy for some people – Anne Hathaway is almost the epitome of Winter; Cate Blanchett is clearly a Summer, and so forth. However, some people are harder to categorise – and I definitely considered myself as one of these people!

I’m pale, and my hair is medium-dark – so would that make me a winter? I also have freckles, and my hair can turn a little warmed toned summer – would that then make me an Autumn, Spring or a Summer? I thought potentially I was a Cool Summer, but I was by no means confident in that diagnosis.

Feeling incredibly curious, I spoke to 30 Something Urban Girl, who was kind enough to explain which season I really fall under.

My Analysis

What she said: I think your original hair colour could be dark-medium brown. You’ve got beautiful and clear blue eyes and light fair skin tone with freckles. Freckles indicate you have some warm colouring and you also have contrast on your face like Winters have.

According to your colours, you are probably a Winter (cool colours) woman who flows into Spring (warm colours).

The explanation: I think the Warm Spring and Warm Autumn colours are too warm for you. The Clear Spring palette isn’t bad but I think coral (one of the power colour of Spring) doesn’t fit you so well. The Soft Summer palette is too muted, while the Cool Summer is too cool. I think the Cool Winter palette is a bit too cool as well.

The evidence:

This is me with Clear Winter colours.

This is me with Warm Autumn colours, which is almost the opposite of a Clear Winter. Notice how my skin seems washed out and my eyes look duller when compared with the top picture? This has definitely cemented my distaste for the warmer colours!

These are Soft Summer colours. They’re certainly an improvement on Warm Autumn, but they’re so muted they make me look a little washed out.

These are Warm Spring colours, the warmth isn’t really doing me many favours and they’re a bit too light. I feel like these bring out the imperfections in my skin.

These are Cool Summer colours. Interestingly, I thought I could be a Cool Summer when I was doing my research on Seasonal Colour Analysis. They don’t look awful by any means, but they’re a little cold on me.

And finally, Cool Winter colours, which, as the coldest palette, are too cool.

Colours can be quite subjective and I think there is a tendancy to project your own colour preferences onto other people, but I think it’s pretty clear to see that cool colours in moderation bring out the best in my complexion. Isn’t amazing how much difference colour can make? Perhaps you have your own opinion, and think I dazzle in a different palette (do leave a comment!).

I can see the full range of colours that suit me on 30 Something Urban Girl’s Clear Winter page (there’s a page for every season). My Clear Winter buddies include Zooey Deschanel (yippee!), Alexis Bledel, Katy Perry and Miranda Kerr, so I’m in good company!

This has left me with plenty to think about – for one, I’ll be trying out the colour yellow – this is one of my colours, yet I own approximately zero yellow items. It would be awesome to find a new colour that looks nice on me! I’m also toying with the idea of dying my hair darker, in line with my Winter colouring. What do you think?

Why are the right colours important?

I think my analysis goes to show that wearing the right colours can make your complexion appear brighter and radiant, reduce dark circles and skin imperfections, make your eye colour pop and bring out the best tones in your hair colour. For situations like job interviews, or events where you’ll be photographed, wearing your seasonal colours will ensure you’re maximising your best qualities and will make you feel more confident too! Plus, with a wardrobe of co-ordinating colours, picking an outfit will never be easier!

So, there’s only one question left to ask: which season are you?

Find out now with 30 Something Urban Girl!

Parlez-vous Franglais? Day Three.

The Eiffel Tower

No trip to Paris is complete without a quick visit to the world’s favourite landmark. With amazing panoramic views of the city, it’s must visit for any tourist, old or new.

There’s a few tips for a successful trip:

• Go when it’s quiet – week days and early in the morning are generally suggested to be the best times.
• Be prepared to queue, regardless! Even when I arrived early on Monday morning I queued for 40 minutes (still beats the couple of hours you might have to wait otherwise!).
• If you can, buy your tickets online so you don’t have to join the big queues. They sell them in specific time slots, but don’t release many – so be quick!

But it’s worth the queues for the amazing views – I’d recommend visiting all floors to make the most of it! I’m lucky as, of all my fears, heights is certainly not one of them! I loved the third floor – which is that little platform near the very top! At 896ft up, you can see for miles and miles and miles! Even if you’re a bit scared of heights, I’d recommend pushing past your fears for this – you won’t regret it.

Of course, we deserved a celebratory ice cream! Another chocolate-vanilla combo for me – which was my favourite treat en Paris. Where can we get these in the UK!?

Not long after this we headed back to the UK – another holiday over, boo! There was still time for one last embarrassing moment – a French boy asked if he could kiss me in a Carrefour (think Tesco’s) check out line. He then brought his elderly Grandpa over to translate. Mortifying…

As Audrey Hepburn once said, “Paris is always a good idea“. I’d fully agreee. Beautiful buildings, airy streets, al fresco cafes, uber safe transport, excellent food and shopping galore  – what more could a girl ask for? I’m pretty in love with this beautiful city and can’t wait until my next visit. Any takers?

I hope you enjoyed the pictures, videos and recaps of my adventures. Have you ever visited? What were your favourite moments?

Until next time,

Nikki

Parlez-vous Franglais? Day Two.

Montmartre

Our first port of call on day two was Montmartre, located in Paris’ Latin quarter. If you were a bohemian in the late 1800s, this was the place to go – think Van Gogh, Toulous-Lautrec and the rest of the Moulin Rouge crowd. As you can imagine, this is now a pretty big tourist spot- everyone wants to catch a bit of that Moulin Rouge sparkle; taking in a show, slugging coffee with local artists and taking in the amazing views from the Sacre Coeur. Being 10am, I did the latter.

But it’s not me without an embarrassing moment or two, right? After zooming through the Sacre Coeur (I’m not a church girl and there were enough shh-ing clergymen to ensure I didn’t want to hang around long), we took a stroll through the tourist-shop lined streets where street-artists in their handfuls roam, looking for tourists to draw (and charge). As soon as the spotted me, the sore thumb 23 year old with a head full of brightly coloured flowers and an even brighter lipstick, their targets were locked and loaded. “You’re so beautiful! May I draw you?” “You look like a Princess!” “Please, the artist wants what he wants!”. I am not sure compliment really count as compliments when the prospect of money is involved, so I was immediately doubtful of their sincerity! I’m not the best at receiving compliments as it is. Still, if you need an ego boost – head to Montmartre and wear flowers. That’s my number one tip.

Bateaux Mouches boat tour

After our morning in Montmartre, we headed the Bateaux Mouches for a boat trip across the Seine. It was midday by this point and around thirty degrees, which meant that the plastic chairs on the boat’s top deck were hot hot hot. There was a few scalded tourists leaping around the top deck before the cruise started! If you’re planning on cruising around the city this summer, bring  a layer you can sit on (top tip #2). The boat trip provided a completely different viewpoint of the city, so for anyone wanting interesting pictures, I’d seriously recommend it! All the iconic sights of Paris, Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, Louvre etc, are very close by and the boat moves slowly enough for you to snap plenty of photographs. The trip takes about an hour and a half, so it’s a great opportunity to sit back, relax, eat some lunch and enjoy the stunning views. Just rememeber your sun cream…

Le Petit Palais

After our sweltering boat trip we were in serious need of shade and a drink. Our guide recommended we walk up to the Pont Alexandre III (a blooming beautiful bridge) and explore Le Petit Palais from there. When we reached the bridge, we collapsed, took a long drink and sat in the shade. And, of course, I couldn’t resist snapping a few outfit shots with a tantalising Eiffel Tower infused background. Le Petit Palais was a short stroll away, a jaw-droppingly beautiful building (do they make any other sort in Paris?) which acts as an art museum for a host of early 1900’s art. We saw humungous murals that took up whole walls, quirky portraits, and plenty of grand sculptures. It didn’t take too long to walk around and we found a delectable modern cafe outside. It’s big brother, La Grande Palais, sits across the road – if you have a while longer, it could be worth a look round. Judging by it’s side you’d need at least a couple of hours!

 

Champs-Elysées (again)

We were faced with two options after we arrived back from our boat trip and museum visit: relax in the hotel room (very tempting) or make the most of the beautiful city and head back out. We chose the latter and headed over to the Champs-Elysées again because I was desperate visit Laduree and try my first macarons!

You’ll be pleased to know I did visit Laduree, there was a huge queue so I didn’t buy anything. Looking satisfied me well enough, though! After checking that off my list, I realised I was very tired, very hot and pretty peckish. “I can’t face sitting down in the sun and waiting half an hour for some food”, I thought. We looked up and saw a McDonalds… the rest is history. I got a little bit excited by this Parisian Maccy D’s – which houses a McCafe selling tarte au citron, macarons and other delectable goodies, and you could order everything on a little screen and have it ready in under 60 seconds. It was a magical experience. I’m not even ashamed.

After our gourmet dinner, we took in a couple more shops and headed back to the hotel for our final night and a much needed sleep! Stay tuned for day three…

Parlez-vous Franglais? Day One.

By the time we got to our hotel we were feeling pretty tired from a long day of travelling and very warm from the unexpected 30 degree heat we arrived to. After changing into cooler clothes (in my case, both temperate-wise and aesthetically) we couldn’t face much more than a walk around Porte de St. Cloud to find a nice little place for dinner – or should I say le dîner?

This felt like the perfect excuse to don my new Broderie Anglaise dress and white sandals (Primark and River Island, respectively). After a quick walk, we found a little restaurant called La Fontaine, which had open air seating (much needed), classically French decor (I felt like Amelie!) and a very smiley waiter. I ordered a rather delicious melt-in-your-mouth bacon cheese burger, which arrived with a mountain of crispy golden fries. Am I dribbling?

After a quick walk around the local area, we headed back to the hotel room to grab some beauty sleep – we had a very busy day awaiting!

The Morning Tour

After a continental breakfast (better than expected), we headed out for a two hour tour of Paris. I’d highly recommend taking a guided tour of the city, as it’s a great opportunity to learn some interesting facts about the history of Paris you wouldn’t otherwise get to know! Did you know, Paris was originally inhabited by a group of Celts called the Parisii who lived on an island in the river Seine  – now  home to Notre Dame! The Notre Dame itself is about 800 years old, which makes it one of the oldest buildings in the city. The city is relatively modern looking, having been systemically demolished and rebuilt between 1860 and 1910; taking it from a medieval, overcrowded, crime-ridden crib of disease  to the Paris we see today – wide streets and awesome architecture that bring plenty of light and air into the beautiful city.

One thing I was surprised to see on my tour was the Statue of Liberty… seriously! I knew the real statue was built by the French as a “congrats on the independence” present to America, but the French actually have a smaller version that resides on an island in the river Seine! Eiffel (guess what he designed?) also engineered the interior skeletal support system that supports Lady Liberty, as they call her, which is basically very similar to the Eiffel Tower!
The morning tour was a great way to get an overview of Paris – which to my shame, I didn’t know much about. The grey weather didn’t show the city off to it’s fullest but never mind – the blue skies and bright sun started shining around midday!

Versailles

We then took a thirty minute ride to the historic palace of Versailles. The queue to get into the palace was huge, so we elected to walk around the gardens instead. I cannot describe just how big the palace and gardens are, taking up a whopping 67km squared! It’s no wonder that it took us the entire three hours to wander round (we still didn’t see everything)…

I’m not a gardens sort of girl – general speaking, I find them incredibly dull. But Versailles is a far cry from your typical English heritage garden. English gardens are designed to mimic nature as closely as possible, but Versailles is a never ending maze of perfectly manicured greenery and flora, hundreds of exquisitely designed sculptures and handfuls of fancy fountains and lakes. Louis XIV, who was behind the big expansion at Versailles, was a bit of a character – as all Kings tend to be – and thought he was a God on earth – as all Kings of the time tended to do. To show how powerful he was, he engineered the gardens to be so unnaturally prim and preened that it showed he was more powerful than nature. I can’t help but wonder how many gardeners he had to employ. If you look around you’ll notice quite a few references to Apollo, the Greek/Roman God of the Sun. This was because King Louis modelled himself on Apollo having played him once in a play. Which sounds weird, if you think about it, is no weirder than fifteen year old girls modelling themselves on Kim Kardashian. But I digress.

Whilst gardens are’t my bag, I was very impressed with the vast greenery and superb beauty of Versailles – it might have been easier to wander around if it was just a few degrees cooler though! We got so hot we simply had to treat ourselves to two ice-creams to cool down – when on holiday, right?

Champs-Elysées

After Versailles, we arrived back at the hotel and went straight out again to the Champs-Elysées! I was set on a pilgrimage to Sephora to find one very coveted item – their ‘Always Red’ cream lip stain. I was amazed to find it in their vast store and elated to find it was cheaper in store than online! Result! If you’ve noticed bright red lips in my other Paris pictures, that’s the one. We took a few photos by some beautifully decorated stores (the heavily flowered perfume shop looked amazing), as well as visiting beloved high store brands. My one regret is not getting to see Forever 21 as, not living near one in the UK, I’ve never been in before.

The Night Tour of Paris

This was perhaps my favourite part of the entire visit. Paris, the city of lights, is simply spectacular at night! If you visit at any point, you need to swing by the Eiffel Tower at night to watch the light show that happens on the hour. It’s very tourist-y, but you won’t regret it.

We got off the coach at Esplanade du Trocadéro to watch the Eiffel tower’s light show at 11pm, by which point the sky was finally properly dark. The bright lights looked amazing against the inky back drop of the night sky – you’ll see in the pictures and videos! We were given fifteen minutes to explore the area, watch the show and come back to the coach to continue the tour. A slight hiccup arose when we arrived back fifteen minutes later to find no tour guide, no fellow passengers and no bus to be seen… We waited five minutes before taking the Metro back to the hotel. It turns out the guide and passengers hadn’t realised we were missing and it took until their next stop before recounting and realising we were gone – panic reportedly set in and they came back to look for us. By that point we were probably walking back to our hotel! We were pretty much minor celebrities at breakfast the next morning  – everyone wanted to hear our adventure (unfortunately it wasn’t that exciting).

Stay tuned for day two of my adventures!

Nikki’s Guide to Paris

If any of you have been wondering where I’ve gone – it’s been nearly two weeks since I last posted – I’ve been in the beautiful city of Paris!

Naturally I have a lot of pictures and adventures to share with you all, but before I do that I thought I’d write a little guide to Paris and give you a taster of the posts I’ll be adding later this week! I’ve also created a little video, if you’d like to take a look:

What did I do?

I went with a company called Riviera, which I suppose makes this a package holiday. Don’t roll your eyes just yet, because this was a brilliantly cost effective way to travel. A return ticket on the Eurostar, a three night stay in a four star hotel on the edge of the city, breakfast, and the option of a coach and your guide to ferry us around to the best landmarks for just over £300? To me, that’s pretty amazing value!

During my little stay, I took a coach tour of the city, walked around the beautiful Versailles Palace, went shopping on the Champs-Élysées (twice!), enjoyed a night tour of Paris and saw the light show at the Eiffel Tower, took in the scenic sights at Montmartre and the Sacre Coeur, took a boat ride across the Seine, visited Le Petit Palais to take in absorb culture and travelled up to the third floor of the Eiffel Tower. Not to mention the countless cafés and restaurants!

A jam packed weekend right?

The sights to see

You can’t go to Paris without going to the top of the Eiffel Tower, which offers one of the most beautiful, panoramic views of the city. I’m lucky enough to not suffer with vertigo (I actually quite enjoy heights!) but my mum does – and even she was okay with the 1000 foot heights – you feel completely safe up there. It’s most definitely worth a visit and if you can get tickets online before hand to save you the hour long queues, all the better.

You need to take in a bit of culture when in Paris – a museum is definitely called for. Luckily, Paris has about a million of them. Do you want to see classic artworks such as the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo? Head to Louvre! Is Impressionism your bag? The Musée d’Orsay for you! There’s also plenty of architecture to absorb by walking around the city, from the Gothic spires of Notre Dame to the Baroque beauty of the Louvre, and the Egyptian Luxor Obelisk in Place de la Concorde.

Travel

When I wasn’t travelling via coach, I was taking the Metro to get from A to B. It’s a lot like the Underground, but less scary. You see, Paris is a pretty safe city and unlike London, where the tubes are filled with strangers eyeballing each other warily, the set up was bus-like, with clusters of seats and normal people having a nice chat. It’s even safe at night- still full of families, old people and vicars. If I had to catch the Underground at 11pm I’d be a little scared, I’m not going to lie! Why I was getting the metro at nearly midnight is another story – look out for that in my Day 1 blog post! The metro is incredibly fast and it never took more then fifteen minutes to get anywhere. I’d definitely recommend that as your primary mode of transport. You can purchase metro tickets in books of 10 from a Tabac or at the station, which is useful, but be careful where you put them because they are tiny!

The People

The people make a city in my opinion. The people of Paris are generally a pretty friendly lot – the streets are a lot less crowded and people walk more slowly than in London, which gives it a calmer and more relaxed vibe. Waiters were nearly always super friendly, smiley and willing to indulge my Franglais. I mentioned Paris was rather a safe city (which I think is something to do with everyone staying out so late, even little kids). It’s not a place you need to worry about getting mugged in, for example. But there is one crime to be aware of: pick pocketing.

There are a couple of things you can do to avoid falling prey to pick pocketers, tips I’m sure you’ll have heard before: do not leave your bag unattended – even if it’s on the floor by your feet or on your chair next to you, walk with your bag securely over your shoulder and with the zips turned towards your body, split your cash between your purse, the internal zip in your bag and pockets on yourself,  if you have any. All fairly common sense, right?

There are a lot of people selling things in Paris, so be aware for people approaching you. Most of these people are completely safe, so there’s no need to be scared of them – but it’s important to know who’s who.  I’ve made a little breakdown so you know who’s approaching you and who to avoid.

“Petition” girls:

This is the only group in my list you need to be  wary of. They approach you with a petition – usually for a deafness charity – and distract you with their clipboard whilst they, or an accomplice, relieve you of your valuables. These young gypsy women tend to roam in groups and target tourists – English speaking tourists particularly. They’re not at all hard to stay away from, and they hang out by big tourist destinations and say ‘speak English?’ before approaching. A simple ‘non merci’ will suffice and just keep on walkin’!

Street sellers:

You’ll know them as the guys armed with about forty large Eiffel Tower ornaments, hundreds of key rings and rolls of postcards in a sack. As our tour guide said ‘I’ve known a lot of these African guys for near on twenty years and they’re just trying to make an honest living’ – so there’s no need to be any warier of these guys than you would any other stranger – they’re a great source to purchase postcards (18 for a couple of euros!) and little souvenirs like key rings and gizmos , which they sell for cheaper than the tourist shops. The street sellers I encountered also happened to be super friendly and we had a nice chat about England. Lovely.

Bracelet guys:

Similar to the above, but they sell friendship bracelets instead of Eiffel Towers. I saw these guys in Montmartre as you approach the Sacre Coeur, which is a major tourist destination. Again, harmless – but there’s just one thing to be wary of – they ask you to stick your finger out and before you know it, they’ve slipped  a bracelet onto your hand (which they’re attached to) and you’re a captive market. It’s then a bit of a pain to un-bracelet yourself and move away.Our tour guide advised that if you don’t want a bracelet, just put your hand on your heart and say ‘non, merci’ as you walk on by.

I’d again like to reiterate – Paris is a safe city – I thought it was interesting to encounter these different types of people (and finding out about the petition scammers particularly piqued my interest). I chose to share this information because I found it fascinating and it’s always good to be prepared and aware.

The Food

Many people could wax lyrical here – but I’m not that clued up on food. I will say there’s more cafés and restaurants than you could imagine and they’re all pretty good! Sometimes the most famous ones aren’t the best and they come in a range of prices. If you eat and drink and the hotspots all time, you’ll be very poor. But even the poshest streets have a cheaper alternative – it’s worth checking out and comparing the prices before going in. Also, no trip to Paris is complete to me without eating baguettes (jambon et fromage, merci!), croissants, macarons (Laduree!), a chocolate and vanilla glace and, surprisingly, burgers. I had an excellent cheese and bacon burger at La Fontaine this time round- maybe I should add “eat a burger on every continent” to my bucket list?

Stay tuned for a day by day recap of the glorious time I had in Paris. I’m still buzzing! I have so many fun facts, lovely pictures and embarrassing moments to share.

Until next time,

Nikki

Packing for Paris

I am not a good packer.

I’m one of those people who wants to take everything with me.
‘What if I want to wear this skirt? But then I’d have to bring that jumper – and that would look great with those shoes!‘. God forbid my outfit doesn’t match. Before I know it, I’ve packed half my wardrobe for a weekend break. Oops.

This year I resolved to be more organised (and space conscious) for my trip to Paris. The thought of lugging a giant suitcase through Gare Du Nord didn’t thrill me at all!

Paris

I’ve been doing my homework on dressing for Paris, and it seems that the number one rule is ‘don’t look like a tourist‘. To avoid being sneered at, the advice is not to wear the following:

• Sneakers and sandals
• A lot of bright colours or patterns
• Athletic style clothing
• Jeans
• Short shorts

In other words: don’t dress down, dress up! The Parisian philosophy of dressing is sort of beautiful really; dress well, because you never know what the day might have in store for you, and you never know who you might meet. Isn’t that lovely? Of course, I can’t help but think Parisians do succumb to the odd bit of denim, and surely they wear sandals when it’s  hot? I suppose as long as you’re wearing nice jeans and sandals, you can get away with it?

A lot of people seem to over-emphasise the ‘Parisian women wear black’ stereotype, making it sound as though Paris is a city of walking mime artists and Goths. Definitely not! I think a safer rule is to stick with a handful of neutrals, complimented by a statement colour; i.e. mixing black, white, navy and grey with splashes of red. A great rule of thumb I heard somewhere was ‘stick to three colours per outfit’ – I quite like that one.

What to pack

I’m aiming to pack as cleverly as this. A handful of pieces you can mix and match (yes, I’ve added jeans, but they’re black and cropped – too Audrey-esque for anyone to complain I think) are key. A small set of colour-matching accessories, a selection of shoes that can take you from a tour around the Louvre to evening drinks in Le Chat Noir and a great lipstick are all you need to perfect your look. It doesn’t seem it, but you can actually create around 10 outfits from this modest set – how amazing!  I kept prints to a minimum, only adding stripes (how French) and the anchor print on the dress and shoes – polka dots and small florals would also look great!

Do remember to wear comfy clothes for travel – whether you’re going by plane, train or automobile. I’d advise wearing whatever you feel best in, whether that’s well-worn jeans or an old dress. I always feel more comfortable in a dress, so I’ll be packing a couple of Vintage Style Me smocks for the journey.

A trench coat/mac is the perfect lightweight jacket to stave off the rain, and it doesn’t  weigh a tonne like most coats. I’ll definitely be taking my new H&M one (which I managed to squeeze into the collage there!) unless the weather report says it will be super sunny all weekend!

If anyone else is planning a French getaway, I hope this helped. For everyone else, this hopefully made for an interesting read.

I’ll be saying Bonjour Paris on Friday, I’m so excited! For now, I’ll be watching this Funny Face clip.

Until next time,

Nikki