Forever bag

(£375 from Mywardobe.com)

This Anya Hindmarch "Maeve" bag was a belated birthday present from my husband. I say belated because it took two months after my birthday and a small drama at Mulberry in Stansted Airport to choose what bag I wanted. I am fan of Anya Hindmarch bags because they are classic and functional. This bag is three bags in one because you can unclip the crossbody strap and make it shorter to use as a shoulder bag or you can tuck the strap in and use the bag as an oversized clutch. It truly is a forever bag and that is what I look for in a bag rather than the latest Louis Vuitton or Gucci, which will sure to be dated in the next season.

My favourite bag designers are Mulberry, Anya Hindmarch, Manoush (it's a French contemporary clothing brand but the it carries nice bags too most seasons) and Lancel (I would say this is the French equivalent to Mulberry and not easy to find outside of France I believe).

Bisous -x-

Forever21 hits the UK!

I'm soooooooo excited! Finally Forever21 has hit the UK! I have been waiting for this moment for years! And for those of us who do not live in Birmingham or Dublin, a website will be launched soon http://www.forever21.co.uk/ so stay tuned.

Bisous -x-

Hello Kitty H&M haul

An under £10 haul to brighten up my day. A new trousse for my trip to Germany, a cute mirror and I've been wearing the hairclips everyday :)

Bisous -x-

Retail therapy

Hey!

I'm kinda feeling down at the moment, so today I went shopping to cheer myself up.

I actually just went to finally get YSL Mascara Singulier, but I also found lots of stuff in H&M, Topshop and Zara that I liked so it was a nice surprise :) The bag is £12.99 from H&M and will be perfect for my trip to Germany at the end of February. I am participating in my own personal hand luggage challenge, which means no checked-in luggage for the first time in my life! With liquid restrictions, my make up and toiletries will be limited for the trip. Yes, it will be a challenge for me!

Bisous -x-

Mon sac nouveau

£32 from Topshop

Victorias Secret to open in the UK!

So I read in the newspaper today that Victorias Secret is joining the ranks of US stores to finally see sense and open up in the UK. Payback for Topshop in New York.

The people over at VS are searching for the perfect flagship location, possibly in Regent Street. Rumour has it, Forever 21 is also looking to open a flagship there too.

I guess the prices will be a straight dollar to pound conversion, but I can live with that.

Bon weekend!

Bisous -x-

J'adore Gaga!

I bought this supercute Lady Gaga'esque clip-in hair bow from Claires Accessories for £5. The colour match is perfect for my hair. It is also available in brunette and black. They also have them stuck on to headbands, but the clip-in one is more realistic.

Photo is at a friend's wedding. My dress is from Asos.com, my Bambi necklace is from Disney Couture and the bouquet is the bride's :)

Bisous -x-

Obsession du jour: Studs

I've bought a lot of studded items throughout the year. Shoes, jeans, shorts, tops and now bags...

The larger bag is £38 from Topshop and the clutch is £20 from Urban Outfitters.

Since I went to Paris in August I am dreaming of a studded bag from Lancel. I would describe Lancel as the French version of Mulberry. I do hope the Pound/Euro exchange rate returns to normal soon so I can buy it. It is around 800 Euros, so it is more or less £800.

Whilst in Printemps (a major department store) in Lyon, I saw a cute leopard print pochette from Sonia Rykiel. I was trying to be really good and not spend all of my money on day one, so I waited until the last day to go back and buy it... but it had sold out :( My husband is going to Paris next weekend so I've asked him to check if it is in stock at the Printemps there. I hope he returns to London with the correct one.

Bisous -x-

Shopping in London...

LONDON is my hometown and although I sometimes get jaded, it has the best shopping in the world in terms of HIGH STREET.

Probably 50% of my wardrobe is TOPSHOP. I wouldn't say there is a method to shopping there, I just randomly come across cool items that fit in with the rest of my wardrobe - most recently BRETON TOPS and a STUDDED SWEATSHIRT tres Gagaesque! I love TOPSHOP SHOES! You can find CLASSIC SHOES with a MODERN TAKE or STATEMENT SHOES. I occasionally also find some cool ACCESSORIES - BAGS, STATEMENT JEWELLERY and TIGHTS.

My second main shop is URBAN OUTFITTERS. Again my finds there are all very random - most recently STUDDED and LEOPARD PRINT BALLET PUMPS and JEWELLERY. I have got my eye on a SARA BERMAN PRINCESS COAT there. Bring on the sales!

I hit ALL SAINTS for DECONSTRUCTED KNITWEAR, ZIPPED ANKLE JEANS, BLAZERS and ACCESSORIES. I love DIESEL for JEANS. I hit AMERICAN APPAREL for T-SHIRTS and BASICS. And I make some occasional random finds in ZARA, H&M RIVER ISLAND and ASOS.COM

I like RUSSELL & BROMLEY, OFFICE and FRENCH SOLE for SHOES.

For HIGH END I hit SELFRIDGES and CONTEMPORARY I hit HARVEY NICHOLS.

For BEAUTY I go to BOOTS because I can get POINTS on my ADVANTAGE CARD for FREEBIES. If I can't find a certain product in BOOTS then I go to SUPERDRUG. SELFRIDGES has the best BEAUTY HALL ever and I love SPACE NK too.

Where do you shop in your hometown or places that you travel to?
SHOPPING IN PARIS coming up shortly. Bisous -x-

New shoes

£35 from Office... tres Chanelesque!

Paris haul

Salut!

Sorry I haven't blogged for a while. My internet got cut off before I went to Paris.

I had a great trip, the weather was hot so I got a great tan. I spent two days at Disneyland and the rest of the time shopping and visiting friends. Here is my modest haul...

In Sephora I just picked up some Make Up Forever stuff - the five colour camouflage concealer palette (love), aqua smoky lash mascara (I'm not sure about the wand) and two aqua eyes eyeliners in black and shiney black (love). I also picked up a Sephora non rinse brush cleaner (not pictured).

In Parashop I picked up Bioderma Crealine H2O and the wipes. I highly recommend these as after a week of using them my skin has noticeably improved. Clarins better watch out - I might just switch all my skincare over to Bioderma.

In Douglas I picked up a cute Hello Kitty sponge and a mini Mavala nail polish in Liberty - its a cream nude colour j'adore ca!

Apart from make up, I bought two breton tops from Saint James and a pair of leather look ballet leggings from Promod which is the French equivalent of Forever 21.

If you plan to visit Paris, I recommend Rue de Rennes and Rue du Four in the 14th arrondissement for shopping. The closest metro station is Rennes or Montparnasse Bienvenue. There are many Sephora stores all over the city but the one on Champs Elysees is the biggest and has the best selection of products - it even stocks MAC. French skincare brands are very good and can be found in any pharmacy, but the Parashop chain is really good.

Bisous -x-

Babushka

In addition to Bambi and Hello Kitty, I love Babushkas! If there is a Babushka on it I have to have it! I was so happy to come across these supercute finds this month. The clutch is £22 from Topshop and the pochette is around £7 from Accessorize - sorry for the blurred photo.

Bisous -x-

Camomilla - My addiction

I wish there was a Camomilla store in London :( They have supercute accessories and the best Hello Kitty stuff. www.camomilla.it

I hope I get the chance to visit Italy again real soon.

New shoes

I picked these up in the sale for £30 in some random shop on Clapham High Street. They are by a supercute Brazillian brand called Melissa http://www.melissaplasticdreams.com/home/uk

The bows are removable clips.

Bisous -x-

Paris Wishlist...

I am going to Paris in August and that means one thing... SEPHORA! :)

I can't wait to hit the Make Up Forever section. This is what I want...

Waterproof Smokey Lash mascara
Aqua Eyes waterproof eyeliner in Black
5 Colour Camouflage concealer palette in either No1 or No2

I'm hoping they will have HD Elixir and the double ended contour brush - I checked the French website and they are not available on there yet.

Depending on the contents of my Hello Kitty purse at the end of the week I might go back and get a back up of the HD Microfinish powder and maybe a Sculpting Kit.

I might also get some Sephora brand products, although Sephora in the US has a better selection.

Apart from make up, I hope to find the perfect vintage Chanel 2.55 handbag, another handbag, some clothes (in particular a bright or printed maxi dress, breton top and tulip skirt) maybe some shoes, possibly some Hello Kitty stuff and some Arabic jewelery.

Bisous -x-