cafe beaute, as seen in the ny times

Last May, the NY Times featured an article on French women and their makeup habits, discussing one cafe in particular where French women get together for tips on beauty and makeup. The next such event, Cafe Beaute, will be held this Thursday at Columbus Cafe, 59 rue Faubourg St Anotoine, Paris 11th. Sign up online on the Cafe Beaute website, click on contactez-moi. The topic this time is hair care, and representatives from Rene Furterer haircare line will be on hand to chat about their product line. A great chance to see if you can discover some of those Frenchy secrets for that tousseled bed-head look....

new nain bleu toy store

in case you were wondering what happened to old-school toy emporium au nain bleu, paris' famous toy store that used to be on rue st. honore, they have reopened at 5 blvd malesherbes. this is the place to buy custom clothing for your little one's poupees and those great little bateaux to go sailing in the luxembourg boat pond. the toy store, which has dominated a big corner of st. honore since 1911, must've gotten bumped by a big ogre (otherwise known as a fancy women's boutique), but we are glad they found a new abode.

BHV goes manly

neighborhood favorite department store, BHV, announces a new department store exclusively for men, BHV Homme. The store, set to open March 7th on rue de la verrerie in the marais, will boast a 'new york loft' look, with over 150 men's labels, an interior courtyard/terrace/cafe, and one of those gorgeous mur vegetal (garden wall), done by Patrick Blanc who did the amazing vertical gardens at the Musee du Quai Branly.

armani takes up residence on ave montaigne

january 23rd marks the opening of the new giorgio armani boutique at 18 avenue montaigne. the 400 sq. meter boutique, his flagship in paris, boasts a brushed-silk and onyx themed decor. armani's classic collections will be on display along with a new sur mesure line for monsieur.

on your marks, get set, GO!

the soldes started yesterday, to the glee of many a shopping fanatic in the streets. while some shops started out with a measly 20% off, others went for the gusto and were already sportingdiscounts of -50%. tonight, thursday night, is a special nuit des soldes, meaning that many shops will stay open until [gasp!] 10pm. most shops will also be open this sunday, in hopes of tempting bargain-hunters to buy during the first few days of the sale. happy shopping!