eye lash bar

if you are strolling around st. germain and decide your jetlagged visage could use a little pick-me-up, pop into the recently redone shu uemura boutique. a quick visit the tokyo lash bar will have you batting your eyes and saying 'oh la la' with a gorgeous set of fake lashes. too bold for you? then check out their famous makeup removing oils, wide range of makeup colors, and the shop's new secret japanese garden.
176 blvd st. germain, 6th; tel 01 45 48 02 55

white nights

mark your calendar for this year's edition of the nuit blanche, on the night of october 6th to 7th (from 7pm to 6am), when all of paris stays up late. installations and art expos are up in several different areas across this city, many dealing with the theme of light. pictured above is louis rollide's light work on the maison de victor hugo in the marais, which will be animated with music, poetry and lights. check out the official website for a full listing of events. this is truly a chance to see paris as you've never seen it before.

lagerfeld confidential

for fashion fans, the much anticipated film about designer karl lagerfeld, lagerfeld confidential, looks like a must-see. lagerfeld takes off his infamous dark glasses to show the real man behind the creative genius, as well as his theories about his mother, his drawers full of gloves and stiff collars, and his collections. the film opens in paris on october 10th- be sure to check here to find a theater playing the film in french with english subtitles.

the beret is back

as seen in many a fall magazine, the quintessential french hat, the beret, is back for fall. check out models from sinequanone, lacoste, or vuitton [pictured] if you are visiting paris, or check out this great website i just found, berets.com, which stocks berets from around the world.

chez ki

kenzo's beauty line, kenzoki, has just opened a beauty shop inside it's showroom at the place des victoires. in the chez ki space, one can come to learn about the whole line of kenzoki beauty products while sipping a cup of tea. just sign up online to make your free rendez-vous and relax in the new, ultra-modern beauty space.

two centuries of design

a new expo at the grand palais shows off over 300 design objects dating from the beginning of the industrial revolution to today. furniture, architecture, fashion, and art pieces are on display to continue the dialog between different design periods. on display until january 8th.

one for the guys

a good gift idea for the homme in your life-- the new skincare line called au bonheur des hommes, made in france with all natural ingredients. packaged in kitchy-retro style black and white bottles and tubes, you won't mind if he leaves it lying around the bathroom! (availabe at printemps department store's mens shop- printemps de l'homme)

bar a chignons

get off the plane with a bad 'do? stop by the marianne gray salon in st. germain to take advantage of her bar a chignons ["bun bar"]. on thursdays and fridays, you can stop in for a super quick up-do-- the price of which depends on how long it takes to do up your hair! (10 euros for 10 minutes, 20 euros for 20 min, etc.)
53 rue saint andre des arts, 6th

go ga-ga over these gloves

famed made-in-france glove house causse has just opened its first boutique in paris at 12 rue de castiglione, 1st arr. fans of the french gantier (which dates back to 1892) include madonna and karl lagerfeld, the latter of whom orders 250 pairs of his famed fingerless gloves at a time. the chic 07/08 winter collection includes lovely specimens in golden lambskin and panther pony.

guest designers

this fall, h & m recruited roberto cavalli to do a limited edition line (available November 8th), while mango is using the creative talents of penelope cruz and her sister monica to bring in business. apparently the "guest appearance" tactic has not worn out its welcome just yet...

belle in paris

2 new beauty items from top french brands worth mentionning-- a streetcar named desire lipstick collection from lancome, which was originally lanced alongside the film in 1951, has been relaunched. check out the oh-so-chic red reds, such as the rouge absolu desir 130, for a perfectly parisian pout.

also just released to the masses is givenchy's scent "le de," originally created in 1957 as a gift fragrance that was only given to haute couture customers. it is now been made available to us common folk.

this weekend in paris

the annual 'journees du patrimoine' ("heritage days") take place this weekend in paris. this yearly event offers secret behind-the-scenes visits of all sorts of cultural places in paris for free-- check out churches, government buildings, museums, etc you'll get a glimpse into loads of places that are not normally open to the public (such as the gorgeous "hotel de ville"), so take advantage of it if you are in town! the listings of the places available to vist can be found on paris.fr (unfortunately, they are only listed in french).

au marche!

just got back from the marche d'aligre, my local outdoor market, with this lovely bunch of dahlias and purple foliage. [all for an insanely reasonable 5 euros!] so i thought i'd give a 'shout out' to the markets of paris. if you haven't experienced one, check out the list on the mayor's website to find a marche near you, and go check it out to buy a lovely bouquet for your hotel room or some fresh produce to munch on while you are in town, and experience the real parisian's paris.

mini tea salon

kusmi tea, which has recently celebrated its 140th anniversary in paris, has just opened a teeny tiny tea salon above their boutique in st. germain. stop by to try out one of their many teas, served either hot or cold, in this ultra-modern space. [the 'detox' tea is a favorite of local fashionistas.] downstairs, you can purchase teas to take home-- their bright and colorful packaging will cheer you up on a cool fall day.

happy 70th!

scarves are making a big comeback around paris this season. check out the hermes carre 70, a 70cm square scarf made for the 70th anniversary of the infamous hermes scarf., available in several styles, including a redition of their first scarf. so chic!

ysl does graffiti

designers these days seem to be going to new heights [and lows] to get our attention. on sept. 12th, yves st. laurent took fashion to the streets- literally. this graffiti 'tag' was seen by yours truly on the streets of st. germain. the 12th was also the date of ysl's first mini newspaper, released in metro stations and over 180 sights around the city, filled with photos of the new collection-- a future collector's item?

chic new lipgloss

another great accessory to add to your makeup case--chanel's latest fall lipcolors, with the glosses in the shape of their signature camelia flowers. made to wear layered together or alone, these lipglosses are almost too preety to use! all this in the shiny, black chanel compact that oozes paris chic.

vendome luxury

the ritz is famous for its bar, its stars, and now, its limited editions. from october 4th to 7th, the ritz will host the vendome luxury trade show, which will offer a boutique filled with limited edition pieces [such as the patent leather repettos, pictured], a luxury bar to relax in between two fashion shows, as well as a beauty center tucked away in the ritz gardens. so if you aren't invited to the fashion shows in paris, you can at least pretend you are part of the It crowd by stopping by the ritz...

au revoir valentino!

legendary designer valentino has just announced that he will step down, presumably to retire after a 45 year career that was recently feted by a 3 day celebration in rome. fashionistas, get ready to snatch up his last ready to wear and couture collections this next season-- future collectors items, bien sur.