I am in Paris.

A last minute, impromptu decision to spend a long weekend with a daughter in this city of lights…

We decided Thursday and arrived on Friday… so packing was a quick affair…

Travelling light is the only way on the train… and by the time I have my computer, ipad, camera gear and assortment of cords and charging kit… there is not much space…

I always pack similar clothes for Paris… black because it’s still cold and rainy… and with a few accessories…  a lipstick, a scarf, pretty earrings to brighten me up…

 isabel marant boots   madewell boyshirt   marni clutch   Bounkit amethyst earrings   Laika jacket   Kate Spade heels   Longchamp bag   Burberry trench   Mac Viva Glam III lipstick

add a pair of J Brand jeans, black pants, a couple of Vince tee shirts… and that’s it… all packed…

Have a wonderful weekend… and if you would like to see what’s happening in Paris this weekend… follow with me on Instagram… xv

P.S The sun is shining… maybe just for a moment… I should have packed those white jeans….

This week London is all about Flowers.

The Chelsea Flower Show is a highlight on the English calendar… Sloane Square is a buzz… restaurants are packed and shop windows are competing for the best floral display…

The English are passionate about creating and tending their gardens… and the country is home to some of the finest.

When I think of English gardens…

I see roses,  David Austin roses particularly… tender petals, shades I never imagined… a delicacy that only nature can create…

Old fashioned varieties with fragrance that will stop you in your tracks… make time cease to exist…

Roses… especially David Austin’s are my cure for just about everything… xv

Seeing Roses…

   The Rose by David Austin   Moroccan Rose Bath Oil   Gracie China Rose Porcelain

Les Fleurs on Pinterest

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Emmanuelle Alt, the newish editor-in-chief of Paris Vogue is my pin-up when it comes to wearing jeans. She wears jeans like a second skin… dressing them up and wearing them down… With blazers… with tees…  with heels, with boots…

Emmanuelle Alt inspires me… she is not super young… she looks super chic.. and she manages to make white jeans look fantastic… She makes me want to wear white jeans…

I have always been a little afraid of white jeans… for obvious reasons… I don’t necessarily need to draw attention to that which is better concealed… but the way she wears them gives me great hope…

How does she do it?

From my observations…this is how it works…

Contrast… always a dark top and dark footwear…

Add a heel… shoe boot or stiletto… It doesn’t have to be killer height but enough point and heel to give the illusion…

Oversized shirts with the front tucked in and the back hanging free…

Longish jackets… double breasted, three quarter length and boyfriend blazers…

I’m going with the white denim… just like Emmanuelle Alt.. What about you? xv

 The Pick of The Whites

Paige White Ankle Skinny   J.Brand Skinny   J Brand Boyfriends

And The Rest

Equipment Silk Shirt    Richard Nicoll Wool Felt Jacket   Joseph Super Twill Blazer   Valentino Flocked Bootie   Kate Spade Pump

Shop French Essence for more Emmanuelle Alt style

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Spend this weekend browsing in France…

with

Castles Crowns and Cottages and a Simply Irresistible French Party

Indulge in Provencal Dreams…

reading

Cherries From Chauvet’s Orchard… Blossoming in Provence…  Strangers in Paradise… Ten Trees and a Truffle Dog… and… My French Life… the story of my own dreams…

Perfume your home with Provence…

burning

Diptyque’s  Figuer… Feuille de Lavande… Choisya… and Verveine

France is truly irresistible… Happy Browsing… See you next week… xv

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Eyebrows are an important feature for any face… they are a frame for our eyes… they emphasise our expressions.

French women appear to me to do a good brow… not neglected, yet not over plucked. They follow a natural line… they leave them well enough alone… taking away the minimum from underneath allowing for a shaped brow and a clean canvas for eye make-up.

From my observations French ‘eyebrows’ have always tended to be on the heavier side… other than those of Coco Chanel and Edith Piaf, I couldn’t find a pencilled pair anywhere.

French women tend to wear them darker to highlight the eye socket… even if they are of fair complexion.

These famous French women, featured here, have very natural looking eyebrows… never over worked… and from all my hours of French ‘people watching’ I have much the same theory.

When it comes to French style… fashion, make-up and even eyebrows… it’s all about looking fresh… looking classic and keeping it simple…

As we know looking natural is not as easy as all that… and French women do make and take the time.

I want the perfect French ‘brows’ but it does take application and maintenance.

Eyebrows are like haircuts… well groomed and we are ready to take on the world…  lack of care and attention and we want to stay home and hide under the covers…

I asked my make-up artist guru ‘how to’ for those beautiful French brows…

For The Shape

Imagine a line drawn from the outside of the nose upwards towards the brow… The start, the middle and the end of the eyebrow should always line up.

The brow should be bushier at the beginning and gently taper down to a soft point.

For The Colour

With dark hair the colour used should be one shade lighter than the eyebrow hair colour… for lighter hair, it is advisable to use one shade darker.

For The Application

Avoid harsh lines always… Begin by brushing the brows outwards.

When applying eyebrow pencil use light, feathery dashes… the eyebrows are not a solid block of colour.

Powder can be used but it requires an additional brush and is not long lasting.

Follow the natural line of the brow… Don’t over extend the length as this can drag the face down… Remember your imaginary line…

Once the colour is applied, brush over the brows to remove any excess.

What To Use

The very best and easiest to apply is the Tom Ford Beauty Brow Sculptor

Even for tinted brows… to fill in any gaps and elongate the brow if necessary…

The Brow Sculptor comes in four shades… Blonde, Espresso, Chestnut and Taupe…

Taupe is the easiest for blondes, redheads and brunettes…

Chestnut and Espresso are for very dark hair and skin types.

To brush and set the brows… For touch ups and when time is limited…The Mac Brow Set

This one is always in my make up bag… I never leave home without it. A quick touch up with this and the brows feel well groomed… the eyes less tired…

 The Tom Ford Brow Sculptor is avalable from Nieman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Saks

 The Mac Brow Set from Nordstrom

Eyebrows… who would have thought I could have so much to say about les sourcils… xv

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