New Year(s) Favourites!

Hey guys!

Before anything else, I'd like to apologize for how much of a terrible blogger I've been over the past few months. But cut me some slack! I had a lot of work to do, so naturally when my vacation arrived I decided I would do absolutely nothing, and since then I've been swamped with uni projects and the likes...

So please don't hate me for not blogging for a while. I promise I'll be more regular about it.

In fact, here you go! A blog post just for you on this glorious day in London (it genuinely is super nice outside, so if you're reading this and it's not raining, GO! Enjoy it while it lasts!)

Before that, though, I'd like to wish you all a Chinese AND Gregorian Happy New Year, since apparently I skipped both (I really am a bad blogger, I guess... Oops?). May this year be filled with joy and happiness for all of you, I wish you to succeed in anything you choose to undertake :).

Since I haven't blogged in so long, I feel like I should just do a global post on what I've been loving lately, and next time (next WEEK, I PROMISE!) do something more particular.

Let's begin with the beginning: it's been sales month. Needless to say I took advantage of that and ended up in shops that weren't necessarily my go-to shops but in which I discovered a few hidden treasures.

Urban Outfitters. The brand having only opened a flagship in Paris this year, I'm not really used to shopping there but really like the style, so I decided I should give it a go. The first thing that I like about them is the fact that they have a student discount: good initiative.
I visited the shop twice. The first time, I went home with a bunch of bras, because I decided I've had enough of going to the gym with normal bras and ending up in pain because the rigid structure hurts my back. So I went for the bralettes:

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/uk/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=5741432598741&parentid=WOMENS-LINGERIE-EU
http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/uk/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=5741432592066&parentid=WOMENS-LINGERIE-EU

The only problem with UO is that most of their products are very expensive, so even though I loved most of the tee shirts, I only bought one:

http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/uk/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=5116433477777&parentid=WOMENS-JERSEY-TOPS-EU

The second time I went, I got the panties to match my bras, but, most importantly, I found the perfect candle.
Having worked in perfumery before, I'm quite picky with candles and often find the smells to be too vulgar, too unrefined, and I end up getting a headache when I smell them. That's why I usually go for the Diptyque candles (. My favourite smell is Tubéreuse. The thing is, I'm not sure these exist in the UK, and so I've been stuck with Penhaligon candles, and I don't like them as much.
So when I saw a bunch of candles from an unknown brand at UO, I figured it would be bad quality candles again. I was actually quite pleasantly surprised. Even though the smell had nothing to do with the description, I'm loving the Elderflower and Champagne candle (I couldn't find the exact one on the website, so here's another one from the same line: http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/uk/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=5558415610012&parentid=SEARCH+RESULTS).

Primark. Now that brand has been a revelation to me once I moved to the UK. Super cheap clothes that are actually quite fashionable? I am IN there. Ironically, I usually end up buying more stuff for my home than clothes, and so last time I went, I got myself one of their super-comfy bed throws. I've literally been walking around with it. It's too soft for me to part with it.

Mine, however, is white.

LUSH. Last but not least, another British brand caught my attention. My make up is very plain: I usually just wear mascara, eye liner, and occasionally some lipstick. When I got into Lush, however, I felt like I wanted to buy all of their cosmetics. I didn't really like their bath line because, as I've said before, I've got quite a sensitive nose and their scents usually give me a headache, but I absolutely fell in love with their Liquid Lipstick line (https://www.lush.co.uk/product/5978/Confident-[Emotional-Brilliance]). I'm the proud owner of three of their colours - Confident, Charm and Decisive - and can't make up my mind about which I should buy next.
Feel free to advise me in my endeavours!

Love you, my dear little unicorns.

EG

Shoe crushes of the month

So I'm an absolute shoe addict. Ask Daphne (http://peanutbutterandchocolatelife.blogspot.fr/), the one thing I buy on a regular basis is shoes. So here are my shoe crushes for this month.

The Jeffrey Campbell Fired Up Shoe in red. 

Does it not beg you to buy it? It's like Superman in a shoe. Honestly, it's beautiful, delicious, and I'd suggest checking out karmaloop.com if you're under a 10 as they're  having a sale. Unfortunately, they've run out of size 10 (my size) and I'm about to go kill myself in despair.

The Shoe Cult Velocity Wedge Boot. 

To be honest, I'm not sure whether or not I like it that much in red, as I have these in black, but I was incapable of finding a good picture of these in black nor could I get a good shot of mine, so just indulge me please. I love these because they're both really original (look at the heel! It's literally a chunk and I love it) and, as unexpected as it may sound, extremely comfortable. I'm in Paris this week end to visit my family and have been walking around with these just fine. The little detail I absolutely love is the fact that they open and close through a system of magnets, it's hard to explain but, where you would expect a zip, there's literally just two magnets that stick together. It means that the shoe design has no interruption, making it look more polished and contributing to the comfiness!

You can find these on NastyGal.com, I think it's the website shoe brand.

Last but not least, the Topshop Chunky Trainers.

Now I know these rarely get unanimous approval, but you're going to have to indulge the hipster in me when I say that I got a pair in white and they are absolutely BRILLIANT. Honestly. I wear them all the time: they're both practical and fashionable, they go with everything and hell, it feels good to have a pair of white shoes you can whip out on a regular basis. 

So there you have it: my three picks for this month!

What about you? I'm ravenous about shoes so don't hesitate to submit your own faves for this month, I will for sure check them out!

Goodbye, my little shiny unicorns

xxx

HOW TO: Shop in the men's section

       I have a secret. A big, huge secret that nobody knows. You know, the kind of secret you try to keep silent for as long as you can. And today, for the first time ever, my friends discovered it. 

       I was helping one of my guy friends along, he needed to find warm clothes for winter and, of course, trusted my fashion sense: I therefore took him into Topman. We start looking at clothes - he tries one on, then the next, then we stumble into the sweaters section...

       And that's when it happened: without thinking, I reached out and grabbed a sweater. My friend turned to me, confused, and asked why I'd taken a large when he was only a medium. Forgetting who I was with, I just shrugged and answered:

"Oh no, you don't understand, this one's for me."

       A few uncomfortable seconds ticked by. I suddenly realized what I'd just said: there was no way of taking it back. 

       My secret was out: I like shopping in the men's section.

       So here's a little how-to for you, my dear reader, if you feel like you would like to go on an adventure to crazy-patterned-shirts-land and the country of comfy-sweaters. Here are my picks from Topman and River Island this month.

"No way", you must be thinking, "that can't be a men's shirt!" And yet, it is. Yes, ladies, I found this little guy in River Island, silently calling me from one of the men aisles: "pleaaaaseeeee come and get me?" 

I just couldn't say no.

One thing you need to remember when shopping men's collections is that you may think you're tall, but compared to them, you're not. I'm 1m76 - pretty tall for a girl - but I still shop Small in the men's section, because men can be so damn big!

You've got it - it's a big, comfy sweater for the upcoming winter months (have you heard it's going to be one of the coldest winters ever? It makes me want to throw a tantrum.)! It's another item from River Island. I know I just advised you to pick Small in the men's section, but I would say that large sweaters are always more comfy, and they give a different style, more laidback, which means that you can wear them with a collar underneath and still look laidback. So I got mine in Large - you pick what you prefer!

This is the last item I got from River Island: it's just a plain tee with leather patches on the shoulders, but I've never been able to find one in the women's section - so here you go!

I got into Topman and the first thing I saw was a huge "SALES" sign. So of course I went for it and found this huge comfy sweater (again). Sweaters are really my main fashion choice for winter, as they're warm and come in all shapes and sizes - you can definitely always find the one that suits you!

There's more to this shirt than meets the eye. On the picture, you can't really see the tiny multicolored dots splattered all over it, but that's the main reason why I bought it. I find that men's clothes often have tiny, discreet finishing touches that add a bit of fun to my outfits.

So there you are: men's clothes can definitely be worth checking out. I especially like the fact that the shapes of the shirts are only slightly different from women's, but just enough that it creates a slightly off-beat look perfect for when you're wearing very feminine make up or for making an every day look slightly less common.

Kisses to you, my shiny unicorns,

EG

A few words of introduction!

Hi there!

Let me introduce myself. I'm an 18 year old student from Paris, France. I've just started my BSc degree in LSE, one of London's unis. As a new student in a new city, I find that there's a lot people forgot to tell me about life abroad - and there's a lot I want to share, be it about the London lifestyle, beauty, fashion, or cooking! They are mainly what you can expect from me.

I hope you enjoy my blog!

Lots of love
EG
xxx