5 French Fashion Facts

 
1) Everyone wears scarves. No matter the temperature or age, wear a scarf. At the park you will find babies & toddlers wearing very fashionable scarves neatly wrapped around their necks. I can just imagine how American parents would be alarmed by the strangling hazard.

2) When in doubt, wear all black & a scarf.

3) Throw on a leather jacket, a blazer or a trench coat and you will instantly look more chic.

4) Forget your heat tools & hairspray. French women don't fuss over their hair and manage to look très chic without doing anything to it. The only thing that appears to look less French than over styled hair, is wet hair. Wet hair says you are running late in a unfashionable way.

5) Accessorize with a scarf and a great handbag. No need for makeup, statement jewelry or anything else when you are walking around in high-quality basics and a great handbag on your arm.

Bonus: While smoking & looking very unsatisfied with life looks very French, I don't recommend it!

5 Frugal Food Facts For Francophiles

1. Street food is mainly cheap & delicious. Think crêpes ($3-4), baguette sandwich ($3-4), as opposed to a cafe lunch ($15-25 per person without alcohol). Time Saving Bonus: street food doesn't slow your day down with leisurely table service (or an impatient waiter).
2. ALWAYS request a "carafe d'eau." If you request it, they'll bring you a free pitcher of tap water. If you just ask for water, you'll end up with a bottle of water ($5-8). Budget killer. 
3. For breakfast visit a bakery. Breakfast at a cafe can run $6-10 for just a croissant & coffee. Instead, explore one of the many bakeries (called boulangeries/pâtisseries) that are everywhere & enjoy a delicious pastry that will only cost you $1-4. 
4. Buy drinks at the supermarket. Bottles of water & sodas are very expensive on the street ($3-8). Yes, we went to a cafe at a park that wanted $8 for a can of coke!!!! No thanks! I'd rather have my free carafe d'eau & then head to a bakery for some delicious macaroons, a fancy pastry, or a chocolat chaud (hot chocolate).  Instead, find a Monoprix (like France's Target), Franprix, or even in the metro vending machines where you can buy water & sodas for around $1 each. Great for when you are walking around exploring. 
5. Splurge on French delicacies. With all of these money saving tips, you will be able to enjoy the finer French goods that don't come cheap. Ladurée or Mariage Freres for tea & macaroons; 2 pots of tea & 4 macaroons $40. Angelina's world famous, rich, thick, creamy delicious hot chocolate $8 per person. Do not miss out on these experiences, they are what you will remember for the rest of your life!

5 Facts I Have Learned About Myself Living in France

I have been living in Paris for a month now and reflecting back, here are a few things I have learned so far:

1. I don't mind wearing the same 20 pieces of clothing on constant repeat.
2. I need a smaller house. Living in a tiny 2-bedroom apartment is amazing! Yes, even with 2 small children.
3. When you are only allowed a few things due to space limitations, you end up having fewer, but better things. Things you truly love.
4. I am capable of growing a thicker skin and it feels good (Many thanks to the Parisians).
5. Money spent on memories rather than material things is money well spent! I might not be wearing haute couture from head-to-toe, but I'm wearing a huge smile because I'm living a really blessed life & I have everything I need and more.

5 French Potty Facts

1. There are very public, permanent open air urinals at some train stations & possibly in other places
2. So far, toilet paper is really thin & feels like sandpaper. However, we bought some rolls that are soft & they claim you only need 1 square! Guess what, it's true...
3. Toilet paper comes in basic white, but also in pink & purple!
4. I previously mentioned having to pay to use the facilities in some places. They have someone disinfecting & spraying the stall after each use. 
5. A lot of restaurants, grocery stores, parks and public spaces in general do not have bathrooms.
6. (BONUS: The picture above is a public service announcement sign that says 35 euro fine for poop on the street)

5 Fascinating French Food Facts

1. At McDonald’s you can request to have your food brought to your table and if you order mustard for your chicken nuggets you get regular mustard (not honey mustard). 
2. Beautiful, delicious pastries are really cheap. You can buy a beautiful pastry for $2. And I’m talking delicious!!! The famous macaroons from Ladurée are an exception.  You can expect to spend well over $40 on 2 pots of tea & 4 delectable macaroons. A true luxury! 
3. There is a real abundance of cheese. Lots of fragrant, creamy cheese for just a few euros. 
4. At most places, coffee will run you $7-9 euros.  
5. We have gone to the grocery store several times & have never seen any other small children aside from our own.  Eggs aren't refrigerated. Refrigerated milk is unpasteurized and  pasteurized milk isn't refrigerated... but we don't have conclusive evidence about this yet.

Madeline Goes to Paris!

Bonjour!

We arrived in beautiful Paris, but not without difficulty. Even though we planned ahead, much of the packing and logistics happened in the last few minutes.

We rented are house back home and where we packed up all of our belongings. Those of you who have moved recently know how stressful this is. Those of you who have small children know that the stress is amplified.

Once the house was all packed up, I started planning what to pack for an entire year.  My goal was 2 suitcases and 1 carry on for the four of us.  Somehow, I ended up with 4 suitcases. Oops!

Throughout the entire process I had been really stressed and anxious, but had remained relatively calm. I LOVE to travel, but I always get overly excited which translates to anxious and sometimes physically ill.

This time, the stress was so overwhelming that I ended up hanging out in the airport bathroom for 2.5 hours vomiting and nauseous. I would have stayed there longer if the time to board the plane hadn't come. I was beyond scared to get on a 10 hour flight with an extremely upset stomach.

I kept thinking of the worst case scenarios and worked myself up to a bit of a panic. Luckily, we had ended up with 2 business class tickets and 1 first class ticket. The original plan was to divide and conquer: one of us would have a kid in first class and the other would keep a kid in business class.

Given my state, I ended up in first class the entire flight. I had never flown first class international and was amazed by the service. It was way better than business class. My flight attendant was extremely kind and helpful. The never ending tea supply helped calm my stomach and nerves, and the comfortable bed allowed me to rest and feel a lot better.

One of the things I was most thankful for was the first class bathroom! Yes, the bathroom! I was expecting the standard tiny, gross, claustrophobic closet, but instead found a very roomy bathroom. I couldn't believe my luck when I saw the sitting area within the bathroom.

When we finally landed in Charles de Gaulle, I was sure the worst had passed and I could start living my Parisian dream. Not so... stay tuned.

5 Unexpected French Facts

1. What do the French do at 3 A.M.? Go to a Cafe, of course.
2. The Ratatouille ride at Disneyland Paris is amazing!
3. The French are extremely nice! The trick is to try to speak more French than just "Bonjour, parlez vous anglais?"
4. Bread pudding move over... bread flan is amazing!
5. Having tea & macaroons at Ladurée is an absolute must! The house tea blend is incredible and the whole experience is very luxurious.

New Year, New Face

Skin care products can either make or break your entire face. Wrinkles, spots, dullness as well as other conditions come with aging, but I would like to minimize and postpone these side effects as long as possible. I believe that taking care of your skin is like an investment in your face–there are short-term benefits now, but the long-term benefits pay off even more as you age. 

My latest find, GlamGlow, is a brand that I'm really enjoying. I find it to be really efficient in delivering on their promise. I first tried a sample of the mud mask from Sephora and saw such immediate results that I went to purchase the blue one called ThirstyMud ($69 from GlamGlow) when my skin became dry and dull in the winter. There are some products that you have to use a long time before you see any benefit, other products make you break out the first time you try them, but ThirtyMud made my skin feel soft and supple after one use with no day-after breakout.



This week I stopped by Sephora in search of a lipstick and instead walked out with a GlamGlow SuperCleanse ($39 from GlamGlow). Even my husband likes this one because it starts out as a mud and then turns into a foam after you add some water. It's like a combination mask and cleanser in one. For years I have been using a Chanel cleanser that costs $45, so this one is not a lot cheaper. But they both last a long time, so the price per use is pretty reasonable. You only need a small amount. 

The SuperCleanse has an herbal/eucalyptus smell and the peppermint makes it feel really refreshing on your skin. I don't feel chemically stripped like after using other cleansers in the past. I also noticed my skin had a nice glow. I will update you later as I continue to use it, but I'm sure it will become a new favorite.