Monday 21 September 2009

British Beauty for a Paris Poodle

The Paris Poodle is on location! Ruff! And to keep this pup from looking far from rough I can divulge my must have best British beauty buys which have made it to Paris in my cosmetics bag...


First and foremost my trusted Liz Earle favourites www.lizearle.com – this British beauty brand has only been around 15 years but is already a landmark natural skincare brand set to become an English version of the US Esteé Lauder Empire. Their Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser is an instant reviver at the end of a day’s travelling on Eurostar. This is the best cleanser ever invented which allows one to remove any trace of the most minute imperfection- daily grime, old makeup and even extra waterproof mascara (which should always be worn for teary goodbyes). As well as this wonder product which this Paris Poodle has used morning and night for many years, I have also brought my Liz Earle Superbalm, which has the added advantage that I can say it with a fabulous French accent; Sup –er Balm! And it really is super! This multi purpose wonder balm is made entirely with plant waxes and oils and not only makes my lips silky smooth and kissable but also works its powers to repair dry cuticles and dry skin, nourish nails and groom fly away hair. With an addictive aroma of lavender, neroli and rosehip this is surely one of Britain’s finest exports.

Aside from the British born Liz Earle, this Paris Poodle had to have one last nose about in that good old reliable British institution, Boots. The Poodle pickings here could be endless but I will for now share just 2... at the top of the list – I made sure I walked away from Boots equipped with No.7’s Perfect and Protect Beauty Serum; the must have prolonger of perfection. Proven to work because of its active pentapeptides this is my bedtime, travel time, morning and night time emergency skin smoother – a short few moments away from beautiful skin.


Also in my basket from Boots was Natural Collection lip-gloss in Turkish Delight – very pleasing against an ivory skin tone. I truly believe that lip-gloss is one of life’s most satisfying oral pleasures and at only £1.99 Natural Collection at Boots really gets my tail wagging. It smells delightfully fruity, gives gloss, colour and sparkle and at such a price you can’t go wrong! After all as soon as you gloss up you are either eating, drinking or French kissing again – mwah mwah – better get the gloss out again!


For glam parties alongside the Seine, I also bought some Biradari Shimmering Body Oil from Covent Garden’s The Sanctuary www.thesanctuary.co.uk . This gives skin an irresistible shimmer and intense hydration as it is rich in Sweet Almond Oil and vitamin E. Apparently based on an Indonesian cleansing ritual with Jasmine and Ylang Ylang, this is still most definitely one of my favourite British beauty buys and at just £9.99 it’s a bargain buy for a gorgeous glow! You must buy this for those that you love because they will certainly love you more after this!
And there you have it – a small cross section of my pampering favourites from Grande Bretagne – GRAND!

Sunday 6 September 2009

Welcome to The Paris Poodle


Looking perpetually pampered, powdered and perfect in Paris, is a full time job. The Paris Poodle is a one stop blog devoted to sharing secrets on how to look pristine in the extreme. With beauty pickings, reviews, style secrets and my ‘comme les filles’ diary, The Paris Poodle is my guide to a more beautiful life in the city of lights.

Technically my Paris pam-preening has not yet begun. Still in England, I am only a few short days away from ditching my less charming Brit-addications, namely X Factor, Marmite, Fish ‘n’ Chips and greasy spoon cafes, to go where the French lead; the official (and très chic) home of style, sophistication and all things beautiful ….where a most ‘charmant’t transformation will take place… from British Bird to Paris Poodle.

Armed only with a basic foundation of French, and a simple French foundation (my trusty Chanel Teint Innonce Compact) my soul duties will be to…

1. Sniff out the most coveted French beauty secrets, must have make up, and ‘voila’ products…

2. Nose around the best bits of Paris for walks, making friends and amusing oneself…

3. Dig out the best bargains Paris has to offer for fashion, style and beauty…

4. Retrieve the truth about the haughty reputation those preened Parisian’s have…
And there you have it! Although I will miss Cowell’s weekly cruxifications of contestants on the X Factor stage, and the nasal eviscerations of Colemans mustard; leave England I must, as I have far more pressing issues to ponder…Guerlain or Chanel… oh yes, it’s a Poodle’s life for me!…