Paris Shopping Tips by Norali

Yves Saint-Laurent booths @ dept stores: My favourite fancy make-up brand

Have been always a fan of Yves Saint-Laurent Haute Couture work, his sense of colours, of style and its modernism. Monsieur Saint-Laurent was the first to have introduced women to la saharienne suit, to the smoking suit, all very wearable & convenient pieces of cloth.

The in-house make-up brand has inherited from the Master's sense of style and colours. I know, those lipsticks, eyeshadows & highlighters are produced somewhere in a hub (OK, "concepted" somewhere in a lab by a in-house color artist prior the mass production). Still, they are good at creating a beauty & style world that is coherent from the tip of your lashes to the tip of your satin YSL shoes. [Btw, no risk to see me in a YSL total look: too poor & too witty for that !]

Now, look at this Marron Glacé & Suede eyeshadow duo: very classical. With a Tom Ford era packaging (ebony shade box), the violet Iris & Peacock blue duo is still very Saint-Laurent. Because it is still about that: colours, creation ! The YSL n°19 fuschia lipstick that was the craze of Parisian women in the 80s is a reminiscence of those fuschia satin noeuds & silk blouses one could dream of watching the Master's collection presentations. The Suede tone of the eyeshadow... very akin to the shade of the famous YSL saharienne. For me, brand is not important, environment is, creation is.

Of course, it is also about communication ! They all communicate now but when Terry de Gunzburg (she used to be responsible for YSL make-up line creation) launched a magnificent cognac-caffee latte blend colour lipstick, she went on explaining how she found inspiration to "build" her Thé Sucré lipstick shade. You read, your imagination wanders in a sensuous world. You're amazed how sipping tea or cognac could trigger such inspiration... and you're charmed !

They all communicate but some do it better than others. Or at least, Maison Saint-Laurent has managed to trigger admiration, fascination in their artworks in me. ;-) So inspirational, so Paris to me.

What to buy: - Were there only one product to choose from YSL, would be Touche Eclat. A highlighter & light reflector pen that gives a glow to areas it is applied on (eyes circles, hollow of chin, sides of nose, corners of lips). Most convenient function: can be applied on or under foundation to sculpt the face. Just be aware that when taken on photos, you may have some very highlighted areas by contrast to darker ones: the panda look !

- Lipsticks. YSL n°19 is amongst mythical beauty products. Very hip in the 80s when bright colours were popular, the deep fuschia shade is amongst my favourite ones. What can I say? I am amongst the happy ones who can afford sporting fuschia lipstick & blush without looking like a clown! As a teen, I used to tint my lips with a fuschia lip pencil (not YSL though). Guess where the idea came from ? From a picture of a YSL collection model wearing a fuschia silk blouse & black pants. lol. I wore my fuschia with jeans & khaki pants.

When the nude look took over the 90s minimalist & brown era, fuschia was not fashionable anymore. It resisted, spotted on the canvases of the confident faces, those who managed to keep their own allure & style whatever the trend. Years 2000, we are back into colours and glam make-up. Robert Plant girls with their charcoal smoky eyes & red lips are hip again. At same time, the pink wavetide hit each side of the globe. Fuschia ? It is not coming back. It had been a timeless shade (Fact that YSL used to maintain #19 into its ever-changing collections goes to show it), fashion-vistims had just rediscovered it. It is hip again. Real women of style? They knew about which shades suit their style & remained loyal to them (the shades, not necessarily the brands).
Thank God, the true style world doesn't use to be this secular as in the past anymore. Wear red, nude, pink, plum, everything but be true to & confident in yourself !
This creamy Fuschia now is worn with smoky eyes in black, purple, blue hues. There must be some balance however. Do I need to say I love make-up ?

What to pay: 20-25 euros for lipstick;
Around 30 euros for duo eyeshadows;

Directions: Galeries Lafayette & Printemps are both on Bd Haussmann. Sephora ? have to check

Theme: Bath and Beauty

Maud Perl: Silk!

For who loves silk, this is the ultimate shop !

To look at the shelvings of a Maud Perl boutique is to be lost and seduced. Well, not really lost ! I could imagine this experience as akin to being on the Silk Road.

With the current "bohème chic" trend, it has become a very hip brand. Fifteen years ago, when I discovered Maud Perl items in my favourite magazines (It helps to read French magazines for clever shopping in Paris :-)) then in RL later on, I noticed their commitent in research. Technology has enabled to enrich the range in colours, textures...

Silk is there, in many forms, textures and kind. Colour is there. Could be bright - those saffron tops, those poppy red coats or were they robe-chemises ? Even noticed the Chinese yellow (you know this colour of shiny yellow used on Chinese things)... Could be soft tones like parme, grey, pale yellow, pale pink, glacier blue or white-pink, white-grey.. all kinds of white. Or dark as aubergine, chocolate, burgundy...

What I enjoy most is the many shades available for colours. Yellow for instance has so many shades in a Maud Perl shop. Could be those yellow shades seen on Asian territories (saffron, the royal Chinese yellow...).

Texture ? matte, shiny.
Type ? raw silk, jersey, à la Lyonnaise silk (the type used for those Hermès scarves), or processed like it uses to be in India.
Could be pure silk items or silk-cotton blend, silk-linen blend or in winter, silk is bended with either wool either cashmere...
Forms ? could even be pleated silk, like torn silk, embossed silk....

If silk is your stuff, go there...

What to buy: I love her tops & silk jersey pants & the scarves!
I loooooove scarves & silk ;-)

What to pay: Pricey but worth it!

Address: 106, rue Vieille-du-Temple & 39, rue de grenelle

Theme: Women's Clothes

Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, BHV, Sephora...: Bourjois for classical, original, funky make-ups

Bourjois is a French make-up brand that can be found everywhere (Galeries Lafayette, Printemps, BHV, Marionnaud, Sephora... and even Monoprix).

Bourjois debut in 1862 was in the Parisian Grands Boulevards area, the Parisian show theater district with the launch of Bourjois fard à joues. Alexandre Napoléon Bourjois was the first ever to create what we know now as "blush powder". For the shows & performance arts... Afterwards, the brand had known developments to be as it is nowadays.

Choose Bourjois for the colours, remarkable colour hold hour after hour, subtle shades. The sight of this vast array of colourful "tomettes" (blush powder pebble-shaped boxes), rouge à lèvres (lipsticks), ombres à paupières (eye shadows) could put the classical ones off.
Looking closely, you'll notice some original (and wearable !) variations in the many classical tones.

Still, "tomette" is only the noun of a Bourjois blush shade but you still could hear some French women talking about "tomette" as fard à joue in general.

So many subtle variations in shades that it could be hard to choose. How many shades of pink blush powders would you have ? Check

Eyeshadows... matte, shiny, sparkling, to be applied wet or dry... every finish possible, you'll have it... and the colours ! .

Lovely packaging as well: colourful round pebble-shaped boxes for eyeshadows, fards à joues, bronzing & compact powders.

Delicious childhood memories. Bourjois loose powder smells the powder of the old ladies whose cheeks I could smell at some occasions as a kid.

Lipsticks come in as many colours as textures. There again: classical Parisian reds (French word for lipstick is "Rouge à lèvres", after all), nude beiges, pinks, pink-beiges (fave of nowadays French women is brun rosé lipstick), bricks, brown (that Rouge Connection n°24!). Those classiques will get along with most funky shades (mostly found in Summer & Spring One-shots).

What to buy: Colours... for classical styles, original moods, funky moments...

- Fard à joues (blush) for the many subtle variations;

- This mono eyeshadow in Khaki étonnant (Stunning kaki) is a blend of olive & tobacco, like a green bronzey shade. Matches the Khaki pants (haha.. easy..) and the tweed vest. This Turquoise ensoleillée mono used to be a one-shot for summer.. but not too much & still gay so that it can turn into a classical, esp. for darker complexions ;-)

- Bourjois trio (three-colour eyeshadow set) is available in the main classical, earthly tones.

As a contact lense wearer, I recommend their eyeshadows for their longlasting hold.

- For blondes, red-haired, brunettes: a universal beige rosé lip pencil. The pink & beige blend is perfect for the much crazed nude look.

- I use to be amazed by the light reflection power of Bourjois Effet 3D lipgloss (3 Dimensional shine). Try it!

- My first loose powder was Bourjois... bought it or the smell... Bourjois's loose powder fragrance is THE powder fragrance, for me.

What to pay: After splashing out at Make Up Forever for their foundations, make-up tools, the pouches, their enlightners, time to let your bank account alone (or almost !). Bourjois products are, for me, the best in mass-market make-up products but a tad more expensive than say, Nivea & Arcancil. One reason to buy Bourjois is the reasonable price given the quality, inventiveness and colour hold of Bourjois make-up range. About 10 euros for mono eyeshadow. 14 euros for 3D lipgloss if I recall it well.

Theme: Bath and Beauty

Make-Up Forever: Your make-up in a professional mode, girls!

I’m a big fan of this French brand as with my Asian complexion it hasn’t been easy to find any matching foundation. They have a huge range of colours where the many skin complexions of this world would pick from.

Foundation in creams, fluids, sticks, in different finishes: matte, satin, powder… Plus, Make-Up Forever was created for the theatre & movie industry make-up. That outstanding colour hold makes it perfect for both air-conditioned offices (aaah! those dangerous temp variations), humid areas and hot weather. If you have to wear foundation under such conditions, at least with MUF foundations, you won’t look like a lobster (shining, colour change & loose pore) !

Blush: MUF make-up artists were the first to convince me to get out of my safe mode. Still remember it. While asking for help to get the right blush tone, one of the guys there handled a round pebble-shape. It contained one of those bright red brick tones. So bright that I saw it rather akin to a red powder-formula lipstick than a blush colour. “What ? wouldn’t I look like a clown with this ?” I screamed. “Everybody else, yes! You, not!” I was told. “This is your tone!” the artist explained while grabbing a blush brush and applying it on my cheeks. “See?”. At first, I was shocked and asked to see the result under natural light. Went outside with a mirror & checked. It was coloured, yes. I sported the tone which suits me best. Not overdone, not kitsch. Just perfect. That was in their Brussels shop, in the late 90s. I guess that in 5 Rue la Boétie, you'll be "royally" treated as I used to be in Brussels.

Eyeshadows, lipsticks.. in many colours as nature counts.

Were there an only tip for make-up shopping, it would be to talk to in-house make-up artists (i.e, to a Dior, Make-up Forever, Clinique or whatever... counsellor when one looks for Dior, Make-up Forever, Clinique or whatever products. They know their products best. Multi-brand saleswomen are not the best counsellors, for me.

What to buy: - Foundation & Powders (loose & compact) & Blush for Asian, Olive, Black complexions. In the picture, spot the MUF loose powder.

- Make-up tools: brush in many purposes, spunge cuts, lip fixer, eyeshadow fixer (although I was told the latter is not useful in everday make-up if you wear MUF eyeshadows, rather on shooting sets & stages), pouches in all sizes where to put all you need (reminds me of online shopping "Fill your cart"...lol ), cleaning solution for your tools (there too, the Brussels team were helpful (& honest!) saying simple shampooing & conditioning were perfect for the brush. This cleaning solution is useful for the artists who use the brushes on many many people on sets & have to clean them quickly in between)...

- Lipstick & gloss & eyeshadows ... in more numerous shades than in any average beauty brand as the MUF line includes tones that are not for the European "mainstream" market (i.e for blondes, red-headed, brunettes).

What to pay: Professional lines price... can outcome Haute Couture brands price in some items.. but the super colour hold is really worth the effort.

Address: Rue la Boétie 5 - 8e

Directions: Off le Rond Point des Champs Elysées

Theme: Bath and Beauty

Galeries Lafayette: Shop with wit, style & fun ! Galeries Lafayette Review

The tip is not about Galeries Lafayette. On the picture, pay attention to the reduction tag :) and not to Laetitia Casta, the French actress- top model... assuming Corsica is French (OK... joking)

Whenever you buy things in department stores like Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, present your foreign passport with the 10% discount tag BEFORE the sale is registered.

Plus, Tourist Tax Refund is about 12% at both Galeries Lafayette and Printemps whenever you are resident from outside the EU, buying for 175 euros in the same day. According to Galeries Lafayette leaflet: the export limit outside the EU is 3 months.

Now... where to obtain those leaflets ? I found them at the counters of hotels. I hadn't used it this year but the previous years, my family used the system. If I recall it well, you will obtain the refund once you have left the EU territory & posted some documents to Global Refund &provided them with a EU bank account to which they will transfer the refund amount.

Well-designed, they even have maps at their back. Esp. Galeries Lafayette's has a big map, and two smaller ones: one for the bus net and the other, for the metro net. Both dept stores are on Bd Haussmann.

For both dept stores, the 10% reduction system works for everything except services, food, discs, books and items already presenting an already reduced tag.

What to buy: In Espace Créateurs des Galeries Lafayette: 260 brands to choose from amongst them: 90 newcomers + 180 exclusivity. You'll be spoilt with choice there: whether looking for expensive items & less expensive ones; both colourful or glam attire for day or eve... It is a huge dressing room coupled with a "jeans bar", accessory booth, a creative lab. Plus, an evening corner: where to shop for your "soirées", not that this corner opens at night, they don't do that in Paris. Mon-Sat 0930-1930. Just on Thursdays, Gal. Lafayette opens till 9pm.

Probably, the most exciting stuff: you could hire a shopping assistant while browsing those 14000 sqm. Not your average personal shopper, though. Could be this male model, a fashionista per se ;-). He would be amongst your one-day style advisors.

Now, you are in the city of elegance. That means you can go further in your quest for that allure: subscribe yourself for the bearing lessons, for that haughty allure that will match the most elegant pieces of your closet. OK, I recommended the haughty allure, not being a haughty person ;-)

Printemps is of the same feather, allowing you to attend free fashions on Tuesdays at 10am (7th floor).

See? Shopping in Paris is fun, even for those who are less confident in themselves. There would be always helpful locals to show you, to give you ideas & advices...

Address: 40 Blvd Haussmann

Directions: Near the opera

Theme: Department Store

Website: http://www.galerieslafayette.com/

Servant, le confiseur d'Auteuil: Reminiscing our "sweet" childhood

Uhm... how to entitle a type to this kind of shop according to the VT format ? "Local craft" ? "Gifts" ? "Other" ? I chose "Food & Drink" knowing the other three are valid.

Go to this shop for their sugar confectionery "à l'ancienne". Even if you do not really have a sweet tooth like I do (well I do have a sweet tooth but esp. for chocolate & pralines, instead), you'll be charmed. Let's reminisce our childhood with the sight of glass boxes containing the colourful candies. Although my Mum used to keep candies out of sight, she was eager to introduce me to some "institutions" in Paris. Still remember the candy shops at street corners with their oursons, framboises, négus, cola bears, berlingots... And in this shop, it is Parisian elegance and refinement to the finest tip of your... sweet teeth!

Bring the children to experience something else than the candy-counter at the supermarket. Well, you're in Paris. Why not a box of dragées for a very special occasion or just for you to bring home ?

Where else than in the posh 16e arrond. to find some old style shop ? Don't know, however, whether they do workshop tour, that could be interesting for us the kids ;-)

What to buy: Sugar confectionery "à l'ancienne":
- dragées (coated-almond candies, usually to give to guests at your wedding ceremony & at the children's baptismals). I particularly like dragées for the almond & the aquarelle colours: pale blue, white, pale pink...
- berlingots (pyramidal white-striped bonbons)... come usually in bright colours: red & white orange & white, yellow & white...
- caramels (hmm... My favourite caramels are in Ile de Ré, however)
- calissons

What to pay: Arond 7 euros for 250g

Address: 30 rue d'Auteuil - 16e

Directions: 01 42 88 49 82
Closed on Sundays

Theme: Food and Drink

+++ On Rue Alésia +++: Do it the déstockage way

The tip applies to both men's, women's and children's clothes and shoes.

It is not about a shop in particular but on Rue Alésia street. The street is full of "déstockage" shops, of French brands, mostly. Shopping took me one hour (or even less), this time (the last hour of my stay, that is) so I hadn't paid attention to all brands there but usually my parents go here to shop (so do I.. but could a kid of 11 decide about where to shop, in the mid-80's ?). Boulevard Haussmann is nice too but the déstockage is more interesting, moneywise. Also, items I saw there were not out of date. They were the design of the moment: the right shoes, the dresses and pants of the moment. It's really interesting.

Amongst the brands I saw this time were Georges Rech (women): quite classical with a touch of chic and trendy, for working women.

In the past, I went there for the Cacharel shirts & saw Naf Naf too & many other stuffs. I used to love those Liberty shirts. But as soon as I understood that Madagascar was (& is) among the countries where designers items use to be assembled, I started to buy things there. And yes, quality for cheap prices.

Now, is it really essential I cite here all brands in this Alésia street ? Go digging ! Shopping can be an adventure. Better be...

What to buy: Well, beside 8ème arrondissement with its couturiers and designers outlets, Saint-Germain des prés & Le Marais area with trendy design and Boulevard Haussmann with Art Nouveau department stores (at least, for Galeries Lafayette roofing), do know that "Déstockage outlets" or "Usine centers" are interesting for the wallet.

Btw, you can even find cheap linen, silk items in this street.. without known brands. Just enter the tiny and stuffed boutiques and you'll find some bargains. Also, I was there in september, when Fall collection arrived and that they try to get rid of summer collections (fin de séries). Timing can help too ;-) and my Mum was happy. She bought some summer linen items (Madagascar will enter soon the spring season).

OK... I will update this tip as soon as I find new déstockage areas in Paris & remember déstockage brands on Rue Alésia. [Oct 2004: found on the net some brands on Rue d'alésia Stocks Cacharel, Dorotennis, Sonia Rykiel (hmm), Daniel Hechter, Kookaï (so French !),
Stock de lingerie (underwear), Régina Rubens (great stuffs too), Boutique Sinéquanone.]

Address: rue Alésia

Directions: Métro stations: Alésia

Theme: Women's Clothes