Monday 29 July 2013

New YouTube Video! Everyday Make-Up Tutorial

Hello lovelies! (Is that how you spell it? I'm not entirely sure)

I have just finished editing a BRAND SPANKING NEW video for my YouTube video for my beauty channel. I wanted to start doing more make-up tutorials so I thought I'd start off easy and make a video of me doing my everyday make-up. This make-up is not ground-breaking, it's just very simple :) But give me time, I will soon create some more colourful, more exciting looks.

Here is the link to the video on my channel where you'll see the video:




Please subscribe to my channel and 'LIKE' the video and comment on them saying 'Hi!' and that my blog sent you ;)

This week there are a lot of reviews coming up so stay tuned!

Thank you for reading :)

Paris x

Saturday 27 July 2013

The Beauty Blogger Tag!

1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?
My hair has always been naturally straight with one wave at the back of my head. Although when I go to bed having just washed my hair, I will wake up with curly hair. 

2. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon?

I've only ever gone to a salon twice before to have my hair professionally coloured. The first time it went wrong and I went elsewhere to get it fixed. Every other time I've coloured my hair, my Mum has done it for me. She used to be a hairdresser when she were younger so we would go into the hair dye shop (best way I can currently describe it haha) and buy tubes of tint and mix it with a developer.

3. Do you wear the same style everyday, or do you change it?

I usually do wear my hair straight everyday just because that it how it will go naturally or I just find it easier to straighten than curl. Plus my hair can struggle with keeping a curl so I usually don't bother.

4. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon?

I do my own mani/pedi's. I'd rather do it myself than pay out for someone else to do it because I can do it myself pretty well.

5. How often do you change your nail polish?

Writing a blog and featuring NOTW posts, I usually change my nail polish about 2 times a week. 

6. Do you polish your toes in the winter or just the summer?

I can't bear to have my toes unpolished so they are always done all year round :)

7. How long does it take for you to put on makeup?

If I take my time, it'll take like 25 mins. If I'm in a rush, it'll take about 10 mins. I'm more concerned with my base rather than my eyes.

8. What do you do first? Face or eyes?

I do the face first because I like to make sure I have the most coverage but still looks as natural as possible.

9. Do you collect makeup or just buy what you need when you need it?

I usually just buy when I need it but if something catches my eye, which can be very often in one given time then I will collect it. 

10. How often do you wear false eyelashes?

I will only ever wear eyelashes if I am filming, creating a make up look for my blog or going on a night out. They can be a bit of a faff (technical term there) on day to day business.

11. Do you do a full face of makeup everyday?

Not everyday. Sometimes I will just ditch the make up bag because I like to give my skin a break. But for everyday I usually wear just a very simple face base with a slight smoky brown eye. Nothing crazy.

12. Do you wear makeup when you're home alone or with family?
When I am home alone, I will usually not wear make-up at all. With family, I will put it on if it's a family party or something. If it's me going to my Mum's to do her hair and use the cross trainer, I won't bother.

13. Will you leave the house without makeup?
Yes of course! I'm not really bothered about people seeing me with no make-up. My Mum was always like "But what about when you meet guys?" and my simple response is that my future boyfriend/husband should find me beautiful if I've got make-up on or not :)

14. How many high-end products do you have?
Hmm... Not many. I don't usually buy a lot of high end products because I don't have the money to justify spending what I have on expensive products. Any high end products I do have are usually gifts from my Dad when he's been away on business and gets them from duty-free.

15. Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you're getting dressed?
Honestly, no. By the time I get into bed, I'm waaaaay too busy thinking about other stuff like what I'm actually doing the next day and things like that. Or I'll be scrolling incessantly on Tumblr, playing games or checking my Twitter feed. Some nights, I hit the pillow and I'm off.

16. How often do you change your handbag?
When I was younger, I used to change my handbag EVERYDAY. I had a bit of a problem when it came to handbags... Obsession, if you will. Now I only change my handbag if I want a big one or a small one. But my main handbag (the massive tan Primark one) has and probably will be my main handbag for a while. 

17. What time do you wake up and go to sleep?
It depends. My cat will wake me up at 5am every morning and then I'll fall back to sleep until about 9am. I go to sleep at about 11:30pm-midnight. If I need to wake up early, then I have no problem with that. I just like my sleep :)

18. How often or when do you workout?
I try to work out 4 times a week. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't. I eat healthily though so I don't feel too guilty.

19. Left handed or right handed?
Righty :)

20. How tall are you?
5"2? I'm a shorty regardless.

21. Do you speak any foreign languages?
Not fluently. I can speak a bit of French and Spanish.

22. How many pets do you have?
I have a cat who lives with my Dad and a dog who lives with my Mum :)

23. How often are you on Blogger?
Everyday!

24. Do you read comments posted on blogs?
Of course! How else are we supposed to communicate with each other?

25. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts?
Yeah I do. Not a physical list but a mental one.

26. How did you come up with your blog name?
Well, I wanted this blog to be predominantly a beauty blog (like my YouTube channel), which it still is, but it slowly evolved into a blog about me and my life. So 'Vie De Paris' means 'Life of Paris' in French.

27. What kind of camera do you use for your photographs?
I used to use my iPhone 4S and most recently I have been using my friends Canon 500D

28. How often do you clean your house?
Living with my Dad, I don't usually clean the house. I clean my bedroom but he is such a clean-freak with major OCD that I just let him clean the house because I know he'll never be satisfied if I clean it.

29. What's your favorite color?
Purple :)

30. Do you swear?
Yeah I do, not ridiculously. And never in front of my parents or family.

31. What are you doing with the rest of your day?
I will be writing a few more blog posts, getting ready for work and going to work. Yay!



Thank you for reading this post (I understand that it's a long one!)

Paris x

Monday 22 July 2013

What's in my make-up bag? New YouTube Video!

Whilst watching the news eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Royal baby (I'm quite the Royal enthusiast if you didn't know), I took the opportunity to film a quick video and upload it today :) I'm so happy to be back filming and editing regularly!

So here is the video - a peek into my make-up bag. Please like the video and comment saying hello :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g7TTwfhe3s


Thank you for reading and I'll see you all soon!

Paris x

Monday 15 July 2013

DIY Skincare #1: Aspirin and Lemon Juice Mask/Exfoliator!

Hello again! Apologies for my absence, life has happened and I've been super busy! Little update for you: I'm back at home with family, seeing lots of my closest friends, working to save a bit of extra money for my flat and generally having a nice, chilled out summer!

Whilst I was away from my blog, I was brainstorming some new posts. With the hotter weather in the UK (I almost can't believe it either), my skin has been SUPER oily and make-up (when I bother to put it on) just slides right off within a couple of hours. So I decided to try something different and spend a little less money on store products that promise to fix my problem skin and fade my acne scars. I've always been really interested in natural home remedies for treating skin problems. Also, as I am eating healthier I am seeing some benefits but surely any natural exterior remedies must be a further benefit, right?

Over the next 4 weeks, I will be trying out 4 different face masks/exfoliators all concocted from various ingredients typically found in our kitchen cupboards. Little detail here: I have very oily skin, large pores and acne scarring etc. These remedies are specifically for oily skin and would not be suitable for dry skins and maybe even combination skins. However, some oily skins out there may not see the same results as I do as we all have different skins that respond in very different ways. Just thought I'd slip that in just so you are aware.

Okay so first up is the Aspirin and Lemon Juice mask. Now, I've also labelled it as a exfoliator because of the texture and personal opinion. Some of you will think of it as a mask, some will not.

Here are the ingredients you will need:


  • 3-6 aspirin tablets (these can be bought very cheaply in any supermarket or drugstore)
  • 1-2 tbsps of lemon juice
Note: 3 aspirin will require 1 tbsp of lemon juice and 6 aspirin will require 2 tbsp.


I was recommended to use aspirin by my brother who also suffered from a more severe case of acne when he was a teenager. We all know aspirin is predominantly used as an anti-inflammatory when taken orally but it does actually have benefits for the skin too! Due to these anti-inflammatory properties, it can help with aiding discolouration from acne and redness. It also contains salicyclic acid which is a proven ingredient to reduce the occurrence of acne. Having said all this, if you are allergic to aspirin, do NOT put it on your skin. It will sink into your pores and possibly cause an allergic reaction. Always check with your doctor before using it.

Lemon juice is also very good for the skin. If you mix it with warm water and drink it, it will detoxify your body of all those nasty toxins that are often come through the skin in the form of spots and pimples. It contains vitamin C which helps to build up your skins levels of collagen which prevents aging. If you are losing weight or trying to (as I am), lemon is great for keeping your metabolism high which means you'll digest your food quicker. There is honestly so much you can do with a lemon! I never thought I'd be saying that... What I'm trying to say is that it is damn good stuff and has amazing benefits for your skin inside and out! Hurrah!

Now that I've rambled on about how great aspirin and lemon juice is for your skin, you want to see some cold hard evidence and real opinions, right? Well here you go... (Note: all these photos were taken with my iPhone as I do not have access to my friends shiny and lovely Canon camera for the rest of the summer)

So here is my skin before I applied the mask:

You cannot tell a great deal from this picture except that my skin looks a little shiny and there is quite a bit of redness from spots and scarring.
And here is me with the mask on:


And here is me after I'd rinsed it off:


Here are a few pictures of the process so you can get an idea of what it's like:




So, what do I think of the results?

  1. My skin feels a lot softer afterwards due to the aspirin building up with the lemon to get rid of the dead skin cells.
  2. The consistency was very rough so probably not suitable for very sensitive skin.
  3. The mask sticks to the skin very well so no worry of it slipping and sliding off the face.
  4. Must be careful not to get fall out into your eyes when applying to the forehead.
  5. 6 aspirin and 2 tbsp of lemon juice is more than enough for 1 person. I'd say 3 aspirin with 1 tbsp is enough.
  6. I could feel my skin tighten but not too heavily that it was uncomfortable; more like it was doing it's job.
  7. More of an exfoliant that you would use once a week rather than a soothing and relaxing mask.
  8. Matte finish which is a massive plus for me!
  9. Doesn't leave the skin tight- just very fresh and rejuvenated!

Overall, I really like this face mask/exfoliant and I really like the results it gave! I would highly recommend this to anyone who has very oily skin like mine and is fed up of spending loads of money on store products that don't do that great of a job. In the grand scheme of things, I'd rather spend under a £1 on this than maybe 10x the price on a product that might not even work!

I hope you have enjoyed reading this post and I will be back next week with another D.I.Y. skincare remedy for you all!

Let me know if you have tried this face mask and what you thought of it!

Have a wonderful week!

Paris x

Thursday 4 July 2013

My Hair Care Routine!

Hellooooo everyone! Today's post is all about hair. I have probably dyed my hair over 50-75 times in my lifetime (I'm only 20 years old!) and I've been all sorts of hair colours. From a dark brown almost black to platinum blonde and every colour in between. 

I have quite long hair now and it's very thick. I guess that bowl cut I had when I was 3 years old really did help my hair thicken out. Thanks, Mum.

Now I have embraced my natural hair colour which is a coppery strawberry blonde and haven't coloured it in over a year! This has done the world of wonders for my hair because colouring ruined my hair and now it's pretty well hydrated and soft. 

However, I do still style my hair with heat so it's still very important for me to find products that protect my hair from the heat, as opposed to colouring as well. 



I have loved the Herbal Essence shampoo and conditioner ranges for years. I always switch between different ones to test them out and see which one are best for my hair. When I used to colour my hair as well as heat styling, I had to use very intensive conditioners and hydrating shampoo to help give my hair a boost. However, take away the colouring and now I don't need as much hydration. 

The 'Beautiful Ends' range is my favourite because it smells AMAZING (a huge factor for me), lathers really well so it feels like it's really cleaning my hair and it's ideally suited for my hair length and type as I do suffer with split ends; largely because of heat styling. I know Herbal Essences is known for using silicone's in their products which give the hair the feel that it's nourished when it's just a cover over the hair but it honestly makes no odds to me. It does the job and that all I ask.


As I have long hair which is INCREDIBLY thick (this is no exaggeration, my hair is like a lion's mane!) it can get very tangled after it's been washed and bunged up in a towel to dry. Therefore, I need a good product that I can spritz in to get rid of these tangles but doesn't rip my hair out. I used this product from Aussie years ago and the smell always reminded me of banana muffins. After a few years of not using it and venturing into other detanglers, I decided to go back to it because it was a genuinely great product and I just adored the smell as well as the results it gave. 

Another great feature about this product is that it also have protective properties that help the hair from heat. This is great for blow-drying because it takes forever with my hair because it is so thick and acts like a sponge when it's in contact with water!


Lastly for when I want to straighten or curl my hair, I used the L'Oreal Paris Elnett Satin heat protectant. I use the straight formula just because I have my hair straight most of the time. I loved the Elnett hairspray and have done for years so was really intrigued to see what this would be like. I wasn't disappointed. I love the smell of this product and it spritz' so finely that it doesn't feel like it's weighing the hair down or dousing it with more moisture, which could make it greasy. I definitely think it does a good job of protecting the hair. However, I always remember that I am combining a lot of hair protectant properties in all these products so there's going to be some substantial protection going on!

So there you have it! Have you used any of these products? What are your holy grail hair care products?

Thank you for reading this post!

Paris x

Monday 1 July 2013

Motivational Monday!

Happy Monday!

I'm back today with a new post for you to get you motivated! I picked this favourite from Tumblr because I think it speaks a lot of truth. I find it very easy to try to stick my head in the sand and pretend like everything is OK when it's not. This does me no favours and it's a habit I'm trying to break. The best way to break this habit I find, is to accept the bad as well as the good. Yes, bad things happen and it feels horrible but you have to accept and say to yourself, "Yeah I feel rubbish that that's happened but it's OK, everything will be fine." So, I guess this quote by the filthily good-looking Johnny Depp is don't be afraid of feeling things that you don't want to or that you shouldn't. You're feeling them for a reason. Just figure out how to deal with them and you're on your way!


these-times-will-pass:

Love quotes? you will love this blog

Thank you for reading this post!

Paris x