Yesterday morning I was making breakfast for myself- chopping strawberries and bananas into a bowl- making a cup of green tea (I was having a healthy day) and I noticed with some chagrin, that while I was chopping the strawberries my shoulders were hunched in a very non-attractive manner.

I straightened up instantly.

Throughout the rest of my day I was acutely aware of my posture- in front of the computer (horrendous), at work (leaning against walls and objects to avoid standing straight), at dinner (elbows off the table!). When did my posture get so bad? I visited this very question on my blog about a year ago (see here). After that post I vowed to constantly have good posture. That didn’t last long.

I am finding a correlation with walking around ‘unconscious’ and having bad posture. I am a dreamer and tend to live a lot in my imagination and whimsy… meanwhile life is carrying on around me and I am going through it like the Hunchback of Notre Dame! (Okay, it’s not that bad but it might as well be… bad posture is a sin in my book).

This got me thinking about how I can straighten up and have more poise. Stop daydreaming? Live more in the present moment? Breathe deeper? Probably a combination of all three. This goes back to everything I've been exploring over the past few months... eating mindfully, being present, living with passion... (I can imagine it would be hard to live passionately with hunched shoulders- the two simply do not go together).

I’m glad I’m revisiting this subject again because I would like to know about your posture… how has it been lately?


Seurat's Un dimanche après-midi à l'Île de la Grande Jatte is shown above. His subjects show impeccable posture. Something to aspire to perhaps?

Madame Bohemienne had it… Madame Chic had it… practically every French woman I observed in Paris had it! “It” being what is commonly referred to by Francophiles as “le no make-up look”.

Do you know which look I am talking about? It’s the look that says, “yes my cheeks are flushed, my lips pouty, my skin tone flawless and my lashes ready to bat but I didn’t lift a finger to get this look. This look is au natural- it’s just me! I have better things to do with my time than spend an hour in front of the mirror every morning applying makeup. I go to art galleries! Read Proust! Embrace my lover by the Seine!" (Okay, this scenario is getting a little out of hand but you do get my point, don’t you?)

The truth is, most French women do wear makeup every day- they just look like they aren’t wearing any. The look is polished and pretty- a slight definition of the eyes, an accentuated lip... I have been embracing this look during the day for quite some time now (thanks to Carmindy for teaching me the 5-Minute Face!). But when I was living in France- I actually (horreur) didn’t wear any makeup. Yes, you heard me right. I was a fresh-faced bohemian college student- an idealist- a dreamer! I didn’t have time for blush and lipstick and other such mindless pursuits!

That is until I dropped my preconceived notions about what it means to be a well-rounded woman and realized that doing things like reading Proust and visiting museums is a lot more fun if you look good! Now every morning I spend five to ten minutes applying powder, blush, lip gloss and mascara (oh, and eyeliner…. I can’t live without it). It is a minimal look- my version of le no makeup look.

Madame Chic would be so proud…


Audrey Tautou, one of my favorite actresses, sports le no makeup look above.

Anyone familiar with The Daily Connoisseur knows how much I adore Chanel Eyeshadow Quads. I love their colors, textures- the richness of the pigments. I still love my Chanel but I have found a new little luxury in NARS cream eyeshadow in the shade Corfu.

Corfu is a shimmery, creamy taupe that I would imagine would be flattering on any woman. The color is buildable - one application is perfect for a pretty day face- two or more applications and you have a shimmery smokey eye for a sultry evening out. I do recommend using an eyeshadow primer beneath as this is a cream eyeshadow and can tend to crease (I like Urban Decay Primer Potion). What I love most about NARS Corfu is that you can apply it with your fingertips for easy glamour.

NARS cream eyeshadow retails for about $21 and can be purchased at www.sephora.com

I have already divulged the fact that there was only one bathroom chez Famille Chic. I quickly got used to sharing this bathroom with the three other members of the family: Madame Chic, Monsieur Chic and “A” (their son). I was asked my first day on arrival by Madame Chic whether I wanted to take my baths every morning or every evening. Hmmm. I chose morning and secretly wondered if I would also possibly be able to take the occasional hot bath before bedtime. I thought I might ask- but decided not to stretch it- especially on my first day there.

Time passed and I quickly got used to my routine salle de bains. I kept a little basket in my bedroom that contained my toiletries- as counter space in the tiny bathroom was sparse. Each morning at 7:00 am I would go to the bathroom and partake of my morning ritual. The bathroom, like the kitchen, was very bare bones. It was always sparkling clean and had very modest features- tile floors, a tiny mirror and a freestanding sink with hardly any counter space. There was no shower (which I found very odd, at first) but, instead, an ample-sized tub with a hand held showerhead fixture.

The tub was situated in front of a very large window. The window did not have any covering on it (no blinds or curtains) because it did not look out to anything but a wall. One morning, about three months into my stay, I was in the bathtub, well- bathing, when suddenly I looked up and there was a man in the window. This sounds very creepy- and believe me, it was! It was the window washer, doing his monthly rounds. He was washing the windows for the entire building, suspended on one of those window washing scaffolding things (at the time I was at a loss for the proper terminology and I still am). Mon Dieu! I shrieked and scrambled to find a cloth or towel or something to cover myself! The window washer looked in the window and merely smiled and waved at me and carried on with his business. He did not leer, he did not stare (I wasn’t sure whether I should have been relived or insulted).

After my traumatic bath I immediately went to Madame Chic and told her what had happened. I expected her to be outraged- shocked! Instead she looked at me with an amused smile and said (in French) “Oh yes, he’s seen all of us in the bath. He only comes once a month.” Madame Chic probably sensed my utter bewilderment towards her nonchalance. She asked if I would feel more comfortable if curtains were put up in the bathroom. I thought about it for a moment and decided against it. Yes it was weird, but perhaps my Puritanical American instincts were in overdrive and I just needed to chill. I said ça va, no need for curtains… after all… when in Rome…

The next morning I discovered someone (presumably Monsieur Chic) had installed a makeshift curtain over the bathroom window. I have a feeling that the moment I left Paris it was taken down.


Edgar Degas' Woman After the Bath courtesy of: www.encore-editions.com

Today is National Poetry Day. So in honor of this glorious occasion, I am sharing with you one of my poems...

In Paris

I lounge and dream of Paris
Of the rue upon which I lived
Rueful to the thought
That my heart didn't completely give
into the lights the sounds-
the mist of the city.
I loved it (I did)
But oh what a pity
I am not there now
But my memory remains
As constant and pure
As the predictable rain.

Okay this is more of a big luxury than a little luxury (due to price), but I love my new Oliver Peoples Zooey sunglasses so much I had to share them with you! Oliver Peoples is a luxury sunglass line loved by fashionistas the world over. Their sunglass designs are quirky, classic and glamorous.

I have mostly been an 'aviator' girl my entire life. I love the aviator aesthetic (my favorites in the past have been by Michael Kors and Prada) but have been recently looking for a classic pair of wayfarers. So you can imagine my delight when I stumbled across these ultra chic Oliver Peoples sunglasses (that are very wayfarer-esque, non?) at my favorite sunglass shop, Ilori in Beverly Hills.

The salesgirl at Ilori enthusiastically told me that these were glasses designed for Oliver Peoples by indie actress Zooey Deschanel (who I loved in 500 Days of Summer, btw). She intrigued me further by explaining that a kiss mark appears when the lenses are fogged. I fogged the lens with my breath, saw the kiss mark, tried them on and fell in love! I love them because they are a glamorous take on the classic wayfarer- not too trendy and chic enough to become a classic.

Oliver Peoples Zooey sunglasses are $350 and can be purchased at www.oliverpeoples.com or at Ilori in Beverly Hills.

Famille Chic had one washing machine and a very tiny dryer. The dryer was only used for things like bed linens, table cloths and certain articles of clothing… everything else was hung up to dry on a laundry string suspended in the front hallway and the hallway leading to the kitchen.

The first time I gave my washing to Madame Chic was early one morning before I jetted off to the Sorbonne. When I came home that evening she had lovingly folded my clothes and placed them on my bed (so nice of her!). I remember wondering at the time where she had put my underwear as I couldn’t find the ones I had given her to wash. Famille Chic was having one of their many dinner parties that night so I made a mental note to ask Madame Chic about my underpinnings later and quickly freshened up for the dinner party. We had an apéritif in the lounge while waiting for the guests to arrive. When the guests did eventually arrive we all moved to the front hallway to greet them. Something caught my eye as I greeted these dinner guests (two chic Parisian couples) and I looked up to discover (in horror) that my underwear was hanging out to dry above all of our heads!

Now back then I was in college so I was wont to wear knickers with cute little sayings on them such as Go Team! and Drama Queen (TMI, I know- and I know I just wrote a post about that- but I feel that I have to describe them to you so you could fully grasp my horror). But no one seemed to notice and if anyone did they were probably wondering who on earth would wear hot pink underpants with immature slogans on them.

This must be one of the reasons why French women only wear the best lingerie!, I remember thinking at the time. Ever since that experience I now buy only sophisticated and alluring underwear- the sort that I wouldn’t mind hanging over my head at a party ;)

I love seeing how other people live. Living in Paris with Famille Chic (and befriending Famille Bohemian) was like heaven for me because I could experience first-hand the way true Parisians live. The most fascinating aspect of observing both families (who in their own right were very different from each other) was observing the interior of their apartments. Here, in Part 1, I will discuss the general interior of Famille Chic’s home.

As I have already touched upon, Famille Chic’s 16th Arrondissement apartment was not typical of the ‘average’ Parisian household. Famille Chic came from a long line of aristocrats and their apartment- while not extravagant (no nouveau riche gaucheness here to speak of) their interior definitely spoke of their distinguished lineage. High ceilings, equally high windows, beautifully restored (probably ancient) wooden floors created the shell for their 4 bedroom, 1 bathroom apartment.

As for the decorations, gilded portraits of their ancestors hung on the walls (that seriously looked like they belonged in the Louvre), Persian Rugs adorned the floors, and the furnishings were mostly antiques (the only modern “new-looking” furniture was found in their tiny kitchen- the kitchen table and chairs). Everything in their home was ‘real’. There were no “fake” antiques or decorations purchased from a mass-market home furnishing center. It had all been passed down from their esteemed family members or purchased somewhere abroad. Everything was tasteful and everything had meaning.

Below is a list of my general observations- things I was surprised to find in the home of Famille Chic when I was fresh off the boat (or plane, rather) from America:


- Famille Chic had one small television for the whole house. (We are talking tiny!) No flat screen ‘entertainment’ system Chez Eux. Their discreet little television was placed in their living room almost as an afterthought and was rarely watched. (In fact, their record player got much more use than their TV. Monsieur Chic would religiously play Debussy after each dinner- listening in rhapsody with his eyes shut while drinking his digestif). Every now and then the son of Famille Chic (who was the same age as me and I will call “A” for short) and I would watch a film on the television but because the format of the living room did not revolve around watching television- this was not a very comfortable event. Which brings me to my next observation.

- There was No sofa! No sofa? Where was the huge sectional, or lazy boy recliner I was so used to seeing in American homes? There was none. Probably because Famille Chic would rather die than pass out on an enormous couch in a television-induced coma after work. The set up of their living room included four chairs all facing each other to maximize conversation. There were two large upholstered chairs and two wooden backed chairs.

- The dining room table was très important. Naturally. After work/ school we would all sit at this wonderful antique table with its worn, polished wood and marks from years upon years of fabulous dinners. We would sit there for hours- eating, discussing, drinking…. living.

- One bathroom. (One bathroom?! Was my first thought). I come from a home in America with four bathrooms! I had my own bathroom my entire life! Suddenly I was having to share it with three other people? Quelle Horreur! But actually, it wasn’t bad at all. If anything- it curbed my vanity ;)

And lastly,

- A tiny, utilitarian kitchen that produced some of the best meals I have ever had in my life. There were no stainless steel appliances in this kitchen- no granite countertops or marbled sinks- no state of the art cooking tools either. This was a barebones, (did I mention tiny?) kitchen- modest, humble and tucked away at the back of the house.

What struck me the most about Famille Chic was that they lived extremely well- but did not rely on an abundance of material luxury (there was no keeping up with the Joneses in this home). They clearly lived surrounded by wealth but there was nothing flashy about them. They were modest and humble- the interior of their home revolved around living a good life- eating well, conversation and family.

I hope you will stay tuned for Part Deux…

Above Image of the Salon at Versailles courtesy of msn.com