Les Parisiennes de Mamansnet - Thread part deux

[TossDaily]

New thread for those of us who would like to let a little je ne sais quoi into our lives...

Did anyone see the Miss France pic of them all? Not worth googling if you didn't as they all looked exactly the same as every Victoria Secrets model or Miss America or other generic models. It's so boring. Anyway, not a hint or red lipstick or a fringe amongst them.

*hint of

I am loving this thread. 3 yes 3 years ago I bought a bright red lipstick and then never wore it.... until I found this thread. It looked epic. Sadly I am short, stumpy and not that bothered by clothes ( due to massive weight) so the lipstick is as french as I get.

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Chaussettes Hautes

If at some point in time Jane Birkin has worn something you can bet good money on it the Parisians are still attached to said item. Such is very much the case when it comes to knee high socks. So stop considering them as something part of a school uniform and have an explore. Not only are they a nice extra warm layer over tights but they seem to mitigate that mid-season period when neither tights or bare legs feel quite right.

They add an interest of both transparency and opaqueness in a way tights on their own don't, effectively layering the silhouette. It allows for a lot more volume to add to the top with thick woolly scarves and swathes of fabric. Alternatively, one can go really chunky in the choice of footwear, grounding it all with a definitive mass.

Whilst black remains the obvious choice, and it does work rather striking in an all-black ensemble, especially in a different finish with some transparency to further play on that notion of saturation. However, there's more fun to be had with them. Whether it be a rich colour to bring out the hue in a small floral pattern or go really daring with a metallic pair. If you study it all closely enough, it's not dissimilar at all from an over the knee or knee-high boot, especially if the footwear is in the same colour and close fitting, though the contrast can also help pull it all together with a bit of interest, the variations are endless.

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I find beauty pageant queens disturbingly terrifying, Enid. It's something about the crazy smiles and how they all look exactly alike but not.

Ok, I'm in need of recommendations for a change. I found an old Chanel nail polish the other day which I thought I'd thrown out as it was a bit shit but the colour is really nice (a dark grey that's not quite black - it's called Vertigo) so for the hell of it I tried it on. It's some sort of pre-Christmas miracle as it applied in one coat without issue, no patches, streaks or anything, (not as I remembered it at all) and it's still unscathed a week on . Apparently, a Chanel polish needs to age like a fine wine . Anyhow my nail polish collection consists of that and a 'Your Nails But Better' shade from Deborah Lipmann (which I adore) but DL is no longer sold here and no one will ship it due to postal restrictions. I'm now quite enjoying a saturated colour for a change and I'd like a nice dark red one. Like ilovecherries I'm being vain and want pretty packaging and the choice of more 'special' colours. I know OPI, Essie, and Sally Hansen are well liked but I'd have to visit several different stores in hopes of seeing it in RL as the selection is more limited in general than in other countries but also differs vastly per store. So I'm wondering what the best higher end nail polishes are?

I initially thought YSL had the best reputation and I loved the colour rouge over noir but it stank horrendously and gave me an instant headache, so that's off the table. I don't feel like ageing a new Chanel polish for a decade although Sali Hughes has been saying they're much improved these days and she used to shit all over them before, anyone tried the newer formula? Any other brands to consider? I can get Jin Soon, I remember liking one of their polishes in the past but their reds don't look that promising on the website and their bottles aren't all that pretty, just ordinary.

They are a bit Uncanny Valley bo. Like dolls. I'm sure in their real lives they aren't but they are done up to look the same.

I only have Essie polishes as painting my own nails is fairly new to me. (Only taught myself how this year) Chanel polishes look really gorgeous but their bad reviews put me off.

I love the over the knee sock idea. Black one over thinner than opaque tights, cord short skirt so the tights only show a bit...Hmm, going to give it try.

I think maybe that long socks do only work up to a certain age( great envy). Perhaps it's just personal preference.

I think the all black outfit with black tights and black socks over is probably the most wearable.

Bo, I might check out that Body Shop sunscreen,when the madness that is school holidays/Christmas is over.

I use Essie Gel Couture, (indestructible and no curing required) so no real help on the nail polish front, I'm afraid, but I did try a Chanel one recently (suckered by the colour choice and the packaging) and found it streaky to put on, and it chipped within hours, so wasn't impressed.

Thanks for TBS tip Bo. I shop in there quite regularly as I love their Camomile cleansing oil. Their Vit E facial spray is also excellent for setting makeup.

I don't tend to buy spendy nail polishes, as I change my colours round at least weekly and do them myself. I tend to stick to the same palette for fingers - nude, dark grey, dark purple, red, rouge noir, or occasionally a dark teal. On my toes though anything goes - I am currently wearing a very bright neon orange!

So my 'go-to' brand is Rimmel because it's very good value for money. 99% of them go on nicely with no streaking or patchiness, and they have an excellent colour range. Two coats and then top with Sally Hansen Insta-Dry (which also gives a nice glossy finish) and they are normally good for a week (and my job involves a LOT of typing). 'Black cherries' is their version of Rouge Noir.

I've had one Chanel polish in recent times, when they had a beautiful nude-grey that I couldn't find anywhere else. Very streaky and patchy application - I had to put 3 coats on just to get even coverage. Such a shame and also rather mystifying, as with the cheap brands doing so well with their formulations I can;t understand why Chanel would lag so badly.

I mostly use nail polish on my toes and just buff my hands, but I do like Essie, TKMaxx had a few Essie in yesterday, a beautiful grey colour. I use a Revlon top drying coat. I've had quite a bit of success with Rimmel too.

I think I might have to have a browse in The Body Shop generally, I haven't been in there for ages. I will have a look at their cleansing oil and Vit E spray too.

I find NailsInc very good. I wear their Victoria which is like rouge noir, though it takes two coats to get dark enough.

It has a nice short thick rounded brush, goes on easily and lasts for ages.

Quirky They do two versions - one a balm and the other an oil. I prefer the oil as I find you don't need that much of it so it lasts longer. It has a great 'slip' to it and then when you wash it off it turns from an oil to a milk. It's fantastic as a first cleanser if you've been wearing make-up or SPF.

I also really like their Drops of Youth Bouncy Sleeping Mask, which is great for giving your skin a good moisture boost overnight. Their Oils of Life facial oil is also nice.

I do miss some of their old stalwarts - like the Ice Blue shampoo and the Banana conditioner. However they have upped their game on their skincare and some of the products are very nice. I mix them in with my other bits and bobs - which includes some spendier brands like REN, and Asian beauty brands like Benton, Missha and COSRX.

Agree TossD the Nails Inc brushes are my favourite. I have 1 Dior which is a similar brush type - wide and flat with a rounded tip.

I have a couple of Chanel nail polishes and it's less about the formulation for me, I find the really small brush difficult to work with. I generally find my wonky application outweighs and defincies in the actual brand! Its all about practice I guess.

Nails Inc Nailkale base coat and Seche Vite top coat.

I'm feeling very chic as the white shirt and trainers photos in the advent calendar are absolute staples of my capsule uniform

Monday was all black (cashmere roll neck and black skinnies) with white stan Smiths

I tend to wear a white shirt under a slouchy jumper, on its own much less often. So as it's going underneath, today isn't so much a crisp white shirt, as a uniqlo silk touch easy care shirt / blouse, which is drapey enough to be longer than the jumper, and washes really well. To try and avoid it looking like school uniform, I'm wearing the trusty leather leggings, and black ankle boots

It's also a puffa coat day - out of interest bo is Cop Copine a French label? I bought mine at a local shop and didn't really look at the make, I just wanted a warm down coat that didn't look too much like a sleeping bag with arms!

I am also not a fan of Chanel Nail varnishes (I'll ask SH what she reckons if they're any better now, although I'm still not convinced. I can't make polish last, so I get Gelish done in a Rouge Noir shade that I get 3 weeks mileage out)

Looking forward to field reports for the Chanel though...

Interesting, unfortunately Nails Inc isn't sold in stores here. I've seen sets though in TKmaxx so I could have a look there. I'm not really looking for a rouge noir colour, I like the look of Chanel Emblematique on the website but I'd have to see it in RL. I also quite like piddly thin brushes, the flat and wide ones I find unwieldy and I can't get a clean finish on the sides. The DL, Jin Soon and Chanel all seem to have that thinner brush in common. My nails are more long than wide so that may be the difference? I do quite like Kiko nail polishes (which have a wider brush but it's not flat) but the colours are just a bit off but I'll have a look at the more usual suspects from the chemists/drugstore variety.

Although I saw a deep green limited edition one on the Chanel website and now I want that

Yes, banana Cop Copine is French, I believe, but I think it's more a Northern France institution rather than Parisian but I may very well be making that up. The Italians are also good at ski and puffer jackets that don't turn you into the Michelin man.

Realistically my nails grow too fast to waste money on manicures, especially gel, I can get a YNBB shade to last a week or two without notice but with a full colour that delineation line is too wide after a week. Hence, never really bothering with them.

Lesser I'm a sewer too, have just finished a black tailored jacket inspired by this thread! After Christmas I'll be doing a coat for DH.

Am Christmas shopping tomorrow with DH so will have to shake him off so I can visit the beauty counters at Selfridges and have a play with lipsticks.

Lazy thank you, I do quite like oil ("mature" skin, I think). But I'll have a browse, I used to use their banana conditioner too.

Here's to puffa coats that don't turn you into a duvet. It's been so cold here, I've worn mine lots. I used to have a black, shortish zara one which was very fitted and so flattering, but as is often the way of zara, the lining literally fell apart. I now have a charcoal grey one from Phase 8, longer, but also quite fitted rather than bulky.

bo my nails grow fast too, maybe that's why I don't often bother with a dark colour on my hands. Also, I find it distracting, I like it on others, though.

I've got my xmas night out on Friday. It's at a karaoke bar - am thinking of wearing an a knee length line button through denim skirt with fishnets and knee high biker boots with a black scoop neck top.

Botemp Opi do a very similar colour to the dark green Chanel, can't remember the exact name, it's 'Aragon' something.

Do any of you write fluent French? I'm having problems getting a refund for the stole.

Returned it over two weeks ago and heard nothing since. Emailed to ask if they have it and will refund and got a reply back asking if I've received the order and is it to my liking as their records show it's been delivered. face meet desk

Have replied again but wondering if I reply in French it might be better understood?

Nothing is going right this week.

Oh it's sorted now. Refunding it now. I could've winged it but goodness only knows what it would've read like.