Chanel in Buenos Aires...

Finally, after many many years of waiting, Chanel's perfumes and beauty products can finally be bought in Argentina! Today, at the Galerías Pacífico, Chanel opened a special space where you can see, try and desire the nail lacquers, the lipsticks, the eye-shadows and much more. I'm a great fan of their products. I've been using for more than 10 years the perfume Chanel N°5, in all its variations: body lotion, gel douche, eau de toilette. All my clothes smell like Chanel N°5. Not to mention the famous nail lacquer Black Satin, which I use constantly, or the rouge à levres Allure Velvet, shade La Distinguée, or the blushes Les Tissages... I consider Chanel's products to be among the best in the world...

And I'm always glad when things like this happen in Argentina.

I went to the cocktail with my sister, who wore a beautiful red Lanvin dress, and met many friends.

As I get ready to travel once again to Europe, my feelings towards Buenos Aires get more intense... and I would love to stay!

An afternoon in Paris...

Without me even noticing, winter has arrived to Paris. This afternoon, some drops of rain began to fall and soon became the first snow flakes... light and inconsistent, but snow at last... Now it's 6°C...

But this has not prevented Basquiat-lovers, the great American Contemporary artist born in Haiti, to wait in long lines to see his retrospective exhibition at the Musée d'Art Moderne.

Patient, under their umbrellas, facing stoically the weather. But nothing less would be expected, since the work of this tremendous artist, who died in 1988 at age 28 due to drug abuse, was shown here for the last time in 1984.

As for the-very-organised-me, I had my tickets pre-booked a long time ago, so luckily, I got in quite fast.

The exhibition is incredible: gigantic masterpieces that cause so much distress and pain. He was in fact a "graffiti" artist who began painting on the streets to end up on canvases. Many elements are constant in all his works: voodoo, modern advertising, american afros and words in Spanish (his mother was Puerto Rican)... all of them mixed with spontaneity and freshness. 

I imagine that 30 years ago his works must have intrigued profoundly... This year he would have been 50 years old.

To finish my afternoon and lift my spirit, I went to Christophe Robin's, my colorist for more than 10 years now, to have my hair highlighted. He has his salon now in a suite at the Hotel Maurice, one of the great "Palaces" of Paris and just crossing its lobby, with its elegant restaurant-bar and antique golden elevator, is already an event. But he has not been in this hotel forever: he used to have a minuscule salon on rue Mont Thabor. It was small but full of charm... You could come across Catherine Deneuve, his N°1 client, or Jeanne Moreau, smoking at the entrance, or Isabelle Adjani, hiding under her hat...

While Marie, Christophe's assistant, applies the product on my hair, she updates me on the latest gossips: Eva Longoria's divorce due to an alleged infidelity by her former husband Tony Parker. Or how Shakira kept cleaning the excess of product while Marie dyed her hair the other afternoon... they finished by 10 pm!

We, instead, were over by 7 pm... As I went back home, I saw the Place de la Concorde, the lights by  the Seine and Pont Alexander III...

It's so good to be back home... tonight there's a new episode of "Mad Men" on TV.

What a pleasure!

More tips for dressing on a budget...

It's true that it's not easy to find something elegant, chic and glamorous while being on a budget... but hey, it's not impossible!

For starters, avoid embroidered stuff because if they are not first quality or hand-sewn, then they sure look ordinary and cheap. Also run from synthetic silk... And you well know how I feel about prints!

What I do like is night dresses in one single color. All-black, of course. But also an all-red look, which at night makes every girl look sexy and beautiful, mysterious and intriguing... I've never been happier than when dressed in red. In summer, a long white dress can do wonders, specially with a light tan, achieved thanks to good sunscreens.

If you have nice shoulders and arms (you can shape them with hard wotk and exercise), go for strapless dresses. And if you want to feel sexy, wear a gown with no cleavage on the front but a good one on the back. Pair it with long earrings (you can get cheap ones on the beach, for instance) and use your hair naturally or untidily done into a bun. See the Golden Globe Awards on 01/17 or the Oscars in February for some red carpet inspirations...

And don't forget shoes... heels!!! They are a must with night dresses, unless you are 1.78 mts.

If you have an important occasion  and want to be sensational, ask your boyfriend, or husband, or best friend to take pictures of you, with the dress and make-up on a few days earlier so that you can see how you look and feel... You can even ask them to tape you too! Then see what you like and what you don't of the entire outfit... and proceed!

This will give you confidence, which after all is the best of garments.

I've been told Nicole Kidman and many other stars do this...

So why not you...?

Tips to get dressed with small budgets...

For some time now, many readers of our blog have been asking me for advice to get dressed with style but on a budget...

On this particular summer night I feel inspired and, instead of dinning out or going to some party, I rather stay home and share with you my views on the matter...

To begin with, it is important that you know yourself, know the pros and cons of your body. To achieve this, nothing better than a full-body high-quality mirror...

If you are slightly overweight, then say no to flounces, prints, flowers and wide skirts. Go for complete ensambles in one color, such as black or maybe blue, which is not so popular but very chic too. Grey is another good option, specially if it's winter or if you are blond.

If you have big breasts, use cleavages in V forms and avoid the squared ones. You can also wear turtlenecks that are very elegant.

Of course, if you are skinny thin and tall, do use clothes with flounces... but prudently, though.

A last key point: the length of the skirt.

I hate skirts that cover the knees! That length looks good on no-one. It makes us look smaller and with shorter legs. It's a must for me. Every time I buy a garment, I adapt it to my desired length no matter the views of designers... How many times have I redone an Oscar de la Renta dress to fit my body!

If you are on a budget, buy basics and take good care of them. Iron them every time you use them and if you find a stain, send it right away to dry-cleaning or, if allowed by the label, wash it at home. Brush your clothes and keep them in special plastic bags (which are not expensive).

As basics I understand a straight skirt to the knee (it's what Americans call the pencil skirt), preferably in black, and a white well-ironed cotton shirt, to be used folding its sleeves right to your elbow. To that outfit add a wide important belt and your are done!

Use black classic shoes, please. Or sandals, with a comfortable heel. I love extremely high heels... but I understand that it's not something for everyone. If you want to try how sky-high heels feel like, practice at home: wear them a few hours every day and see how they suit you. Do not go out with them till you are completely sure.

Don't go for too much jewelry. A pair of discreet earrings will do. And as for bags... please say no to FAKES!!! My mother used to say that it's better a plastic purse than a fake Hermés or L.Vuitton. I totally agree.

The same straight skirt works well with a white t-shirt in summer or a turtleneck sweater in winter. And to achieve a super sexy look, try a white or creamy silk shirt as the ones I saw on the Di Doménico runway show (the best items of the collection).

Well, more on my next post...

Beauty tips for your skin...

Many readers of my humble blog have been asking me for some beauty tips for their skins, specially around this time of the year.

I know it might be hard to put this into practice but my main advice is... DO NOT sunbathe without protection!!!

And I'm telling this not only to protect your face, but also your body. Sun-exposure wrinkles the skin of your face, but also that of your arms (then women of more than 40 wonder why they have their skin hanging all over), your knees, your belly and your calf.

In the morning, before going outdoors, may it be sunny or not, and after using a cleansing milk or lotion (that depending on your skin type), wear some hydrating cream and then sunblock, and with it cover face, neck and neckline (+ 50 SPF minimum). For the rest of the body, a +30 protection will do.

A good nice tip to avoid looking white and corpsy is to mix some drops of colour foundation or self-tanner to your sunscreen. If you'll be spending all day on the beach, use a hat and re-aply your sunblock at least twice, specially if you like swimming.

When I get back from the beach I like cleansing my face again and using a refreshing and hydrating face mask. Only after doing so, I think about make-up.

I do agree that a tan on your face does look nice and even makes us feel younger and healthier... But beware... it's just a trick!

After the tan fades, only spots and wrinkles will stay...

Your is the choice...

Alexandre de Paris

This morning I decided to go to the salon of Alexandre de Paris, the most famous and prestigious in town.
It was so moving to be climbing those legendary stairs to get to the first floor of the building at Rue Matignon!
To think that Grace Kelly, the Duchess of Windsor and Elizabeth Taylor, among other mythical women, had Alexandre do their hair from 1946 till his death on 2008.
Today his salon has been fully restored and re-opened just a few days ago. Alexandre's soul however still floats in the air, in the haute couture chignons worn by so many royalty brides or the brushings à la Catherine Deneuve in "Belle du Jour" that he made famous and were demanded by so many high-class women who went to lunch at La Stresa or Place Athenée.
The service is perfect and everything looks immaculate.
When I finally went down the stairs with my new hair-do, it was raining outside.
What a pity.

John Nollet at the Park Hyatt

Yesterday I went to the cocktail organized by the Park Hyatt Hotel and Louis Vuitton to welcome the visit of one of Paris most popular stylists, John Nollet. He does the hair of such women as Monica Belluci and Marion Cotillard among others.
You can have an appointment with him from today to September 1st at his Hyatt suite and feel as if in Paris.
You'll like him, he's really good-looking and charming.
But know this: he'll be charging U$S 700 the haircut... Hey! But in Paris you would be paying 700 euros...