Acqua di Parma Rosa Nobile Review

Close to the beautiful Place des Vosges which you should definitely visit if you're around the le Marais area is the first and only Acqua di Parma Boutique in Paris. It's small but beautiful and has all the nice stuff including some limited edition versions of the perfumes.


I really like most of the Acqua di Parma scents because of their elegant feel but a lot of them are really citrusy and some even a little masculine so I was really excited to hear that they launched Acqua di Parma Rosa Nobile.

It's a soft and really feminine scent. You know how some perfumes are best to wear in the evening because they feel deep and sexy or some scents who smell like a tropical island vacation  which are the ones you particularly enjoy in summer? Well this one is a scent who just smells really pretty and clean.

It's the kind of perfume you'd enjoy wearing on a nice spring day as well as on a stroll through the park in autumn. The rose isn't a dusty "grandma" one (don't get me wrong, I sometimes like the classy old lady scents as well!!) but it's a fresh and clean interpretation of a rose. It reminds me of a freshly cut big pink rose and I'm not just saying that because of the way they're presenting it. There's a certain sweetness to it without it being overly sugary or sirupy sweet, which I personally don't really like.


So as you probably already guessed, I really really like it and will probably be wearing it whenever I want to feel clean, put together and pretty!!

Oh and I asked, it's in the permanent collection!

French Pharmacy

If you're interested in beauty and skincare you probably already know that french pharmacies are known for their good quality skincare (Even Gwyneth Paltrow raves about it on her website goop.com and Lisa Eldridge has a whole video on french beauty buys!).

And if you're really really into skincare and been to paris you might know City Pharma. 

It's a pharmacy in Saint Germain (near Café de Fleur, which you should check out anyway!). All the beauty editors, models and skin care fanatics go there, because they have a wide range of all the good beauty products and lines like NUXE, La roche Posay, Bioderma etc. Due to the increasing popularity it's crowded in there and you should probably leave your boyfriend or husband at home or at the hotel if you end up going there. It's skincare heaven and much cheaper then the other pharmacies around (and of course than the prices for said products in your homecountry, IF they exist there). In Switzerland the pharmacies stock a lot of french brands but they're much more expensive and we don't get all the products, so there are a few things I always like to stock up on when in Paris!

Here's what I bought this time!

Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentré is what all the great makeup artists use. It has won many awards and alot of models swear by it (as seen on intothegloss.com/amodelrecommends.com). I have personally never used it before but had to give in all the hype. So far I really like it, it's moisturizing but not in a greasy way and I can see it becoming a staple product in the colder months. The Lait-Crème Fluide has the exact same ingredients as the Concentré version but is much bigger and cheaper so I'm looking forward to try that and hope it works just as well!

Effaclar Duo from La Roche Posay is another product with rave reviews. I've bought it a couple of times and really like it for occasions when my skin is breaking out. It's important to use an spf though because of the acidic ingredients. It came with a generous 50ml sample of the new effaclar cleanser. Haven't tried that one yet...

Everybodys all time favorite make up remover and another celebrity staple is Bioderma Créaline H2O Solution Micellaire. I bought it numerous times and love it soo much because it removes every last bit of makeup without leaving any residue. And I know you can get it in the UK and US but I've never seen it in Switzerland. 

The Bioderma Atoderm Mains handcream and the Atoderm Lèvres lip balm came in a pack of two so I thought I'd give them a try and so far I think the lip balm is a great option for everyday. The handcream is ok but I wouldn't buy it again because it has that powdery feeling to it that some hand creams have.

La Roche Posay Zerozinc is a great thermal mist infused with zinc and I really feel like it calms my skin down. Apart from that I just like the refreshing feeling when I spray it on in the mornings. Wakes me up a little... :)

Last but not least Uriage Huile Nettoyante Apaisante. It's for body and face but I only use it on my face because I like my showergels to smell nice (and this cleanser doesn't smell at all). Can't really say much about it yet, because with cleanser I think you need some time to see results but so far so good. 

And they were really generous and gave me a nice amount of samples. 

That's just what I bought to stock up and try out. There are a lot more great products that I really like to use, a lot of them from NUXE. I just wanted to overview my haul and share my opinion. What are your favorite french beauty buys? I'd looove to know!!

Paris is always a good idea!

Next up was Paris! The city of lights, love and everything chic! We indulged in the best buttery croissants, ate macarons from Ladurée, enjoyed the beautiful parks and went shopping (obviously). 

I love Paris because all the different arrondissements have a different feel to it and from elegant to cosy to artsy, Paris just has it all... Next to london the only city in europe where I could see nyself living in (fingers crossed, maybe it will happen someday). 

After some shopping our first stop was Ladurée at Champs Élisée. A lot of tourists taking pictures and really crowded but it's Ladurée, it's still worth it if you ask me!

Next birthdaycake s'il vous plaît!! 

Yes please!! I'm the worst at making unimportant (#stillimportant) decisions so I was lucky that it was so crowded, I needed all the time I could get.

I obviously couldn't just take one flavor, the one I'm eating in the picture is Guimauve Fraise Bon Bon Macarons. I had to take it, the name is too cute and it was incredibly delicious (and I haven't seen that particular one in switzerland yet).

A street so famous there's a song named after it...

Trying out the new perfume releases and all the nice lotions and potions at Galérie Lafayette, before I decided to buy some NIKE sneakers in order to be able to still walk around for a bit. My feet were killing me! 

After dinner I walked up the stairs to Montmartre, the quality of the picture isn't that good but it looks like a fairy castle. Up there was a band playing music and a lot of people listening, drinking whine and enjoying the view. 

How magical is Paris!!

Pretty Porto

Smaller then Lisbon but still worth visiting. I had a nasty cold while in Porto so I didn't get to see much of it but as of what I've seen it's a really charming little place.

Couldn't resist taking a selfie at the famous Café Majestic. Beautiful place with great food! 

Shirt and Skirt: Zara

Sunglasses: Ray Ban Aviators

Cellphone Case: Moschino

Backyard of the little Café (and the place I took my selfie)

Portuguese people still know how to really indulge in food. There are no light/fat free/gluten free or whatever free versions. How I love to eat!!

Fresh Food Markets are always the best. It's like Sephora for me, I could spend hours there… Look at the spices and everything. If I'd live there I'd probably go there everyday and start cooking on a regular basis. Or maybe not, I'm not sure if I'd be able to compete with all the amazing pastry stores… But you get the point. I love food markets!

Olá lisbõa!!

Lisbon. One of my favorite cities in Southern Europe. Shop till you drop or at least until you find some sweet treats to indulge in. One of the places where you have to pause for a moment and take it all in. Beautiful sceneries in combination of cool places to go out and even better food. Cool, artsy, colorfull and incredibly authentic.

True that! 

I guess the artsy vibe of the city inspired me to try to make some different pictures... 

Some Sightseeing before having the traditional little lisbon cakes. Europe is really such a wonderful place to discover. Every city is different and there is so much culture everywhere. I'm always completely amazed by the architecture. How was it possible to make buildings like that? Look at the squares and houses, it's really quite breathtaking...

The best place for people watching and enjoying Pastéis de Belém is this little famous place right next to the Main shopping street. I'm getting hungry just posting these pictures!

After much too much sugar we went back to our room, enjoyed the view and got ready to have a cooking lesson to learn how to prepare traditional portuguese dishes and later went out to the barrio alto which is the area with all the bars and clubs in Lisbon.

Getting ready is even more fun with a view like this! 

Crazy Lagos

Lagos is a little beachtown in Portugal full of australians (and everybody knows they know how to party hard!) but that's not the only thing Lagos has to offer. We discovered some nice little beaches and really relaxed which was nice for a change because even the most interested travellers sometimes need a break from all the sightseeing am I right? :)

So off we went with a book under one arm and a umbrella under the other...

The water was freezing cold though!! 

The picture couldn't be more beautiful if I'd arranged the umbrellas myself. All the colors made my discovery an even happier one.

One our way home, with tanned skin and relaxed minds.

Dinner's ready!!

And my vegetarian option (can be difficult in Portugal so pizza is always a good option:)). Tasted better than it looks!

And a huge part of experiencing Lagos is it's nightlife. My tiny clutch only allowed a lipgloss money and my compact powder so I sadly don't have any fotos to show you how fun it can get, but all the more reason to go there...

Beach Time!!!

Tarifa... What can I say, completely different and located on the most Southern point of spain. You can see Africa, go surfing, have drinks in lovely and cool bars and most of the tourists are either from Spain or Italy. Need I say more? 

View from our rooftop terrace. The Sunset was magical...

Outside our kitchen window. I would cook in that kitchen even if I hated cooking just for the view! 

Sadly my battery died after that, so no pictures of the amazing beaches or nightlife (it was the night of the shootingstars and I had a nice little picnic at the beach after I got home from my little bar tour and an amazing dinner!!) but rest assuref that Tarifa is one of the places of I'd definitely revisit.

Andalusian Beauty in Seville

If you like warm weather Seville is the best place for you to go. It got up to 45 degrees and the only thing that was missing was a beach - even though lack thereof means having a more cultural atmosphere because all the tourists are visiting for the monuments and the beauty of the city itself and not for drinking, partying and sunbaking which was nice for a change.

Seville is the tipical Andalusian town and (from a personal point of view) has the cutest and best dressed babies and children ever. 

How cute is that! I have no interest in having a baby any time soon but in that moment I would have loved to borrow a baby just to go shopping and buy little tiny clothes. 

There's good shopping with all the famous chains like Massimo Dutti, Zara, Pull & Bear etc. but also stores like Sandro, Maje and nice boutiques of local designers.

Tasted some lovely desserts at Chocolate Artesano. You could actually try the pastries before you bought them, how nice and generous is that? It took some self discipline to not return every single day just for the free treats.

I ended up reading a book drinking some refreshing Iced Tea in a cozy little park. I love sightseeing and doing all the touristy stuff but I always think the way to really feel a city is to act like you're really living there. That's how you get to know the particular vibe every place has to offer and for me that's the way I like it.

Btw: The book I was reading is called Gone Girl and I hear they made a movie out of it. I can definitely recommend it, it's a page turner and leaves you guessing until the end.