Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Paris ’17, Day 4 – Casual Sightseeing


On Monday my mom and I decided to try and have a bit of quiet day. I was quite worn out from the Tea Party and my mom was a bit tired as well. We decided to head for the Champs-Elysées to see the Arc de Triomphe and to just walk around for a bit.
We took the metro to Charles de Gaulle-Étoile and took the escalator upstairs that gave us the well-known view upon the Arc de Triomphe. I love the Eiffeltower, but the Arc de Triomphe keeps amazing me every time.
I suggested to get some good pictures of it by standing in the middle of the road between the passing cars. My mom wasn’t too keen on the idea, but I told her I had done it before during my birthday trip a few months ago. My mom was kind of scared, but I absolutely wasn’t and posed happily in front of the giant building and took some selfies.
I actually ended up really liking this picture of me taking a selfie!

We stayed fairly close to the pedestrian crossing as to not get hit by cars accidentally, but there was one guy very bravely (or rather: stupidly) taking pictures much further down. He was squatting close to the ground to prepare his camera when he was suddenly almost run over by a scooter because the driver didn’t see him. That was something. x)
Other than that, the Arc de Triomphe was beautiful as ever and I could stop taking pictures of it! ♥
The beautiful Arc de Triomphe.

My mom and I started walking down the Champs-Elysées. We started looking for this lovely indoor galerie my mom liked and actually ended up finding it! They had some lovely shops, including one that sold all kinds of Fabergé-like eggs and statues. It was quite fun walking around there. ^^
I quite liked these Napoléon statues!

We continued to walk down the Champs-Elysées and entered the giant Sephora there. There was a lovely display for the brand Benefit with a Volkswagen minivan and a San Francisco theme. We walked around the big store with flashy commercial screens. My mom tried some perfumes and I took a look at some eye shadow palettes (that I would never buy probably, even though they’re so aesthetically pleasing).
The supercute Benefit display.

The next store that we entered was the Disney Store. There were a lot of children running around and screaming unfortunately, but we did see some nice things. The baby version of Moana was just too cute for words! My mom found a lovely Beauty and the Beast-themed mirror and I discovered the most beautiful flower-shaped magical wand, but both of us decided not to buy the items. Also somehow European Disney Stores make me miss the Japanese Disney Store. Disney in Japan just has so many amazing items…
Some cute things spotted at the Disney store.

My mom and I both wanted to get some fancy tea and pastries somewhere, so we crossed the street and headed for Ladurée. However, since the prices were a bit higher than we remembered and we needed to go easy with our money, we decided to go somewhere else. We had gotten quite tired by this point, so we tried to find the nearest metro. Eventually we found an entrance. While we were waiting for the train, some guy who didn’t want to buy a ticket shoved his suitcase onto the platform and jumped over the entrance gate, after which he was immediately apprehended by ticket controllers who had been hiding around the corner. It was honestly freaking hilarious! XD
We took the metro further down the city and got out somewhere near Tuileries. We were hoping to feel better about going to Angelina, where we had never been before, but when we got there there was a line and we just didn’t feel like it anymore. We were quite tired at this point and decided to… go back to Aki! XD We wanted more onigiri and éclairs!
When we arrived at the bakery we got some food: matcha melon pan and onigiri for me and a chocolate éclair and onigiri for my mom. We sat down at one of the tables outside. The weather quickly changed and it started raining, so we sat down for quite a while. I even went to get an extra onigiri for myself and a yuzu éclair for my mom. It was quite lovely to just sit there for a while.
My mom was very happy to be back at Aki!

Finally, after a long time, we got up again and started walking in the direction of Opéra. We entered a Desigual store, but other than that just walked up to the beautiful building. It looked amazing, even with a grey sky behind it and puddles of water in front of it.
One of my favourite buildings in Paris. ♥

We entered the metro station and walked into a picture machine! We hadn’t taken any pictures in a machine before and since my mom and I both love it we decided to go for it! Three pictures turned out quite nice, one is utterly horrifying (which was our aim, so that’s good). XD I don’t remember exactly what we did, but at some point we headed for the Notre Dame, so I suppose we took the metro there. Unfortunately, when we arrived there it started to rain quite badly. We tried to stay under the trees, but it didn’t help much, so we ran up to some of the souvenir shops.
We explored some of them but honestly I was quite tired at this point. We decided to walk on to Quartier Latin, so as soon as the rain got a bit less we moved on. Notre Dame looked impressive as ever, no matter the weather.
Notre Dame with a grey sky behind it.

We walked around Quartier Latin for a bit, which was very nice. The streets there as small and cosy, it’s a bit as if you’re walking in a village in the middle of Paris! We walked past some nice restaurants, but for some reason none of them really appealed to us. So we just walked on.
Strolling around Quartier Latin.

The sun started shining again, but I was so tired. We sat down next to the fountain of Saint Michel and though for a while. I was in a state where I couldn’t really make decisions anymore. I am always so happy my mom is there in such moments.
The fountain of Saint Michel.

Eventually we decided to look up the nearest McDonald’s, something we always end up at least doing once, haha! It wasn’t very far luckily! When we got there, it turned out we had to order on one of those machines. It was a little challenging, especially since I was tired, but we managed. I was so happy to just sit and eat.
After dinner we returned to the hotel, packed for a bit and just spent a quiet evening, which was very nice. ♥

Thank you for reading! ~☆~

Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Paris ’17, Day 3 – Angelic Pretty Tea Party 2017


July 9th was the day of the Angelic Pretty Tea Party. It wouldn’t start until later in the afternoon, so my mom and I spent a calm morning having breakfast and preparing. I had come up with a new hairstyle I couldn’t do by myself, so my mom would help me. Unfortunately, we hadn’t had time to practise it, so it took a while before we made it work. But the result was so nice!
My Tea Party invitation waiting to be used.

For this year’s outfit I decided to go fairly casual. I ended up going for Promenade de Paris (you can’t get more Parisian than that), combined with pink, white and light blue. My outfit sure wasn’t spectacular, but I ended up liking it nonetheless. ♥
Here are some pictures, I hope you like my outfit:
♥ Mademoiselle de Paris ♥
My outfit rundown:
Head bow: Angelic Pretty’s Memorial Cake
Blouse: offbrand
JSK: Angelic Pretty’s Promenade de Paris
Socks: Summer Tales Boutique
Shoes: An*Tai*Na
Necklaces: Follow the White Rabbit and Claire’s
Button: Angelic Pretty
Bracelets: 6% Dokidoki, Paris Kid’s and offbrand
Ring: offbrand
What do you think of the hairstyle? I think my mom did an awesome job!
We took some pictures outside and then went on our way to the Meurice Hotel, across from Tuileries. Once we got there, I spotted Pippa outside. We hugged and then it was time to say goodbye to my mom, who would spend the afternoon by herself. She very kindly let me borrow her camera to make a video, which I was very happy about. I entered the hotel and walked to the back, passing several people who looked at me in a mixture of surprise and what I think was awe (haha).
The Angelic Pretty Tea Party of 2013 also took place at the Meurice Hotel, so I was not surprised to find a sign saying ‘Angelic Pretty Tea Party’ next to the room the Tea Party had taken place in back then again.
I took a very similar picture back in 2013!

There was a table in front of the sign with neatly placed numbered cards, waiting for their Tea Party guests. However, there was no one around but me! I quickly figured out everyone had gone to a side room to wait, so I joined them. However not long after we all formed a line to pick up our number and enter the Tea Party room.
The stunning Tea Party room. ♥

I joined some of my friends at the table close to the door. Every Tea Party guest received two lovely Tea Party gifts: a face towel with a pastry print on it and an adorable mirror with a little poodle on it! I have to admit I would have loved it if the mirror had been a badge actually, so I might turn it into one eventually. Then I went to check out the raffle prizes table, as one does. There were a lot of amazing-looking prizes! Naturally, I hoped I would end up winning something, although there was not something specific I was hoping for.
All the amazing prizes displayed.

I sat down at my table and soon all the guests were inside. We were welcomed by the Angelic Pretty manager, who asked if there were any non-French speakers present. Almost my entire table raised their hands, which was fun! XD
The manager explained the schedule of the Tea Party. As always, everyone had received a number (mine was 29) and we could vote for our favourite outfit. There would be a fashion show, a Q&A with special guest model Tina Tamashiro and of course the raffle.
The voting sheet on the left, which looked super cute,
and my number and plate on the right.

Then it was time for the fashion show! I am not 100% sure what the order of the models was, but I think I got pretty close. Some of my friends were modelling, which made watching the show even more fun! All the prints shown in the fashion show were yet unknown, so pictures and videos were (sadly) not allowed, but it was also quite thrilling to see all these upcoming releases for the first time!
Tina Tamashiro opened the show and she looked so cute! Everyone was loving her outfit and especially the cute ghost bag she was holding! The next model also wore Halloween Treats and judging by the general reaction, Halloween Treats was going to be a popular one. After that, Marina and another model came out together in Suya Suya Toys, a super cute sleeping-themed print that also came in grey!
Halloween Treats in lavender and black on the left,
Suya Suya Toys in pink and grey on the right.
Pictures from the Angelic Pretty website.

The next two models looked so beautiful! I especially liked the outfit the girl wearing Brilliant Doll was wearing! My friend Camélia looked super cute with her little hat and my friend Eveline fell head over heels in love with Bonbon Bunny. She could not shut up about it the weeks after the Tea Party until it was finally released and she ended up getting it. x)
Brilliant Doll in white on the left, Floral Rose in pink next to it, Sweet Madeleine
in wine in the middle, Bonbon Bunny in white and wine on the right.
Pictures from the Angelic Pretty website.

I was super happy for my friend Pom that she got to model and she did so well! Aren’t these here outfits just over the top gorgeous?
Classic Rose Doll in mint in the middle, the other
two dresses I can’t remember the names of.
Pictures from the Angelic Pretty website.

Next up were Marina and the other girl who had worn Suya Suya Toys. They had quickly redressed into two absolutely beautiful dresses. Marina looked like a fairy! I nearly cried, she looked so pretty! Tina Tamashiro also came out again, in an incredibly over the top Queen Chocolate dress, which had apparently been part of the grand Angelic Pretty Tea Party Fashion Show in Japan!
Scallop Angel in pink on the left, Queen Chocolate Special Dress
on the right, dress in the middle unknown to me.
Pictures from the Angelic Pretty website.

The models all came out together one last time and everyone applauded. It had been quite a thrilling show, with lots of beautiful new prints and dresses, but also bags and accessoires!
The beautiful models together. ♥
Pictures from the Angelic Pretty website.

After the fashion show, Maki and Asuka came out to welcome us and thank us for coming. They hoped we liked the new clothing and talked a bit about it. They both looked lovely as always, but I have to say: Maki looked particularly ethereal this time!
Maki and Asuka welcoming the Tea Party guests.
Picture from the Angelic Pretty website.

Then it was announced the hotel had made a special cake for our Tea Party, which they brought out for us to admire and take pictures with! It was quite an impressive cake! It didn’t look incredibly Lolita to me, but very tasty!
Naturally, everyone wanted to have a picture with the cake. Even Asuka!

If there is one thing I cannot complain about with this Tea Party it was definitely the food. We got so much! We had sandwiches, scones with clotted cream and jam, several gorgeous pastries and also cake! I tried a sandwich with pink spread, but it turned out to be beetroot and it was so gross! Everyone at my table laughed upon seeing my face, haha! Luckily, all the other sandwiches were really delicious and so were the scones.
These pastries looked so beautiful!

Apparently the pastry chef who had made the pastries is famous for his realistic-looking fruit pastries? I mean, just look at that peach pastry! It looks really sweet and realistic, but when I broke it open it turned out to be sort of savoury! It had an indescribable taste, very unique! I’m glad I got to try it! ♥
My peach-looking pastry and delicious scone.

Marina came back and joined our table. I was very happy I got a bit of time to catch up with her and also take a picture with her! The Tea Party was again very short and I barely had time to chat and take pictures with people in between the programme. However, several people managed to come up to me and told me they enjoy my blog or my videos, which made me immensely happy! Thank you all so much! ♥
So happy to have this picture with Marina, who looked so lovely!

Then it was announced it was time for the Q&A with Tina Tamashiro. The Angelic Pretty shop manager asked some questions and translated into both English and French. The Q&A didn’t take long, but was quite interesting! ^^ Also, Tina seems super nice.
Q&A with Tina Tamashiro.
Picture from the Angelic Pretty website.

Somehow we managed to eat some cake and then it was already time for the raffle. The programme went really quickly, since the Tea Party was quite short. Everyone sat down again and clutched their numbers, hoping to win something. There were quite some prizes, so also quite some winners.
Some of the lucky winners!

Some of the bigger prizes were handed over by Tina Tamashiro. We couldn’t take pictures of her ourselves, but luckily there was a photographer. When prizes number 3 were being handed out, my number was called! I won something!
The other girl who also won prize number 3.
Picture from the Angelic Pretty website.

I ended up winning a blouse and rose barette set! The blouse unfortunately has no shirring, so I’ll probably never for it, but the rose barette is absolutely stunning and I love it to death!
Happy with my prize!

After the raffle it was time for the best dressers announcement! I was on time handing in my voting sheet this time, yay! The two girls who won both looked lovely, very well-deserved!
The first and second best dressed winners.
Pictures from the Angelic Pretty website.

After that, it was time for the group picture! As usual this was quite an adventure, but after some shifting around the room we all managed to gather for the picture. I decided to sit on the ground, which was a lot more comfortable than squatting! x)
The Angelic Pretty Tea Party in Paris 2017 group picture!
Pictures from the Angelic Pretty website.

Suddenly, the Tea Party was over! We had to get out of the room quite fast and table by table and then out of the hotel. The staff really wanted us to get out! Naturally, we ended up gathering in front of the entrance (which wasn’t their intention either), where I met up with my mom again. Because I felt like I had barely talked and posed for pictures with people, I decided to make up for this a bit and my kind mom worked as my personal photographer to make it happen. ♥
Quickly snapped pictures with lovely people. ♥

Unfortunately I had also not managed to take a picture with either Maki or Asuka, so when we heard they would be at the shop we all decided to head over there. Unfortunately, the weather was changing up and rain started to fall. Plus, when we arrived at the store, Asuka was just leaving and Maki had already left. I hadn’t even been able to give them the presents I had gotten for them, so I almost ran up to Asuka and managed to give her some sweets and take a picture with her.
I’m so happy I managed to get a picture with Asuka after all!

Since we had nothing really left to do at the store, I said goodbye to everyone. I quickly dropped some of my leftover sweets at the shop for the staff and thanked them, after which my mom and I returned to our hotel. Unfortunately, the journey back was terrible. I had actually taken precautions and had brought emergency shoes and even an emergency dress, so I could get redressed at the Tea Party venue, but since we had been kicked out so quickly I hadn’t had the opportunity. So now I had to return in my hot outfit to the hotel. I did change my shoes on the way, but had to keep my outfit on of course. It was so hot in the metro and I was feeling so miserable, I thought I was going to die. However, the people around me were so incredibly kind when they noticed I wasn’t doing well. Someone offered me their seat, a kind man offered me a tissue for my tears (since I was crying) and talked a bit to me to distract me and according to my mom the lady next to me was fanning me cool air with her fan. Faith in humanity restored. ♥
We got back at the hotel and while my mom was getting some macarons at the nearby bakery, I ran back to our room and flung my clothes onto the bed. I was so grateful
to be free again~!
We ate our macarons and later that evening went for dinner to the restaurant across the street, so we didn’t have to travel very far. We sat down at one of the tables outside the restaurant, when it started raining like crazy! A bad thunder storm was crossing Paris and the lightning was so close! I have to say: it was amazing!
It was right after we had ordered food that I realised: we had left our balcony doors open… I sprinted back through the rain to our hotel, ran up all the stairs and busted into our room, where I closed the doors, saved the book that was lying next to them and dried the floor had had indeed gotten quite wet. When I returned to the restaurant (soaking wet from the rain) our food had just arrived, which was very nice.
Our delicious dinner!

Our food was really delicious and we returned to the hotel quite happily. Then we went to sleep. It had been quite a day!
So to summarize: the Tea Party was again way too short and I barely got to meet people, but the venue, food and fashion show were amazing!
Gifts of the day

I also made a video of the Tea Party! I am quite proud of the result myself, so if you have time please take a look!

And here is the video I made of this Tea Party. I worked really hard on it and honestly really quite likethe result, so please take a look if you have time! ♥


Thank you for reading! ~☆~

Monday, October 09, 2017

Paris ’17, Day 2 – Shopping for Dresses


Saturday was honestly my absolute favourite day, from start to finish. If you think the title of this blogpost cannot possibly sum up this entire day, I can tell you upfront you’re wrong! XD
We woke up on time and needed a bit of time to start doing things. I wasn’t feeling 100% okay yet, so I enjoyed the view for a bit before we got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast.

I took this artsy picture of our view. It’s stupid, but I like it!

I didn’t eat too much, since I was still feeling a bit nauseous, but sitting outside in the garden was quite refreshing. It wasn’t very hot yet, so I enjoyed the nice temperature and my breakfast.

Breakfast in Paris.

We headed back to our room, gathered our things and went on our way to the Angelic Pretty shop! We were supposed to arrive at 9:30 am, but we were slightly late. I was a bit stressed there would be a line already, but when I ran around the corner into the shop's street there was no one! The shop didn't open until 11 am, but shop girl Pudding opened the door for me and gave me a number. I had number 3! Or actually, I was the second to receive a number, but they had lost no. 1, haha! XD I’ve always wanted to experience standing in line for an Angelic Pretty shop and receive a number, so I could check this off my bucket list now!

No. 3, my lucky number!

I suggested to my mom to have some coffee, but since we just had had breakfast neither of us was really up for it. Instead, we decided to stroll a bit along the Rue de Rivoli and check out the shops there. It was fairly cool in the shade of the buildings, which was nice. One of the first shops that opened had a lovely necklace on display in the shop window, which my mom ended up buying.
By now I was really feeling almost like myself again. We walked along the souvenir shops and naturally somehow ended up with some cute key chains. We always end up with key chains, even if we tell ourselves not to. x)

Checking out the souvenir shops that had just opened up for the day.

We walked by an amazing book store and decided to have a loot. It was hot inside, but they had so many wonderful books! So many beautiful, enticing covers.
A little further down the street, we also found a Ladurée shop that was completely dedicated to tea! All the tea cans and tea sets looked so beautiful. ♥

The colourful and super cute Ladurée tea shop.

Around 10:30 am we returned to the store and sat down on the sidewalk to wait for 11 am. We must have looked a bit strange, just sitting there while waiting. XD We were soon joined by some Lolitas though.

My mom looks so cute, waiting for the store to open. x)

A bit before 11 am I went to stand second in line and finally, a bit after 11 am the door opened. That is when my mission started! Because yes, I was on a mission. I wanted to try and get the Harlequinade special set in pink x sax and I was playing shopping service for a girl from my local community who really wanted the brown Chocolate Rosette special set.
The girl in front of me in line, I and some girls behind me were let in and I jumped towards the dress display. There were two or three brown Chocolate Rosette sets, but I could see only one Harlequinade set in my preferred colourway (no idea whether they also had some in the back). The first girl took a look at it, but seemed to move on, so I said: 'Can I have it?' Once I had the dress in my hands, I did not let go anymore, haha! I also grabbed a brown Chocolate Rosette set. Mission accomplished!
I had almost forgotten the lucky bags though! Luckily, one of the shopping girls said: 'Do you want a lucky bag too?' I was like: 'Yes please!' I took my two dresses and bag to the counter to pay. I didn't really need to check any of the other items in the shop. Once at the counter, I also got myself a British Crown clear file (I love clear files dammit) and to my great happiness I also received a special novelty! Since I was spending over 300 euros thanks to the shopping service dress, I received a wonderful pink Angelic Pretty jewelry box! I was ridiculously excited about it, haha!
In about 20 minutes I was already outside again! I've never shopped so fast at Angelic Pretty in my life. My mom was very happy about it. XD I took some pictures of me with the bags in front of the store and I sent a message to the girl I shopped for I had managed to get her dress.

Missions accomplished! ♥

After that, we went to the sweets store next to the Angelic Pretty shop, where my mom bought a lovely cookie jar.
By now we had gotten a bit hungry, so we decided to go to Japanese bakery Aki. I really wanted to show my mom this wonderful place! We walked in the direction of the bakery, but I couldn't remember which street it was at again. Luckily, we passed Junku, the Japanese book shop. I thought there they would likely know the bakery’s address, so I went inside to ask for directions, when suddenly I wondered... Would they have any Takarazuka Revue magazines? I expected a 'no', and when I asked the shop girl about it she initially didn't understand what I meant. When I repeated, she walked ahead of me and pulled out a Takarazuka Graph magazine! I literally gasped! I had never expected to find this magazine anywhere in Europe! Apparently the shop doesn't always carry it, so I was extremely lucky! Aaah, I still can't believe it!

I’m still so psyched about finding this magazine!

The kind Junku shop staff pointed us in the right direction and soon we found the bakery. They had so many amazing options, my mom and I had a hard time deciding on what to get! Eventually I went for a salmon mayo onigiri, a matcha melon pan and a diet coke while my mom also went for a salmon mayo onigiri and diet coke, but combined with a lemon éclair. We took our food downstairs, sat down and chatted while eating.

Not the best pictures of our food (we were hungry
so we wanted to eat fast), but you get the idea.

The food was so good! ♥ I had been to Aki before, with Marina, but it was new for my mom and she loved it too! I was so happy!
After we had finished our food, we returned to our hotel to get rid of the shopping bags. Seeing my purchases on the bed made me so happy!

Happy with my shopping! ♥

We rested for a short while and then went on our next mission: finding me a final singing exam dress!
In case you didn't know: I'm studying classical singing and in November I will be, hopefully, graduating. For my final exam I will be creating a performance with various repertoire and naturally, I am required to look the part. My mom and I had joked about 'Buying a dress in Paris, doesn't that sound fancy?', but now we actually wanted to try and do so! So we went on our way to Montmartre.
Why Montmartre you might ask? Two reasons. First of all, the Boulevard de Magenta is well-known for being filled with shop after shop of bridal- and party dresses. Secondly: when my mom and I took a bus tour through Montmartre during our previous Paris trip, we drove by a bridal store that had a beautiful dress on display in the window. Even though I only saw it in the flash of a second, I knew I wanted to have a dress like that: royal blue with a sparkly bodice.
Naturally, focusing so much on finding such a specific dress isn't a very good idea. Instead, I decided I wanted a blue dress with sparkles, preferably with a wide skirt. That way, it can be any kind of blue, any kind of sparkles and any kind of shape. I thought that was a good goal.
I had done my utmost best to try and find the store we had seen back then and I thought I had actually found it after tracking down our bus route in Google Maps, so we decided to visit some of the stores I had noted that were located close to it along the Boulevard de Rochechouart and then move on to the Boulevard de Magenta.
We spent some time going and in and out of shops. It quickly became clear that these shops were a bit on the cheaper side. The dresses weren’t necessarily cheap in price, but slightly cheap-looking. You know what I mean? We did find the shop I had seen and they had a lot of dresses, but nothing that really appealed to me. In another shop I encountered a dress I liked very much, however it looked quite worn out already, so we continued our search.
At a certain point we considered heading for the Boulevard de Magenta, but we noticed one more shop I had noted in the distance, so we decided to go there. It was a shop mainly aimed at Muslim women, with beautiful and colourful garments and sparkly jewelry. I bought two gorgeous rings there, however it was not what I was looking for. However, it turned out they had another shop right across the street, for party dresses. I was reluctant to go though. The garments were stunning, however not what I was looking for myself at all. My mom however wanted to go, so we went.

A picture of some beautiful Parisian balconies, to break the big blog text off a bit. ;)

When we entered the store, it was clear they were having a big sale. The shop was filled with women shopping for party garments (and God some of the dresses were just stunning). However, all of them had sleeves and were very different from what I was looking for. I managed to get up the stairs and to the back of the store, where they had more dresses. After looking around for a bit I found the dress I had seen at a different store, the worn out one! Although here it was new and beautiful and actually cheaper! The dress had a beautiful night blue colour and the bodice was covered in sparkly crystals. It reminded me of the Queen of the Night. I decided to try it on. I waited for a while, since the fitting rooms were very full, but a kind girl came up to me and guided me to a room, where she helped me in and out of the dress. Everything went really fast and hectic because of the many customers, but when I walked out of the dressing room and looked at myself in the mirror I felt like time stopped for a moment. The dress was so beautiful… Even on me it looked so beautiful. Normally I am terrible at making decisions, but here my choice was right in front of me. I wanted this dress!
Even better: this dress came with a matching cape! I’m not kidding. It’s a stunning cape in the same material as the skirt and covered in sparkly applications. No idea whether I’ll ever wear it but I love it! I tried the dress in a size smaller, but eventually went for the bigger one because it would be easier to alter. All in all I had made my decision in like ten minutes, an incredible record for me! Even more so, we had found a dress within two hours! I am still amazed at myself. XD
I went to pay and we left the shop. We went to sit on a bench in the small park across from the store to get some rest after the overly crowded store. After that, we strolled around Montmartre for a bit and took some pictures of the Sacré Coeur, but I had gotten so tired that we decided to go back to the hotel.

Beautiful Sacré Coeur.

On our way to the hotel, we picked up two big raspberry macarons at the bakery close to the hotel. We ate them while sitting in the hotel garden, which was really relaxing and nice.
We rested in our room for a bit and then went out again to have some dinner at the Italian restaurant across the street. We had a very cute waiter there, haha!
My mom and I both ordered tagliatelle carbonara and we shared the most divine raspberry tiramisu (it was so good, oh my God).

Our divine dinner. Can I go back to eat this again please?

Back at our hotel room I took a bath (which I rarely do, I prefer showers) and spent the rest of the evening watching Fort Boyard with a French actor I happened to know. Honestly, after such a good day and such a good meal just watching a fun tv show laying on the bed while my mom was reading a book… I truly felt so content at that moment. I remember distinctly thinking: ‘Yes, right now I’m really happy.’
Finally, we went to sleep. It had been an eventful day.
By the way, I’m very sorry, but I won’t be showing you what my final exam dress looks like. Except for very few people, nobody knows what my dress looks like and I want to keep it that way until my actual exam, as to not to jinx it. I’m sorry. x(

Purchases and gifts of the day

Thank you for reading! ~☆~