summer draining

The last dregs of summer are finally draining away and a new colder breeze is settling in.

Noses are pinking and layers are beginning to be piled on. 

I had to wear a jacket today

That made me sniffle a bit.

Sixth form has rolled on in, every day is my best day (though I am favoring my two lesson Tuesdays). I'm also steadily putting on winter fat from the copious amounts of Gregg's sausage rolls I've been eating. 

·

So I've finally done it.

Dyed my hair pink. 

After about 20% deliberation and 80% madness, I purchased 'shocking pink', and had the tips of my hair dip dyed. 

·

My local store 'Brilliant' very kindly stocked stargazer-products so half way onto success I bought 'Shocking Pink'. How daring, tehe 

Ignoring the instructions I left the dye on for 50 minutes, instead of 30. Of course then I had to rinse it, and a lot came out, but after a slight panic the colour was still really bright. 

Of course all was well until I went and washed my hair. 

Waking up from my bath-time nap to be surrounded by fluorescent pink water is quite surprising.

·

Now question time. You know how blonds are nearly always the first to go in a horror movie, and  brunettes seem to be the ones with greatest longevity. So where, avec pink hair, does it put me?

Cause you know things like this need to be considered, hehe.

·

As y'all know, considerable time and money was spent en land o' France, and some sort of additional pictorial evidence is very much needed. 

First is 'The Dress'.

She is perfection in a navy tapestry form. With her slight French accent and cool cat quaffed demeanor she fits like a second skin and is the perfect length for autumn. I always wanted just one of those dresses, like in 'How to Marry a Millionaire' which didn't have to have piles of accessories or flashy shoes to complete it, it could just singularly convey equal beauty just by itself. And I found her. My love Cherie! 

·

Proceeding Cherie, my 'punch party in the jungle' jumpsuit.  I think my naming skills are just increasing with time. 

The PPJ was found in a delightful little  vintage shop, just round the corner from our apartment. I was actually gawking at the prices, they were so cheap, especially for beautiful one off vintage pieces, it was like an 80's Primark, but with a gob-smacking 2€ swimsuit pile and a menagerie of kick ass boots. I literally squealed when I found she was only 15€!

·

Finally after PPJ I spied a delicately printed maxi dress covered in lovely sky blue flowers. Oh if I were a bee I would be very attracted to her. Or maybe a butterfly...

She has an unforgiving nature though. A slight undergarment crease and you may as well walk around with a Vegas style sign pointing to it. Though that might just be my heighten paranoia, but her 5€ price forgives all.

·

Sixth Form is proving to be slightly difficult. The uniform rules have cracked down on us like an iron fist, an whilst I do get to enjoy the lovely popcorn smells of the sixth-form center and the utility of, not two but three microwaves, I still am not allowed to bare shoulder or more than a third of my thigh. 

So choosing what to wear each night is getting hard, as nearly all of my wardrobe save a few pieces, would make my teacher cry. 

So naturally I went and blow all my dosh on some scary heels. 

Hehe, they make me feel like a lumberjack. 

Actually I was going to marry a lumberjack when I was younger, maybe its my woodland dreams bursting through the aching sores which are now my ankles. 

haha, maybe 

xox Eve-Rei

p.s, I got tickets to LONDON FASHION WEEKEND, an occasion so great it can only be expressed through capitals! If anyone else is going on the Sunday, maybe I might see you there! I'll be the weirdo with the silly starstruck look on my face.

pp.s Also I just wanted to share this video with you all. As a proud owner of now 7 cats, it really pulled at my heart strings

heaving cities [part 2]

Do you ever get that moment, where you just realize you're in love

I'm in deep l o v e with Paris

It just tickles me how much I long to be back there.

Maybe I'm just sick of the rain, but something about Paris just really got under my skin.

·

Day 5

Day 5 was commanded by my brother, so off we were to the Eiffel Tower. Big mistake. I now warn all of you, very solemnly, do not go to the Eiffel tour. Because you will be forced to wait in a queue for 2 and a half hours, to get into another queue. 

Unfair yes, but totally worth it.

The views were breathtaking, but I do recommend that if you are thinking of going, book in advance, or walk up to the first stage, the queue is minuscule in comparison to the elevators. When we got up there we were met with views stretching up and onwards. You could see all around Paris, all of the landmarks tiny pinpricks in the distance. We even spotted our apartment! It was just so amazing to see the clouds' shadows pass across the skyline, and the tiny little people milling around like ants. 

Descending from our lofty heights we then hopped on the underground home, but decided to then hop off, right at the top of the Champs Elysees. The Arc de Triomphe was pretty damn impressive, but so were the yards of queue outside Louis Vuitton, hehe

·

Day 6

We were staying in in th middle of Montmartre, in an arms reach to the Moulin Rouge, and with the sun beating down, we decided to go exploring in our surroundings. Okay so I've watch the Baz Luhrmann masterpiece quite a few times, and never does it describe the barrage of steamy shops that line the high street. It was really quite scary. 

Dashing away from the crowds of creepy bearded men, we headed up the steep white steps, towards the Sacre Coeur. My dad being the architect that he is, was quick to drown us in gothic and new roman (I think that's it) facts, but I was just a little overwhelmed by the shear size of the roof. Paris really does have some amazing sights. 

Afternoon tea was a'calling, so we settled our selves down and dived into some lovely puddings. Now, little fact here, the whole Archer/Rayner household is completely mad for cake, I can't quite understand how we're all not the size of houses,  though my thighs are very much on the way there. We eat a lot of cake. And nothing else really. So when I say I found the most perfect creme brulee, I mean it.

Gosh I such a fatty, haha

· 

Day 7

Tilly's choice lead us to the Science Park, which was empty. All of the other sights were heaving, sweaty messes of queues and crying children. But the park was almost empty apart from the odd speedo clad jogger (that was scarring). And that was quite refreshing. We lazily wandered up the grid, pausing to look at the red metal buildings and the fairground attraction. They even had a submarine, how cool? 

We left the sun kissed grass in search of some shadow, and refound the entrance, complete with roaring fountain and a little cafe. As much as I love plastic cheese, it does not go well in a club sandwich!

Traveling back to Abbesses, we continued to explore the area we were staying in. This was when I happened upon the dress. The Dress. The most amazing dress upon this planet. Oh gosh it was gorgeous. And nearly all of my savings. 

I think this might be the first time  my mum has ever encouraged me into buying any clothing. And now my lovely little wonder dress is sitting happily in my closet, te he.

·

Day 8 

Our final, dreaded day had arrived, so we decided to head out to the Marché aux Puces, the flea market, in Saint-Ouen. The sun had decided to rear it ugly head and you could feel the waves of heat rising off the tarmac. Shade was nonexistent, and the Camden-esque market that had formed a crust around the Marché aux Puces was heaving. 

I do not do heat well, but thankfully a quick change of direction lead us straight into the market of fleas. Well actually not a flea was insight, rather I was met with the gorgeous vision of row upon row of antique shops. I thought I was hallucinating. If any of you have been to the Kingston Antique market, image that times 33. And then you have the Marché aux Puces. 

Stalls upon more stalls filled to the brim with all things antique. There was a stall filled with little odd bits, including babies. Another selling the most exquisite wedding and 50's dresses. Another with completely dedicated to Chanel, complete with a tiny tweed jacketed dog. 

We spent our final night with the world best creme brulee, and the next morning I returned home with a heavy heart and a considerably lighter case.

I wonder why?

te he 

xox Eve-Rei

p.s I've got another post lined up, with pictures of all my Parisian purchases, I thought I might kill you all if I added any more photos.

skylines make me happy [part 1]

When your childhood is filled with toddling round cavernous concrete architectural museums, you get a bit wistful. Its a strange thing to be jealous of a giant bobble head mouse, but I am. 

Our holidays for the past few years have all been in driving distance, I could never complain about the English coast, freckles, Cornish ice-cream and crabbing, but I have been hungering for something foreign. 

And Paris (french pronunciation if you please) is just the place to quench those exotic needs.

A day by day account is the only way to justify a beautiful city, it just  can't be condensed!

· 

Day 1

The City of Romance is a beautiful place, but the journey there is butt ugly. Being the idiot I am, I decided to bring my body weight in clothes. Case + Clogs + London Underground = Face plant galore. I'm sure it would have been entertaining to watch, but two very kind men offered to carry my case, on two separate occasions. The kind gentlemen still exists! Tehe 

I've been to Paris once before, but never by Eurostar. I really dislike the Eurostar. It made me spill my tea. 

So to pass the 2 hour journey, Tilly, Inigo and I partook in a pose off, resulting in 200 photo of us trying to look like Unicorns, Tyra Banks and 198 other persons.

Our apartment was gorgeous. Beautifully bohemian, my dad's nightmare, but with piles of Vogue, Harper's Bazar and Tatler lines the walls, it was paradise. 

 

·

Day 2

Montmartre being just a few steps from our apartment, we whisked our selves away to the Pompidou centre et Les Halles. The queues were horrific, and it acted more like a shelter from the torrential rain than anything. After browsing the gift shop and finding the Diana camera I had been hankering after, I was locked in the weighty debate as to wetaher or not to blow all of my saved euros. I desisted, leaving the shop empty handed but still with a full purse. Y'all should be trés proud of me. Te he

We dived straight into french cuisine and after the rain had stopped we ventured into a small cafe for a crepe. Yom yom, hehe is how is should be described. Tres delish. And lovingly accompanied by the cafe's black cat. 

·

Day 3 

We delved deeper into Paris, this time visiting La Fayette, a large shopping center, mainly to lovingly stare at all the clothes, but also to marvel at the breathtaking roof. It was day three and I still hadn't spotted a stylish Parisian, sadly La Fayette didn't yield. We moved on from the store walking past the National Academy. This would be the point where I realized that Paris was full of naked statues. No not just full, bursting. 

We carried on and the rain thankfully let up allowing us to pass through towards the Louvre. It really is a moment where you have to put everything down and just walk and absorb. Passing through the arch and the Louvre's triangular structure erupt from the ground and drive up into the sky is quite fantastic. After frolicking in the courtyard and being appropriately tourist we traveled on, passing through the gardens with the views of the Tour Eiffel in the distance.

·

Day 4 

I burnt my tongue on a snail. I think I can safely say that I am probably the only person to ever say that. I can also tick off number 33 on my bucket list, as I have chomped down on a mollusc. And they are delicious. Oh my goodness I love them so much! Haha.  Today we went exploring south of the river, popping our heads into little boutiques and dining on French cuisine, hence the snails. 

Sadly I had no luck with finding a purchase, but I did find a wonderful Desigual shop where I chatted with the man behind the counter about street fashion and good areas of Paris. We then crossed the Seine onto one of its islands, in search of Notre Dame. Following the crowds (always a good thing to do) we so found her, reaching up into the sky impressively and boating a large queue to boot. Mum, being from queue loving England jumped into the queue and we soon gained entry. I'm not amazingly religious but I found the spiritual presence of the place breathtaking, the stained glass and cavernous roof was just outstanding. My brother, not being at all religious (not eating snails is supposedly his) was quick to spot all naked and or headless statues. Thankyou Inigo.

·

So those were the first four days of my trip. I'm sensing a photo overload, to give y'all eyes a break I'll upload part 2 of this post of epic length before you can say 'Cornish pasties'. Well maybe a little longer. Hehe

xox Eve-Rei

your love and comments are little sweet little french poodles dyed a candy floss pink

Have a favourite day? Any other snail related problems? Or an explanation as to where all the fashionable people went? Do tell me!