A Slice of Cannes Right in Your Own Living Room

Have you ever had the odd feeling of watching so many foreign films in one day that you start to think that the actors on screen are actually saying the words you are reading on the bottom? No? Well, maybe you should. It is absolutely one of the most odd yet delightful experiences. Plus, a day like that does wonders to your cinematic street cred. With Kate and I getting ready to say au revoir in about a month, the introduction of French film to our movie repertoire was a natural step in the process of embracing our new home. Word of caution to those that may want to attempt to throw their own little Cannes Film Festival, have an open mind to the artistry behind truly creative cinema, be ready for all of the reading, and American movies will never be the same again.

After a couple of days of only watching documentaries and foreign films, I am now hooked. I have been scouring the internet for more film and documentary titles, attempting to saturate my mind and satiate my new appreciation for the artistic outlet that is film making.

Here are the trailers to a few of the movies Kate and I have in our Netflix ques as well as ones we absolutely adore. As you will see a number of them are about the fashion industry, but what else do you expect from the country that has blessed the world with icons such as Chanel, YSL, and Louboutin. Enjoy!

French-a-fy: Hair and Makeup

I am sorry for the lack of posts! I have been busy dealing with the technicalities of my trip. Now that I have the major obstacles out of the way such as, my passport, campus france, and finally-MY VISA :)- I am ready to prepare for the much more blog-worthy aspects of my trip. 

To be honest, applying for a visa was quite the daunting and tiring task. From sending in applications to the embassy, to waiting for a reply, to my in-person interview in San Francisco, then back to waiting for a reply, this process seems to be the equivalent of running the New York marathon in Louboutins! All right, I may be a bit dramatic, but now I am ready to kick off those heels and have some fun preparing for my trip to the land of chic! And what better way to do so than with a makeover?!

Not only is the excitement of a new country beckoning, but I also have that first year on my own to look forward too! With that said, I of course want to take this first leap not only in cute shoes but also with confidence. I've turned to classy and iconic French women for a little help. 

Brigitte Bardot- Of course she was the first that popped up when I googled, "classy and iconic French women" I believe she is the perfect icon to turn to because she invented that infamous french flair Krystyne wrote about in her recent post: effortlessly chic. 

In my makeover, I want to have a Bardot-esque influence on my hair and makeup. Here is why:

Miss Bardot perfected the Parisian classy look: smoky eyes, nude lip, and tousled tresses. 

I also love this look because it is timeless. It is easily maintainable and practical for a college student like myself. Proof of this classy, time-transcending BB enchantment is evident even in modern day. 

Designer, Mr. Jean Paul Gaultier, opened his fall/winter 2009 runway show with a Bardot-inspired model. 

Longchamp's fall/winter 2008 ad campaign also capitalized on the globally adored Bardot look.

Although my locks may not be as luscious of Brigitte's, I am excited to keep this belle femme in mind when I go in for my next appointment! I will be sure to post pictures when the transformation is complete, but not before I turn to another French woman for a FASHION makeover! I'll save that for the next post!

à plus tard!

Kate

Stars and Stripes Forever

Bonjour again!


With about a month left until the start of my European life, it is time to really try and assimilate more French culture into my hum drum life in Nevada. I started with the wardrobe in my last little chat, and I now may distill the carefree joie de vivre of the French in a single key item of clothing: the Brenton stripe shirt. My favorite come from Petit Bateau and J. Crew.

www.petit-bateau.us

www.jcrew.com

Now the hardest part -- the language. What I've found to be helpful is watching French cinema. I particularly love anything that stars Audrey Tatou or Marion Cotillard. They are two French women that exude the simple elegance typically associated with the French culture. With Audrey's quirky, indie rolls to Marion's deeper emotional cinematic portrayals, I have a movie to satisfy whatever mood I happen to be in. While I still have to watch with the subtitles on (this isn't a secret miracle to learning French), the more I watch the more familiar I become with common phrases and the mannerisms attached to speaking French. Hey, every little bit helps.

Audrey Tatou (google images)

Marion Cotillard (google images)

xoxo

Krystyne

Francophile's UNITE!

Mes amies,

Love is in the air! I'm not talking about the cheesy Hallmark driven version of love popularized and idolized by the romantic comedies that we all secretly love to watch in marathons. Non, Mademoiselle. I'm talking about love for the most romantic country in the world: France (of course!). A slurry of new and exciting things are jetting out of the country that made horizontal striped shirts and a beret an iconic look. From haute couture confections to (GASP!) Gossip Girl sightings, Paris is feeling the love from every direction.

There is one thing that draws the svelte and gorgeous to France at least twice a year: Fashion. What better place to film one of the most influential shows to hit the closets of girls and women (and yes, sometimes even guys) everywhere? I'm amazed that they haven't done this until now?! Gossip Girl and Paris - a match made in the macaroon shop in the skies.

Leighton Meester and Blake Lively on location in Paris, France.

Source:omg.yahoo.com / PacificCoastNews.com

Looking through these delicious GG pictures really got me to thinking, "Hmm, so what should I pack?" Naturally, being the logic driven person that I am, I turned to research to answer my question. I replaced the encyclopedias with The Satorialist and other more fabulous sources, and my answer can be distilled into two words: effortless chic. I have four more words for you, "Easier. Said. Than. Done." How can these women look like they just rolled out of bed (perfectly tossled hair, strategically disheveled clothes. Glowing from head to toe.) without looking like. . . well. . . like they just rolled out of bed (think Walmart at 2 am). Mind-boggling. New Summer goal: perfect the ethereal and immaculate look of carefree couture. Ha. Wish me luck. Here's a few women that seem to have this look down.

Source: http://fashion.elle.com/blog/paris_style/

Source: http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/

Source: http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/

Now do you understand the casual goddess-bum on the couch paradox? The gauntlet has been thrown!Au revoir for now,Krystyne

Visas by the Bay

Why hello all!

Just got back from my trip to the San Francisco French Consulate to get some visa business out of the way. While the main point of the trip was to get a visa, I couldn't help but do a little shopping and sight seeing along the way. I went from Union Square to Alcatraz and everything in between. Here are some pictures and a lovely video that I complied of my weekend by the bay. The song on the video is One Time Too Many by the amazing Phoenix -- a French band to accompany my tres magnifique weekend.

On my way to the French Consulate. Gotta dress to impress!

I have arrived at my destination.

And here's my video of the wonders of San Francisco and the reasons why it's such a West Coast shopping mecca.

Hope you guys enjoy it!

Krystyne

Je m'appelle Kate.

Bonjour Amis! 

Je m'appelle Kate. J'ai dix-huit ans et Je vais vivre en France pour un an! J'aime mon chat. Il s'appelle Dolce. 

Ok, ok you caught me. The above statement is indeed the product of a French 1 class. Consequently, I must apologize early; until I learn how to say more than "I love my cat" in French, I am sure you will read much frenglish on this blog.

As my darling friend and co-blogger, Krystyne, mentioned, I just graduated! I feel I should feel sad, but honestly, I'm not! This graduation sealed the hefty chapter of my life titled high school, but it immediately turned the page to a new and exciting chapter: France! Granted, I will miss some close friends, but with a world where we have skype, I am not too worried! Oh, I almost forgot! I'm sure having one of my best friends, Krystyne, in France with me to share this epic European experience will help to ease any parting anxiety I may have.

This is my official third day of summer, and I am more excited than I have ever been for this wonderful season! Pourquoi? This summer is not like summers before; this summer is the summer before I move to Europe! To cure some of this itching anticipation, both Krystyne and I thought it would be fun to start this blog.  

Although I do not think we have a strong vision for it, for now it will serve as a log for all the research and plans we will be busy conducting this summer. Then once in France, it will serve to capture and share our european adventures with our multitude of followers (mom and dad ha.) 

So why France? Well firstly, I want to minor in French, and I will be attending a French university to gain some of the necessary credits. Secondly, I am a complete Francophile! I've conducted some research on French culture, and I have found factors in which I am excited to completely indulge:

French Cuisine: I've always been teased for hating gold fish and drive thrus, but I won't have to worry about that ridicule in France! With a multitude of farmers' markets, the French share my passion for fresh food and slow fast-food! Also, I believe one of life's greatest luxuries is simply enjoying a cup of coffee. The French know how to do this immaculately. It is perfectly acceptable to sit, laugh, chat, people watch, and purely live for hours in the city cafes that dot every European city.

French fashion:  This reason may triumph all other reasons contributing to my excitement. France is the home to Mr. Louboutin and Mrs. Chanel. You see, if fashion were a religion then these two would be gods. This would make France the promise land to religious followers of fashion, like myself. 

European traveling: As Krystyne blogged previously, we picked up some wonderful student travel guides. We have had our noses buried in them since that day mapping out all sorts of adventures for ourselves! Barcelona one weekend and Prague the next! I love this aspect about Europe, traveling is so accessible! I have been recommended this site: ryanair.com, and I know this will be my absolute best friend next year! It offers intra-European flights from just 10 euros!

To conclude each post, I think it would be fun to have a French word or phrase of the day! For this one, I don't really know what to put, so I will put just that: Je ne sais pas! (I don't know!)

A bientôt!

Kate 

The gears are in motion!

Bonjour!

Now that Katie's all done with school and graduation as passed (Congrats darling!), summer is now in full swing for the both of us. This only means a few things on the agenda: lounging on the beach, work, shopping trips, and getting the logistics done for our trips abroad. 

First on the list: Visas.

Clearly, the biggest pain ever! It's such an involved process and requires paperwork after paperwork and email after email. I'm ALMOST done with it all. The last step is an interview at San Francisco embassy. Probably the most fun part of the entire process. I do love me my San Fran, Union Square and all. :) 

Then comes the actual flight plans, and thankfully those are DONE and BOOKED!!! While I don't think that it's really going to hit me that I'll be living in Europe for 4 months until I actually get there, seeing the flight itinerary in my inbox did bring me a step closer to believing all of this is actually happening. JFK to Paris, Paris to Lyon. Sooooo exciting! Soon enough, I'll be seeing this:

So amazingly European. My future home. :)

Krystyne