Black Up Paris

Hello my dears! So as you all know, I am back from my fabulous trip to Paris and just had to report back to you all on my experience. I absolutely loved Paris and completely fell in love with the city. So much so that I even added it to my list of places I could definitely see myself living. The beauty and art in the architecture and history of that city was simply amazing. Every detail just had me in awe. And my boyfriend and I met nothing but wonderful, kind, and helpful Parisians. We enjoyed all the touristy sites but enjoyed the local eateries the concierges recommended to us even more. I enjoyed the food so much that I even managed to get myself sick one of the days. Lol! I really had your typical “first time to Europe” experience: I got sick, lost 100 euros, and got scammed by a taxi driver. But aside from those few mishaps, I truly enjoyed myself and would love to go back again one day.

I think the thing that stood out to me the most in Paris, aside from the beauty of the architecture (I mean even the malls looked like museums and theaters inside), was the prominence of name brand shopping. It reminded me so much of NYC and really made me feel at home on 5th Avenue or SOHO. The only difference I found was how massive their beauty departments were. I’m always fascinated by the decor and beauty of the cosmetics counters and stores here in the states, but never have I truly felt like a kid in a candy store until I was in Paris. Take a look at the pictures below for a glimpse at what the cosmetics floor at Galeries Lafayette looks like.

Now these pictures don’t even do it justice because these are only from a portion of the cosmetics floor. You have to be there to know what I mean. But when I tell you that the beauty departments and stores in Paris are big, trust me… THEY ARE BIG!!!

Now what I remember most about walking up and down the beauty aisles was the presence of a cosmetics line I had never seen before called Black Up. I came across several of their counters all over Paris and it was the intensity of colors in their ads that really caught my eye. And once I made it up to an actual counter to see, test, and feel these items, I was utterly in awe.

Black Up is a brand dedicated to women of African descent but really appeals to women (and men) of all ethnic backgrounds. The range of colors and the intensity of their pigments were just amazing. If I hadn’t lost that 100 euros the day before, trust that I would have spent it all at that counter. So you can understand how much it broke my heart to have to leave Black Up behind as I can only gaze at their selections online at blackup.com and wait for the day that they will bring the line to the US. I’m hoping and praying that day will come soon (although the company has been out since 1999) because you guys just have to see this line. Any makeup fanatic would swoon.

So keep your fingers crossed with me and let’s hope we’ll all be rushing the counters of Black Up here in the states soon!

Until next time my dears… xoxo