Hello, everyone! Welcome to the first post of a new series on the She is So Bougie blog—the Personal Diaries. Stepping away from our usual content, I'm excited to delve into more personal aspects, offering you a deeper insight into who I am as the owner of She is So Bougie. Join me as I take you on my birthday trip to Paris, France.

I'm not necessarily a birthday person, but this year, I decided to switch it up a bit. Instead of opting for an out-of-state celebration or the typical birthday dinner, I took it up a notch and went international. Despite the plethora of negative, insane comments about Paris circulating on the internet in recent months, I've always loved my visits to the city not only for my love for the city but I also love the French language that I have been (struggling) to learn for some time now. Naturally, I decided to revisit it for my birthday. Rather than indulging in the usual touristy activities like checking off the must-see attractions, I altered the itinerary to do what I wanted to do, and this included the following:

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I stayed in proximity to the Eiffel Tower…

I had a strong desire to stay near the Eiffel Tower for different reasons, mainly because I never get tired of witnessing it light up at night and wanted a firsthand view of its glory. However, I'll probably not stay near the Eiffel Tower on my next visit. I've realized that staying near tourist attractions can sometimes feel similar to staying in Times Square in New York City (if you know, you know), but I loved the view nonetheless.

I visited the notorious CityPharama…

Going to the CityPharma or just any plain pharmacy in Europe is pretty much a no-brainer for me. As someone who seems to have the most sensitive skin in the world, I’ve surprisingly enough never had a problem with French skincare products breaking me out. My particular focus was on replenishing my stock of Nuxe body products because I have yet to discover a body oil that matches the moisturizing benefits of Nuxe. While you can technically order these products in America, the price is obviously more budget-friendly in its orgin Paris.

I went to the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Meusum…

The week that I went to Paris, it was Paris Fashion Week, and as a former fashion student, it was pretty much a priority for me to do something fashion industry-related. The Yves Saint Laurent Museum was on my bucket list, and I’m so glad that I visited. Being able to visit the actual workplace in which Yves designed his iconic collections was a cool experience. I feel like being in cities like Paris really ignites my passion and interest in the fashion industry. I’m not sure if it’s because everyone in Paris, to a certain extent, is effortlessly fashionable or because so many fashion moguls created their best work in Paris - but it definitely makes me miss the fashion industry. I’ve been on a coffee table kick, so I did pick up two books from the gift shop at the museum; Yves Saint Laurent: Gold and YSL Lexicon: An ABC of the Fashion, Life, and Inspirations of Yves Saint Laurent.

**I did some sightseeing…**

Even though I didn’t want to make this a sightseeing trip, I did want to visit the Arc De Triomphe once more since it’s such a historical staple in Paris. I’ve been to other attractions in Paris, such as the Eiffel Tower, and although it was a great memory, I’ll always find Arc De Triomphe to be a favorite of mine.

I went ‘luxury’ shopping…

I honestly didn't have a specific idea of what I wanted as a birthday treat for myself. Being in Europe, where luxury items are obviously more affordable, I knew I wanted something. Paris almost always has what I have when it comes to shopping which makes visiting a double plus. My go-to designer store when I don’t really have an idea for what I want is Louis Vuitton, and of course, I went to the one in Champs Elysse. One thing that was on my 2023 materialistic wishlist was a Louis Vuitton cosmetic bag - I also wanted a smaller going-out bag. I feel that when it comes to designer items, I want to be intentional and not get the typical thing that everyone else has. I’ve always liked the Alma BB because as a petite gal, I like smaller bags, but I hated it in the typical monogrammed print for obvious reasons. Therefore, I got it in the black Empreinte Leather instead, which is super cute.

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I had two birthday celebrations…

The day of my birthday was a bit chaotic. When going shopping, I found a pair of Gucci loafers that I became obsessed with, but after going to four stores due to none of them having my shoe size in stock, I gave up. I did revisit Galeries Lafayette which will always be by far the most beautiful shopping mall I’ve ever been to. Soon after, I went to Ladurée for a birthday treat and to buy a cute, macroon keychain that I’ve been wanting. The Ladurée in Paris simply hits differently than the one in the States for obvious reasons. I had two birthday dinners - one at Market by Chef Jean Georges and Su Misura.

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In Conclusion…

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my mini-trip to Paris! I also went to other cities in Europe such as Portugal which I unfortunately did not take much footage of - I promised myself that for the other half of my trip, I wanted to be offline and ‘live in the moment’. Please let me know what other personal content you want to see from me and I’ll be sure to take your ideas into consideration for future posts. As always, give this post a like if you really enjoyed it and always feel free to leave a comment.