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A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 4 – Full-Time Rose Colored Glasses
April 23, 2020 Day 4 is titled “Live a Five-Star Life” in 30 More Chic Days by Fiona Ferris. This “Day” is pure Fiona – how to up-level one’s exterior and interior without breaking the bank! Fiona writes about how she has added a luxurious feeling and fun to her daily life through some small-but-daily actions. Here is one of her tips that I am currently implementing: 1. Read and speak only 5-star discussions. Let’s avoid the Debbie-Downers of the world and hang out with our bubbly, upbeat friends! This includes the books we read and the movies/shows that we watch. Fiona even skips reading 1 & 2 star…
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A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 3 – Chic and Svelte
April 22, 2020 Fiona Ferris calls Day 3, “French Chic and Slender,” in her book, 30 More Chic Days. She discusses her challenges with maintaining a slim and healthy weight. Happily, using her trademark common sense, she is able to develop an approach that gently and effectively keeps her weight where she wants it. Her approach bears more study because she addressed what was going on inside her mind first. She identified two major culprits that were derailing her original “chic & svelte” routine. The culprits were some hormonal changes that occur when moving through one’s ’40s and a strong sugar snacking stress response. Her fix for this disastrous duo?…
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A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 2 – Fun Glamour
April 21, 2020 “Choose Glamour” is the Day 2 in 30 More Chic Days by Fiona Ferris. I reviewed this chapter when I first read the book here. Back then, I liked the “concept” of glamour…. I just wasn’t sure how it could be applied in my “suburban soccer mom” type existence. Then I reread Day 2 for yesterday’s post. The mental picture of my “inner Paris Girl” (a mix of Roselind Russel’s character, Auntie Mame, from the film Auntie Mame and Juliette Binoche’s character, Viane Rocher, from the film, Chocolat) popped fully formed into my mind. Okay, now we’re talking Glamour with a capital “G”! But how can Auntie…
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A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 1 – Pay Attention To Your Inner Chic Vision, Cherie!
April 20, 2020 Day 1 in Fiona Ferris’s book, 30 More Chic Days, is titled “Embrace Your Inner French Girl and Her Dream Life.” Fiona encourages us to have a vision of our best self and our best, dreamiest life. Her point is that when we have a clear and authentic vision of our best selves, we naturally evolve into that beautiful and genuine self. And we can have fun while doing it! She makes the very perceptive point that we are evolving every day anyway – let’s grow in a direction that inspires our imagination and passion. My vision of my inner Paris girl is only slightly different from…
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A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 1 – Let Our Imagination Take The Lead
April 19, 2020 I skipped Days 1, 2 & 3 from Fiona’s Ferris’s book, 30 Chic Days, when I started blogging each day of Paris’s CoVid-19 lockdown. (I started writing on Day 4 of Paris’s lockdown so wanted to start on Day 4 of Fiona’s book.) When I went back and reread those days in the book, however, I found too much valuable insight in each day to just cavalierly skip them. Let’s take a look at those first three days of 30 Chic Days before we close the book. . Day 1 is titled “Have a Paris State of Mind” in Fiona Ferris’s book 30 Chic Days. Fiona lays…
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A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 2 – Food Is Life
April 18, 2020 I skipped Days 1, 2 & 3 from Fiona’s Ferris’s book, 30 Chic Days, when I started blogging each day of Paris’s CoVid-19 lockdown. (I started writing on Day 4 of Paris’s lockdown so wanted to start on Day 4 of Fiona’s book.) When I went back and reread those days in the book, however, I found too much valuable insight in each day to just cavalierly skip them. Let’s take a look at those first three days of 30 Chic Days before we close the book. Fiona Ferris calls Day 2 “Eat Real Food” in her book 30 Chic Days. In this chapter, she writes about…
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A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 3 – We Are What We Talk About
April 17, 2020 I skipped Days 1, 2 & 3 from Fiona’s Ferris’s book, 30 Chic Days, when I started blogging each day of Paris’s CoVid-19 lockdown. (I started writing on Day 4 of Paris’s lockdown so wanted to start on Day 4 of Fiona’s book.) When I went back and reread those days in the book, however, I found too much valuable insight in each day to just cavalierly skip them. Let’s take a look at those first three days of 30 Chic Days before we close the book. In Fiona Ferris’s book, 30 Chic Days, Day 3 is titled “Bathe Yourself in Mystique”. In this chapter, Fiona is…
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A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 30 – A Feast of the Senses
“Immerse Yourself In Sensuous Beauty” is Day 30 in Fiona Ferris’s book, 30 Chic Days. In this final day of the book, Fiona asks us to mentally step out of our preoccupations and step into the physical world. By paying attention to our senses, we become more appreciative of the world around us and feel happier and more connected to our lives. We accomplish this by focusing on our individual senses. Fiona gives examples of different ways we can enjoy our different senses in our everyday life. She lists beautiful ways we can provoke a sensory moment through sight, sound, feel, smell, and taste. She introduces two more senses: intuition…
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A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 29 – A Step A Day…
Fiona Ferris calls Day 29 in her book 30 Chic Days, “Walk Your Errands.” She encourages us to put as much gentle activity in our day as possible. There are all sorts of wonderful benefits that come to us when we incorporate walking into our daily schedule. We all know the benefits such as growing stronger, staying limber and youthful, and using calories in an effortless way. Mireille Guilliano, author of French Women Don’t Get Fat and French Women Don’t Get Facelifts, agreed with Fiona. Mireille, like Fiona, both enjoyed and advocated a mindset that embraced walking as a way to connect with the world and a primary way to…
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A Chic Paris Lockdown – Day 28 – More Chocolate, Please.
In Fiona Ferris’s book, 30 Chic Days, Fiona calls Day 28, “Think of Your Home As If It Were A Boutique Hotel.” She gives a collection of really good ideas to get us up and moving to keep our space in a lovely condition. Fiona’s idea is that when our personal space is tidy and clean, we feel happier, more relaxed and can engage with life in a more positive way. I do agree with her. A lot, in fact. You wouldn’t be able to deduce that, however, from the state of my apartment today. Yes, my lovely, chic Paris apartment (that I share with my husband and our two…