lucky penny admits it. she has always been a francophile.

all things french rank high on her list…  such as the achingly picturesque town of saint-rémy-de-provence, hot croissants et café au lait (ideally in paris), chanel style, louis vuitton leather goods, and… yes, the irresistible fragrance world of guerlain.

the french perfumery, however, never quite worked with lucky penny’s chemistry. no matter how much the luxury scents seduced her nose (or how beautiful they looked on her dresser), there was always a creamy vanilla nuance that never seemed worked on her skin—that is, until she discovered idylle.

a light citrus, floral and musk scent, idylle is an anomaly in the guerlain portfolio, and a perfect compliment to lucky penny’s dna. one of the ingredients is ylang ylang, an essential oil from the pacific rim, which is known to be an aphrodisiac… cute boyfriend can attest to that.

finally, a guerlain perfume that this girl can say is “juste pour moi.”

lucky penny always looks forward to those regular visits to the hair salon. besides a new ‘do, she loves the luxury of having her hair washed and head massaged.

imagine how thrilled she was to discover shu uemura‘s new hair treatment, modeled after the same zen practice of a japanese tea ceremony. lucky penny was ready to channel her inner geisha… and it also gave her another reason to visit julien, the cutie-patootie stylist at salon orbite, a posh salon in the mile end. he got right into character, and welcomed her wearing a chic black kimono.

the hour-long treatment included a thorough brushing with a wide paddle brush, followed by a five-minute scalp massage (including a bit of neck and shoulder action) with a heavenly fragrant oil. then a five-minute shampoo ensued (read: massage number two).

after that julien mixed a reparative cream (with a few drops of precious camelia oil) in adorable black japanese bowls with delicate brushes, and applied this with a different brush meche par meche (“strip by strip”)… kinda like when lucky penny gets her summer highlights.

the treatment ended with yet another pampering rinse (yup, massage number three). lucky penny is not totally sure, but she may have drifted off to la la land, if only for a moment.

there is also an “express ceremony”, but what’s the point? even if she did not get a single hair cut, it was sixty minutes of pure ecstasy.

now… if only she could convince julien to marry her. *wink*

lucky penny just walked out of cinéma quartier latin… after a private screening of les amours imaginaires, a must-see (out this friday in montréal)… when a cutesy ice cream parlour caught her eye.

with a name like dr. fröst, it was the perfect sweet retreat on a scorching hot day. she loved the hello kitty-style graphics on the wall, and fuchsia diner stools… aaaaand lucky penny could not resist making her own flavours!

on a frozen stone (which the doctor calls his “operating table”), the pink and blue coiffed owner, simon duchesne, mixed a choice of ice cream (chocolate or vanilla) with a selection of goodies from his toppings bar… a bevy of candies, chocolate bars, cookies, cakes, syrups, nuts, and fruits. who wants dark chocolate, cheesecake and toasted almonds? lucky penny sure does!

besides the other frozen goodies on le menu (shakes, gelatos, slushies, sundaes, etc.), there are… wait, for it… macaron ice cream sandwiches! she ordered one in cherry. miam miam… français pour yummy, darlings.

***psst… introducing the lovely, charmante and talented patricia gajo… our penny in yul… welcome to the lucky penny family, petite chou! she is currently writing a luxury guide book called a hedonist’s guide to montreal.