Last week I went to Paris. Yes I know. I am a lucky duckling aren't I? I'm not even going to pretend it wasn't every bit as fabulous as it sounds, because it was even better! I took myself off on the Eurostar on a Sunday at lunchtime, and by that afternoon I was wandering through the first L'arondissement.

Words can't even describe how beautiful Paris is in December with all the Christmas lights, so I will let my pictures do the talking.

If you are only going for a short trip then location is key. I stayed at the Hotel L'Horset which is just off Avenue De L'Opera in the first l'arondissement. It is walking distance to the Louvre, the Palais Royal, the department stores on Boulevade Haussman, the Champs Elysee and much much more.

Where I stayed ... click through the gallery.

Place Vendome is especially magical at this time of year.

Christmas cheer in Place Vendome

Place de L'Opera ... just down my street.

Hotel L'Horset ... just off Avenue De L'Opera ... not a bad room, non?

As soon as I arrive in Paris, I feel compelled to don a red lip ....

Incredible lingerie store on Rue Saint Honore ....

I want to be the sort of woman who shops in a store like this!

Where I shopped ... click through the gallery.

The Christmas tree inside Galeries Lafayette .... my happy place

Just look at that roof!

Gazing down into the beauty hall.

The window displays at Galeries Lafayette were just amazing. Each doll/soft toy was mechanically moving their limbs!

This cheeky little mouse was lifting up its tutu.

It was really hard to get a good shot of this, but it was an entire dining table scene with little creatures running riot.

The exterior of Primtemps is pretty lovely

Printemps Prada snow window display with each mechanical teddy wearing a mini Prada backpack.

The confusing interior of Printemps

For me it is all about Galeries Lafayette. The interior is amazing, the range of brands is fabulous ... you can spend an entire day in there. I don't like the layout of Printemps as much as the store is spread across several different buildings. I got lost many times.

What I bought ... click through the gallery.

My new makeup bag by Repetto

Some By Terry fabulousness ... more details to come soon

Wash bag from Galeries Lafayette featuring illustrations by the Cherry Blossom Girl, one of my favourite bloggers

Lauduree now make stationery and keyrings. Who knew?

My bathroom cabinet now looks like the shelves of a French pharmacy

Eiffel Tower music box for my little girls

I can't show you everything without ruining my family's Christmas surprises, but here are a few of the highlights, all beauty-related of course! There may or may not have been a purchase made in Louis Vuitton ... but i'm not admitting to anything!

The highlight of my trip was a visit to the By Terry store and I will detail that in another post to come later this week.

One thing to note if you are planning a trip to Paris is that on Sunday, nothing is open. Not. A. Thing. This can be frustrating for us shoppers who have come a long way and have money to spend. I purposely planned my trip so that I would arrive on a Sunday afternoon due to this, but even still, it was annoying.