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DAY ONE
My trip started out a little rocky actually! I was supposed to fly in the day before but my flight from Bogota, Colombia to Paris, France was cancelled so I had to spend the night in Bogota. I made the best of it of course and went out for a groove and a shake at a local salsa spot. I was so happy when I finally arrived in Paris though. I checked into the hotel, opened the goodie bag left on my bed by the Caress team with all the joy of a kid on Christmas morning, and then rushed off to the first of many activities we had lined up for us exploring the world of Fragrance.
GIVAUDAN PERFUME SCHOOL
I arrived at Givaudan Perfume School just in time to catch the Fragrance Mixing Challenge! We were given the task of recreating one of the most popular and beloved Caress® Body Wash fragrances in the school lab with fancy coats, goggles, and mixing equipment. This was so much fun! I was struggling to match their scent but I loved what ever concoction I put together! I still use it now as a room scent. Smells like a floral garden sprinkled with sugar drops and fairy dust.
DAY TWO!
We woke up bright and early on day two for a 6am flight from Paris to Nice, France. Breakfast was croissants and coffee, how very French of us. The butteriness of a French croissant made in France has yet to be matched from anywhere else in the world. They really know how to slay my taste buds.
When we arrived in Nice, our first stop was the most wonderful coastal restaurant where we enjoyed a three course lunch with the perfect seaside view. Who ever organized this itinerary clearly has a taste for luxury! I ate every morsel off my plate and savoured each bite of it.
After lunch we relaxed at our hotel for a moment before setting off on a tour of the city of Grasse.
Grasse is such a quaint, charming town. Cobble stones lead you through their narrow alleys filled with the scent of fresh breads, stinky cheese, and sweet nutella crepes. They have entire shops dedicated to lavender where I purchased sachets of the potent purple flower for myself and a few lucky friends back home.
Lavender is and always will be, one of my favourite scents. It’s instantly calming affect is highly needed with my hectic travel schedule. Not to mention those sachets are perfect for keeping luggage and closets smelling fresh.
Our evening had us enjoying yet another delicious 4 course meal, this time with cocktails and a beautiful sunset to go with it. I love every person on this trip but I especially enjoyed talking about the beauty and madness of life with fellow blogger Teni Panosian. She and I were laughing to the point of tears before dinner even started. I am so pleased no one knew what we were laughing at!
DAY THREE!
Our last day was jam-packed. After a delicious breakfast at the hotel we ventured off to explore the Museum of Perfume. There were a ton of interesting artifacts in the museum, everything from antique machinery used by perfume manufacturers back in the day to a very detailed history of the fine fragrance industry told through a fun narrative of fact and gossip.
After the museum we enjoyed a presentation and an arts and crafts session! Each beauty blogger was given an illustration of themselves and then tasked with decorating the image using flowers and water paints. It had been a while since I painted anything but I thoroughly enjoyed this!!
When all the fun and games were over for the afternoon we got all dolled up for one of the most beautiful dinners I have ever experienced.
The restaurant was located in a garden where we enjoyed Champaign and a mini photo shoot (with Alex Lark) before sitting down to the last 3 course meal of the trip.
I want to say a massive thank you to the entire Caress team for taking me on such a wonderful trip! There is such a beautiful story behind each and every fragrance and I am so please to have gotten a peek at the lovely world behind it.
WATCH MY TRAVEL DIARY FROM THE TRIP BELOW!