T-minus 48 hours until I jet off to Paris with Total Beauty to attend the Beyond Beauty 2008 Conference!  Ol’ Jolie hasn’t been to the City of Lights since 2004, so I’m tickled as Elmo (groan) to be returning.  There’s an official itinerary planned and all manner of brand appointments (Lancome!  Clarins!  Ooh la la!), but I have two main missions: revisit Versailles, and then soak myself in as much non-touristy Frenchiness as I can stand.  The Eiffel Tower?  Champs-Elysees?  Notre Dame?  Mais, non!  I have nightly drinks planned with local friends in all the off-the-beaten-path watering holes, want to check out the fringe arrondisements–slightly gritty, but with real flavor and heart, and plan on parlering as much Francais as I can.  (Do you have those friends that visit foreign countries and return punctuating every other sentence with foreign words and phrases in an unplaceable accent?  I have realized, to my chagrin, that I am one of those assholes.  I simply embrace it now, head hung shamefully low.)

Here’s Saturday night’s destination, which I am most excited about: The Chacha Club.  Other spots we plan to hit up: Bar du Plaza Athenee, Flute L’Etoile, Neo and Le Baron.  Reports, photos and (I hope!) good stories forthcoming…