Instagram, YouTube, Comics & Clothing Accounts: June 2020 Favorites
Instagram & YouTube accounts: I didn’t have a lot of presence on Instagram before, but I feel that they have improved their algorithm and I come across more and more interesting suggestions. Here are the Instagram and/or YouTube accounts that I am :
@jessicaclements: I also follow it on YouTube. She is a New York model with a very soft voice, who likes birds and light makeup. She is my reference for make up and cosmetics in the US, even if she always takes 3 months to publish a video. I really like the clothes she wears (she often tags clothing brands on her Instagram account). It’s thanks to her that I discovered cosmetics at Drunk Elephant, American clothing brands like Reformation (bio-eco-ethical-sustainable brand), the For Love & Lemons collection for Victoria’s Secret, and the “made in LA” brand Are You Am I.
@shereeneidriss : Dr. Shereen is American-Lebanese, she is a dermatologist in New York and has a dream skin. She mainly offers quite invasive cosmetic treatments, but has a very thorough knowledge of the active ingredients. As she went to French high school, she also knows a lot about French cosmetics. She often makes stories from her king size bed and creates “Pillow talk derm” stories to deal with one sharp subject at a time (vitamin C, cosmetics during pregnancy, how to avoid having acne when wearing masks…). She is super funny, her husband too (sometimes we see him on the bed, listening to music with headphones, but he forgot to plug in the headphones ahaahha). She’s the only person I put notations on Instagram for so I don’t miss any of her stories. Most of my knowledge of cosmetics and actives comes from what Dr. Shereen tells. Look at her stories pinned in France and how Parisian women judge her too much when she films herself eating two lightning bolts ahahah that’s hilarious.
Beauty Within on YouTube: it is my reference to follow Asian and American cosmetic trends. The videos are always very interesting to watch, with animations, diagrams… The two presenters have two different skin types. One has combination skin like me, it’s really cool because the cosmetics that suit her also suit me. Very good advice!
Petites Pattounes on YouTube: this is my little sister ‘s YouTube account. She also has a blog (which she doesn’t update regularly). My sister sings very well, loves DIY. And her concept is “making happy songs sad”. She is very funny, and you will see in some videos the guest stars Rosalie (my cat) and Sushi (the other cat).
@manon .naturopathe : it is a French naturopath based in Lyon. She proposes small files regularly, on many subjects. It’s always very well summarized, very easy to understand/digest, without the “if you continue to eat meat, you will die in atrocious suffering” side. Lots of factual information, 0 guilt, I love it! Even if I don’t follow all his hihihi advice I think it’s important to take a minimum interest in it. For example, I started drinking Quinton water that I told you about here
I like to follow people who don’t just fit into the “organic” vs. “conventional” category, and who don’t make others feel guilty. I find that one should not be categorical but use the most effective product. Moreover, not everyone can afford to buy organic for everything, and afford ethical tissue. I like it when they offer different options.
@larrangeuse : she is a Parisian consultant certified Marie Kondo. Her apartment is too sanitized and too empty for my taste, but seeing her almost empty cupboards helps me not to give in to the madness of consumerism…. She has very nice clothes, very expensive of course, but it encourages us to consume little, even if it means buying some very nice pieces that we love to wear and look at, that we take care of and keep, than to rush on any clothes from Sézane to get bored with them after 3 months.
Always in the idea of minimalism, I really liked the Tiny House Nation series on Netflix, where we follow two professionals building tiny houses all over the United States. If the concept is well developed in the United States, it’s not too well developed in Europe. This (Belgian?) youtubeur shows how he had his tiny house made and put it next to a nice lake in a farm, 35mn from Brussels. The tiny house was transformed into an Airbnb, for 200€/night. You can see her video here
@fgrante : François Grante is French and founder of the excellent Hunter.io and admin of the group French Digital Nomads. He is digital nomad, based in Chiang Mai. His stories are very varied and interesting: from the purchase and design of an apartment in Chiang Mai to books to read, to beautiful cafes to work in. Everything he does is pretty and user-friendly, proving that you can be geeky and design-conscious.
@fleursenl: probably the best French paper flower designer. Her flowers are a bit big compared to real flowers, but it’s to better master the details. The center of the poppy is often sloppy in other designers, but in her case, they are more real than real. Perfect execution. The lady has an Etsy account, but this isn’t her main job, and she only sells the flowers she masters perfectly: roses, poppies and buttercups.
@mehachcom: this is my new Instagram account dedicated only to paper flowers. It’s not as pretty as the lady above, but these are my flowers 😀 My account has totally its place in my article, even if it’s self-promotion. I assume!
@postsecret: this is a participatory account. People send an email or a letter to confide their secrets. These secrets will then be posted anonymously. Most of the time, the secrets are quite dark and sad, but the comments are always very nice. I think it must be good for the person to have their secret published, and it’s also good for the people who comment to share their experiences as well. A very nice account. We cry most of the time, but sometimes we laugh too:
@lescassecouillesdevinted : it’s a participative account, it’s screenshots of the exchanges between sellers and buyers on Vinted. These screenshots are sent to the admin then published anonymously. It’s to die of laughter. For example, here is an example
Note: I know that many people also follow the Instagram @tejpartexto account (screenshots of break-up texts) but I find the exchanges to be incredibly violent, I don’t recommend this account.
@overhearduber and overheardla: there are other accounts of this type but these two accounts are the funniest. It is also a participative account. Internet users surprise a conversation in a Uber (Pool for the most part) or a conversation related to Uber and hasten to transcribe it and send it to the admin of these Instagram accounts. The transcribed conversations in Los Angeles are hilarious because its inhabitants have some rather artificial concerns.
It’s a laughing stock, between the people who chat with other Uber Pool people to increase their social quota; and the up-and-coming (but temporarily waitress) actress in Los Angeles who answers “I can sing, dance and I’m also an actress” when a customer asks “what’s your specialty” while the customer is referring to the best food in the restaurant. These accounts are in English, there are some references to specific brands and services in the US so if you don’t understand the joke, you can read the comments, there is always one that doesn’t understand 😀
Clothing & Accessories :
Nobodinoz: is a Spanish brand specialized in business for… babies. But I love their world so much that I still found something for me: this little quilted weekend bag with water-repellent fabric, from their collaboration with the Smallable website (I really like this website too). Perfect for our tour de France this summer! Everything is made with organic cotton fabrics. They also sell cloud cushions, tepees… if you don’t have children but you have a cat, it will also fit ahahha 😀
@averydayvintage: is a vintage clothing store based in the United States. Everything that is put in the store is bought in a few hours because the selection is very sharp and especially well highlighted. With just a vintage mannequin, a petticoat and a ribbon, she knows how to highlight the dresses she finds everywhere. This person goes around car sales, or chines on line, then iron and highlights the vintage clothes to give them a second life. An Instagram account that is very inspiring and fun to look at.
Gaâla is a brand new French clothing brand, with an eco-responsible / ethical focus. All creations are made in a small workshop in Belarus, where employees are very well paid. Clothes are created from collection leftovers of silk or linen fabrics – which would have ended up in the landfill because there are too few of them to make a large scale collection. As a result, each model is only available in small quantities. So when I asked if it was possible to replace the viscose lining with a cotton lining, the brand offered me to do it at no extra cost, made to measure (I gave my measurements and it was made to order, too VIP!!). The dresses cost around 200€, but compared to Vanessa Bruno or Tara Jarmon, it’s cheaper, with good quality fabric, and the certainty of not wearing the same thing as the others. The code WELCOME10 will give you in addition -10% on the 1st order. My detailed opinion here
The best organic cotton t-shirt, I found it in the souvenir store of the Lisbon aquarium. The fabric is almost as good as merino wool (no smell, very strong and breathable). The t-shirts are certified organic (GOTS, a very demanding certification apparently). They have an online store too, the shipping costs are expensive (17€) so it is better to buy on the spot, why not, during your next stay in Lisbon?
There are 3 brands of Vietnamese clothing that I like very much: Elan Hanoi (who makes Áo dài, traditional Vietnamese clothing) in noble materials with traditional embroidery. Lê House makes beautiful cocktail dresses and dresses for the office. And Huu still sells it linen or silk clothes, hand embroidered. They can deliver abroad, but in this case, you have to send a transfer to their Vietnamese account (you can do it with Azimo for example) and the shipment can be done via DHL. I think it is better to buy directly in Vietnam😀 These clothes cost between 40€ and 75€.
Elan Hanoi 
Lê House 
Huu La
Beside that, I buy second hand clothes at 15€ max, shipping included at Vinted (more info here) ahahah. The prices are so low that we risk making compulsive purchases and then not knowing what to do with them. I mostly go there to find the exact copy of my favorite clothes, which I can’t wear anymore because they are too worn out. There are clothes that fit me so well and bring me so much joy that I don’t see them being replaced by another model. My obsession at the moment is to buy the whole Lolita Lempicka collection for Etam sur Vinted, which is made of linen, silk and cotton.
After twenty years of testing & learning, I only buy the following fabrics: cotton, silk, bamboo, linen & wool (cashmere, merino or lambswool ).
If you are interested, you can see on my Pinterest a small selection of clothes: I like well-fitted clothes, or with the empire waist because I am small and these cuts highlight my silhouette more.
In addition, my friend F. made me a small colorimetric study, and in relation to the colors of my complexion, my eyes and my hair, she told me that I was “deep autumn”. Basically, here are the colors I have to buy and wear. A little research on Pinterest will allow you to do your own colorimetry and find out which colors look good on you.
It helps a lot especially when you buy online and hesitate between several colors. This helps to limit the purchases “coup de coeur. Now, before buying something, I open my palette and compare colors ahaha.
F. and I went shopping together and thanks to her, I was able to redo a minimalist wardrobe with only colors that fit me, and colors that are compatible with each other. This way, I can wear any top with any bottom and not have to think every day how I want to dress today. If you need his advice, I can give you his contact information. For the moment, she only advises friends (whether it’s for a makeover or makeup), but it’s a passion for her so if you really need her advice, maybe she can help you?
I have also learned not to settle for mediocre. Since I moved around a lot, I didn’t pay too much attention to what I was wearing, but I realized that wearing nice, well-fitting clothes, even if you don’t have much, also plays on your morale. So I finally took some clothes that were a little too wide or too long to a seamstress to readjust them. It didn’t cost me much (between 12€ and 16€ per garment) but then my clothes became much more beautiful on me. If you’re in Rouen, I recommend Axe Retouche right next to the big cathedral. It is excellent advice, and makes you try on the clothes before deciding together what retouching to do.
Books: I haven’t read much this month. I just bought the 4 volumes of the Sang Royal comics series. I discovered it by chance 10 years ago. Between volume 3 and volume 4, I had to wait 7 years. When volume 4 came out in January 2020, everyone threw themselves on it. I had to wait several months to get my hands on it. It’s a hyper violent series, a scenario (by Jodorowsky) worthy of a Hamlet fantasy & raw version, but the drawings are perfect! Each shot is a masterpiece. Well, it doesn’t impress too much JB who is used to reading comics…
The artist(Liu Dongzi) is highly respected in the field for his highly successful portraits. You can find them on Amazon, or a little cheaper: volumes 1 & 2 in excellent condition at Momox, and volumes 3 & 4 at Fnac ( choose the Click to Collect to save 5%).
Speaking of drawings, there are two other artists I admire: Linda Medley and son roman-BD Château l’attente. We are in a universe worthy of The Lord of the Rings, with a much lighter tone, super interesting sub-plots. The only problem: everyone has been waiting for Volume 3 for 7 years because the artist is too sick to move forward quickly. I hope she will release it soon.
Also, I treasure the prints of Linda Bergkvist, an outstanding illustrator / digital artist, who had to flee the Internet overnight because of a hater on Devianart. Fortunately, some of her illustrations are still available online.
Chateau l’attente 
Linda Bergkvist
I hope you enjoyed this long selection. See you soon for more articles of this type!
