Hi guys
I hope everyone’s week is going well.
After the bad news on Wednesday night about the passing of my beloved grandmother, Nanny Jackson, I decided to work from home for a couple of days. I’m currently wrapped up on the couch with a cup of tea in hand and the laptop in front of me.
To take my mind off everything, I decided I would share my Paris experience with you.
If you were following me on social media, you will know that I attended the 50 Shades Freed world premiere in Paris on Tuesday night with Universal Pictures Ireland.
You might remember I attended the 50 Shades Darker premiere in LA last year which you can read about here. After such an enjoyable and successful trip, Universal Pictures Ireland got in touch again with an invitation to fly myself and Dylan to the world premiere of Fifty Shades Freed in Paris where the cast was in attendance.
It was genuinely an honour to be the only Irish influencer in attendance, and not only was I extremely excited about the opportunity, I was very humbled to have been asked again.
On Tuesday morning, myself and Dylan departed Dublin for Paris and I couldn’t contain my excitement knowing that I was going to be meeting the cast of what has been the most anticipated movie trilogies of the last 5 years.
On top of that, to walk the official red carpet was something I never thought I would ever get the opportunity to do. It was surreal!
Because I had been invited to walk the actual red carpet itself this year, the pressure was on to find the perfect outfit. I wanted to find something that I would be comfortable in but that would also be on par with the glam of the premiere.
Not knowing what kind of style everyone else would be opting for, I had to go with my gut so straight away, I contacted Aideen Feely, a seriously talented stylist I had worked with on a number of shoots.
Aideen is one of my fave stylists and each time we worked together, she 100% nailed the fashion picks. She was always totally in sync with my own personal style, which I loved.
I think sometimes we all get a little complacent with our fashion choices. We get caught in a style rut and stay within our comfort zones. Because this event was a major opportunity, I wanted to look my absolute best so I enlisted the help of Aideen because I knew she would help bring me out of that comfort zone and make a style statement.
Aideen and I got together and discussed my favourite Irish designers and brands, and we both agreed that Umit Kutluk’s selection would be the most in keeping with my own style preferences. His pieces are all about nice tailoring and a flattering fit, so Umit was our first port of call.
As I headed into Umit’s showroom with Aideen, my nerves were gone! I had no idea what she had in mind and knowing the importance of the event, I couldn’t relax until I found the perfect outfit.
Aideen and Umit showed me a few different dress options, from mesh to floral to sequin, BUT THEN they brought out the most beautiful white jumpsuit that I had ever laid my eyes on.
The dresses were stunning but with each one I tried on, myself, Umit and Aideen just didn’t feel as though it was the right one for me. The last item I tried on was the jumpsuit and straight away, I knew it was the one I would be taking to Paris. The workmanship that went into that jumpsuit was just all kinds of amazing!
Not only was it beautifully tailored, it also had a really cool 70’s vibe which I loved. Details like the feather front and back tie, and the chiffon material floating as I walked just made it ‘the one’!
It was genuinely everything I was looking for. It was super chic, comfortable, and so glam but at the same time it had a nice understated simplicity about it.
To finish the look, I paired it with a barely there sandal and an embellished clutch and earrings from Parfois.
For my hair and makeup, I knew I wanted it to be all about the jumpsuit so I went pretty simple with the hair – sleek and straight.
My makeup was all about the bronzed dewy skin and a nice amount of eyeliner and lashes. I don’t really use liquid liner anymore. Sometimes I will use a kohl pencil, but for the premiere, I used my angled brush, wet it with setting spray and then dip it into the charcoal coloured eyeshadow shade in my Hot Fire palette. If you have the palette, it’s the shade called Smoked. I then created that winged look using the shadow. For my lashes, I chose the style Kendall, fluffy and full-bodied, my absolute fave!
For my lips, I used a nude lipstick paired with a nude lip liner. The lipstick was Penelope Pink from Charlotte Tilbury, and the liner was a nude shade from Penneys. My foundation was Illamasqua and because I wanted to go for a bronzed dewy look, I used a good bit of shade 6 from my own Contour Palette. I knew there would be a lot of cameras and bright lights on the red carpet so to finish the look, I used quite a bit of highlighter. I applied my fave mix – Unicorn Dust and Shooting Star from my highlighter palette.
My nails on the night were my own rose gold faux nails. The style is called Our Rose and I specifically chose it because I thought the shade really complimented the outfit
So now for the red carpet experience!
When we arrived at the venue, we were brought onto the first red carpet outside which is the one the cast walk as they do a meet and greet with the film fans.
The official red carpet was inside the venue itself. This was the one with all the paparazzi, the lights cameras and action!
After being greeted with Prosecco we were directed over to the official red carpet. Because of the sheer volume of photographers that were there, I definitely started to feel a few butterflies in my tummy as I stepped out in front of them. It can be VERY overwhelming because they’re all shouting at you to look at them or shouting out instructions on what way they want you to pose (see here).
“Back shot!” “Side shot!” “Look at me!”
That kind of thing. I decided I would just smile, relax and go with the flow.
After I had been photographed, Dylan joined me on the red carpet for some shots together. It was so nice to have him there with me.
He looked so dapper on the night so I want to say a massive thanks to the guys over in Louis Copeland for hooking him up with a suit. Not only did he look a million dollars, he felt it too.
After the red carpet, it was time to mingle and get some pictures with the cast.
The venue of the film premiere was so beautifully decorated. It was just stunning!
I had really wanted to meet the leads, Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to not only meet both of them but also a certain Mr Cheryl Cole aka Liam Payne!
Jamie ‘Mr Grey’ was very sound and very polite. I was so nervous when trying to take the selfie, I couldn’t get the phone positioned right holding my clutch etc, so I apologised and laughed nervously, and ever the gentleman, he laughed it off too and gave me all the time I needed to take the pic. He also knew we were Irish and said to Dylan “cheers pal” after Dylan thanked him for being so sound.
I swear to God, he is even more handsome in the flesh. His eyes… dear God! A babe!!!
Liam Payne, who performed the lead vocals with Rita Ora for the movie, was so lovely & accommodating. He was more than obliging when it came to photos and stood for a picture with anyone who asked.
I briefly met the stunning Rita Ora who was also in a white chiffon number on the night. As she was on her way to do press shots, she stopped for a second to joke about how matchy our outfits were!
The last person to come into the room was Dakota Johnson. When I saw her at last years premiere, I was blown away before by how beautiful she was but this year she was even more beautiful. Her skin was actually flawless. It’s like she was glowing. A naturally stunning girl.
After getting pictures with the cast, it was time for everyone to get seated and watch the film. We were really really impressed with the seats we were given. We were sitting with other top influencers from around the world.
For instance, sitting behind me was Pia Muehlenveck who is a huge YouTuber from Australia, so I was really humbled and honoured to be in the company of the worlds best influencers. She also admired my outfit, which was so sweet! Her hubby was there with her with the most amazing pro camera I’ve ever seen! You knew by their equipment they were serious YouTubers! Hats off to them! It ain’t easy the works of video, vlogging, YouTube etc.
Once everyone was seated, the cast walked on stage to talk briefly about the movie, what it was like to film in Paris for certain scenes, and how sad they all felt that it was the last one.
And then the movie itself started…..
Overall it was so enjoyable and if you’re a 50 Shades fan, you have to go see it! There’s lots twists and turns and I found myself even getting a little teary-eyed at the end! And of course, there was lots of sniggering when certain naughty scenes were on screen! I won’t give too much away but I would definitely recommend grabbing your besties and heading out to see it when it hits the cinemas from today.
The film soundtrack was seriously amazing! I even listened to it again on the plane on the way home.
Once the premiere was over, a number of after-parties were kicking off, but as we had an early flight back to Dublin, and as it was quite late and we were starving, we decided to head back to the hotel straight after for a toastie sambo, a cup of tea and an early night. How Irish haha!
The experience overall was too amazing for words to do justice. I was super humbled to have been invited.
Thank you so much for all your lovely comments about my outfit by the way! It was a bit nerve-wracking to be there, especially as I had no idea what to expect, but the wonderful messages and comments I received was such a wonderful boost and made me feel that bit more confident over there.
I also want to say a huge thank you to Universal Pictures Ireland.
They seriously know how to throw an unforgettable premiere!
