Travel in Paris | BTS with Jessica Lyness- Destination HMU

Over the past four years, my goal has been to build a team of talented stylists grounded in community, exceptional customer service, and true artistry. As the company has grown, I've had the opportunity to reach major career milestones and form lasting friendships within our industry.

One of those bucket list moments is what brings me to this post—sharing my experience doing hair and makeup in Paris, France for an industry friend and incredibly talented photographer, Casey Hendrickson.

Casey is getting married this December following her dreamy engagement at the Eiffel Tower and a stunning styled shoot at a château in the French countryside this past summer. So when she asked if I’d travel to Paris to be her hair and makeup artist, my answer was instant—"YES!" No hesitation needed.

Our first two days in Paris were all about exploring. My husband and I walked nearly 8–10 miles each day, soaking in every bit of the city’s charm. We were lucky to have my brother-in-law, Corey, as our unofficial tour guide—his fluent French was a total game changer when it came to navigating local spots and asking for directions.

Corey gave us the best piece of advice as soon as we landed: “Buy a Navigo pass.” For just $25, we had unlimited access to the metro and bus routes for the entire week. Hands down, it was the best way to experience Paris like a local—efficient, authentic, and easy on the wallet.

Now, let me give a heads-up to my booshie babes: this isn’t luxury travel on a jumbo jet. Think no air conditioning and a whole lot of body heat. Just picture my husband reading the metro map like it’s a puzzle from The Da Vinci Code, while I’m desperately sniffing lavender to survive the commute.

"It's more like no AC and the smell of sweaty people, hence the picture of my husband reading the train map and myself smelling lavender."

We were able to see so much of Paris just riding the metro—it was practically its own form of entertainment.

First, we spotted a couple riding the train with their dog. Cute, right? But as they stepped off, we realized the woman had a white parrot perched on her shoulder, and the man? A raven on his. Yes—an actual raven. Pretty cool, if you ask me. My husband leaned over and whispered, “Quick, act like you're taking a picture of me so you can catch them in the frame!”

Second, around midnight on one of our late-night rides, we came across a man sitting completely naked on the lower level of a double-decker train. No backstory, no explanation. Just… the end.

Third, we witnessed a couple intensely arguing in French—loud enough to carry across four train stops. We had no clue what was being said, but trust me, we got the gist. The funny part? We saw the same guy two days later casually walking near the Eiffel Tower like nothing happened.

And just when we thought our Paris experience couldn’t get any better, the World Cup Finals happened while we were in town. Total highlight of our trip. The celebration began early, with crowds forming around bars and restaurants showing the game. The streets became shoulder-to-shoulder, and eventually, we couldn’t even see the TVs—so we just followed the crowd and became honorary French fans for the day.

When France won? Absolute chaos—in the best way. Music, flares, horns, and nonstop celebration in the streets. It’s not every day you get to party with Parisians after a World Cup win, and we loved every second of it.