As you may have read, when it comes to university, I like to procrastinate. Almost where it should be illegal to still receive the marks that I do. Lately, my favourite ‘procractivity’ has been reminiscing on my recent (sob, it feels like years ago) trip to New York City for my 21st birthday. After New York, I flew to Cailfornia to see my family based there, making my trip almost 2 months in length.
I’ve only just got the photos from my camera transferred onto CD’s due to a rogue USB cord, and I think it took me this long to do so because I couldn’t bring myself to look at another 300 photos of happier times. Think sunshine, heat, bagels, ice cream sandwiches, shopping, chillen’ at Jay-Z and Beyonce’s penthouse and just general freedom. Way better than real life.
So, need something to while away the minutes to? Pretend you stowed in my luggage, get inspiration for your upcoming trip or reminisce on your own with these pretty pictures. Basically just let me indulge in my own time wasting. Please?
Madison Square Park
Cosmopolitans... of course.
Oh hey Anna! A girl can dream, right?
Starbucks, grande, skim to go.
Afternoon reads.
GO Yankees!
Brooklyn Bridge.
Vintage dress - New York. Smiles in Central Park - New York.
Headed to Brooklyn.
Times Square
Subway
Amongst the tree tops on the Met
Housing Works Bookstore Cafe for AIDS in SoHo. Reading and bloggin'.
Greenwich Village, Wall of 9/11 tiles.
Hello, Carrie!
For one month, my life revolved around cupcakes. More than it usually does..
Corner of Grand Central Station.
New York… see you again soon?
And what a beautiful store it is!
While I don’t regularly use any Kiehl’s products myself, I have always admired the company’s history, ethos and customer service. I love the simple yet still visually appealing packaging, and when I have visited stores, found their customer service to be fantastic. A thorough explanation of a product and a few sachets to test with have always been the norm for any store I have visited – something I really appreciate in good customer service.
It’s suffice to say I had high hopes for my visit to the Kiehl’s flagship store on 3rd Avenue in the East Village of Manhattan. It was the original Kiehl’s store and pays homage to the history of a apothecary store turned beauty mega-brand that’s been tending to ailments of all kinds since 1851.
The smaller store front.
The store, on historical ‘Pear Tree Corner’ has two entrances; one is a more modern and grand entrance, the other, a smaller ‘original’ entrance to the store, complete with vintage bottles of potions and lotions stacked in wooden boxed shelves. It was fascinating to read the labels!
Upon entering the doorway, you are greeted with a mini Kiehl’s ‘museum’ – a time-line that shares the incredible Kiehl’s story; complete with original artifacts of the time, new products launches and historical events. You really get a sense for Kiehl’s ingrained place in New York City history and community. The company even survived the stock market crash of 1929 – now that’s love!
The store itself is everything a beauty-nut like myself could dream of; products stacked high to the ceiling, vases filled with lip balms, white lab-coated assistants floating around with exactly the right amount of presence. The grand chandeliers hanging from the ceiling help give a great glowing light that really accentuates the wooden surroundings and adds to a definite homely vibe thanks to a wall of ‘Kiehl’s babies’ baby photos and other knick-knacks placed around the store.
The beautiful interior
After all the browsing and sampling, I was good to go. The waves in my hair had been refreshed, my arms and shoulders SPF-ed, and my neck and hands on the way to being wrinkle free. It really was product overload. So much to absorb, both visually and physically through the skin!
Luckily there was also a cafe bar in the store, with coffee, fresh milk and cookies to quell any pangs of thirst or hunger worked up while shopping.
Every product you could dream of AND an ice cream sandwich? I’m in heaven!
Have you been to the Kiehl’s flagship?
What did you think?
Would you put this on your NYC things to see list?
Imagine trying to capture the essence of a city in one fragrance. You would think its impossible, right? Especially if that city was New York; contradictory, complex, large, diverse and amazing.
Yet Bond No. 9 New York have taken on the responsibility to ‘make scents of New York’, right down to the very neighborhood, beach, or even street.
The fragrances are housed in their trademark 5-point star bottles, with the design ranging from simple and classic to a clash of colours and Andy Warhol illustrations.
The scents are named after iconic streets and boroughs such as; Park Avenue, Brooklyn, Hamptons, Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue, Bryant Park, Central Park, Wall Street, Broadway Nite and so much more! The full listing of all the scents is here.
I was in their Bleecker Street boutique yesterday (I should really try and make it to their flagship, it looks amazing) and it was beautiful, the star-shaped bottles lined each wall floor to ceiling, and the medley of contrasting colours was such a delight to the eye, and the nose! Unfortunately I wasn’t allowed to take any inside pictures.
The exterior of the Bleeker St. boutique
The salesgirl who helped us was incredibly knowledgeable; each time we picked up a bottle she rattled off the base notes and key ingredients, which were often extremely interesting and unusual combinations. Fennel, crème brulée, roasted almonds and sandalwood anyone? It’s always so refreshing to deal with staff who know exactly what they are talking about, rather than getting ‘um’s…’.
Each scent I tried was as amazing as the next. The newest release, Andy Warhol Montauk, was a winner with both Erin and myself, and we received an adorable bon-bon wrapped sample. They were all so complex, intense (but not in an overpowering way) and unique to anything I have smelt before. You’re sure to stand out from the crowd wearing one of these, especially in Australia!
My sample cards and bon-bon take home!
I wish I could have come away with one, (or five) but at around $200 US a bottle (for the 100ml) it was out of my budget. You can get them shipped internationally, although you might want to wait until someone you know is going to the US – it’s $150 US…
It’s a definite must see (and smell) for anyone planning a trip to New York. Maybe break open that piggy bank and count your dollar coins so you can take home your favourite New York neighborhood!
Which one will you be?
It’s my first official day in New York City, and wow – it’s amazing! So much to look at, shop for and chow down on that I had to come back to the apartment by early afternoon and rest my weary feet. While Erin and I traipsed along the streets, we kept our eyes open for any cheap eats or salons. We figure the more areas we can get away with skimping on, the better. Better being more shopping dollars of course. And cupcakes.
One thing I couldn’t help but notice was the huge number of nail salons, most of which offer Mani-Pedi specials for $20. Yep, $20! (not including tip however – something I need to get used to fast).
So once semi-recovered from my sensory overload, Erin and I set out to find a cheap manicure, local to our Gramercy area. On the same block as the apartment we found City Nails, who do a manicure for $8 dollars. Cheap as (salt and vinegar) chips. I was excited at the prospect of a cheap fix for my scraggy post-flight nails, albeit very wary of dodgy (read: possibly unhygienic) practices of said cheap salon.
But I/my stingy side of the brain pushed these thoughts aside. Come on man, you’re in NYC! Live a little! A dirty clipper is nothing when you’re walking the streets of this gritty city! So I went ahead and sat down.
Inspired by the summer heat and my previous post about Chanel’s bright Tiffany-blue polish, I chose the closest shade on offer – Essie’s Turquoise & Caicos.
And it kinda went downhill from there. I’m fairly positive the tools hadn’t been washed with anything stronger than a little tap water, and when the first coat of the polish went on, it looked like it was barely there, except for the odd clumps. Hrmm, I smell a varnish thinning rat! At least she gave me three coats to bring it to a solid colour, (except in some parts – it wasn’t even.) After sitting down at the nail drying bar, my manicurist walked over and proceeded to massage (or jab..)Â my shoulders. ‘Oooo, maybe this is the redeeming quality…’ I thought. But before I had even finished my sentence or begun to settle in to this rub, it was over. Literally just on four seconds. What’s the point?!
You get what you pay for I suppose!
It seems greener than the Chanel Nouvelle Vague shade, which is most certainly on the blue side of the spectrum.
I’m thinking this is somewhere between the Nouvelle Vague and the other unnamed Chanel polish that Primped wrote about – I think Essie’s Mint Candy Apple polish would just about match the newest Chanel on offer (without having seen that in real life).
This is a pretty out-there and bright shade for me, and while that was the point of the experiment, to you know, embrace the NYC sunshine and all things summery and bright, I think I would prefer the Essie Mint Candy Apple next time – it’s just a level or two more toned down and suits my love of neutrals and pastels more.
So I have some news. From the title of this post you may have guessed it has something to do with the Big Apple… and points for you Sharpy McSharp ‘cos you’re spot on! This time next week, (plus six hours) I will be flying out of Melbourne for New York City!
Can I get a collective ‘weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!‘?
Source: fthats.wordpress.com
Now this might be the time when you would expect me to break out some over-used pop-culture cliché in the form of a Jay-Z song… and again – you would be right.
“New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There’s nothin’ you can’t do
Now you’re in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you“
Sorry, had to do it. (Come on, you probably would have done it. No? Awkward.)
This trip was planned rather last-minute, in lieu of a 21st bash. The costs were adding up and Mother Curts was all for a trip instead of a party, and when I found out my darling friend Erin was going to be staying all alone in a fabulous apartment in Manhattan (Gramercy, to be exact) I just thought, ‘heck yeah, New York!’.
After almost touching on a month in New York, I’ll spend 2 and a bit weeks visiting my US side of the family, who are all dotted along the California coast, from San Francisco to San Diego. (Oh, tough gig I know, visiting family that live along some of the most beautiful coastlines!)
Luck-y.
So apart from making best friends with Jay-Z, what will I be doing? (Actually, I am putting money on it that Jay-Z, no longer content with just being besties with me, will show Beyonce how adorable I am and they will adopt me as their “little Aussie Koala Kid” – vom-inducing nickname I know, but I’ll be called anything to be a mini-Z.)
In all seriousness, as corny and cliched as this sounds, I plan to just be. Working between 6 -7 days a week along with uni classes and assignments, exercise, personal writing including this blog, family, boyfriend and friends really takes it out of you. I constantly feel as though I am rushing, nay, running from one commitment from the other, find myself holding my breath in panicked moments and generally stressing myself out about everything. And look, I love a busy lifestyle, and could probably turn down a few babysitting jobs (although the wallet would suffer) so I’m not having my own pity party here, (I’m just almost showing myself here even), that sometimes you need to re-learn how to relax and become a little more balanced. I know many other people are even busier and that they handle it just fine, not to mention when you throw children into the mix. I know.
I tend to internalise stress, thriving for a few days off the adrenaline rush that comes with having too much to do, and not enough time to do it, and then collapse into a self-imposed ‘wallow-session’ where woe-is-me rules supreme. And too much chocoate is consumed.
Not. Healthy.
I should know better really, after an undiagnosed bout of Glandular Fever in late 2007 left me beyond exhausted, depressed and eventually diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in 2008. Luckily it was no where near as severe as some people’s.
I plan to still be productive, as I don’t think I am the type of person who can’t not be doing something. But productive in the way that I chose, not for things that I would rather not be doing. Self-development, writing personally, for this blog and also hopefully pushing my boundaries with some other publications. Reading books, or should I say finishing the 5 unread novels laying around my room. Exercising in new and exciting locations, as well as taking up new forms. I hope to do regular yoga and pilates classes. Walk, shop, eat, explore.
I really hope to find and try new beauty brands, products, salons and services to try and tell you about, as well as bring you beauty musings and observations from the streets of New York and California.
I am hoping the streets will make me feel brand new.
So, have any of you been to New York?
Where should I walk, shop, eat, explore?
Anyone got Jay-Z’s number?
Am I There Yet? 