Hello Lovelies!
Here's day 2 of Blogmas! Although it's not a christmas post or a new travel destination for Travel Tuesday, it's a travel destination with a very special activity!
Personal Lipstick Making!!!
If this isn't what dreams are made of, I don't know what is!
So whilst I was in New York I booked an appointment at the Bite Beauty Lip Lab to have my own custom lipstick made. The whole total for this starts at only $36 which I think is incredible value!
Once you go in the really unique Soho based Lip Lab the lovely ladies welcome you and you get started on creating your lipstick masterpiece.
You have a little chat/ colour consultation about the shade you're after and the finish. Then they work their magic by mixing and blending some lip paints together. I never realised how scientific and creative the whole lipstick making process was. It's so exciting to watch too!
I asked for a pinky nude with a creme finish at first, but after a few mixing, swabbing and swatching sessions, I realised I wanted and needed more of a browner nude and a matte finish.You can see from this picture how different the initial colour was.
However after a few attempts we found the perfect shade!
So then it was time to move onto the next stage. The scent (definitely the yummy part!)
There were many scents to choose from: cherry, mint, vanilla, citrus, mango, violet and wildberry and you even could mix and match them!
So I opted for vanilla and wildberry, because where else can you get this flavour from?
It's a very yummy and delicious lipstick indeed.
The next stage was the technical part. The ladies worked their lipstick magic by mixing your shade in a bigger version and then placed it into the machine for some real mixing and melting. Once out it's then poured into the moulds where it's frozen for about 5 minutes! I never ever knew lipstick was frozen. So this whole lipstick process was wayyyy more useful than any science lesson I've ever had!
The lipstick making process is incredible, they even give you a choice of the packaging so the bullet and lid!
You then watch as they successfully place the lipstick into the bullet with such skill and care. They have to do this very carefully indeed to avoid the horror of lipstick smudging! However they're so talented at this, that they do it perfectly every time.
I am so pleased with my own personal lipstick, it really is the perfect shade for me.
If you're ever in New York, I highly recommend this as it's such a special and unique experience.
Have you ever visited Bite Beauty Lip Lab/ would like to?
L x
Morning Beauties!
I thought I'd start a new little section on my blog called Travel Tuesday. I have a serious case of wanderlust and I'm always itching to explore new places. I love exploring different cultures, finding new places and seeing as much of the world as I can. I well and truly have the travel bug and I seem to spend a fair bit of time living out of my suitcase or sitting on a plane. I've been extremely lucky to have travelled quite a lot and thought I'd share some loves, tips and pictures from along the way.
There's a whole world out there waiting to be explored!
The last place which I travelled to was New York. Since arriving back from there last week I've written a post on a few alternative things to do in NY but I thought I'd finish up with another post with a few more general tips. There will also be a whole new post dedicated to a personal lipstick making experience in the future!
Shopping!
Nothing beats a bit of shopping! Having spent 6 weeks in Palm Beach, Florida before this visit, I tried not to spend too much as I did do a fair bit of damage before it. However I can't resist a leisurely stroll on Fifth Avenue! One of my favourites is Henri Bendel. There's not too many of these stores over the US so any opportunity to go in is definitely going to be honoured. I couldn't resist picking up a few bits.
The staff in every Henri Bendel store I've ever visited are so incredibly nice! They're the most enthusiastic, kindest and helpful staff I think I've ever come across. They definitely make your shopping experience so much more fun! The only thing I found upsetting was that I couldn't buy everything in the whole store!
Another little thing I got excited about was a Gucci lipstick which I bought in the Gucci store. Only New York sells the Gucci cosmetic line apparently, so as a lipstick fanatic I knew one of these lipsticks would be coming home with me!
Transport
New York has a lot to offer and travelling there is pretty easy. Now I like to think I'm a bit of a pro when it comes to maps, transport and planning routes. I'm still proud of winning an orienteering competition in year 5! However I think this skill is actually down to a magnetic force inside me, which naturally pulls me towards the shops! The subway is pretty easy to navigate, its quick and cheap and I really recommend you use it. However if you wear inappropriate shoes like me, you can find the perfect yellow cabs simply by waving your hand out. I don't think they're too expensive, well not like London anyway! It only becomes very pricey in New York when there's heightened traffic, so it's probably best to avoid taxis in the morning and evening rush hours. As it's gridlocked and you won't be moving anywhere, but your meter will certainly be going up!
I do enjoy walking around New York, even when the weather's not the greatest. There's always a sight to look at, something interesting and unusual occurring and nothing beats fresh air to spring you back to top form. Plus there's a Starbucks on every corner where you can sit down and rest your shopping induced painful tootsies!
For the Christmas Fan!
This visit I decided what better way to get into the christmas spirit than by heading to Radio City to watch the Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes. I absolutely love this theatre, it is huge and decorated so nicely for the Christmas show. Just look at the decorations!
This show is incredible! Not one person was out of time, the talent is amazing and it really makes you feel so so Christmassy, even at the beginning of November!
Tourist
This visit I wanted to get some great snaps of New York, so I decided to go up the Empire State Building. I've done the Rockerfeller Tower Top of the Rock multiple times. This is great if you want views of Central Park and the Empire State Building, otherwise the Empire State Building offers such stunning views over New York. It is so iconic and I love the fact that it is more open, so pictures are a lot easier to take and clearer compared to the Rockerfeller as this has perspex glass at the top so this can interfere with your pictures a bit.
One tip is if you do buy tickets for the Empire State Building, I would recommend buying them from inside the actual building and not from the sellers around it. I'm sure some are genuine but some people were being marched out because their tickets were fake!
I could probably talk all day about other New York experiences, but I think it would take over my blog!
So for now, I hope you've enjoyed a few more tips and ideas for a NY visit!
Let me know what you love doing out there and also your favourite stores!
L x
Good Morning Lovelies!
I've recently just spent a lovely few days in New York after having spent the last 6 weeks out in the US. I thought as New York is a great and popular holiday choice for this time of year, that I would share some of the different things I got up to. I've been to New York quite a lot already so I've done most of the top touristy things. Therefore I wanted to find some slightly different things to get up to for this visit, as well as a few firm favourites!
I hope you enjoy this post and it gives you some ideas, if you're popping to New York any time soon.
As a self confessed Sephora shopper, my shopping addiction also extends to hair products! I absolutely adore the drybar range they stock. The beautiful pop of yellow is their brand colour and it is so eye catching and unique. Their products are not only amazing but the packaging is so pleasing on the eye. I really am after the yellow hair dryer they sell. It looks incredible plus because it's bright yellow it means that I'm less likely to lose it!
So when I was in New York I decided to head to the drybar located in Midtown for a blowout. I'll do a full post on this experience in the future as it really was such a lovely experience. I only wish they had one of these bars in the UK as it was probably the best blow dry I've ever had, and I normally live at the hair salon!
Another thing I decided to do was head to Magnolia Bakery located on Bleecker Street in the West Village. If you're an avid Sex and the City fan, you'll know this beautiful bakery was featured on the show as it's just right around the corner from Carrie's apartment! No visit could be complete without a cupcake session right? So here's a Snickerdoodle and a Red Velvet Cupcake for you to drool over. Cupcake perfection!
Next up if you're after a little bit of a pamper session or just have wild overgrown eyebrows, I recommend heading to Sephora on Fifth Avenue for a little eyebrow tidy up in the Anastasia Beverly Hills brow studio. I absolutely love her products, so the option of having my eyebrows shaped in her bar was a no brainer. Quick, easy and painless, I left with the best eyebrow service and shape I've ever had. At $32 I thought it was a lovely experience! Plus afterwards you're in Sephora! Need I say anymore.
I realise this post is sounding pretty beauty and cupcake orientated, and it does kind of continue. But I'll do a full post on my next tip as it was the BEST thing any lipstick lover could do! I headed to the Bite Beauty Lip Lab to have my own personal lipstick made. I opted for a nude and left with the perfect shade! If you're ever in New York and love lipstick. YOU NEED TO DO THIS! It's so so unique, different and exciting!
As this post is getting pretty long, I'll save some more tips for another post, but just as a last little tip, if you love venturing to different places and trying different things Chelsea Market is a lovely place to hang out! It's one of the nicest food markets I've been to. It's full of restaurants serving and selling fresh products. The market itself is in a building which has been renovated and decorated so modernly and beautiful. We had a quick pit stop and I watched in quite an entertaining way as this lobster was devoured with a little plastic fork! This was from The Lobster Place which is contained in Chelsea Market itself. As it's a kind of a store/restaurant, seating is limited. You can go inside and choose your own lobster, they cook it and voila Lobster time. It's so much fresher than ordering it at a proper restaurant and cheaper too! This little lobster cost $23.95 for 1.5lb lobster. Which is such a great deal as it's the freshest way to experience a lobster and at such a great price. If you love lobster, I would definitely recommend it, as I was told it's the tastiest lobster that's ever been eaten!
I think another New York post is needed as I got up to far too much to contain in just one. I hope you enjoyed some alternative tips and if you have any yourself I would love to know as I love venturing to different areas and experiencing new things!
Have a great day!
L x
