LAST DAY IN WONDERLAND: New York City - Day Five

If you missed day four, you can read it here.

Our last day in New York was bitter sweet; I was sad to leave this amazing city but I was also so excited to not have to wake up at 6am every morning or have to go bed with aching feet every night.

Shopping

We started the day shopping again! We had a quick run in Forever 21 (I so wish we had more of these in the UK because I loved nearly everything in there) and Sephora. I’ve done another blogpost going through everything I bought in Sephora which you can check out here.

Hope Statue

I love the photos of people next to the iconic ‘LOVE’ statue in New York but to be honest, when we were there, I completely forgot it even existed! However, we stumbled across this ‘HOPE’ statue by the same artist whilst trying to find a taxi which proved to be even better as our friend’s surname is Hope. As I posted on Instagram, it was as if by magic.

On the note of taxis, a lot of people slated them to us before we went to New York but trust me when I say they are completely fine. I probably wouldn’t get in one alone but we had nothing but good experiences in the ones we used and they meant we could get around the city fairly quickly at a not too extortionate rate.

Central Park

This was meant to be overly pose-y I swear

After packing up our bags, we went to wander Central Park. I think that everyone who visits New York should visit Central Park (perhaps not midday like we did – we took a LOT of sit down breaks); it’s almost surreal that a place so quiet sits in the middle of Manhattan.

Whilst in Central Park, we first stopped at Strawberry Fields, the John Lennon memorial west of the park. Although I am not the biggest Beatles fan myself (I don’t mind their music but I also don’t listen to it regularly), the atmosphere here was great. It was just full of people sat round listening to a busker singing the Beatles and having a nice time. I loved it!

We also went on a search for the Alice in Wonderland statue. In the process, we also found the Hans Christian Anderson statue too! I again absolutely loved this place as it made me feel 8 again, not 18 and I am totally willing to take any opportunity to go back to my childhood. It was fun seeing everyone pose with the statues and discuss the memories that they had in conjunction to them.

 

We also found the sort of 'Friends' but not Friends fountain!

Overall, I loved New York and I cannot wait to go back; it will happen. I feel it’s a place that everyone should try and visit once in their life as it seriously is a place like no other. I am, without a doubt, a city person (I grew up in London and Edinburgh, would you expect anything less?) but even so, New York was somewhere where there is something for everyone! If you have the chance, visit, because you will come back planning your next return.

WII SPORTS?: New York City – Day Four

If you didn't catch day three, you can check it out here!

Our fourth day in New York was HOT and humid, I’m talking like 35˚+ weather. We don’t get things like that in the UK and we were for sure not acclimatised.

Statue of Liberty

One thing I would say about going to the Statue of Liberty is to go sooner rather than later as there are huge queues all day and you do not want to be stuck in those midday. I would also say to pre-book your tickets as this acts almost like a fastpass does at Disney and you get to skip a large proportion of the queue. I think our time at the Statue was slightly short lived due to the fact that our backs were literally wet with sweat and humidity but it was still such an amazing place to go.

We booked tickets online to go to the pedestal (tickets for the crown were sold out so if you are going to NY and desperately want to go to the top, book early!) so once we got to the island we joined another queue and made our way up. I would definitely say to go if you are going to visit the island anyway as it gives you a good view of the Statue itself as well as a great view of the Manhattan skyline which cannot be missed!!

9/11 Memorial

The One World Trade Centre, the only photo I got of anything near or around the 9/11 memorial

Next we made our way to the 9/11 memorial, something I don’t have any photos of because quite honestly it didn’t feel right (it made me feel sick the amount of people smiling and taking selfies). I am well aware that events like this happen worldwide, especially recently, but there is something about being in the place where it happened and seeing all the photos of everyone with their families or the videos of people running out of the building, that hits home. I think in the UK, we don’t have many of these attacks luckily which is why the MP Jo Cox being shot made such a huge impact, so seeing something like this in real life was such an important but harrowing experience. The best way I can describe it is with the words I said as we were walking away “in the best possible way, I hated every single second of it”.

Baseball: New York Yankees V Boston Red Sox

I genuinely was loving everything about this moment!

This was hands down my favourite experience from the whole trip. The game started and I’m not going to lie, I had no clue what on earth was going on; we genuinely relied on Lauren’s previous Wii sports addiction to guide us through the rules of the game. However, the atmosphere was electric! From the 10+ Mexican waves to the constant chanting and YMCA, it felt like some kind of party with thousands of people. We also somehow got on a Subway carriage in which a load of people decided to bring a radio and have a dance party on so it made the night so much fun! Seriously, whether you’re into sports or not, grab a ticket to a major league baseball game and you will love it!

Stay tuned for our last day tomorrow!!

Oh, What A Night!: New York City - Day Three

If you didn't catch day two, check it out here!
Sarabeth’s

Knowing we had to visit the Met Steps at least once in our trip (I mean who doesn’t want to pretend they’re Serena and Blair sat eating lunch and gossiping on the upper west side of Manhattan?), we grabbed a taxi and tried to find a breakfast place near there. Although there weren’t many, google took us to this little café where we all grabbed another super yummy breakfast. The only downside to this place was that it was slightly pricier, most likely due to the location, but we gained nothing more than we got for almost half the price at Andrew’s café. If you’re in the area then this is a good place to visit, but otherwise I wouldn’t suggest you go out your way to go as there are places that are just as good for a fraction of the price.

Met Steps

Just imagining I was Blair Waldorf in a photoshoot that we had on the steps

Though we didn’t go in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it was so nice to sit for an hour or so on the steps and listen to the buskers and chat. It’s such good place to chill out; and as I said before, we are all Gossip Girl fanatics so I think the Met will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Shopping

The rest of the day we just spent shopping. We quite literally shopped till we dropped as I swear all of us collapsed on the floor and beds the minute we got back to the hotel. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, here, one place we loved to visit was Sephora (we ended up going three times altogether) so be sure to check out my haul which I posted last week!

Broadway- Jersey Boys

I’m not going to lie to you, I probably spend a good 80% of my day singing Broadway songs to myself in the mirror (currently it is the Hamilton soundtrack, I am OBSESSED) so Broadway was a must when we were planning where to go on this trip. We kind of whittled it down to three shows we wanted to see and then picked Jersey Boys because it wasn’t super expensive for good seats and the theatre was literally across the road. This show was honestly amazing. The soundtrack is full of songs that you want to get up and dance to (some people even did) and the actors appeared so enthusiastic all throughout their performance.

Remember to come back to check out day four tomorrow!!

MANHATTAN HEIGHTS: New York City - Day Two

If you haven't read up on day 1, be sure to check it out here. Day two was by far our busiest day in New York City and I think it was the day that we realised that we vastly underestimated the size of this city.

Andrew’s Coffee Shop

We began the day on empty stomachs, deciding to walk to the Empire State Building first and just get breakfast around there. Now remember around 10 seconds ago when I said that we didn’t realise how big Manhattan was, turns out 20 blocks is slightly more than a quick walk.

Despite this, this place was amazing! I had banana pancakes and fresh orange juice and for somewhere so close to the Empire State Building, this place was way less expensive than it could of (and in my opinion, should of) been. We had to wait only a few minutes before getting a table and our food came as quickly as it disappeared from our plates. Honestly, if you’re anywhere near 34^th Street and 7^th Avenue, pop into here and you won’t regret it!

Empire State Building

We went to the Empire State Building twice on our second day in New York, once mid-morning and once at night. We were able to do this as prior to our trip, we bought the CityPASS which honestly is a life saver. This pass not only saves you money but it makes your trips into different attractions so much quicker and stress free. If you know that you want to go to all the main tourist-y spots, I would definitely recommend you do this as you still have a lot of flexibility of when you visit each of the attractions so I can see it working for almost everyone.

I feel like my first reaction to it was that it was so much smaller than I had expected it to be. Whilst inside, I loved the art deco feel. Despite this being one of New York’s most famed landmarks, I would definitely say not to go if you had children with you as there was long queues and whilst on the observation deck, there is a sort of ‘push your way to the very front without acknowledging anyone else’ attitude. However, the views from here were incredible. It made me feel like I was a giant as everything looked so tiny from so high up; so worth the visit. If I could chose a time to go, I would chose the night as I think it was so pretty seeing all the buildings lit up. It gives you such a different perspective of the city as a whole compared to what you see on the ground and honestly is phenomenal.

Rockefeller Centre and Top of the Rock

When it’s the middle of summer, New York is experiencing a heatwave, and you’ve just walked 15 blocks at 12.00, the Rockefeller Centre is what I imagine as heaven on earth. If you’re on Fifth Avenue and need a place to stop for lunch or a quick break, take a stop in here and you’ll be dandy. The Rockefeller Centre is full of lots of little cafés and restaurants as well as some shops you can peruse upstairs so it’s great for a little stop midday.

At the top of the Rockefeller Centre is the Top of the Rock observation centre which I think, dare I say it, I preferred to the Empire State Building. This is because they give out timed tickets so you aren’t waiting in queues and the deck itself is so much bigger which prevents crowding and means for a much more pleasant experience. You also get amazing views of central park and the Empire State Building so this would for sure be up there if I created a list of places you needed to visit in NYC.

Tiffany’s 5^th Avenue

Oh don't mind me just pretending to be Audrey Hepburn whilst welling up in the middle of Manhattan

When we decided to go to New York, this was somewhere I knew I absolutely had to go. As someone who has been pretty much obsessed with the film ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ and Audrey Hepburn for most of her life, even seeing the store made me well up. As much as I would have loved to grab a croissant and a tea (something which is seemingly hard to come by in New York) and channel my inner Holly Golightly, just walking in the store felt magical. The staff here were lovely and always willing to help (both times we went) and basically everything in this shop is beautiful. I don’t think this is one of the places you have to visit, unless you’re as obsessed with that film/novella as I am, as unless you wanted to buy something, I can see many people using that time on another tourist attraction and it being a better use of their time. But if you’re in the area and fancy a wander in, go for it, but also prepare for your bank account to feel some pain.

Stay tuned for day three tomorrow!

WELCOME TO NEW YORK : New York City- Day One

I love reading about other people’s trips and so I thought I would tell you, in depth, about a recent one I took to New York City (honestly one of the best trips I have ever been on). One tip I would give, if you are thinking of going, is booking everything well in advance, including any trips to the Statue of Liberty or Broadway etc because tickets sell out fast (I will talk about the CityPASS option which we used in tomorrow’s blogpost which worked out well).

Flying

We flew with Thomas Cook Airlines and honestly, it was really pleasant. On the flight outbound, there was lots of legroom and staff were really helpful. On both flights, I took two carry-on bags (one was my handbag and the other was a larger cabin bag) which I know sounds slightly excessive but I had everything I needed to make the trip comfy.

In my handbag I just had things such as my phone charger (a must for long haul flights as most have USB charging ports and you can be asked to turn your devices on when you land) and my passport etc, basically everything I needed to keep close. I also had my IPad but I found that I didn’t even use it as the inflight entertainment was more than enough.

The cabin bag, on the other hand, had a pair of shorts I changed into on the flight and things like clean underwear and a spare pair of clothes in case my luggage got lost. I also took sun cream and makeup (I know makeup isn’t for everyone but it killed an hour or so and make me feel slightly more human once I had it on) so that I could get off the flight not looking like I had just spent 8 hours in a plane.

Airport to Hotel

To get from the airport to our hotel, we used a service called GoAirlink, a service I probably wouldn’t recommend. After waiting nearly an hour and a half in JFK, we had a highly rude driver whose bus actually broke down after 20 minutes of driving. Though the second driver was much more pleasant (he put the radio on loud so we could party on the bus), we would have saved a lot more time and money had we just hopped in a yellow cab.

Hotel: Novotel Times Square

The hotel was honestly amazing. Located a stone’s throw away from Times Square, this hotel boasted large rooms with amazing views and staff who were always smiling and happy to help. Given the location and the fact it was a 4* hotel, it was also not extortionate and meant we were literally across the road from the Jersey Boys theatre (the show we had decided to see on Broadway).

Grand Central Station

After walking through Times Square and seeing the Ghostbusters cast get out of the car from the film (!!!!!), we walked to Grand Central Station. I feel like whenever people think of Grand Central, everyone links it to different things, movies they’ve seen on the TV; for Lauren and Lucy (the girls I went with) for example, all they could think of was Gossip Girl. Me, however, I could not erase the scene from my head from Madagascar where Melman (the giraffe) gets his head stuck in one of the clocks in the terminal. It still confuses my why that is the thing that came to my mind.

Dinner: Naples 45

Say hello to the largest pizza I have ever seen!! It was huge!

For dinner, we ate at Naples 45, just round the corner from Grand Central and boy was it amazing. If you ever find yourself near grand central around dinner time, seriously pop here and you won’t regret it. It’s full of yummy Italian food and I think I can speak for all of us when I say we all went home happy.

We also saw the end of Manhattanhenge! I had no idea this is what it was or that it was happening until the day after but I got a few pictures.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my first day in NYC! I will be posting each day we went there daily for the next few days so look out!

NYC SEPHORA HAUL

If you have visited the US and not been pulled in by Sephora, you deserve some sort of medal. On a recent trip to New York City (look out for more blogposts on what I purchased and which places I visited each day), I think I visited around 3 times and spent around $500; something I don’t regret but my bank balance probably does. I thought I’d talk you through the products that I purchased, have tried and are still yet to try (I’ve only been back 2 days) so here goes…

SEPHORA COLLECTION ‘Beauty on the Fly’ Makeup Bag $4.95

This is a product that I actually received as a sample but this compact TSA approved makeup bag is getting added to my makeup essentials. Although inexpensive, this bag is big enough to carry all your inflight necessities so that you can walk off and nobody has to know that you’ve actually just spent however long feeling grimy on an aeroplane. This bag also feels extremely durable and is a plastic-y easy to wipe material in case your product decides it wants to attempt to break out of its usual container (a nightmare that I’m almost positive everyone must have experienced once).

SOL DE JANEIRO ‘Brazilian Bum Bum Cream’ $45.00 for 8.1oz

This is another product I received as a sample (I thought I’d talk about all of these first) and one I’ve heard only great things about. I can’t lie and say I didn’t laugh at the name when I first spotted this going into my bag but after having a quick smell of the sample on display as I left the shop, I swear this product must be exactly what heaven smells like. If you want a more in depth review, Tati (the queen of all firming products and therefore the best expert to trust when it comes to these sorts of products) featured a review recently on her Youtube channel which you can check out here.

REN ‘Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask’ $55.00 for1.7oz

This is definitely the priciest thing I was gifted as a sample and again something I’m yet to try (in a way I’m hoping I don’t love it because my bank balance is going to hate me a hell of a lot more if I spent $55 on a facemask). The Sephora website claims that this “brightens and renews skin tone and texture, minimizes pores, diminishes hyperpigmentation, and reduces the appearance of fine lines in as little as 10 minutes”; I’ll try to report back with more once I’ve gave this a go.

(UPDATE: since writing this, I tried it and wow was it good. I want to start off by saying that the smell was not appealing at all; it literally smells of bad perfume which is trying badly to hide the smell of chemicals. This combined with the appearance, which can only be compared to custard, made me even more hesitant to put it on my face. However, this was both easy to apply and remove and left my face feeling soft and moisturised but in no way greasy (major plus points from me!!))

SEPHORA COLLECTION ‘Avocado Face Mask’ (nourishing and repairing) & ‘Pearl Face Mask’ (perfecting and brightening) $6.00 each

I was so excited when I spotted these sheet masks because you can rarely find anything like this in the drugstore in the UK and sheet masks are all the fun with not even half the mess. I was actually planning on doing these on the flight back to help my skin cope slightly better with the lack of moisture in the air; but on a brighter note, this just means a mum and me pamper day has to happen soon and I’m totally game for that.

FRESH ‘Soy Face Cleanser’ $15.00 for 1.7oz or$38.00 for 5.1oz

I was persuaded (not that it took a lot) to buy this by my friend Lucy after she bought it on our first trip, loved it and went back for more. As I am yet to try It, I got Luce to write a little review for you all and hopefully you’ll love it as much as she does. “For a long time now, I’ve been desperate to try this face cleanser. The price tag was initially what put me off trying it; however, the allure of Sephora roped me in and I ended up buying both the travel size (50ml) and the regular size (100m;). Let me tell you, this is skincare dreams in a tube. The cleanser isn’t too thick and the texture is smooth with no exfoliating beads (so if that is what you are after, I’d steer away from this product). You simply put it on damp skin and then wash it off and in seconds, it’s worked its magic. It’ll leave your skin refreshed, bright and soft. I have dry and sensitive skin, so if it can work for me, I’m quite certain it can work for anybody. Don’t let the price tag put you off, I swear it is worth every penny (or cent).”  Contrary to Lucy, I have combination skin which is probably a lot closer to oily than dry so once I have gave this a go, I’ll be sure to report back.

BURBERRY ‘Burberry Kisses Lipstick’ in Nude No. 21 $33

If you weren’t able to grab the free sample of this lipstick around a year ago, boy did you miss out (but even more reason to purchase it right). I’m pretty sure this is the colour I originally ordered but they ran out and I received Nude Pink No.5 instead; so when I saw this in Sephora, I quite literally had to grab it (I didn’t but believe me, at the time, it felt like the new oxygen). The shade of this lipstick is a simple nude but with brown undertones; if anyone is like me, pink lipstick is perhaps the biggest no no since the world itself began so finding a nude that is both wearable and not in your face pink or brown is like a god sent gift. The lipstick itself is very lightweight and moisturising but without sacrificing pigmentation. It honestly just feels like you’ve got a balm on so if the feeling of heavier lipstick isn’t for you, definitely check this product out.

THE ESTÉE EDIT BY ESTÉE LAUDER ‘Flash Photo Gloss’ $20.00

Lip gloss is a world I rarely dive into but after hearing such great things about this gloss and with the pull of Sephora behind me, I had to grab it. This gloss contains blue micro pearls which are meant to make your smile appear whiter in both real life and photographs. How much this is true, I am unsure but all I am saying is that after applying this for the first time, I got chatted up on the subway (a story for another time) and told I have a nice smile, so I’m pretty convinced. The consistency of this lip gloss is also great because it is in no way sticky or tacky but again just feels like you have applied a light balm and is something that can completely transform your makeup look.

ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS ‘Brow Wiz’ in Soft Brown $21.00

I am a lover of brows, and by default, brow pencils; in this age of makeup, who isn’t? I knew when I wanted to go to Sephora that the Anastasia counter was somewhere I had to visit, so it is unsurprising that this is the first product I picked up. Although there has been a lot of attention placed upon the ‘Dip Brow Pomade’, I seriously do not think that this product has been given near enough attention; I think I first heard it talked about by Bonnie Hoellein, a Youtuber who always has the best brows.

Unlike other brow pencils I have tried in the past, the ‘Brow Wiz’ has an extremely thin point which means you can fill in your brows without them looking completely overdrawn or too dramatic. I also love the fact that the pencil itself is in no way chalky or too waxy but just creamy enough to hold your eyebrows in place and keep them looking great all day long. I wore this all day in 34 degree heat in New York City and my brows were still in perfect condition by the time the rest of my makeup had slid down my face. I cannot stress enough how much you should go and grab this product whilst you can (I even got an extra one in case I run out), it will quite literally change your brow game forever. My only tip would be that when it comes to colour, always go one shade lighter than you think your brows are, this way they will look natural instead of that you have used a pencil on them.

ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS ‘Glow Kit’s in ‘That Glow’ and ‘Sun Dipped’ $40.00 each

I’m just going to put it out there, New York City made me highlighter crazy; it took literally all my will power not to buy every highlighter in the shop. These kits come with 4 highlighters which are perfect for all skin tones and any makeup look. These add such a beautiful glow to your face and can be built up or blended out depending on how dramatic you want your look to be. I wore these for the last 2 days of my New York trip and not only did they stay on all day, but they were so amazing to apply. I feel like the world has experienced enough reviews stating how amazing this product is so I would just say, trust them all and pick these palettes up as soon as you can because you won’t regret it.

BECCA‘Shimmering Skin Perfector’ in Champagne Pop $38.00

Again, this is a product that has been raved about for what seems like since the world itself began and having bought it, I can totally understand why. Although pricier than the Anastasia highlighters in that you only get one instead of four, this highlighter is absolutely beautiful and an essential if you are only looking to buy one. The shade is perfect for most skin types and gives a flattering glow which can be built upon for a stronger and bolder look. Furthermore, the texture of the highlighter helps this in that it has an almost creamy feel that means it sits perfectly on the skin and looks amazing all day long.

BENEFIT 'The POREfessional Face Primer' $12.00 for 0.25oz, $31.00 for 0.75oz or $44.00 for 1.5oz

This is another product that I purchased with the plane in mind (hence the travel size) but didn’t get to use. I, however, have tried the POREfessional ‘License to Blot’ in the past so have no doubt that I will love this product just as much. Although some may argue that $12.00 is slightly expensive for a primer of this size, I think it is also important to consider that you use the tiniest amount and only use it once a day before applying your makeup, so in my eyes, it is well worth the money.

SEPHORACOLLECTION ‘PRO Featherweight Blending Brush #93’ $30

I originally went into Sephora looking for a fan brush which I could use with my highlighter but after finding out they were completely out of stock, a helpful lady told me about this brush which I swear is the softest thing I have ever put on my face. She told me about how this brush is good because it has a slight point but makes blending super easy and wow she was right. I’ve been applying my highlighter with this brush alone and I love it, it took a bit of getting used to but once you do, it’s so easy to use and I would definitely recommend picking one up.

From Monday I will be uploading day by day posts about my trip to NYC so look out for them!!brightens and renews skintone and texture, minimizes pores, diminishes hyperpigmentation, and reduces the appearance of fine lines in as little as 10 minutes.brightens and renews skintone and texture, minimizes pores, diminishes hyperpigmentation, and reduces the appearance of fine lines in as little as 10 minutes.

BOOK REVIEW: 'In the Country We Love: My Family Divided' by Diane Guerrero

‘In The Country We Love: My Family Divided’ is a relatively new book written by actress Diane Guerrero about her experience when her parents were deported when she was only age 14. When purchasing this book, I knew I wasn’t the biggest fan of autobiographies so it came as a total surprise when I became completely hooked (I swear the minute I finished it, I went through and messaged nearly everyone I knew telling them they HAD to read it).

For those who don’t know, Diane Guerrero is an actress, best known for being in ‘Jane The Virgin’ and ‘Orange Is The New Black’. Her parents, who were originally from Colombia, immigrated to America before Guerrero was born, therefore meaning that as she was originally from the US, she was able to stay in the country throughout the deportation progress. However, what appears unique to Guerrero’s case (though she explains that this happens to many children who are simply unaccounted for) is that whilst every day, 17 children are placed in state care as their parents are detained and deported, she was not acknowledged or checked on by any government official; at fourteen, she was left to fend for herself and relied simply on the goodwill of others in similar precarious positions to support her throughout those years where teenagers need someone to depend upon the most.

As I stated before, I personally am not the biggest fan of autobiographies but yet this one captured me. I cannot necessarily relate in any way to what happened to Guerrero as a young girl, yet there is something that is so relatable about the different experiences she describes and the emotions she feels. The idea of a teenage girl feeling the many extremes of emotion whilst trying to discover who they are and who they want to be, is something that I, being not too much older, can draw parallels with.

There is no possible way I can explain how truly brilliant this book is and how much I wish for people to read it. In an age where the issue of immigration plagues political rhetoric, it is important to look at it from more than just the view of a privileged citizen who will most likely never have to face such trauma. Guerrero explains that “the Berlin Wall should serve as proof to all humanity that walls do not work. Building bridges that foster communication between countries does”; and that truly highlights the essence of this book. If we want to tackle this issue, we need to not look at it from an outside perspective with nationalism forming the basis of our views, we need to take a humanitarian response and look at the issue in its wider context and the impact is has upon the people that these bills and acts are effecting.

Buy 'In the Country We Love: My Family Divided' here