While in New York I stopped by the Birchbox Flagship Store located at 433 West Broadway in Soho. Most of us know Birchbox for their monthly subscription boxes but if you were able to stop by one of their #Birchboxinmycity Road Trip Destinations last year you were able to catch a glimpse of what their store setup looks like road trip style (Los Angeles covered in this post here). If you’re in NYC I highly recommend giving this store a visit. For the ladies who travel with their husbands, boyfriends or brothers – it’s not just a store for women, there’s an entire floor dedicated to men’s grooming and lifestyle. You can bring your male travel companions with you, send him to men’s floor while you look at makeup, skincare and fragrance and don’t have to worry about him being bored or impatient while you shop 🙂
This store is really a one-stop-shop for beauty and skincare essentials. As mentioned in my last post, between Birchbox and Space NK I found that they carried all the items I would need for a week’s worth of travel. One of the nice things about Birchbox is that they have curated Discovery Sets stocked with minis in addition to travel-sized beauty items you can buy so you don’t have to worry about buying large full size items that you can’t bring put inside a carry-on. I will say though during my trip I ended up picking up quite a few full-sized liquids over the security limit. I ended up shipping items in a large FedEx box home so I didn’t have to check it. (More on this in my packing post soon.)
Onto a look inside the beautiful store. Birchbox organizes their store by product category rather than having brand-dedicated sections. The staff at the store is very helpful and knowledgeable – if you need help picking out items someone is there to guide you and give recommendations. There are two levels, the ground level is for women and there’s a lower level for me.
Skincare shown on the left, Discovery Sets on the right:
At the end of the store they have a Build Your Own Birchbox station where you can pick out 5 items to build your own box. You pick out 1 item from 5 categories covering skincare, body, fragrance, makeup and hair.
A look at the Men’s Shop with grooming, skincare, fragrance and body care and BYOB stations:
A few last shots of the women’s shop:
I built two Birchboxes in the store, one for husband (he did not go to the store with me) and one for myself. Inside my husband’s are minis of Baxter of California Grooming Lotion (his favorite hair grooming product), Baxter Facial Scrub, Eau Profonde Cologne, Junk Stuff (the name got me lol), Under Eye Patches, and a USB Cable – the men’s boxes have a lifestyle option.
So happy I was able to stop by the store and that the social team let me take photographs to my heart’s desire. I visited bright and early right when the store opened and had a lot of fun exploring. I think I could have spent an entire day inside – everything is very clean and organized which makes for a great shopping experience.
If you are in the area I highly recommend giving it a visit for a fun yet relaxing beauty shopping experience. Hope you enjoyed taking a peek inside the store! For those planning a visit, check out their Birchbox Soho page for location, hours and store events.
Last week I stopped by a few of my favorite beauty shops in NYC. Living in Southern California I am lucky to have access to most brands but often times don’t have a free standing boutique near me for some stores to get the full experience. I was beyond thrilled to stop by Space NK’s newest New York Boutique on 31 Prince Street in Nolita. This was my first time inside a free standing store and it is a beauty lover’s dream come true. Between Space NK and Birchbox Soho – you literally have all your beauty and grooming (for men) needs covered. Both stock a wide variety of mid to high end beauty brands and from the looks of it, they have everything one could need and in travel sizes too. As I was oohing and aaahing at all the shelves in Space NK, by I thought to myself I should have skipped the stress of trying to hoard minis and pack all my liquids into a quart size bag (since I travel carry-on style) and made this store my first stop in once I arrived in the city.
The store is located on the corner of Prince and Mott – it’s one of the most charming beauty spaces I’ve been inside. There’s a lot stocked in the store covering skincare, hair care, cosmetics and more – at the same time it’s very spacious with a wide open feeling that gives it a luxurious feel. Walking inside is pretty amazing – I could not help but wish that I had a space like this in my home. Displays are organized by brand and product type. Skincare is split into different walls for the natural brands, more techy brands etc. I had just missed a Dr. Lancer appearance and book signing which happened at the store a few days prior. There are decicated areas for Lancer Skincare.
Close up of Oribe heaven, full size wall and then stocked travel size minis:
Overall a must-stop if you visit New York City. There are quite a few Space NK stores located through the city, I was glad I stopped by this one as it’s in a cute neighborhood and Diptyque is just around the corner. It has a similar vibe and feel to the dedicated Space NK sections you may see inside a Bloomingdale’s (which I also love) but being able to visit a separate store is really a must if you can.
Many thanks to Space NK for allowing me to take photos inside their beautiful store. Next time I’m in New York I won’t be packing a lot of items, I know now that I can simply stop by here and purchase what I need as they carry my favorite brands.
Have you been inside a Space NK store before? I know they are all over the US but this is my first time visiting a dedicated store. Hope you enjoyed this peek into their space! Snippets on their social too @spacenkusa – something I live vicariously through since I don’t have a store near me. It’s nice to see snapshots of their stores around the country and new launch sneak peeks.
P.S. There’s a summer sale going on right now, some items are marked up to 50% off 🙂
I’m back from spending a week in New York and am so excited to share all the details from my summer trip. A trip to NYC has been on my wishlist for many years – it’s been almost 10 years since I was last in the city. I was actually only in New York for 5 days with my husband. Our trip was planned primarily for sight seeing fun and for me trying new food places was high on my list. I mapped out approximately 30 spots prior to leaving knowing I would not be able to make it to most of them, but it was very helpful for planning and narrowing down what to see by location. I had such an amazing time and cannot wait to go back – there’s an energy in New York City that can’t be matched anywhere else. Summer is such a lovely time to visit although it was quite a bit more humid than the mild weather in Southern California. Thank you to everyone who took the time to e-mail me and message me recommendations! Today I’m sharing the highlights of my trip. More details to follow in separate posts on what I packed, a review of the luggage I tested out, where we stayed and special spots I visited. A quick note to those who expressed some serious concern about me wearing white jeans in the city. I made quick adjustments to my packing list before I left and thank you to each and every one of you for warning me 🙂
In this post I’m covering sights we saw, places we ate and some thoughts about getting around the city which might be helpful for first-timers or those who haven’t been to NYC in a while and are looking for an updated guide. This post is a long one so grab a cup of tea or a snack before reading.
We took the red-eye to NYC with Delta (my husband’s preference) and while I do really like flying with them, I will say that we both agreed next time we will not do the red-eye again. Neither of us can sleep on planes. We arrived bright and early at JFK at around 6:00 AM (yes, super early!) and it took us about a 25 minutes to wait in line for a taxi and about 1 hour to get to the city.
During our week in New York we stayed at Langham Place New York on 5th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. Much to our surprise our room was ready even though check in wasn’t until afternoon. I spent around 2-3 days researching hotels and online reviews via Trip Advisor – the number of options to pick from in NYC are overwhelming. My husband and I were beyond thrilled with our stay at Langham Place. A dedicated review to follow because this place deserves it – every one was incredibly helpful right from the time we booked our hotel. Upon arrival the service was impeccable – the concierge, housekeeping, and all the doormen were so amazing. They also leave delicious cookies in the room at turndown – heart won. We found the location was great – although being in NYC it’s very easy to get around the city with the subway and taxis.
Bottom left flats by Chloe, bottom right view from our room
For sightseeing we both had a few places we wanted to see together. Both of us have been to New York before but this was the first time we had been together. It was relatively hot and humid during our week there so we did some leisurely sight seeing and didn’t rush anything. My favorite place was Central Park – we walked about half of the way through from the south end to the middle. Other places we saw included Washington Square Park, the 9/11 Memorial, Times Square, Battery Park, Bryant Park and Grand Central Terminal. We passed through a lot of areas by walking but those were the highlights. If you’re in NYC during the summer I highly recommend you check out the event calendars – at Bryant Park they have the HBO Summer Film Festival going on and they play films on a large screen. We passed by at the end of the one of the films – it was packed but looked really fun.
Night time in the city is an experience in itself. I’m not a huge fan of bus tours but they are a nice way to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time. We took the Grayline Double Decker Bus Night Tour which leaves from Times Square and enjoyed it – our tour guide was very entertaining. It was about a 2 hour bus tour and goes from the city to Brooklyn. For the day tours you can hop on and off the bus, but for the night tours it’s a continuous ride. A few snapshots of the city at night – some are from the bus tour, some are from dinners and walking around the city.
For the places to eat, we only made it to a small handful of spots on our list, but every place we stopped by was amazing and well worth the extra walking and travel distance to find. Breakfast, lunch and dinner spots included Jack’s Wife Freda on Carmine Street (beyond obsessed), Buvette (amazing!!), Shake Shack (burgers are better than In-n-Out, although I didn’t really like their french fries), Don Antonio’s (pizza is amazing! just like ones from Naples), Momofuku (went twice for the cookies), Laduree Soho (for macarons and tea to bring home as gifts), Cafe Cluny (one of the cutest cozy dinner spots ever) and the Soho House (great views).
If there are any I would deem must visits – it would be Jack’s Wife Freda, Buvette and Cafe Cluny. On my next trip I hope to have time for afternoon tea somewhere in the city.
My husband had the waffle sandwich at Buvette and I stole a bite, it was amazing!
These were the only pictures I was able to get of Don Antonio’s, the pizza was THAT good and literally gone within minutes. More on them and their menu on Yelp – it can get very crowded, it appeared to be a very popular spot. We were seated right away because we took the spots right by the window instead of the main dining area – but it was cozy and perfect for people watching. Among the top 2 best pizzas I’ve tried since visiting Italy last year with the soft and fluffy crust.
I will have a separate post on shopping spots that I stopped by. This trip I wasn’t able to get much shopping in – there was a lot on my list that I missed this round but there is always next time! Soho is just absolutely adorable – I could spend forever and the rest of my life there. For those who want a sneak peek of what’s coming next, I will be covering Bergdorf Goodman x Edward Bess, Space NK in Soho, Birchbox Soho, Diptyque at Grand Central Station and the Away Travel. A quick peek at some snapshots from walking around Soho – it’s so charming, I wish I could have spent more time here exploring and shopping. Many of the stores did not open until 11, I was in the area early in the morning so most were not yet open to go inside but it was fun to window shop.
A few thoughts to share on getting around the city and budgeting for transportation from a newbie perspective. It’s been a while since I’ve been in New York but I’m familiar with the metro and subway systems of other cities and also outside the US. Since it has been almost 10 years since I’ve been to NYC I reached out to a few friends who are New York locals, friends who travel to NY frequently for work and also looked at reviews online.
There are a number of websites and reviews that help break down the cost of transportation between taxis, Uber, or the subway. I’m one of those people who often gets confused about direction and since WIFI can be spotty in larger cities, it takes me longer to navigate my way through new surroundings so I thought worst case scenario was that I would have to take taxis everywhere. I am happy to report that navigating NYC is indeed relatively easy to figure out. In general both my husband and I found the subway easier and faster. The areas I went to were all very safe (even to and from Brooklyn late at night, late as in past 10:00 pm). I took the advice of friends who assured me the subway was safe and just to make sure to be in areas where there were lots of people versus the isolated areas with nobody around.
On budgeting for transportation, we each bought a $20 metro card that we used up almost all the way. For taxis getting to and from the airport runs at a flat fee and with tip it’s about $75 to $80 each way. For our taxi trips rates ranged from $8.19 to $33.54 (these numbers included 20% tips). I took the taxi from NYC to Brooklyn once which was the most expensive trip. On taxis – it was recommended that I stick with the yellow cabs and I would highly recommend you do so as well. Total spent on taxis for 5 days (excluding airport transportation) was $160 (including tips), the average taxi ride cost $15ish. Now that we know how to navigate the city next time we will probably use the subway more. I have friends who use Uber every time they go to NYC. This trip we did not try it.
One last note on timing for travel leaving the city to get to the airport. My flight left from JFK at 4:55 pm and the airport guidelines said to arrive at the airport 2 hours prior to take off which meant I would have to arrive at the airport by 2:55 pm. Several assured me I would be ok leaving the city at 2:00 pm but I gave myself an extra 45 minutes since I was leaving on a Friday and I’m glad I did. At around 1:15 pm a traffic surge happened and it took 20 minutes for the doormen to find an available cab. They were so nice about it too, one made several calls to try and find one while the other ran around the block trying to find one with working AC. It was really so impressive how much they went out of their way. Once I was on my way to the airport there was traffic – it took 60 minutes. There was a quick line for airport security – all in all, giving myself the extra time was worth it so I did not have to rush or feel anxious about missing my flight.
A few more snapshots:
One final photo because I know beauty lovers will appreciate this. Net-A-Porter has same day delivery in the city which is so cool. If this showed up at my door to deliver a package I think it would the coolest thing ever. I also wanted to mention that Edward Bess is now carried online at Net-A-Porter!
I hope you enjoyed this roundup of my trip highlights! There’s so much to see in New York City and even though there’s so much I didn’t get to, I enjoyed the week there. I can’t wait to go back again. More on the beauty, shops and packing in the upcoming days! I know many of you are eager to see how I packed carry-on style again.
For those who visit NYC either frequently or occasionally, what are you favorite places to go to? We didn’t make it to any museums this round since we had a short trip. It’s definitely on our list for next time along with places like The High Line, Top of the Rock, the One World Trade Center Observatory (we hope to go inside next time) and for me so much more for the beauty spots 🙂
For those who follow me on Instagram @beautylookbook, thanks for following along!
Summer is in full swing and I could not be happier that it’s sandal season. Living in Southern California it feels like it can be sandal season year round but during the spring to summer time I love that’s it’s actually in season.Today I’m sharing my favorite nail + sandal combinations to wear right now from Nordstrom. I love adding color to the toes because it adds a fun polished feel to your entire look. I adore brights, aquas, teals and sometimes violet for the toes during the summer, but it can be challenging to coordinate some polishes with all colors of sandals or outfits. I’ve picked out my favorite versatile polish shades that will work with a wide range of outfits no matter what you’re wearing (shoes or clothing-wise). I’m all about flats for comfort, but right now there are so many cute wedges and heels out for summer. Nordstrom has a dedicated Sandal Season section with handy filters to sort by style, heel height, color etc.
I hope you find this mini sandal + nail polish combo guide fun and helpful! Up first is the sandy nude + peachy coral combo:
Toes: Deborah Lippmann Gel Pro Lab Nail Color in Happy Days (also in this set), this is a full coverage peachy coral orange, it pulls a bit pinkish on my skin, but a lot of corals tend to run pink against my olive skin
Shoes: Stuart Weitzman Nearlynude Ankle Strap, the whole line runs big on me, but definitely check out the reviews online by style for sizing, I wear a 6 in most of their shoes
Toes: Louboutin Miss Loubi on the toes, the most perfect coral pink ever! Two coats gives full coverage and the formula is among the best I’ve tried, I also love Dior Front Row for a bright shimmering fuschia
Shoes: Steve Madden Werkit Sandals in Black Suede, runs true to size on me, the suede is comfortable on the feet and soft in between the toes so no breaking in required
Toes: Dior Mirage is one of my favorite mauve plums, in my experience, Dior polishes have the best brush for easy DIY application (they’re curved to match the shape of the nail), the formula is also really good
Toes: Tom Ford Sugar Dune is my holy grail nude pink that goes with everything! It has smooth coverage with medium to full coverage, two coats is sufficient most of the time, but sometimes if I don’t have a super steady hand I need a third coat to even it out
Toes: Chanel Espadrilles is a gorgeous bright orangey red (if you remember Chanel Holiday, this is almost identical in case you missed out on that color)
What’s your favorite summer pedicure color to wear? Do you switch things up depending on outfit or shoes? I’m forever searching for a good opaque off-white nail polish that doesn’t look streaky, isn’t sheer and that also doesn’t look like white out on my toes. Any with medium-tan to deep skintone if you’ve found one please let me know! I love the way it looks on my friends but they are all at least 2-3 shades fairer than me and also have pink undertones so they can pull off white polish easier than me. If you have any sandal favorites please let me know! I live for recommendations because it makes it so much easier to narrow down styles to try on.
Many thanks to Nordstrom for sponsoring this post. As always all opinions my own.
There are two face and cheek products in the Chanel Summer 2016 Collection. The Les Beiges Powder Duos are available in two limited-edition shades Duo No. 01 and Duo No. 02 ($65 each for 11 g/0.39 oz, made in France). These are similar in texture and feel to the regular Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Powders which have a very natural look, soft velvety texture and semi-sheer but buildable coverage. Ever since originally reviewing them a few years ago, I’ve used Shade No. 20 to set for a very soft sheer setting powder. The new duos for summer have a very soft shimmer to them – if any of the blushes, bronzers or highlighters of late have seemed way to shimmery for your taste, these two are among the most subtle. They are perfect for those who don’t want a pure matte but don’t want a lot of shimmer either.
No. 01 is a duo with a shimmering orange and deep bronze. No. 02 is more like a blush with a pale champagne pink shimmer and medium reddish blush color.
Swatched with a medium to heavy hand below:
No. 01 is a duo with a shimmering orange shade that has a very soft glowy finish and a dark bronze. Mixed together creates a warm and deep bronzed look. You can apply with a fluffy brush for sheer coverage but I found it to be on the pigmented side for a Les Beiges powder. The first time I tried it I put too much on the brush and ended up with dark streaks on each side of my face. Definitely use a lighter hand when applying. That being said the color can be easily blended out. This is one of the darkest bronzer powders I own. If you are light or fair skinned you will most likely find this too warm and too dark.
No. 02 is more blush material for me with a soft pinky shimmer highlighter on the top and a warm reddish coral shade on the bottom. It’s a really pretty color for summer I think goes well with the pink Aqua Glossimer in Adenium (reviewed here).
Overall thoughts are that these are very good powders quality and color-wise. I bought them last month so I’ve had some time to play with them. The Les Beiges Duo No. 01 is definitely more along the lines of a bronzer while No. 02 is more of a highlighter/blush on me. Based on pulling a few other powders to compare, a few final thoughts:
The powder texture is very finely milled and very pigmented for a Les Beiges powder formula.
By comparison to other formulas, the Les Beiges Duos are not as pigmented as the Becca Luminous Blushes, but you can still build the color for more intensity.
I applied by swirling a large fluffy brush to combine colors, the darker shades in each compact are more pigmented than the lighter top color so the result is that the deeper bottom shade dominates. The top shade helps diffuse and soften the bottom color if that makes sense.
No. 01 is easy to overdo – at least it was for me, I consider myself to have medium toned skin. If you’re lighter than me, it will probably look orangey on your skin as it is on the warm side. If you’re medium to tan to deep, you will probably rejoice that Chanel has finally released a darker colored powder!
No. 02 has a very similar effect on me to Hourglass Diffused Heat.
I don’t have any regrets buying these but am not sure that I can call them must-haves. If you’re looking to update your bronzer or blush collection with new colors that have that lovely satiny soft glow I think you will really like these. Even though it’s probably best for conservative makeup wearers like myself to go easy on the shimmer and frost I can’t help but be really into the super shimmers for the face that are popular these days.
Both duos are limited-edition. They retail for $65 each, available at Chanel.com and all other Chanel retailers.
Last month I reviewed one of the Chanel Summer 2016 Le Vernis Nail Colors in Espadrilles and today I have a review on two more shades in Turban and Cavalière. These are in the new and improved formula and retail at $28 each for 13 ml/0.4 fl oz, made in France. In case you missed the post I’ll repost photos below but if you want to read the full review on Espadrilles here.
The three shades I have include:
Espadrilles which is a bright orange red cream
Turban is a medium bright pink-orange cream
Cavaliere (c/o) is a deep chocolate brown with very subtle gold shimmer mixed in
All three are full coverage and opaque with two coats. As mentioned in my previous reviews of the new Le Vernis formula here and here, the new formula is an improvement from the original in terms of coverage, pigment and lasting power. I have always had good experiences with Chanel polishes, but the new formula offers more opaque coverage.
If you’ve been a long-time Chanel or Dior nail polish collector, I do think the three colors in this post are similar to previous releases. I’ll add a few notes below on the swatches, this round I did not have time to photograph comparisons in good light.
Up first is Espadrilles reposted, it’s a bright orange red that screams summer to me. I’ve been wearing it a lot on the toes – it goes with a lot of the shoe colors I have in my closet right now.
Turban is one of those pink-orange mixed colors that I reach for frequently. It looked like a medium bright warm pink next to Espadrilles. I pulled a few others I thought might be dupes. Chanel Fracas (discontinued) is similar in terms of pigment and brightness but it’s more pink. Chanel Tutti Frutti (discontinued) is more blue in undertone. Dior Wonderland is more pink and lighter in undertone. Louboutin Miss Loubi is close but deeper and richer in color (this is my favorite out of the bunch).
Cavaliere is an interesting color. Based on the promotional photos and on the model on Chanel.com it looks like a shimmering bronze with visible gold frost. On my nails it’s more of a chocolate bronze with the shimmer barely detectable on the nails unless light hits it directly. It’s still a lovely color – just not quite what I expected. It will be a good summer to fall kind of transition color that I will feel comfortable wearing as the seasons shift.
Three quick looks taken over the past few weeks for fun:
Out of all three colors, my favorite is Espadrilles. There are a couple other colors that were launched in the collection but when I saw them I didn’t feel like I would really wear them. Canotier is a pale gold frost and Emeraude is a stunning shimmering green but I’m not really a green polish wearer. I’ll do aqua or blues but I rarely feel emerald shades call my name. If you’ve tried it let me know your thoughts! For the other two, I think Cavaliere is unique compared to the other colors that I own. I tried it on the toes and was surprised that it actually worked for a polished edgy look. Turban is gorgeous – but I already own many colors similar to it. That being said it has a lot more coral and orange compared to other medium summery pinks which makes it different but still similar.
Have you checked out the summer collection yet? Stay tuned for a review on the two Les Beiges duos soon. In case you missed the post, Aqua Glossimers reviewed here.
You can find all three colors at Chanel counters & retailers now, also online at Chanel.com. I bought Espadrille and Turban from Nordstrom. Cavaliere was sent courtesy of Chanel for review.
This July Christian Louboutin will launch a new lip product called Loubilaque ($85 each) which is a new full coverage opaque liquid lipstick. According to Christian Louboutin, “Loubilaque is for the bold woman who wants to bring attention to her lips …” I am thrilled to have a preview of one shade Rouge Louboutin for you today and can report that it is indeed a very bold kind of lip product. The Loubilaque has a high shine full coverage finish and is absolutely flawless. It has a sponge tip applicator and comes in a bullet that is slightly larger than the Lipsticks (reviewed and swatched here). The Rouge Louboutin color is identical across formulas, including the Nail Polish. Loubilaque is the boldest out of all the lip formulas and has a lush moisturizing cushiony feel. You can feel it on the lips but it is not heavy. The color stays put once it is on and has impressive lasting power. It literally stays put and doesn’t budge once it’s on the lips and even after a few hours still looks as fresh as it did when I applied it. Color transfer will happen though if you drink or eat – but even with snacks it still stayed on my lips. It is pure love and I am looking forward to seeing the other 7 shades that launch come July.
A closer look at the lipstick – it’s a true red, color will look brighter or deeper depending on the light. The press gift came in a glorious framed embossed heart with a chain – it looks like something that came out of a Snow White story.
More details and also comparisons of the Loubilaque packaging compared to the lipsticks:
Rouge Louboutin Loubilaque on the lips and Rouge Louboutin on the nails
I didn’t think it was possible to top the lipsticks, but Louboutin has managed to make red lips even better. There is a soft perfumed scent to the lipstick which gives it a nice feminine feel. Based on my testing for the Rouge Louboutin I can say that these are top of the line amazing. The formula is flawless – it stays put, doesn’t bleed, lasts long, moisturizes the lips, feels like a cushion and is the epitome of luxury in a tube. I know many will want comparisons to other formulas and off the top of my head I cannot think of a dupe. The Dior Addict Fluid Sticks are my favorite liquid lipstick because they are a hybrid of lipstick and gloss in one with amazing shine and color. I would say the Louboutin Loubilaques are most similar to those but the formula is a lot more opaque, lasting power is better and overall look and feel is more bold.
Starting July there will be eight shades total. Colors include Bengali, Bikini, Colibretta, Casanovella, Altressa, Altareva and Akenana – I don’t have descriptions of photos but I hope to find them previewed on @Louboutinworld’s social channels because I literally cannot wait to see what the other shades look like.
