14. New York Haul

I arrived back from New York on Tuesday morning and have spent the rest of the week trying to sleep as much as possible! A combination of jetlag and non-stop shopping and walking around NYC has left me exhausted. I need a chilled out holiday now to get over this one!

NYC really is mad. It's so busy and noisy and everyone is always in a rush but it has some amazing shops and department stores. What I like is that you always get a paper bag instead of a crappy plastic one when you buy something. I'm funny about that.

We stayed in a hotel just off Madison Avenue called The Surrey. The decor is a mix of art-deco, modern and antique which works brilliantly. Here are a couple of photos of the room.


So, what did I buy? Well, I tried to keep my purse as well hidden as possible so I couldn't spend too much but I did anyway, so here are my goodies.

I knew I was going to buy MAC Viva Glam Gaga lipstick which is gorgeous and so much cheaper than over here!


I know a lot of people have already reviewed this but it really is to die for. The vanilla smell is gorgeous (I love that MAC lipsticks have a yummy scent), the texture is smooth and moisturising and you can wear this with or without a lipgloss. The colour is buildable too so you can have a sheer pink with one sweep or a more intense Barbie pink with a second.


I also purchased two MAC make-up brushes; the 129 and the 239.



The 129 is great for applying blush to the cheeks and has super soft bristles. The 239 is a great eyeshadow brush and what I've noticed about MAC brushes is that you hardly need any product on the brush. I've realised how crap my old brushes really are since using a couple of MAC ones.

Jeans are a lot cheaper in the US so I took advantage of this and bought a pair of skinny jeans called "Senora" from Tommy Hilfiger for $70 (about £49) and some skinny bootleg jeans from Levis for $40 (about £27). The Levis fit so perfectly. They're the best fitting jeans I've ever had and they're really comfy.


Check out these sexy little cowboys from Steve Madden.


These were $200 reduced to $79.99 and then an additional 50% off so these only cost $39.99 (about £28.50). Amazing. And they're real leather and very well made. I love the stud detailing. I've been wearing them with skinny jeans and a long cardi.

I was after a new perfume and stupidly walked into Saks on 5th Avenue. The store is beautiful and looks sumptious and inviting but the people who work there are so pushy. Before you know it, you've handed your credit card over and you have no idea how much you've just spent until you walk out and look at your receipt! You've been warned. Anyway, I bought this very cute exclusive perfume from Guerlain called La Petite Robe Noire which translates to Little Black Dress.


The bottle is adorable and the scent is described as romantic, fruity, floral and sexy - well hello! The scent is really unique which I find appealing as I don't like smelling like everyone else.

The piece de resistance is my new bag. A bag was one of the main objectives of my trip so after visiting Macys, Barneys and Saks, I finally found what I was looking for in Bloomingdales. That place is like a maze. Introducing the Aidan bag by Marc Jacobs. (Please excuse the messy unmade bed!)



I'm in love with a bag. The leather is soft and the cream colour means this will take me right through the year. The inside looks pretty cool too and there's bags of room (haha).

Here's a silly photo of me surrounded by bags (and in my PJs!).


So there are my purchases after a successful trip. NYC was amazing but I'm not in a rush to go back just yet as there are others places I'd like to visit too. I also need some time to recover from the trip and so does my bank account!

Naomi
xx