New York

The other night we had dinner with some family friends from California, and I met their 17 year old son. He asked if I had been to America and I said "Yeah I was in New York a few weeks ago!" "I'm sorry" he said which made me laugh ridiculous amounts. "No, no, I liked it!" "Oh really? Was it the warm and generous people?" *cue more laughter from my side of the table* "Or the clean streets?"

Okay maybe you had to be there.

But yeah I think he had a point. Mum and I were talking about New York after we were home and we agreed that whilst you were there it was busy and noisy and a bit overwhelming (and rainy- so. much. rain) but once you're home you forget all that and just remember the amazing sights and once in a life time views.

I would definitely head back to New York- I feel like there would be less pressure having seen most of the sights before and also hopefully less rain?! (Seriously, I'm from England, the land of rain and there was SO MUCH RAIN.) Anyway here are some of my favourite photos/moments from New York as I realised I haven't shared much from my trip.

New York Public Library. This was the first place we went, and it was so beautiful. They had an exhibit specifically about children's books, and the original Winnie the Pooh toys. How cute?!

The Statue of Liberty. The iconic statue was obviously a must see, and it's ridiculously stunning in real life. It's so much bigger in real life and seeing it on our first night just reminded me that we were actually in New York. 

9/11 Memorials. I was only 5 when the tragic events of 9/11 occurred, and I have obviously learnt more but being in New York and at Ground Zero taught me more than I ever knew. We will never forget. 

Central Park. I knew I wanted to see the John Lennon memorial, and my Mum wanted to see the Alice in Wonderland statue. The whole place felt like something out a film. 

Top of the Rock. Our photos came out not great due to the cloudy weather, but the view was incredible. Central Park is just a huge patch of green in the middle of a concrete jungle and you could literally see everything from there. 

Finally- New York City at night. It is just so bright. I'm used to a lot of lights in London, and it is NOTHING compared to New York. Again, it felt like being in a film. We were there when Germany won the World Cup, and the Empire State Building looked so cool.

Let me know your favourite places in New York!

xxxx

America shopping: beauty favourites

This is a very long overdue post considering I was back from America about three weeks ago..oops. But I wanted to use all the products I had brought and develop a genuine opinion as opposed to "I think this product I've used twice is really good!"

So here goes- my favourite beauty products that I brought in America!

First off, Wet N Wild lipsticks. I was in Walmart and was browsing all the American brands. I had heard of Wet N Wild a few times, but I was blown away by the prices. I brought two lipsticks for about a dollar each, and I honestly wish I had brought more :( They are really pigmented, give your lips an amazing finish and last for a pretty long time, I normally only have to touch up once or twice a day! 

The colour shown below is "Pink Ice" which is a pale pink with the slightest shimmer.

Whilst in America, I was keen to buy some MAC products as I knew it would be slightly cheaper (not by a lot but still) when I came across a shop called "Cosmetics Company" which is an outlet store that stocks MAC, Estee Lauder, and Bobbi Brown. I was so tempted by the other brands, but I knew I would end up spending way too much so I vowed only to stick to MAC. (However my Mum did buy herself some Estee Lauder goodie bags which I got some things she didn't want from- yay!) 

They had several beautiful mineralized eye shadows, which I just couldn't choose between, so I ended up buying two. Pictured below is "Tropica" and I also got "Dare to Bare". Tropica is such a lovely subtle purple colour. It is hard to get the blue to show up but I think with a more precise brush it could happen. It's so pigmented and stays on all day, and I am so pleased I got this! 

I also picked up a Mineralized Skinfinish in "Perfect Topping" after spending about an hour trying to decide which Skinfinish to pick. I am really pleased with this, and I tend to use it as a highlighter all over my face, and it gives a really soft peachy glow which is great for when you don't want really obvious highlighter all over your face. I also use this if I want a more subtle blush as it has really pretty pinky tones in it for your cheeks. 

Okay. I have completely fallen in love with Bath and Body Works, and I've already looked up overseas shipping costs. The entire shop smelled amazing and if it wasn't for the fact that I thought they would smash in my suitcase, I definitely would have brought some of their perfume and candles. Next time though! 

They had a deal on lip products, so I picked up the JellyPop in Watermelon, which I loved, until the lid came off in my bag and it went everywhere, leaving me to scrape the remnants into a small pot. Cries. I also brought this, which is a beautiful Marshmallow lipgloss. It smells SO GOOD. Like, I actually want to eat it. It smells like sweet, melted marshmallow mush. When you apply it to your lips it gives a nude shimmer with a glittery finish. It leaves your lips feeling so soft and I really want a Watermelon one of these. (I'm obsessed with anything Watermelon...) 

Finally, I brought a nail file. This probably doesn't sound very exciting but it is one of the best quality nail files ever, and it was only a few dollars from Walgreens. (also a store I fell in love with). As you can see it has a file, buff, shine and smooth, and I used this so much to get my nails back into perfect condition. It makes it super easy to get your nails filed to perfection and smooth. 

That's all my beauty faves from my America shopping, let me know if you have an similar favourites or if you've used any of these products!

xxx 

Books read in America

Saw this in The Strand bookshop- I love it!

Whilst I was in America, I got a chance to catch up on my reading. These were the books I read and enjoyed :) 

The first book I read was My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick. Sam has always been controlled by her mother and told not to mingle with the family next door, but when she meets Jase, she can’t help how she feels towards him. I loved this book! It was the perfect romance YA to read in summer, and the characterization of Tim, Jase and Sam. The “secret” comes late in the book which was kind of annoying as I just wanted to know, but I loved it so much when it happened. The ending left quite a few questions, but a bit of mystery is always good! 5/5

The second book I read was Written in the Stars by Ali Harris. I first picked this up because I saw “Stars” and thought of TFIOS (pfft no I’m not obsessed). It’s about a woman who slips on her wedding day and splits into two lives, one where she leaves her husband at the alter and the other where she marries him. When I first started this I was like “oh I know what’s going to happen” but as the novel progressed I was really surprised! I can’t say too much without giving anything away but it’s definitely not the plot and the ending I expected. I really want to read more Ali Harris books now! 4/5

The third book I read was If I Stay by Gayle Forman. This was so highly recommended to me, and it definitely lived up to the hype. It tells the story of Mia who when she’s in a car accident, is able to see her body in the hospital. I feel like it was more philosophical about life/death and living etc than actually about the storyline. The characterization was really well done, I particularly liked Adam and Teddy’s character. I wouldn’t rush to read the sequel, but I did really like this. 4/5

On holiday, I also took to using the Kindle app on my phone a lot, as it was easy and convenient. I re-read one of my favourite books, 19 Minutes, by Jodi Picoult about a school shooting in a small town in America. I first read this years ago, and I love it so much. It’s so chilling and haunting and well written, and the characters are just incredible. I just went back and forth, reading my favourite chapters again and again, until I’d probably read it about three times and decided it was time to read another book! 5/5

Let me know what books you’ve been reading this summer!

xxx