Canadian Beauty Bloggers Take Manhattan!

Hi, everyone! If you've seen my last few posts, you'll know that I was recently in NYC with a group of my beauty blogger buddies. I've shared with you some coverage from the IMATS New York trade show, including a geeky meeting with my makeup artist idol, Lisa Eldridge, and an overview of the haul of goodies I picked up at the show. But let's not forget that IMATS was not our sole activity! We were in Manhattan for three days and, as you may know, there is nothing I love more than being in the Big Apple. To honour my love affair with New York and the amazing time I had with Julie, Chelle, Laura, Shawna, and Elaine, here is a photo diary of our whirlwind weekend! 

We arrived in Manhattan early Friday afternoon after a bit of a shaky flight in (*barf*) and, after re-orienting ourselves and filling our bellies, I decided to branch off for some solo exploration. Our hotel was in Chelsea, an area of New York I've never stayed. So I embarked on a tour of the area! 

My first stop was the beautiful, iconic Flatiron building, which I had never before seen in person! 

My wanderings around Chelsea also took me past an amazing old fire station from the late 1800s...

.... some fabulous architecture and lots of blooming trees!

I also had a first-time visit to the Hotel Chelsea, a New York landmark due to the fact that countless artists and musicians have stayed and created there. It was a key character in Patti Smith's Just Kids, one of my favourite books of the past few years, as well as a former home to Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Arthur C. Clarke, to name a few!

Friday night brought us a delicious dinner at Belgian restaurant Markt, where I treated myself to a flight of fantastic Belgian beers. No regrets!! 

Saturday morning was all about IMATS, after which we were huuuuungry! We opted for some serious, cheap, delicious New York Pizza. There was an amazing place just a block away from the hotel, where two huge slices and a pop was $5. Yes, please! The perfect way to take a break from my dairy-free diet ;)

Afterwards, we checked out some drugstore makeup at CVS, explored a dreamy designer vintage store (where we weren't allowed to take pictures, boo), and peeked into some store windows near our hotel, like this neat mannequin store. 

After a serious post-IMATS/pizza nap/coma, we got ready for a night out! I played with some new goodies from IMATS, including the Violet Voss Holy Grail eye shadow palette, and Besame Lipstick in Carmine. A perfect combination! 

Before dinner, we stopped into a Ricky's NYC location, a fun and colourful makeup supply store where some of the gals found some amazing deals. 

We headed down to Greenwich Village, with a pre-dinner play around Washington Square Park. That nook of the city always feels like home to me! 

Dinner connected us with some incredible Mexican food at Toloache. The guacamole was to die for, as was my fried cactus (yes, cactus!) and mushroom and truffle quesadilla. Probably the best  Mexican food I've had since actually being in Mexico! 

We were joined by a few of Chelle's lovely friends for dinner, after which we went back to one of their apartments for drinks and chats. The view from her apartment was beyond breathtaking and completely envy-inducing. Truly dreamy! 

We capped off our Saturday night with a drag show at Lips Bar in Midtown. A bit of a tourist trap, to be sure, but still involved some laughs, dramatic makeup, and perhaps the cheapest glass of whiskey in Manhattan ;)

Sunday morning brought two heavenly things- lots of sunshine and bagels!!

We popped into Chelsea's Brooklyn Bagel, where there was an intense lineup and an equally intense selection of bagels and spreads. 

I opted for a toasted everything bagel with kalamata feta cream cheese. It was 100% the best bagel I've ever eaten! Still daydreaming about it ;)

After breakfast we slipped into full tourist mode. We came out at Columbus Circle for some exploration of Central Park! 

The sun was shining and the park was crowded with happy tourists and New Yorkers soaking in the warmth. We really couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day! 

Hi pretty pony!

We then headed south down Fifth Avenue, where we admired St. Patrick's Cathedral, popped into Sak's 5th Avenue (the original), and got to see some ice skaters in Rockefeller Center! 

We then headed back to Chelsea, where the Highline was the main attraction! The Highline is a raised former railway track that gives some amazing views of the city. The path was bustling and the trees were blossoming. So lovely! 

We then made our way back down to Greenwich Village and SoHo, where we had lots of fun at the Bite Beauty Lip Lab (more details in my next post!!), after which we headed down to the Financial District to see the World Trade Center Memorial and do a bit of shopping at Century 21. 

Finally, we popped back out near the Flatiron Building once again, where we also got a great view of the Empire State Building. Classic New York City! 

Overall, I could not have asked for a better visit to NYC! We saw so much of the city, the weather cooperated, and the company was fantastic! Cannot wait to go back :)

If you'd like to see some video coverage from our trip, check out Chelle's vlog here and Laura's vlog, here!

Have you ever visited New York City? Do you love it as much as I do? Favourite things to do in the city?

Have a wonderful week!!

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