You're Gunna Hear me Roar !

I have to say that I have had a busy 2 weeks!  But, I have enjoyed it so much.  My boyfriend was on vacation last week and we were able to spend a lot of time together, which was fab-u-lous.  We both work a lot and usually only see each other once a week.  I had so much fun just exploring the city with him.  He has taught me so much about the city and we have learned so much together this past week.  There is always something new and fun to see in NYC! 

We discovered this cute park on the East side and of course I had to take pictures ! 

H&M jeans & top; Old Navy shoes; LV Neverfull 

I have so many excited events coming up! If you live in the NYC area and are free tomorrow come stop by FIT (27th & 7th).  I will be selling my jewelry from 12 to 7!  This is my first event that I am selling at and I am so excited!! Also my jewelry is being featured in a few giveaways coming up!  But we will discuss more when those come!  Hope you have a great evening. 

Love, 

City Styles 

P.S. - Um so anyone else obsessed with Katy Perry's Roar?? I have had it on repeat for like the last 2 days! 

Bite Beauty Matte Creme Lip Crayon {Satsuma}

If you have never tried anything from Bite Beauty, well you need to.  They are an all natural lip care company thats mission is to create high performance lipstick.  I have tried many of their products and love them all.  Their shade range is amazing and they sell exclusively at Sephora.  If you like a bold lip you definitely need to check them out!  They recently released a Matte Creme Lip Crayon that has a delicious citrus scent.  There are six shades in all, which range from a mid tone pink to a bright purple with a nice red orange in the middle.  I picked up Satsuma; a nice bright, deep pink.  I have totally been into the matte lips lately and have been enjoying this immensely.  It is so pigmented and actually very moisturizing.  This lip pencil is made with citrus wax peel to keep your lips hydrated.  I see myself ordering one or two more in the near future along with a few other lipsticks for the spring time!

Compared to Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Villa Lante (LE) & L'oreal La Laque in Laquerized (LE) 

One other cool fact about Bite Beauty, they have a Lip Lab in NYC where you can make your own lip color.  I have not been yet but, it is on my list of places to go!  

Have you tried anything from Bite Beauty ??

Love, 

City Styles 

Top 10 Beauty Shops in NYC !

I have lived in New York my whole life.  Technically speaking I do live in New York City since I live in Queens.  But if someone says I am going to the city I know they mean Manhattan, not the other four boroughs.  And yes there are other cities out there but, New York is the only one that counts.  Sorry but, really I'm not.  I started this beauty journey about five years ago and so happy I did.  In those five years I have shopped many a place for my beauty bits and wanted to share with you my top 10 places to go.  NYC has so much to offer and so many places to shop that it can be overwhelming to those visiting.  I hope this helps!    

 Barney's New York, located on Madison Ave and 61st street.
If you are looking for luxury than you have come to the right place.  Barney's has such a high class feel when you walk through the doors.  I would not say that this is my day to day stop but, I do like to pop my head in every once and awhile.  They have everything from Armani, Givenchy, Bobbi Brown, to By Terry, Tatcha, Eve Lom, and Claudio Riaz.  The sales girls are very nice and I've never had in issue when looking through the counters.  I definitely like to come here for my more luxurious purchases.  
   

Bloomingdale's, located on Lexington Ave. and 59th street.

The little brown bag.   That is exactly what comes to mind when I hear Bloomingdale's.  I love the makeup floor here.  It is all black and white marble and just looks gorgeous.  Bloomingdale's carries Aerin, Bumble & Bumble, Chanel, Clarins, Dior, Jo Malone, La Prairie, Nars, YSL, and many more.  I love the Kiehls section.  The sales people really know what they are talking about and give out a large amount of samples.  Plus, they really don't pressure you into buying anything you don't want too.



Bergdorf Goodman, located on 5th Ave and 59th street.

Bergdorf's is right next to The Plaza and Central Park.  It is so gorgeous on the outside and of course the inside.  Bergdorf's also just screams luxury to me and carries some of the best makeup brands including, Aerin, Cle de Peau, Dior, Edward Bess, La Prairie, Le Metier de Beaute, and Trish McEvoy.  I recently picked something from Edward Bess and will be showing you guys soon.  Bergdorf's has this adorable lavender shopping bag that I just can't seem to throw away. 

 



Saks Fifth Avenue, located on 5th Ave and 49th street.

There are three places I shop the most in the city and this is my third shopped place.  I love Saks.  It is located right across from Rockefeller Center and right next to St. Patrick's Cathedral.  They carry Burberry, Armani, Tom Ford, Chanel, YSL, Dior, Cle de Peau, and Laura Mercier.  The sales people are some of the nicest sales people out there and really know what they are talking about.  This is my go to place for Tom Ford, Armani, and Burberry.  And right now they have a Beauty event going on!  If you spend $100 you get a free tote with samples and if you spend $250 you get a tote and a makeup with even more samples.  Isn't that a girls dream!  And to be honest it is pretty easy to spend that much.

  



Macy's, located on 7th Ave and 34th street.

My second most shopped store.  I know Macy's like the back of my hand.  And let me tell you that no matter what time of day it is Macy's is jam packed full of people.  They just revamped their makeup area and it looks so amazing.  This Macy's carries Chanel, MAC, Dior, Lancôme, Clinique, Clarins, D&G, YSL, La Mer, Shiseido, and Laura Mercier.  They also have Hermes and Jo Malone fragrances.  I am truly loving the new layout and the new brands they have.  This is my go to place for Chanel.



Blue Mercury, located on Broadway and 17th street.

Blue Mercury is the cutest beauty boutique.  It has a mix of makeup and skincare.  I think they focus a bit more on skincare.  They carry brands like Jo Malone, La Mer, Diptyque, Bobbi Brown, Kiehls, Oribe, Phyto, and Laura Mercier.  I have been in there a few times and the sales girls are great and let you look around without being on top of you.  They are friendly and give great help.  And it is pretty quiet, which is nice in a crazy busy city.



Sephora Union Square, located on 17th street and Park Ave.
My most shopped beauty place ever!!!  Now I have gone to my share of Sephora's.  And I mean my share (I am a VIB Rouge) but, Union Square is my favorite.  It has such an open floor plan and is so spacious.  They are also fully stocked.  I have never gone there looking for something and left empty handed because they did not have it.  That is my biggest pet peeve with Sephora.  A lot of them just do not have enough stock and that gets me crazy.  And a huge plus about this Sephora is they carry Armani, D&G, Ellis Faas, Koh Gen Do, and Edward Bess.  Unfortunately Edward Bess will soon be leaving Sephora so stock up now!  I just cannot say enough good things about shopping here.  You will totally leave with a smile on your face.
  

Aesop, located on University Place and 9th street.

Aesop has a great range of skincare, hair care, and body care.  Most of their products are plant based and high in antioxidants.  They believe in people having great skin.  Their Parsley Seed Cleansing Masque and Resurrection Aromatique Hand Balm are some of the best.



C.O. Bigelow, located on 6th Ave and 8th street.

C.O. Bigelow is like a hole in the wall but, an amazing hole in the wall.  It is one of the oldest drugstores in America.  When you walk in you are inundated with just the best of the best beauty products.  They carry Oribe, Bumble & Bumble, By Terry, Butter London, Deborah Lippmann, Ellis Faas, Jane Iredale, Kate Somerville, Lipstick Queen, and Tocca.  And you know what the best part is?  If you live in the neighborhood you can still get your prescriptions filled there.  I just find that so cute and quaint.

  



Space NK, located on Greene Street off of Spring Street.
To be honest I just recently started to shop here but may I say it is just amazing.  They have such a great range of products and the sales girls are so nice.  Space NK carries Kevyn Aucoin, Nars, By Terry, Chantecaille, Oribe, Diptyque, Lipstick Queen, Laura Mercier, Hourglass, Jin Soon, Ellis Faas, Malin + Goetz, and so much more.  If you are ever in New York you really must visit.  I love an open floor plan and a large spacious area when I am shopping for beauty products and this gives you just that.  I have gone later on in the evening and I pretty much have the place to myself. 



I hope you enjoyed this little shopping guide !!  Let me know what your favorite beauty placed to shop are !!

Love,
City Styles 

Budget Buy {Maybelline The Buffs}

I am always on the hunt for the perfect nude.  Since I am on the fair side I never seem to find a nude that doesn't wash me out.  Well, Maybelline came out with a lipstick collection called The Buffs.  There are nine shades in all.  The concept is you can choose your shade based on your skin color.  I personally LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Maybelline's Color Sensational lipsticks.  I own more than I can count.  They are rich and creamy, and highly pigmented.  If you are new to makeup I highly suggest these.  They are a priced at $6.99 - $8.99, based on where you buy them.  I opted for 920 Nude Lust.  It is a nice brownish nude that is not to dark but isn't too light.  I kind of want to get 910 Bare All too just to see how it would look. 

I compared Nude Lust to Chanel Gracile, YSL Rouge Pur Couture 6, Armani Rouge Ecstasy 102, and Burberry Trench Kiss.  It is almost an exact dupe for Trench Kiss. 

Have you tried the Buffs ?? And what is your favorite drugstore lipstick ??

Love,
City Styles 

Urban Decay Naked Gloss {Lovechild}

Urban Decay recently released new glosses as part of their Naked line.  I mean who hasn't heard of the Naked palettes.  These glosses are like their name (naked) and very sheer.  There are nine shades in all and range from nude to coral.  They remind me of a my lips but better lip gloss.  They are nourishing and moisturizing.  These glosses contain vitamin e, avocado oil, and shea butter.  I picked up the shade Lovechild which is a lovely light pink.  I thought this would be a nice change from my normal corals.  The glosses smell like a sweet mint, which is probably one of my favorite smells for a gloss.  They retail for $20 and can be found at Sephora.  I love to keep Lovechild in my bag.  It is a great gloss to use when my other ones wear off.  

   

I compared Lovechild to Dior Lip Polish, Chanel Imaginaire (LE), and Chanel Glossimer 161.  As you can see they pull more on the pink side and Lovechild pulls more purple.  

What is your favorite Urban Decay product ??

Love,
City Styles 

Marc Jacobs {Shout}

In the beginning of February Marc Jacobs came out with five new limited edition Matte Lip Gel lipsticks.  They have such cute names; Scandal, Shout, Gossip, Flirt, and Pout.  The shades range from a nice red to a pretty nude.  I of course went for Shout which is a beautiful coral shade.  These lipsticks are a bit different then Marc Jacob's other lipsticks.  These have a matte-ish finish.  I would not say it is a true matte but, it is definitely not as glossy of a finish as the original Lip Gels.  The Matte Lip Gels come in a very sleek package which has a matte black cap and a shiny white base.  The Lip Gels and Matte Lip Gels are the size, have the same amount of product (3.6g), and are the same price ($30).  The thing I love most about the Matte Lip Gel is the fact that it has Kokum Butter and Murumuru Butter.  These ingredients help your lips stay moisturized and restore elasticity.  I tend to get very dry, chapped lips this time of year so this really helps to have in a lipstick.  

   

Limited Edition Packaging - Permeant  Packaging 

Below are some comparisons with Givenchy Croisiere Coral (LE), Tom Ford Paradiso (LE), Chanel Enjouee, and Chanel Melodieuse (LE).

What do you think of Marc Jacobs beauty line ??  Have you tried any of their lip products ??


Love,
City Styles 

Clinique Cheek Pops {Berry & Peach}

Clinique recently came out adorable Cheek Pops!  They are so cute I could not resist buying a few.  Four shades came out, Berry Pop, Peach Pop, Ginger Pop, and Plum Pop.  From the title above you tell  I picked up Berry Pop and Peach Pop.  Have you ever noticed a theme to my madness?  Buy anything pink or coral/peach.  I can't even tell you the amount of pink and coral/peach items in my collection.  Well back to the blushes, they go for $21 each, which I think is a great price.  They are highly pigmented and have a beautiful satin finish.  I think they would great on a range of skin colors.  They aren't powdery at all and you can apply them lightly and build up the color.  They give such a natural look to your cheeks.  And I mean come on look how cute they are.  Who wouldn't want to get ready with these in the morning. 

What shade would you get ??

Love,
City Styles 

Tom Ford Spring 2014 Nail Polishes !

Well, this was supposed to go up yesterday but, my poor manager fell down the stairs at work and I spent most of my day in the ER with her.  So, by the time I got home I was exhausted!  Anywho, now onto why we are all here.  Tom Ford released four gorgeous, limited edition nail polishes with his spring collection.  And when I say gorgeous, I mean gorgeous.  I bought all four shades, Sugar Dune, Incandescent, Coral Beach, and Indiscretion.  By far Sugar Dune has been my favorite.  And the lasting power on these is great!  I had Sugar Dune on for about five days with only light chipping to the tips on my nails.  To me that is a big A+.      

Sugar Dune is a nice creamy nude color.  I don't really have anything similar in my collection other then Essie Topless & Barefoot.  And Sugar Dune pulls more tan and Topless & Barefoot pulls more beige.  Only two coats are needed but, you can add a third if you feel the need too.

Incandescent is a beautiful rose gold shade.  This is my second favorite of the bunch.  I don't own anything even remotely similar and to be honest you really only need one coat of this polish.    

Coral Beach is actually my least favorite of the four.  You need about three coats to be opaque and it can be quite streaky.  It is more of a orange coral then a peach coral which is a bit different.  I think this would look great on tan skin.

Indiscretion is a lovely sheer pinky red.  It applies much nicer then Coral Beach does and is different then what I have in my collection.  I think this would look great on any skin tone. 

What I love most about this collection is how different each color is and how I don;t have dupes in my collection for them!  

What is your favorite color ??

Love,
City Styles