This year is my first real New York Fashion Week. I say that because this year I have tickets with my name on it - not pass alongs liked I've had in years past. I contacted everyone and their mother to score tickets to this season's shows and presentations.
A little while back I reached out to the adorable Kim of Fashionably Petite who always manages to attend the coolest NYC events. She invited me to the Thrive Causemetics blogger brunch previewing their new makeup collection this past Wednesday and I happily accepted. Thrive Causemetics is Beauty with a Purpose: For every product purchased, one is donated to a woman going through cancer treatment. My sister in law's sister, Rochelle Schoretz, passed away last year from breast cancer at just 42 - she was diagnosed at 28 and went on to found Sharsheret, a Jewish non-profit organization supporting breast cancer survivors. I've written about the amazing Rochie before and you can read more about her here and here. My sister in law, Dr. Dalia Shoretz Nagel, has recently been appointed the President of Sharsheret's board, and so I naturally gravitate to any cancer causes.
As a serial nail biter I decided to try acrylic tips with gel polish for fashion week. I should also mention that I've had maybe a dozen professional manicures total in my lifetime so this was a huge deal for me. My super talented friend Wanda (check out her cake decorating Insta, Cakes by Charnelle) always has the most amazing nails so I tried to go to her girl in the City who was of course out that day. Wanda assured me that they were all good and I would be fine. I was told it would take about 45 minutes so I arrived at the salon after 10 (I had to be by 29th street at noon) and none of the nail people were there yet and nobody spoke English. My high school Spanish doesn't include any nail lingo so I was in trouble. After a few rounds of Google translate, and almost an hour, the one person who spoke English came in to do my nails. I probably should have left but I REALLY wanted my nails done.
All my inspo pictures I had saved were on my iPad which was of course at home so I pulled out my phone and scrolled thru pics of nail art on Instagram. I wanted something more neutral, not too long but pointed, and a small detail on an accent finger. Which is of course was not what I ended up with.
I hesitated on the length which was mistake number one. I wanted them shorter (to look more natural) but the nail technician assured me I would love them longer. Some of them look a little crooked but only one was really bad so I insisted she fix it. But then she forgot to shape it so it's rounded while the rest are kinda pointy. Truthfully only my pinkies are as pointed as I wanted. Gel polishes don't have clear bottles so you have to look at a tiny dot to get an idea of what's inside. I didn't see anything neutral so on a whim I decided to try a mood changing polish because Wanda had hers done in blue and it's so cute. She couldn't find the colors I wanted so I pointed to a red that changed to a light pink. Then she pulled out a coral-y pink and insisted it was the same color (so not) but I thought it could be cute. They change colors and sometimes they're the prettiest ombre. I asked for a simple accent but she forgot about it and I was in a rush because it took much longer than I thought so I made the mistake of letting it go.
I was excited to do my nails because I was told that it would last a month and for $35 it sounded like a really good deal. Now I have to look at my wonky hooker nails for the next 20 something days. And then it seems I only have one mood which I'm gonna guess is stressed or angry because they are almost always the dark pink color LOL. This time of year is a bad time to a mood changing polish because my hands are almost always cold and it seems that you need to have warm hands for them to get lighter and achieve that ombre look that I wanted. I wish I could have them fixed but they're not terrible so I can manage. And I'm not walking in that place again without Wanda LOL.
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| A cold subway nailfie. |
So me and my crazy nails arrived at my event an hour late. Luckily they hadn't yet finished their presentation so I snuck in and arrived in time to swatch a few cosmetics, grab a swag bag and a drink. Thrive also had a fashion show that night that I was invited to but I had already volunteered for homework club at my kids school so I had to race back to NJ to help 40+ elementary school kids with their homework.
I must say that even thou the day didn't go all that smoothly, I did have a pretty good hair day. Because I was in a rush there wasn't much time to shoot my outfit. Here are a few snaps from the day :)
#OOTD from head to toe:
- Dress: Tracy Reese, Nordstrom Rack, $29.90 (retail $385)
- Shirt: Halftee, eBay, $10
- Tights: Spanx, Burlington Coat Factory, $13
- Bracelets: Dannijo, sample sale, $25 each (retail $480)
- Boots: Sergio Rossi Rockstar boots, sample sale, $25 (retail $1,260!)
I'm linking these pieces and similar pieces for you to shop :)
Last but not least I know you want to see the swag! They only had phone cases for iPhone 6 and 6+ (I have neither) so I grabbed the 6+ just in case I ever get one. I'm clearly the last blogger without an iPhone LOL. I'm excited to try their lashes (retail $26) and glue ($16) after being assured they won't irritate my sensitive eyes. And of course right after I spring for my Anastasia eye pencil I'm gifted with these - took one of each color ($23 each) so I can test what works better for me. There was also a pretty navy liner ($22) which is already in my beauty bag.
And that was day one. I'll be blogging about my fashion week adventures day by day. You can follow me on Insta, Facebook or Twitter for real-time updates :)
PS - It's not too late to enter my latest blog giveaways! Check out my Nordstrom $500 gift card giveaway and Louis Vuitton Speedy 30, a pair of Fendi sunglasses, and a gold iPad mini giveaway!
XOXO
Shoppinggal
