Happy Days in New York

10 February

There’s definitely something magical about New York – the buzz is unbeatable. I’ve definitely never been in a city like it.

I’ve been lots of times before and I never get tired of it. There’s always something new to see or do here.

I love that anything goes there- you could walk down the street wearing anything you please or singing out loud and nobody would bat an eyelid.

This purpose of this trip was mainly business but luckily we had plenty of down time too.

For the past year I’ve been working with Blank Canvas cosmetics on a really exciting project- I hate saying “project” as it sounds so blasé and I wish I could say what exactly it is we’re bringing out but I’m sworn to secrecy. It will be launched early this summer and I couldn’t be more proud of it- I’ve been really hands on with every detail and I think everyone will love it.

The whole development process has been really exciting- that area is all new to me so I’ve really enjoyed it and learnt so much.

Seeing our ideas go from paper last year to it being in my hand last Thursday for the first time was just incredible.

New York was for finalising everything. We had a photoshoot on Friday, which was great fun- even though we did some of it in Central Park in the freezing cold it was brill and I loved every minute.

Being there over the weekend meant we had the weekend free before a meeting on Monday morning.

My sister Susanna came with me along with Una and Niamh from Blank Canvas – the 4 of us definitely made the most of it and had lots of fun together.

My sister has 2 young boys and the last time we were away together was probably 10 years ago so it was a real treat that she got to come with me.

We stayed in Trump, Soho. I absolutely love Soho, it’s my favourite area of the city but I’d never stayed downtown before, on previous visits I stayed uptown around 5th Avenue or Times Square. It’s a totally different experience depending on where you stay. I think if you’ve never been before its definitely fun and exciting to stay in a hotel around Times Square – it’s bustling with tourists and full of funny sites.

I found it so relaxing and laid back staying in Soho- I absolutely loved it. Our hotel room looked out over the Hudson River, it was a breathtaking site to say the least.

We were within walking distance of all my favourite shopping streets. Soho is full of amazing boutiques and vintage shops… As is the West Village. Some were madly expensive but I just love looking anyway. There are also plenty of more affordable places to shop down there too. What I couldn’t believe was the amount of English shops there now, like Cos and Pandora.

I didn’t actually buy much clothes this time. I don’t find the high street shopping any better to home in New York. The high-street shops that we have are more expensive there too. We weren’t too pushed with going to any outlets this time as we’d all been before.

I did buy a beautiful top and clutch bag in Halston Heritage, which were discounted by 60% – I couldn’t believe my luck!

It’s a great city for buying handbags, shoes and beauty products.

What I did get a lot of was make up from MAC in Sephora.

Ricky’s and Duane Reade were other stores we raided for beauty products and god knows what else!!

New York was absolutely freezing. I don’t think I’ve ever felt cold like it. It just cuts you in half. It had stopped snowing when we got there but the paths were still very icy.

I bought great thermal tops in M&S, which were a lifesaver.

I over packed as usual but I was so thankful I brought my big cream down feather parka- I got it in the Zara sale and it’s the warmest coat I’ve ever had.

The one dress I brought never saw the light of day. A lot of black boots, black jeans, leather trousers and faux fur was worn!

I’m going to do different posts throughout the week on places we shopped, restaurants we ate in, places we visited and outfits I wore- it’s all too much to fit into one post!! 😉

I’m delighted to be home to my 2 boys now- I really missed Ollie. When he saw me this morning he laughed and squealed quickly followed by a cry. I think he got a bit overwhelmed, so cute.

The jet lag has hit me like a ton of bricks now. Time to sign off and get some rest.

It’s back to work tomorrow; I’m on Ireland Am Friday morning showing Valentine’s lingerie from M&S so I’m pulling the looks for that in the morning. I’ll have something for everyone. It’s my first styling job for them so I’m looking forward to that and delighted to be asked.

I’ll be back tomorrow with lots of outfits from my trip.

I hope you’re all having a good week so far.

Much love

see also

Stay in touch

Fashion