NYC Part Two

During the second part of the week we braved a visit over to Bronx Zoo. Despite the reputation you hear we made it out alive! The zoo was a bit of a disappointment and despite the good reviews we'd read it really wasn't that good at all. It was just so large which isn't a bad thing but it seemed to have a serious lack of animals. London Zoo may be ridiculously overpriced but it's 10 times better. Leave the zoo in the guide books if you visit NYC guys!

We also decided to rent bikes and cycle around Central Park. Got to admit I was bullied into this as I was not keen at all but I'm so glad we did it. I really recommend it. You see so much and we did the six miles perimeter in around 2 hours. It hurt like hell but we got to see everything! Of course we refuelled in Hooters after as you do.  We did the majority of our shopping in the last few days. Boy did we shop till we dropped! I was a bit underwhelmed by Macys, I thought Bloomingdales was top notch. A way to comp[are is to say Macys is Debenhams and Bloomingdales would be Selfridges. The service was just so much better in the latter and it was spotless. Just a much nicer shopping experience!

We also visited the Top of the Rock at night. It was absolutely pouring down and unfortunately we couldn't go outside so I didn't get very good pictures. But the view was gorgeous, it was particularly nice to see the Empire State all lit up. Such a beauty! I think I preferred seeing the city at night with all the twinkly lights showing off. I had the most bizarre experience in Time Square that night. We were walking back from dinner in the rain and then all of a sudden it started snowing! SNOWING! We had gotten sunburnt the day before in the park. It was madness! I've got to admit the city's a lot better in the sun!

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NYC - Part one

Looking back at these has made me want to jump on the very next plane back to the Big Apple. I need to go back!

We crammed in so much in just a week and it still wasn't enough. There's so much more I want to see and do. In the first few days we caught a ferry over to Liberty Island where we saw the awe-inspsiring Statue of Liberty before we stopped off at Ellis Island. It was a shame some of it wasn't open (it's still recovering from Hurricane Sandy) but it was still interesting and mind-boggling reading about the sheer number of immigrants that came on those shores. I got to catch my first game of Baseball and I can't say I was overwhelmed. It's very stop and start meaning there are many times throughout the match when no one is playing. It was an experience i'm glad I had but I much prefer seeing a football match!

The view from the Empire State was insane. Up there with one of the best views i've seen hence why i'm grinning like a cheshire cat in the first picture. Like I said I loved Chelsea Village/Meatpacking as it really was picture perfect New York. It was just how I imagined what the city would look like. Rows and rows of brownstones lining the tree filled streets. It was also home to Chelsea Market which i'd love to go back and explore in closer detail. The vintage on sale was just asking for a rummage!

Finally I fulfilled a bucket list wish and rode in a horse and cart around Central Park. We had a charming Irish chap who reeled off random but interesting tibits. It was a tad smelly being sat next to the horse's behind but it was a lovely way to see the park. Pick a sunday like we did as no cars are allowed in the park!

Stay tuned for part two. I took a hell of a lot of pictures!

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Beauty: Simple Skincare

Simple was one of the first brands I tried when I ventured into skincare many moons ago. Over the years I've tried and tested many different brands both budget and high end. When Simple offered to send me the new Kind To Skin selection to try I jumped at the chance and was transported back to my teenage years left wondering why I stopped buying the brand.

001: Kind to Skin Protecting Moisture Cream SPF 30
I fell completely in love with this product and will buy it myself when it runs out! It's one of the best budget moisturers I've tried and for a small bottle it lasts for a fairly long time. It leaves my skin feeling hydrated and doesn't have an overpowering smell. Being the wrong side of 25 is not sitting well with me and when I look for a moisturer it ideally has to have SPF. This ticks all the boxes, the SPF 30 will help with any dreaded premature ageing. They do say the sun causes the most wrinkles!

002: Kind to Skin Perfecting BB Beauty Balm
Admittedly this is the first time I've ever used a BB cream so I don't have much to compare it with. However, this took to my skin like a duck to water and didn't feel too heavy on my skin. I don't wear foundation because it makes me feel claustrophobic. I wouldn't buy this again, not because it was an awful product but because I just don't think BB creams are for me. I prefer to be au natural before putting my daily face on!

003: Kind to Skin Moisture Boost Hydro Boost
I have a feeling this will be a god send in the warmer months! It will be great to keep in my bag so I can freshen up on the go. It dries almost instantly and makes your skin feel lovely and refreshed. Perfect for waking you up in the morning!

004: Kind to Skin Sunkissed Moisture Cream
It's getting to that time of year when the fake tan comes out of hiding and the pins need polishing up. I struggle with fan tanners on my face as it tends to make me look like a oompa-loompa.  It's not very dark and it doesn't make a different straight away. But by the time a week has passed it's reached a lovely natural colour. Just make sure you are continuous in your application as it will get patchy if you don't do it daily. Never a good look!

005: Kind to Skin Illumiating Radiance Cream
Again the SPF in this is a winner. I preferred wearing this at night as it had a shimmer in it and I thought it was a bit too much for the day. A little goes a long way and it was very easy to use too much and end up looking like a glitterball! Subtly is key when it comes to this product. It was a really nice cream to wear at night to help jazz up your make up.

006: Kind to Skin Brightening Eye Make Up Remover Pads
Sometimes I find eye pads a little bit too irritable thanks to being a contact lens wearer. But these glide on effortlessly and you don't have to rub hard to remove stubborn mascara leaving your eyes sore and red. It worked out one bad per eye. I do still perfect to use cleansing water to remove my make up but these are a great option if you're on a hurry!

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