I’ve become quite the travel bug lately and although flying tires me out, I’ve been loving the new adventures. New York has been in the books since last year as the plan was to head to New York Fashion Week, but when the opportunity to visit the Big Apple a month earlier came up, I couldn’t say no. Especially since it was with one of my absolute favourite brands, Evolution Of Smooth (EOS). I was running on adrenaline and caffeine the full 24 hours I was there and wanted to share this exciting experience with all of you- my 24 Hour Adventure in New York City Travel Guide.
Many of you don’t know but I was born in a quaint little town, not too far from NYC called New Jersey. This fun fact about me has always opened up many laughs, Jersey Shore jokes and has served me a great conversation starter at dinner parties. No. I can’t fake a Jersey accent but I might have accidentally styled my hair to the likes of Snooki. But we’ll keep that between you and I.
Where should you go, and what do you need to prepare for a quick 24 hour trip in New York? I’ve listed my experiences and all the stops we made along the way!
What to Pack? (For the Summer months)
While packing, I tried to search up the must-brings for New York but unfortunately, nothing really showed up. Here’s what I gathered in terms of must-haves:
Comfortable Footwear
I brought 3 different pairs of shoes, because I couldn’t decide and from too much Sex and The City, I had to bring a range of comfortable footwear and cute heels. I would say, depending on the climate, bring footwear made for walking long distances, and one cute pair of sandals/heels for times where you know you’ll be cabbing to and from your hotel. I really only stuck to my comfortable snake-skin sandals from Naturalizer.
Loose, breathable clothing
It gets hot and humid in New York. When I was there, it averaged about 30 degrees and the humidity felt exactly like Malaysia, so I was sticky a lot of the time.
I would recommend loose dresses, shorts, nothing too long that would drag on the ground because NYC streets are pretty dirty and you don’t want people stepping on your clothes as they brisk by you.
Though, I am totally guilty of bringing my form fitting dresses and even knowing this, I’ll probably still do the same for Fashion Week *laughs
- Compact umbrella
I experienced first hand how hormonal mother nature can be. Woke up at about 6 am to beautiful clear skies, and in an instant, there was a thunderstorm. I’m talking thunder, lightning, the whole she-bang. And then it cleared up again in about an hour.
What I’ve been told is that New York is prone to these lapses in weather and you could basically be rained on in a minutes notice, so packing a compact umbrella that can fit in your purse is probably a good idea.
- Moisturizer and EOS Lip Balms
Because of the heat and humidity combo, you might mistake the stickiness to being nature’s moisturizer- I have.
It’s important to have on hand a good moisturizing balm for your body but also as important, is to protect the lips. So I mentioned that this amazing 24 hour trip to NY is thanks to EOS and I was flown there to hear about the very exciting launch of the EOS Crystal Lip Balm. If we’ve hung out, I can guarantee that you’ve probably seen me whip out my egg looking balm at least once and that’s because it’s my go-to before applying any lipstick.
We were invited to this beautiful white-painted loft that was decorated into several stations to tell the story of EOS, from idea conception to the ingredients and formula that goes behind making the lip balms and we were taken into the minds of innovation in the beauty industry. The EOS Crystal that just launched is a combination of the moisturizing formula that contains ingredients such as Aloe Vera, Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, and matching it with a formula that has created a transparent and weightless balm, packaged in a beautiful redesign of the classic egg. This, my friends was a formula that took about 2 years to perfect.
Where I went:
Lower East Side & SoHo
I stayed at the Ludlow Hotel, located on the Lower East Side of NYC. A cute, rustic boutique hotel that reminded me of the hotel in America Horror Story: Hotel but in the good way. The hotel screamed history, and has the most amazing avocado toast, and marble bathroom.
I would completely recommend it as it’s pretty central in regards to hailing cabs, and is right across numerous burger joints, and a Dry Bar! It is also walking distance to Soho.
Cha Cha Matcha – for the cutest and most refreshing Matcha blends! Also very Instagram friendly interior décor that mimics lush greens and tropical feels.
Nomo – Great for date night or a girls night out. Beautiful exterior and interior décor, and delicious food. The Kale salad is amazing, the steaks are amazing, pana cotta is amazing, everything is. As well, the prices are pretty average and not as pricey as you’d think!
Jack’s Wife Freda – Cutest little brunch spot with the best variation of worded sugar packets. Also, ordered the Avocado toast there because I’m obsessed.
New York Public Library – This is for all you Instagrammers who are as obsessed as I am with Marble anything. The NY Public Library is basically marble heaven but if you are heading there for outfit photos, I suggest getting there early in the day- like 8 am. There was a line up already forming around 9 for when it opens!
Times Square – Basically what everyone pictures New York to be, thanks to Hollywood. Huge billboards, lights, action! It’s all that, yes, inclusive of the dressed up Spidermen trying to con unsuspecting tourists of their money. I did love Times Square though, even if I only caught a glimpse of it.
West Village – Filled with cute fashion boutiques and corner restaurants!
Overall my thoughts; New York is a city of energy and you won’t be able to see everything in a day. That being said, you’ll have a good time!
Special thank you to the Faulhaber team and Eos for bringing me along for such a fun adventure! Don’t forget to check out what my blogger babes thought about the trip too – Alicia, Lyndi, Cee and Sydney!
Find out more about the new #EosCrystal