SSG Shops.... NYC. - Sydney Shop Girl

It’s been ~~one blog post~~ a while since we talked about New York and shopping, hasn’t it?

One of my favourite scenes of this city. Lanes full of yellow taxis cruising along the backdrop of tone on tone greys.

No really. Okay, maybe it just feels that way to me. Living on New York City time means that your days are packed with so many places and and things achieved that it’s like living a week of my Sydney life (which I thought was pretty hectic) in a day over here.

My work here is done. Ticked off the rest of the shoppes on my ‘to buy’ list with two days to spare on this trip.

I’m taking the blog back to its roots (again) today with a traditional SSG Shops *Insert Name Of A North American City* post.

I came, I saw and I got terribly lost at the Uniqlo flagship store on Fifth. I’m sure an avant garde architect designed the store but for this tourist, something got lost in translation. It’s all split levels with the elevators leading to some floors, the stairs leading to others and the cashiers hidden away somewhere in between.

It does look pretty speccy thought. All light, glass, colour and red flashing ticker tape message lighting details.

All was not lost, though, I did manage to find the instore Starbucks.

As well as finding the limited edition kids Ts. These Star Wars Ts are based on the winning designs from Uniqlo’s 2015 Star Wars UTGP Global T shirt design competition. Toddler SSG scored the ewok camo T on the left.

And me? Ever adventurous me found exactly the same things as what I buy in Sydney. An AIRism scoop neck top and a puffer vest at $10 off.

Which I roadtested for warmth today with my GAP jeggings and Coach flats. Those GAP jeggings are the bomb dot com, by the way. Comfy, with a mummy friendly highish waist and a flattering fit. What’s not to love for $25?

On a 15C windy morning at the corner of 7th and W 50th, I’m happy to report that the puffer vest and top kept me toasty warm. Well played, Uniqlo. And my barista at Starbucks for getting my Starbucks name first try.

The Time Warner building offers the most spectacular shopping centre view of the city ever. This photo was taken from the second floor, overlooking Columbus Circle and Central Park.

And this was the main drawcard for me in a mall that also featured Williams Sonoma and J Crew…

My most expensive meal on the trip so far… but worth every dollar.

$20 USD worth of steamed vegetables and lean meat.

Featuring a little Chicken Tikka from New Windsor, NY.

The organic tofu looked good

but the comfort food desserts won out in the end.

Deciding what to eat was an achievement in itself. Lining up to pay was the next test of our endurance. I got to see a fair bit of the store as I waited in line.

Cookies and cupcakes.

The fresh roast and charcuterie area.

And the salad stations.

I reckon if you go to the gym every day on holiday, you get a leave pass on having to eat salad for the duration.

Getting to the head of the line was a bit stressful. The colour coded, number sorted 32 register check out gave me severe performance anxiety but I got there in the end, people. Got to the right check out and paid without a hitch.

I can confirm from the aisles of Sephora, Colombus Circle that Louboutin nail polish is an actual thing. I can also say that as a non beauty blogger, I walked straight past the display without even doing a price check. But here’s a photo all the same, FYI.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Replica fragrances are a Sephora release that we won’t be getting in Sydney. They’re a beautiful and unique range of fragrances from Maison Martin Margiela that are olfactory interpretations of those Instagram worthy moments of your life. Or someone who’s life you’d be quite happy to borrow for a moment or two.

Beach Walk was my Replica moment of choice. It smells of summer but would definitely work for a Sydney winter. Confession time – I got the rollerball and full sized versions. The travel range of fragrances at Sephora are a good size and so much less fiddly and frustrating than the vials you often get as samples. For those of us who don’t travel with scented candles, there are a great alternative.

After all that fragrance extravagance, I dug deep and exercised restraint with my makeup purchases. A back up of Sephora’s Contour Eye Pencil in #13 Tiramisu (aka my lucky 13 eyeliner) and, stop the press, Sephora’s version of a matte black eyeliner in #1 Black Lace.