NYC — Winter 2015: Pick-Ups & Deliveries (Part II)

And so the shopping saga continues. I did say that I did some heavy damage in NYC, and that included a plethora of non-cosmetic items as well. I never thought I'd ever become the type of person to spend an exorbitant amount of money on candles (and if I did, it'd surely be on Diptyque!), but I couldn't resist the allure of the ones at Ladurée. I am a compulsive shopper and am easily swayed by pretty things, so Ladurée's gift items are totally targeted towards suckers like me. Maybe it's because there are lit candles wafting delicious scents around their tea room, or maybe it's the exclusivity of these candles (only available at Ladurée!), but they are gorgeous and they smell amazing and I was just like, "These need to come home with me."

Ladurée Othello and New York Candles
Ladurée Othello and New York Candles
I smelled all the candles in the store (indeed, the girl helping me was really patient and very honest: "That one smells like cheap strawberry gum") and ended up getting Othello and New York (exclusive to the New York stores). Othello is meant to smell like "black tea leaves," and it does have that kind of smoky-sweet incense note to it, but more than anything, it reminds me of a really intense, really hot, really well-dressed guy (and really defined six-pack abs underneath, obviously)... but with an air of mystery and intrigue (like, you know, Christian Grey... or James Bond). I'm not usually into spicy, woodsy scents, but the thought of burning this in the winter is just divine. New York, on the other hand, is totally the kind of scent that I am usually drawn to: sweet, crisp, slightly tart apples that's fresh and lively, but with a kind of warm cinnamon-y note that keeps it comforting at the same time. Perfect for both Spring and Fall.
Vosges Super Dark Mini Bar Library and Mini Exotic Chocolate Bar Library
Vosges Super Dark Mini Chocolate Bars: Pomegranate & Goji (x 2), Coconut Ash & Banana (x 2), Açaí & Golden Berries, Reishi Mushroom & Walnut, Guajillo & Chipotle Chili, and Matcha Green Tea (x 2)
Vosges Mini Exotic Chocolate Bars: Red Fire Bar (x 2), Mo's Dark Bar, Bapchi's Caramel Toffee Bar, Mo's Milk Bar, Sri Lankan Coconut & Curry Bar (x 2), and Barcelona Bar (x 2)
I'm not a huge chocolate person, but there are times when I crave it (like, say, when I'm PMS-ing), and it's particularly intriguing to me when there are unique flavours being offered. There's a Vosges store in Soho that looks so pretty and mysterious, almost like an apothecary but with chocolates lining the deep purple walls instead of potions, that it's hard not to want to go inside and take a look. Since it was super-cold out, I decided to get a "Parisienne" sipping chocolate, which marries dark chocolate and vanilla bean; it's thick, creamy, and ultra-decadent — the way real hot chocolate should be. The vanilla bean sweetens the dark chocolate, but it's still deep and flavourful (which I prefer in chocolate), and an 8-ounce cup is more than enough to satisfy. While sipping on my drink, I perused their beautifully displayed offerings — Vosges is known for their exotic flavour combinations in chocolate, so I left with two "libraries" of mini bars, one featuring their best-selling milk chocolate bars (favourites are Barcelona with almonds and sea salt, and Naga with Sri Lankan coconut and sweet Indian curry), and one of their new Super Dark chocolate bars that are made with 72% cacao (my favourite is Coconut Ash & Banana). Figured they'd be nice to gift and share with other (more chocolate-loving) people.
Community Paradigm Parka and Uniqlo Ultra Light Down Quilted Blouson Jacket
Uniqlo Black Leggings Pants
Uniqlo Lounge Drape Pants
Muji Cut Cotton and Black Gel Ink Pens
As per usual, my only apparel purchases were from Aritzia and Uniqlo. I actually wasn't planning on even going into Aritzia because it's so widely available here, but we had time to kill while waiting for a table at Balthazar, and Aritzia's right next door. I had been eyeing the Community Paradigm Parka for nearly five months by then; I tried it on and really liked it when they first came out last October, but decided to wait until the holiday sales started. Of course, once Boxing Day rolled around, I decided to wait until it was further reduced because I knew that once their Spring stuff started rolling in, their winter jackets would have a more significant discount. It wasn't until I was in NYC, freezing from walking around all day in subzero temperatures, that I felt it was time to snatch that baby up. They had one left in my size (one that was in their stockroom, still wrapped and untouched), so I took it as a sign that it was meant to be. And now I'm wondering how I got this far into winter without having a parka. Later on at Uniqlo ('cause you know I can't go to NYC and not make a trip to Uniqlo), I bought a lovely ultra-light down-filled bomber-style jacket that is phenomenal for layering ($69.90 for a down jacket of any kind is a steal in my books), plus four more pairs of my favourite black Leggings Pants (I live in these), and three pairs of Drape Pants because I am always on the look-out for pajama pants with pockets (why is it that women's pajama pants don't come with pockets, but men's always do?). Finally, we made a quick stop at Muji, where I stocked up on their Cut Cotton (exact dupes of Shiseido's Facial Cotton, but for $2.25 instead of $12!) and a few of my favourite Gel Ink Pens.
NYX Powder Blush in Coral Dream, Apricot, Ethereal, Pinched, and Bourgeois Pig
NYX Butter Lipstick in Little Susie, Fizzies, Pops, Snow Cap, Fun Size, Candy Buttons, Lollies, Gumdrop, Taffy, and Razzle
NYX Butter Gloss in Madeleine, Fortune Cookie, Crème Brûlée, Tiramisu, Angel Food Cake, Strawberry Parfait, Sugar Cookie, and Merengue
NYX Butter Gloss in Éclair, Vanilla Cream Pie, Peaches and Cream, Cupcake, Maple Blondie, Apple Strudel, Peach Cobbler, and Cherry Cheesecake
A couple weeks before I went to NYC, I made two huge orders to be sent to my brother's apartment so I could pick them up while I was there. One of them was from NYX, because their website carries all of their products at the original US prices (not the seriously marked-up prices at Rexall), and it's free shipping within the US (they don't even ship to Canada). I took the opportunity to get five more blushes, plus ten shades of Butter Lipstick and a whopping 16 shades of Butter Glosses (at $5 a pop, why the hell not?) because I've been wanting to try them for so long. I figure this will be the only order I ever put in with NYX, so I'd make it count.

ColourPop Lippie Stix in Tipsy, BFF, Button, Cookie, Frida, Brink, Bound, Lumière, Wifey, Brills, Grind, and Leather
ColourPop Rebound Super Shock Shadow Set: One & Done, Too Soon, Ex, and Adios
ColourPop Megan Naik x ColourPop Super Shock Shadow Set: Onai, Lectra, Amira, and Farah
ColourPop Minx Society x ColourPop Super Shock Shadow Set: Girly, On The Rocks, Get Lucky, and Roulette
ColourPop Shaaanxo x ColourPop Super Shock Shadow Set: XO, Selfie, Deluxe, and Rebel
ColourPop Super Shock Shadow in Truth, Smash, So Quiche, Sequin, Cheeky, Game Face, On The Rocks, Bandit, Mooning, Hustle, Lace, Bae, Hammered, and Shameless
As you all know, I am an addict and a hoarder of all things make-up. So after reading all the rave reviews and looking up swatches of ColourPop (which have been having a moment of intrigue recently, showing up in a multitude of beauty blogs and YouTube videos), I decided to put in a huge order with them, too. I chose 12 shades of Lippie Stix plus a total of 30 shades of Super Shock Shadow, 12 of which are included in "foursome" sets (three of the sets are collaborations, but I have no clue who or what Megan Naik, Shaaanxo, or Minx Society is). Again, at $5 a pop and free shipping in the US, I could not resist. I technically didn't buy these in NYC, but I picked them up in NYC, so I figured they could be counted in this haul. And with that, I'm done. And so is my wallet.

Ladurée Soho398 W BroadwayNew York, NY 10012(646) 392-7868
Vosges Haut-Chocolat132 Spring StreetNew York, NY 10012(212) 625-2929
Aritzia524 BroadwayNew York, NY 10012(212) 965-2188
Uniqlo Soho546 BroadwayNew York, NY 100121-877-486-4756
Muji455 BroadwayNew York, NY 10013(212) 334-2002