Saturday in New York

On Saturday, I went to New York. I didn't tell you in advance because it's never a good idea to publicize online that you will be out of town. I had a blast, although I'm still recovering physically from the long, active day. Yesterday, I spent the better part of my day resting.

I went for two reasons. There was a party at MiN New York in honor of Sergio Momo, who was visiting from Italy. Sergio is "Mr. Xerjoff" (shown above delivering his presentation to the group). The party was attended by many members of a fragrance Facebook group to which I belong. One came from as far away as Germany! Another came from Montreal. I also wanted to meet my friend Gaia from The Non-Blonde. Although we've become fast friends, we had never visited in person. I was really looking forward to the day. I took Amtrak up and back.

The ride up was fast and uneventful. I was able to take the Acela, which shaves about a half hour off the trip. My train pulled into New York a few minutes before noon, and I hopped in a taxi for Barneys New York, Gaia's and my planned meeting place. She arrived while I was buying Bryedo fragrance! Then we had a blast shopping just about everything on the beauty floor. I fell in love with a new-to-me brand, Claudio Riaz. Within minutes, I had selected about eight things I wanted. Others must like this brand too because they had only one of the eight items in stock - just one! I'll show it to you this week, and I'll be waiting for the call from Barneys telling me they have restocked.

We visited the Frederic Malle counter where we learned that he is launching a hair mist in Carnal Flower. I need that like a third arm, but I'll probably buy it. I also want one of the room sprays, but I held off on spending too much. I knew the day would get costly.

We spent a fair amount of time at the Koh Gen Do counter. Both of us purchased an Aqua Foundation. Kate inspired me on Friday. I'll let you know what I think after I have a few days of wear time. I like the line! They loaded us up with samples, and I suspect it's in my future as a regular.

I needed a chance to recharge, so we went to the restaurant in Barneys to save time at lunch. Very good food and service, but the prices were ridiculous. I had forgotten how much it costs to eat in New York - unless you do the food truck routine.

From Barneys, we walked over to Bergdorf Goodman, where I had hoped to say hello to Dustin at Le Métier de Beauté. I was totally bummed that he wasn't working on Saturday. I found the Tom Ford counter uninspiring. We only had time to do a quick run through Bergdorfs, but Gaia made sure I stopped at Jar. There was no time for the "Jar experience," but I was able to leave with a dab of Jarling on my wrist. I need to go back.

After a quick concealer and blush touch-up at the Chantecaille counter, we were off in a taxi for MiN New York in SoHo. The party started at 3:00, and when we arrived - just a few minutes after that - it was in full swing. Gaia's other half, Ori, met us there. He has been doing his own shopping while we did beauty departments. I think "The Blonde" and "The Non-Blonde" are a darling couple.

The party? Wow! With plenty to eat and drink, great online friends, and a presentation by Sergio (but maybe not enough air conditioning to suit Southerners in 85+, humid weather), it was a great party. Chad Murawczyk and Mindy Yang and the entire MiN team were fabulous hosts. I was there for three hours, and it still seems like one.

I never made it through the entire group to say hello to everyone, but I did take a few moments to meet with the "Tango king" on the couch. I stole this photo from a dear Facebook friend to show you.

I had to sample fragrances! I brought home a few - all of which I'll describe later. Naturally, my spending money was concentrated on Xerjoff, a dynamic line that has something for everyone. Sergio Momo is a sweet, knowledgeable, and, I think, somewhat shy man who has created some of the most amazing fragrances I've purchased this year. With oil concentrations at 25%, they last on my skin forever. You will love the line, which you can find at MiN and Luckyscent.

Just after 6:00, I left in a taxi for Penn Station to catch the 7:00 train back to DC. No Acela, unfortunately, so the trip took 3.5 hours. By the time I got back to my house, it was about 11:00, and I was worn out. After apologizing to Charlie and Savannah for the late dinner - and a quick Facebook check-in - I crashed.

Now, of course, I want to go back more often. I hadn't been to New York in two years - way too long, but there was that knee replacement. I wish now I could have a spine replacement. If I could trade in mine for one that's new, I'd be off to New York way too often.

Stay tuned for my new makeup and fragrance features. I hope you are having a wonderful Memorial Day!

Photos by Best Things in Beauty and courtesy of a Facebook friend I finally got to hug