Fall in NYC + A good ol' ramble

I think it was in Anne Of Green Gables where I heard of the quote 'I'm glad I live in a world with Octobers.' Granted, October is almost over, but I loved every bit of it. Although NYC gets the color changing deal really late in comparison to anything north of us, it's still a nice, draw out fall. The air feels cleaner (this is a complete illusion, I'm sure it's just as polluted as it is every other day), but it's all crisp and cool and lovely.

I'm usually someone that HATES the cold (Chennai-ite through and through), but thankfully my body has adjusted pretty well. To the point where I find 5-10 C (I still don't understand Fahrenheit) pleasant. Thank god for that.

These pictures were taken one day after work where I had an hour before class. I work really close to Central Park so I walked down to it. Even on the way there, I could see that the leaves were still pretty green, but I decided to go anyway. I went to the duckpond and oh my Lord, it looked like a fairtytale. And it was just what I needed.

So to all of you who have asked me countless times what it's like living in NYC, I can answer that question a bit now.

It's insane. It's a crazy mix of good days, bad days, okay days and weird days. No two days will ever have you feeling the same. I'm someone that likes to spend 90% of my time in the city (I live in Queens for now) and I go there to find both inspiration and energy and peace and quiet. And the city can give you that. If Manhattan didn't have parks, I don't think I'd survive. If it didn't have parades, and art exhibits, and street performers and pop up shops, I don't think I'd survive that either.

I've been here three months now and I can safely say that even though I've valiantly tried to explore as much as I can, I think I've seen a grand total of 5% of NYC. Thankfully, I have more time left to do the other 95. There is so much to see, and it's always changing. As someone that loves being around people and good energy, it is the perfect place to be. I study fashion, so that helps too. And no, I haven't met Beyonce. Or Kendall Jenner. I have, however, seen Anna Wintour (safe to say my life was made that day).

This doesn't mean that it's a super easy place to live in, by any means. It can get a bit too much. There are people everywhere, all the time. I have a secret mental list of quiet spots that I haunt when I want to get away from it all. People can get very rude for no reason at all and you'll hear racist/sexist slurs on the subway all the time. I've (touch wood) never had anyone say anything at me, but I've witnessed some pretty bad stuff. Usually drunk people who just want to say something to be heard. But the awesome part is there's always someone that'll break it up and tell the person who's being insulted to come take their seat at the other end of the car so they don't have to listen to that crap.

This is not my first time living away from home, so luckily I didn't have issues with culture shock or adjustment. I know that there are a lot of people who get really nervous about living abroad and leaving their home country. Especially coming to NYC. Don't be! It isn't that bad, and if it is, it ALWAYS gets better. You just need to find what works for you! Be it your own little set of 'rituals', a list of your favorite haunts and of course, great friends.

The city has so much to offer, and I love my own company now. I think I tend to prefer it (at least I do), because there's a lot of NYC that you should experience alone. Book readings, museums, concerts in the park. It's taught me to be a lot more independent and value 'me-time'.

I honestly have wanted this since I was 14, and I feel like I'm living the dream at 23 (Okay, now I just feel old). New York can teach you so much, and I have so much more to learn from it!

Fall Drugstore Makeup Essentials

I cannot express to you how happy I am that I live in a place that has fall again. I remember loving this season as a kid, because of the leaves, the cold but not freezing weather, and the indoor heating. Now that I'm old(er), this is the perfect opportunity to dress like it's colder (Chennai, I love you, but I can never wear a jacket without burning up) and wear vampy lipstick all day every day. I know I've been away from the blog for so long, and I apologise (I didn't give up, I swear) but going back to school and taking exams after a year takes some getting used to.

Anyway, now that I have a Walgreens loyalty card, that gives me wonderful access to the best deals a s***load of excuses to buy things for my fall face.

So, let's get into it.

Base: Maybelline Fit Me Foundation in Honey Beige

I could do a whole other blog post, raving about how brilliant this is, but I think I will contain myself. For a girl who has never worn foundation, I was on the fence about even getting one. I wanted something with light-medium coverage as my skin has been behaving this year *hopes to God I don't jinx it*. I've heard brilliant things about this foundation, and decided to try it out. They have two formulas - A dewy smooth one and a matte finish one. I decided to go for the dewy one because I figured I could always set it with powder if I wanted to mattify it a bit. I started using this really carefully (I despise anything heavy feeling on my face) and a tiny bit goes a long way. I literally use a blob as big as half my pinky nail and sheer it out over my skin. And it does a brilliant job of giving me this even, glowy base which looks natural as hell. No brush required, it goes on well with your fingers.


Lips: Milani Matte Lipstick in Sangria

I own two families of lipsticks. Reds and wines. I have one pink one which only gets pulled out if I'm wearing this particular saree (no joke). On a student budget, I feel like spending $17 on a MAC lipstick is quite atrocious. I started looking at lipsticks that were just as good in the long wearing matte department and I was disappointed again, and again and again. It was like going on a string of terrible blind dates (as I said before, the US drugstore for some perfectly good reason that I'm sure they have, does not let you test products before you buy them). And then, this Milani lipstick happened. It is the most brilliant reddish wine ever. Such a good formula as well and very easy to apply. It lasts me through two 'eating sessions' without a single touch up. It's also very forgiving and doesn't cling to any dry patches. Although I would always advise a lip scrub before any dark lipstick. Will definitely be trying out more from this line.

Elf Studio Blush in Gotta Glow

So with the whole strobing trend going on, I realized I had to jump on  the bandwagon before I turned eighty. I walked into the Elf Studio here in the city and hand a browse around. I have never seen so much cheap makeup, so well organised, in one place. Mind = blown. I picked this up because it was a hefty $3, and it swatched beautifully. I use this on my cheekbones, my browbone and down the center of my nose if I'm going out somewhere special which is usually my 6:30 class. It's also a dupe for NARS Albatross which has a shameful $30. Yes, 10 times the cost. And this one does just as good a job as a highlighter, I'm sure. It really gives you that glow even if you're running on two hours of sleep and lots of coffee.

Elf Studio Long Lasting Eyeshadow in Gala

When I was having a browse in Sephora, looking wistfully at the $30 shampoos and the $40 tweezers, I came across this beautiful brown sparkly eyeshadow from the Sephora own line. It was around $14, and I realized that nothing I said or did would justify that purchase to my bank account or my soul. At the Elf Studio, there were these weird, cushiony, creamy shadow pigment hybrids on display. When I swatched Gala, it reminded me of that Sephora shadow and I put it in my basket without a second thought. It's a brilliant color, I use it as both a base and a wash of color by itself. There's a little bit of fallout but it stays in the eye area so it isn't so bad. I can see myself wearing this a lot in the holidays.

So there you have it, my fall face. I pop on a bit of liner and mascara, but these are the products I've been using pretty much every time I need to look adult and act adult.
Happy Weekend!