Showing posts with label Mac Makeup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mac Makeup. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Prom Shopping Experience - Dress? Check! Makeup? Check!

Last weekend’s Prom Shopping Tour was a success! The mother and daughter came to NYC hoping to find something unique that no one else in Boston would have. We started the tour watching the 2010 Prom Trends video so the teen could show me which dresses (styles and colors) she did and didn't like. After explaining to me that she wanted something long and cream- colored with a low cut back, I decided we should start out downtown at the more unique boutiques (which would be either hit or miss) and then end up in midtown/the Upper East Side for some bigger department stores with more options.

First stop was Unpomela, where they had a limited selection but some really cool dresses. There was one in particular that the teen was going to try on but the price was just slightly above the average prom dress price.

We moved on next to a few of the sample sales where they had some great deals on a few gowns, but nothing that peaked her fancy. Over on West Broadway, we tried New York Look, Ariella and Max Azria. They had some cute short dresses (which is a huge prom trend this year) but not much of a selection for long gowns.

I knew it was time to head uptown to the stores where there would be gowns, gowns, and more gowns. On the way, we took a look at the Prom Hairstyles video. The teen really liked the side sweep hairdo with loose curls, which actually ended up to be the perfect style for the dress she chose.

Uptown, we started in the garment district where they have gowns galore. We came across a few that were similar to what she was looking for, but not the exact style and color that she wanted. We skipped over some of the accessories stores since we hadn’t found the dress yet and headed over to the huge BCBG flagship store on Fifth Avenue. They had some beautiful dresses on the second level, as usual, but nothing that quite fit. Same with Saks Fifth Avenue: beautiful gowns at reasonable prices but nothing exact.

Our last stop was Bloomingdale's and it was a winner! There were several gowns in the color and style that she wanted but she also picked out a completely different color: a beaded aquamarine blue dress. It was really beautiful! In the dressing room, it came down to a cream-colored dress and the blue (both of which had very unique backs.) I gave my two cents and said she should get the blue since it was more youthful and fun. Cream is definitely something you can wear when you get older. Her mother agreed. Dress? Check!

We had a little extra time to shop for shoes after she bought the dress and decided that since the beading had some purple in it, that purple, metallic purple, or dull silver would work best. I was disappointed in Bloomingdale's non-designer shoe selection though. $1500 for prom stilettos is a little steep... They decided they would just get shoes at home. (The teen said that she would be kicking them off early in the night anyway!)

We headed over to the MAC makeup counter where one of the makeup artists applied a beautiful blue and purple smokey eye for the teen. Mom watched very closely so she could recreate the look on the big night! Makeup? Check!

If you're interested in enjoying our NYC Prom Shopping Experience, visit our website for more information at www.shop-nyctours.com/guidedtours/nyc-prom-shopping-experience. We look forward to prom shopping with you!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Teen Shopping Tours for the Birthday Girls!

Last weekend's Teen Shopping Tours, despite the weather, were fun, fun, fun! On Friday, the tour was for a 13-year-old birthday girl, her mom and her grandmother. I picked them up in a limo at 10am and we headed to our usual first stop on the Upper East Side. What made this tour extra special was that we had a stylist meet us at the first stop (the Abercrombie & Fitch Flagship). Kelly Mealia of Kreative Kouture and Ollie & Boo Jewelry had several outfits whipped out in no time and after a whirlwind in the dressing room, we were on our way to Henri Bendel while the mom purchased their favorites.

At Bendel's, we focused mostly on accessories since most of their women's clothing would be too large for the tiny teen. Kelly hand picked several headband options and again, it was a quick show for mom and grandma (who even bought some things for themselves--how could they not at the "Girl's Playground"???).

After the Bendel mini-spree, it was back in the limo and down Fifth Avenue to the Juicy Couture Flagship store where once again, Kelly put several cute pieces together to form some fabulous outfits. And the grandma picked out one of their signature terry-cloth track suits for HER daughter :-)

On the way to Noho/Soho, Kelly rode along with us and showed her beautiful jewelry collection, Ollie & Boo, which had just been seen on The Today Show the previous morning. The teen picked out her favorite earrings and Kelly left us at this point of the tour.

We continued on to Soho, where we stopped for a quick lunch break. While mom and grandma finished up eating, me and the teen headed over to the much-anticipated TopShop! This store was awesome because all 3 of the lovely ladies found clothing that worked for them here. The teen ended up getting an adorable jumper and a sweet bohemian top while the mom bought a stunning black cocktail dress and the grandma a beautiful floral blouse.

We were running out of time at this point so we had to head uptown to the MAC store where it was time for a teen makeover in preparation for her photo shoot. While the make-up artist applied some colorful and fresh eyeshadow and lip gloss, the grandma got a "smokey-eye" lesson.

At this point of the tour, it was time for me to leave them as they continued on to the photo shoot on location in the Meatpacking District with Caitlin Greer Photography.

These gals were super sweet and had a wonderful time, as did I! It made me want to take a shopping trip with my mom and grandma....so fun!

On Saturday, the tour was for a Sweet 16 Birthday and the group came into the city for the day from New Jersey. I met them at Penn Station where the limo picked them up. From here we headed uptown to Henri Bendel, where I assured them they would enjoy browsing the "Girl's Playground."

Since they wanted to focus more on unique, NYC shopping, we skipped Abercrombie & Fitch and Juicy Couture and headed downtown to Noho to Joyce Leslie and Necessary Clothing. On the way, they enjoyed their "teeny" cosmos. Since they're from New Jersey they were actually familiar with Joyce Leslie but they definitely loved shopping at Necessary Clothing. They found some amazing clothes, shoes and accessories at this stop but I assured them that they needed to save up some energy for TopShop--and they did!

TopShop was a super-successful stop as the sales going on were absolutely AMAZING! There was something for everyone and they made a lot of their purchases there.

After this stop, we headed to the West Village and they enjoyed their cupcakes along the way. There was a line at the Marc Jacobs Special Items store (as there often is) so I waited in line for them while they browsed Olive & Bettes and Juicy Couture Bleecker Street.

We were running out of time and I had mini-makeovers planned for the teens after the tour at Makeup Forever so we quickly finished up in the West Village. (Their mom told me these teens loved, loved, loved makeup so I knew this would be a nice addition to the tour for them!)

The limo dropped us off at Makeup Forever and while they waited for each teen to get their makeover, I mapped out a quick itinerary for them to eat dinner after, continue discount shopping and end up back at Penn Station. All in all, it was a fun birthday!

For more information about ShopNYC Tours OR to book a tour for YOUR teen's birthday, visit www.shop-nyctours.com!

Monday, August 24, 2009

Teen Fashion and Fun Tours Galore!

This past weekend was filled with Teen Fashion and Fun! It started on Friday with 6 women (2 teens and 4 adults) from Michigan. They were ready to shop, shop, shop. They had booked the photo shoot for after the tour and due to time constraints we only had 3 hours to find the teens their outfits. So we were definitely on a mission.

We began the tour at Makeup Forever in Greenwich Village, where Floriane (one of the amazing Makeup Forever sales reps) gave them mini-makeovers and they bought some really cool, brightly colored eye pencils. They didn't want to spend too much time there though. (We already had appointments for them at Mac scheduled for post-tour/pre-photo shoot). So we headed down the street to the first clothing and accessories boutique, Owl's Lab. The teens loved it, not only for the incredible fashion, but because of the fact that many of the pieces worn on Gossip Girl come from this fabulous boutique. They bought some awesome clothes and accessories that were (OMG) very Serena and Jenny.

Next stop was Rugby, which was actually requested by one of the teens. Rugby was her absolute favorite and she bought a few darling-with-an-edge outfits that were very UES prep. The other teen said she was more of a girly-girl so I walked her down the street to Ibiza where I knew she would find some sweet, feminine and bohemian dresses, skirts and blouses.

Following Greenwich Village, we headed to Soho. By this time I had a great feel for each of the teens' personal styles so I knew that we had to hit up TopShop. This was a gold mine for both of them! They found a great mix of edgy, funky fashion along with lacey, frilly and chic pieces. While one of the teens found shoes galore, the other found her perfect outfits for the photo shoot.

After TopShop, it was back in the limo and up to the Mac store on 22nd and Fifth Avenue for their makeovers. While they were getting made-up by the Mac professionals, I headed to Magnolia Bakery (usually a stop on the tour but we ran out of time) and grabbed their cupcakes. Once I got back to the Mac store and handed them their sweets they were ready to hop in a cab and head to the photo shoot on location in Chelsea with professional photographer, Caitlin Greer.



In addition to the above Teen Fashion and Fun experience, I also gave a tour on Saturday for a 16-year-old girl and her father. They opted for the Subway/Walking Tour instead of the Limo Tour. We began the tour on Upper Fifth Avenue, where we visited the usual including the Abercrombie & Fitch Flagship, Henri Bendel and Juicy Couture. Then it was into the subway and we headed downtown to Soho, where the teen wanted to find some back-to-school shoes and dresses. She found a cute pair of much-wanted gladiator sandals at David Z and as far as clothing, Joyce Leslie was definitely her favorite. She found several outfits that she really liked and she was pleased (along with her father) to see the amazingly reasonable prices too.

After the tour, her father sent me an e-mail with this message:

"Thank you very much for the help with shopping with my daughter yesterday! She was thrilled with the whole trip to NYC and the shopping was the highlight for her. We also did well back home - my wife was surprisingly impressed with my daughter's purchases..."

If you'd like to book a Teen Fashion and Fun Tour or Teen Fashion and Fun Tour with a Fashion Photo Shoot, please visit www.shop-nyctours.com/tours for more information. I look forward to shopping with you!