Whenever I tell someone that I'm a beauty editor living in New York, they have one of two reactions: They either expect my life to be like a scene from Sex and the City, or they say something along the lines of "Wow, I could never live there." I fall somewhere in between. While I do test lipsticks (and seemingly hundreds of types of products), nothing compares to swiping a red across your lips on the subway while tucked precariously close to someone's armpit to make you question the city you fell in love with.
But, for me, the pros completely outweigh the cons. A Sunday spent strolling down Hudson Street in the West Village or around the industrial spaces in Bushwick helps me reacquaint myself with New York, and I instantly fall back in love with it. Since so much of this city is seen on foot, my outfits have to endure as much trekking as they do trend testing and transitioning my style through the seasons. More often than not, I'll slip on my Timberland booties — a solid stand-by that can switch between my favorite layered looks, like a flowy skirt for day and cuffed jeans and a leather jacket for night.
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The beauty of New York is what you learn here. Just like I learned how to apply my lipstick in the most treacherous of situations, I know the best holes-in-the-wall to shoot darts after work, and I can tell you the exact cross-streets of the place to pick up jasmine flowers on the cheap. It's a give-and-take relationship, living in New York. It teaches you to think on your feet, and then you wind up teaching yourself that you can do just about anything. And, isn't that the most important lesson of all?
Check out New York through my eyes in the video above, and maybe you'll fall in love/hate just like I did.